Crossfit For Beginners
Patience, young grasshopper! Like all activities, CrossFit has a bit of a learning curve. You are learning movements you may have never done before, and it is important be patient while mastering these. We have found the most effective way to do this is by focusing on mechanics, then consistency, and finally intensity. It typically takes new members a couple weeks to get comfortable with both the movements and the intensity of the workouts. Just like learning a new language. The more you practice, the faster you will improve. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is the human body. Fundamentals In your first week you will take our fundamental classes. In fundamentals we teach CrossFit’s fundamental movements. These are broken into three different days with each day teaching a different progression, thereby covering the nine fundamental lifts in CrossFit: the squat, front squat and overhead squat (day 1); press, push press and push jerk, (day 2); deadlift, sumo deadlift high pull, and clean (day 3). But the day isn’t done without a workout! After the instructional portion of each fundamental class, you will go through a metcon (metabolic conditioning, the bread and butter of what we do). Each day we will tackle a different style of workout: a chipper, an AMRAP or time priority workout, and a task priority workout. In addition to teaching the fundamental lifts and introducing members to the various types of workouts we implement, we also review equipment used and provide an orientation of the gym.
After Fundamentals
Typically new members will start to feel better moving through workouts, and then they will start to notice physical changes. As much as we would like to promise so many inches or pounds off, we cannot and will not make any such claims. What we can promise is that with patience, dedication and consistency, we can help you change your life permanently and for the better. In order to best maintain those tenets of patience, dedication, and consistency, it’s important to find a workout routine that works for you.
Workout Routine
Upon completing fundamentals, you will be able to attend any class on our schedule. Depending on your physical fitness level, you will train 3-6 times a week in small group classes coached by our world-class instructors. Classes will start with an instructed warm up, then either skill or strength, followed by the WOD (Workout Of the Day). After class coaches will walk you through a cool down stretch or roll out session to conclude the class. Classes last 1 hour, so please arrive 10 minutes prior to class time. We think it’s important to not spend your entire life in the gym and to get out and enjoy our awesome home of Arizona, so we are typically closed on Sundays. As a result, this tends to be more of an active recovery day for most of our members. When it comes to finding a routine that works, our advice, especially as you are getting started, is to listen to your body and find a regimen that works for you. A good way to do this is try working out two days in a row. Then on day 3, take an inventory of how you feel, and whether or not you feel like you need to take a rest day. If so, rest a day and then return for two more days in a row. If you feel good on day three, come in and work out, then rest on the fourth day. This however is just a baseline starting suggestion. We have many members who dearly value their weekends and therefore work out only on weekdays. Bottom line: We all operate on different schedules, so find the best combinations of work and rest days for you. Once you have found a routine that works, try to stick to it and watch the results come in.