Sometimes the hardest thing about taking control of your health and fitness is to step through the front door of the gym. This blog takes a look at what you can do to make that step easier and how to start CrossFit.
Often the hardest thing to start on your fitness journey is to turn up. Actually putting your gym gear on and turning up to the gym. Starting CrossFit is no different. The hardest thing about starting Crossfit is lacing up your trainers and walking through the front door. With the coaches, workouts and community you should soon feel right at home in your CrossFit gym
There are so many questions people have when starting CrossFit so hopefully this blog can help you answer those questions and prepare you do starting your fitness journey with CrossFit.
Do I need to be fit to start CrossFit?
No! One of the biggest misconceptions that beginners have about CrossFit is that you need to be a super fit athlete to start. Thats not true at all!
The whole point of CrossFit is that it is accessible to all. It doesn't matter your fitness level, age, gender or ability!
CrossFit workouts can be scaled to all, for kids learning movements or even your grandparents keeping their strength. Starting CrossFit is the first step in taking control of your health and fitness.
How do I start CrossFit?
Start by taking time to research your closest CrossFit Affiliated Gym or Box. You can do this by search your location here https://map.crossfit.com/ and finding your nearest CrossFit gym.
Give them a call or drop them a message to say that you're interested in learning more and starting CrossFit by joining the gym.
Sometimes they will encourage you to take a 1-to-1 Foundation Class. The foundation class will teach you all the essential movements of CrossFit and give you more insight into how CrossFit classes work and what to expect.
We encourage you to start CrossFit by attending the foundation class and learn as much as you can before signing up for a membership.
Don't forget you can learn more about the gym by checking out their website, facebook and instagram pages to see what the gym looks like, who their coaches are and what their members have to say. You can also look at reviews online and learn more about the member experience.
It is also useful to see whether they host events like fitness competitions or member exclusive parties which show that the gym really cares for their members health and fitness.
Can I start CrossFit At Home?
Of course you can try to do some CrossFit workouts at home but please make sure that you are doing the movements in the correct way to prevent injury.
Get someone to film you doing the movement and if it looks like the movement that is being perscribed then you're okay but we recommend you get the help of a Level 1 CrossFit Coach before you do anything.
There are a load of CrossFit workouts you can do at home that don't require alot of movement coaching (that include lots of running, press ups and squats!) so take a look around the web and search for some appropriate CrossFit workouts for you.
Starting CrossFit at home can be a good way to introduce yourself to the training methodology but we only recommend this if you can already do the movements with correct form.
What is CrossFit?
Here’s the definition of CrossFit from the official site:
CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide.
Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing.
Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist.
CrossFit contends that a person is as fit as they are proficient in each of ten general physical skills: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and accuracy.
In laymans terms CrossFit is all about building strength and fitness whilst supporting health through constantly varied functional movements whilst also building community and relationships with others.
Starting CrossFit is a great way to take your current training to the next step mainly because CrossFit combines the best of all sports.
Are you a powerlifter? Then your conditioning might not be the best.
Are you a runner? Then you may need to build strength.
Are you a powerful athlete? Then you may need to work on your endurance.
CrossFit works everybodys weaknesses in a balanced way that includes constantly varied movements, time domains and modalities and thats why its the perfect training methodology for everyone.
We encourage everyone to start CrossFit (no matter what your friends or Jillian Micheals says about it) and experience the benefits of this revolutionary training methodology.
Starting CrossFit can often be a little scary if you haven't really worked out before but I promise we're not that bad. If you ever need to ask some questions to someone who has been in a CrossFit gym then reach out to me on instagram at @amrap_harry.
