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.
1.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.
2. 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!
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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!
Republished with permission from FitfulFocus.
