A Beginners Guide To CrossFit
Its intense, powerful and you’ve seen everything from a top-tier athlete to a new mom do it at your local park or home gym. No, I’m not talking about bodybuilding and routine exercises. In fact, I’m talking about the complete opposite. I’m talking about CrossFit.
I’ve heard about it before… but what is it?
Founded by Greg Glassman in northern california, this ‘jack of all trades’ fitness approach uses constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. Unlike bodybuilding – which aims to build and shape your body, CrossFit focuses on strength and conditioning through the functionality of real-life movements. The workouts or (WOD’s – Workout of the Day) combine many different training methods into a single training session, which vary from day to day. Rather than running for 30 minutes straight or going in to do ‘leg day’, you’ll instead be expected to row, run, lift weights or complete a range of other athletic tasks. You won’t master a specialized sport, but that’s not the point. This multitude of skills focus on producing well-rounded athletes that are proficient in each of the ten physical skills:
– cardiovascular/respiratory endurance
– stamina
– strength
– flexibility
– power
– speed
– agility
– balance
– coordination
– accuracy
Will I be able to actually do the workouts?
The beauty of CrossFit is that it’s infinitely scalable, meaning that it can be performed by anyone, at any age. The training programs are designed for all sorts of people and capabilities. Soldiers, high school kids, athletes, couch potatoes and even grandmothers have taken on board the fitness challenge and have seen dynamic results.
One of the best things about CrossFit is that it’s almost infinitely scalable. If you can’t do the workout as prescribed, than you do what you can. So, if you can’t do pullups you can do assisted pull-ups. The same goes for almost every movement. If you’re uncomfortable deadlifting 60kg, deadlift less. If you don’t want to do box jumps on a 24 inch box, use a 12 inch. Our caring and expert coaches will be guiding you every step of the way.
“In 6 months I have gone from fat to fit! Having worked out at a regular gym for a about 4-5 years I’ve had more results in the last 6 months I’ve been at CFDL. If you want to get to proper fit and be trained by expert coaches that give you their full attention along with working out with genuinely nice people then head to CFDL! ” Joe. B,
Speaking of coaches, what should I expect in a class?
CrossFit gyms are called ‘boxes’ – four walls filled with all sorts of “functional equipment” such as barbells, weights, pull-up bars, kettlebells, rowers and sweat (lot’s of it). You’ll find your daily WOD scheduled on the whiteboard scribbled with timed reps/rounds.
Classes run for 1hr and cover mobility, warmup, strength such as barbell back squats or deadlifts then a WOD at the end. All you need to do is show up and we will take care of the rest.
Here at CrossFit Docklands, we believe that your community becomes your team. Crossfit is more than a fitness program, it’s a lifestyle, we have regular social gatherings such as bbq’s and games in the local park where family, friends and pets are encouraged to join in.
What’s kipping and what’s with all the girl names?
There’s a whole world of CrossFit Lingo. You’ve already learnt the most important (WOD – Workout of the Day). Here are some common words that you’ll live by:
Box: A Crossfit gym.
AMRAP: “As many reps/rounds as possible” in a specific time period. This can last from 3, to 30 minutes and typically includes 2 – 3 exercises.
EMOM: “Every minute on minute” – another workout style where a series of movements are performed at the start of each minute.
Kipping Pull-Up: A swinging bar technique that allows athletes to transfer horizontal motion to vertical force, allowing for more/quicker pull-ups.
Paleo Diet: A common nutritional diet where early traditions of food consumption are adopted and put into practice –also known as the ‘caveman diet. When committing to this diet, expect to eat meat, fish, nuts, leafy greens, local vegetables, seeds and avoid eating any processed goods (sorry, the pasta, cereal and sugary sweets are out the door!).
Though this model of eating is highly recommended by many CrossFit coaches, there aren’t any rules about what you can and cannot eat when you train.
Workouts named after women (Fran, Karen, Grace…): A series of iconic WOD’s, each given a girl’s name, stemming from Founder Greg Glassman’s philosophy:
“Any workout that leaves you flat on your back, staring up at the sky, wondering what the hell happened deserves a girl’s name.”
How can I get started?
Rather than throwing you right into a class the very day you sign up, Beginners are guided through a three part introductory course to ensure that you perform the exercises correctly and safely (technique is a non-negotiable!). These will include the more basic, yet fundamental exercises such as the squat, deadlift and overhead press variations.
To Get started or request further information please contact us today.