Interested in trying CrossFit but aren’t sure where to start? Check out these 7 Tips for CrossFit Beginners for everything you need to know before taking on your first WOD.
Welcome to another great Wild Workout Wednesday Link Up where Annmarie from The Fit Foodie Mama, Angelena Marie from Angelena Marie: Happy, Healthy & Balanced, Michelle at Fruition Fitness and I bring you workout ideas, motivation, inspiration and recipes to try. Join us each week by reading along, linking up and grab the button to proudly display on your blog/in your posts!
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Sooo my CrossFit box is FINALLY back open! It closed back in April due to a silly lawsuit that they finally beat! I’m so excited! The location I go to won’t be back open until November. I’m also not sure when they’ll be back to offering a full schedule, but I don’t mind going a wee bit out of my way for the next month and a half to go to their other NYC location for some classes.
I’d only been doing CrossFit for about 2 ½ months when my box closed, so I kind of feel like I’m starting from scratch again. I’ve been going to the regular gym to do some lifting in the interim, but I definitely feel I’ve lost some of my upper body strength. I’m ready to get back to it, even if it means taking a step back to an easier level. Being so excited to get back to my box got me thinking about how intimidated I was to try CrossFit the first time. Starting any sort of new routine can seem daunting, so I want to share my 7 Tips for CrossFit Beginners for those of you that have been toying with the idea of giving it a go.
- Take a few starter classes – any good CrossFit gym should offer these to newbies so they can learn how to do all the moves and lifts.
- Start light and modify – Don’t try to do the RX (lift the weight prescribed to the workout) right out of the gate. Scale back until you can master the form of each move. Once you get comfortable with how to do each lift, you can start adding weight – SLOWLY! Don’t be ashamed to make modifications to harder moves (you coach should show you how to scale back). I still do modified pull-ups and pushups from time to time. You just gotta do you!
- Don’t compare – There will be people in your classes that have been doing CrossFit for a while. Try not to compare yourself to them. As I said, do you. Compete with yourself and your own PRs – not with others.
- Be social – CrossFit is a great community. While everyone is athletic and competitive with himself or herself, they are super supportive of everyone else, so don’t be shy! CrossFit also incorporates a lot of partner workouts, so chat it up, make some friends and get yourself a new workout buddy.
- Be prepared for blisters & bruises – Your hands will get torn up from the barbell and pull-ups and all that jazz. You’re also bound to get banged up a bit. I get bruises on my collarbone constantly. I try to think of it as a badge of honor haha. Some people wear lifting gloves, but I’d rather try to build up some calluses and up my grip strength. Grrrr. Beast mode.
- Find a good box – If you’re new and the coach leading the class is just letting you lift heavy and quickly regardless of your form, run. This is a fast track to injury. A good box will be filled with coaches that will slow you down (despite a for-time workout) to make sure you are doing things correctly before you do them quickly or load on more weight. Find some Groupons or use ClassPass to test out a few different boxes before picking your favorite.
- Be prepared to shell out – Once you do pick your favorite box, know that a membership will be pricey. CrossFit is expensive. Stupid expensive. It’s nutty, but I love it. I did a freelance project to save up the moolah for a membership. If you really like it, figure out a way to work it into your budget. Look at it this way, if you spent all that money on it, you’ll probably be more motivated to go more often!
Check out some other great CrossFit tips and words of wisdom from:
Presley from Run Pretty
Melody from Beautiful Frugal Life
And don’t forget to join the Wild Workout Wednesday Link Up below!
Let’s Chat:
Have you ever tried CrossFit?
Any CrossFitters have tips to add?
I’m definitely interested in CrossFit…there’s just so little time and so many workouts! Great tips though if I ever take the plunge!
Michelle recently posted…Total Body vs. Isolation Workouts for Runners
There really isn’t enough time in the day to do all the fun workouts ;-P
I’m not a Crossfitter, but I totally agree with these tips!
Susie @ SuzLyfe recently posted…Desk Job Fitness 3: Stretch and Tone at Your Desk #BosuStrong
Thanks, Susie!
Every single time I step into a crossfit box I feel SO OUT OF PLACE. Always makes me feel extremely incompetent, haha. Great tips!
Annmarie recently posted…Ragnar Relay Adirondacks Race Recap
haha no! You’d be beast!
Crossfit kind of scares me! I think I am too old to start something like that but I know people love it. Prepare for bruises huh?!
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner recently posted…Passionate About Heart & Sole
You’re never too old! Please! But yes… bruises… they will happen.
This is great! I toured a CrossFit gym recently and I was very intrigued. It’s hard to justify the cost though…do we know why it costs as much as it does?
Janelle @ Run With No Regrets recently posted…Tough Mudder Training Week 5 Recap
It is really expensive, but it’s the same as any other boutique fitness studio since it’s all classes. If you get unlimited cycling at a place like SoulCycle, it’s just as much – at least in NYC.
Great tips Nicole. I plan to try Crossfit one day. The expensive price you mentioned is what has kept me away.
Ivanna recently posted…Muscle Building Arm Routine: Wellness by Ivanna
That kept me away at first, but I found a way to make it happen since I really liked it!
This post makes my heart ache for my crossfit gym/box in Panama City! It was donation based and acted as a refugee for teens trying to stay out of trouble and away from gang activity. Not to mention it had this crazy beautiful/ peaceful workout room with mat floors and a giant part of the wall cut out so you could feel the breeze and stare at the ocean / causeway during your sweat sesh. Nicole you’d just die for it! I flooded my blog with way too many pictures of it…needless to say I was a bit obsessed haha
Cayanne Marcus recently posted…When You’re a Little Bit Lost and Trying to Find Self-Love, I Will Read This to You
That sounds amazing!!! I’d love to go there!
I am scared to death of CrossFit.
Diatta @ Femme Fitale Fit Club recently posted…Sober October + Yoga Challenge
How come?! You’d be great at it!
Thanks for the tips! I have been thinking about trying crossfit out and it is good to know this stuff before going!
Sharon recently posted…Beat The Blerch Half Marathon Race Recap – Morristown, NJ 9/26/15
Let me know how you like it if you try it!
Yeah the price is just something I have never been able to get over. My friends that try it love it though. I do unfortunately have one friend whose brother had a tragic accident doing crossfit. You are right though. Definitely need to do your research to find the right place for you.
Daisy @ Fit Wanderlust Runner recently posted…My Top Running Songs: September
It is really expensive, but I made it work. I’m sorry to hear about your friend’s brother! All the more reason to find a box with good coaches that pay attention to safety!
I don’t do crossfit, but I like the tips. Thanks for sharing
AutumnPTW recently posted…Orange Colada Goodness Smoothie
Great post Nicole! Finding a box for my daughter was trial and error. All we needed was to find the perfect match for her to love crossfit. The coaches were excellent with her as a beginner. In fact I practically interviewed them to make sure. #crazyquestioningmom haha
jill conyers recently posted…Nourishing Nut & Seed Bars
more like #smartmom! I still think it’s so awesome that your daughter is into crossfit!
Ive got to say I have no desire to do crossfit, I don’t know why!? Definitely intimidated by it!
Oh no! Don’t be intimidated! You’d kick its butt!
Great topic for an exercise regime that can be intimidating to many but you really break it down into steps that make it less so! And, that is ALWAYS a good thing! Will tweet for sure.
Lori @ TheHealthMinded.com recently posted…Health Plans: How to Stay Laser-Focused & Calm Your Mind (Part 2)
Thanks, Lori!
I think that the most important one is finding the right box. CrossFit has a great reputation from the good boxes and a terrible reputation from the bad ones. The bad ones are easy to identify: they don’t retain people. just ask around and see how long the majority of people have been there. If you dont meet at least 30 or 40 long time members…RUN
Totally agree. The box is so important!
Having been a CrossFitter myself for only 2 years, I remember clearly how it felt starting out in a new box. All the strong burly guys throwing around weights like they were nothing. I would say it is near impossible to not feel some form of intimidation. I also think it is totally natural to compare yourself to others, just make sure you do it from a point of inspiration, not fear or jealousy. If you are thinking about giving it a go, you may as well and see how it goes.
Cheers
Matt
That was a GREAT article, thank you for all the hard work put into it! your article is extremely motivating and good read for beginner to Cross Fit.