NEW TO CROSSFIT?
If you’re looking to start your CrossFit journey, you have found yourself at the perfect CrossFit gym! At CULTIVAR, we pride ourselves on making the process of starting CrossFit far less daunting for newcomers through our welcoming environment, “no egos allowed” community spirit and a step by step process for your first few sessions.
Over the course of your free trial, a Foundations session and then support from our coaches in your first few weeks of training, you will start your first classes with confidence and before you know it, you’ll be crushing workouts and movements you thought weren’t possible!
Read on below for more information perfect for people new to CrossFit!
What Is CrossFit?
Maybe you’re here because you’re not even sure what CrossFit is, or what the workouts might look like. Let’s start with the very basics – what is CrossFit?
CrossFit is a lifestyle characterized by safe, effective exercise and sound nutrition. CrossFit can be used to accomplish any goal, from improved health to weight loss to better performance. The program works for everyone—people who are just starting out and people who have trained for years.
Take a second to note the wording above: “The program works for everyone – people who are just starting out, and people who have trained for years.”
But how is that?
Everyone’s fitness journey is going to look different – that’s one of the beauties of CrossFit. You could see a pro athlete walk into the gym – or someone who has never lifted a barbell in their entire life – and they’re both going to get their asses kicked – just the right amount.
The key to CrossFit workouts is scaling to all athletes’ abilities. Affiliated CrossFit Gyms use trained, certified coaches – all who should know how to correctly help athletes scale movements as necessary.
When I was first starting CrossFit, I had minimal muscle. I was tall and lanky, and I was most comfortable with the just weight of the barbell (35 lbs) – maybe 10 lbs on each side at best. Pull-ups were completely out of the question, and even air squats were challenging for the first few months….
Yet I had great coaches who always helped me modify the workout to my beginner abilities.
To dig in a little further, here’s an example of how a coach could scale a typical workout for a CrossFit beginner:
Benchmark WOD – Cindy
20 minute AMRAP (as many rounds and reps as possible)
- 5 PULL-UPS
- 10 PUSH UPS
- 15 AIR SQUATS
Many CrossFit beginners might not be able to do the above movements to standard when they first start, and that’s perfectly fine. Depending on the athlete’s ability level, the coach might suggest the athlete scale pull-ups to ring rows, and change push ups to knee push ups. Air squats could even be performed to a more shallow depth, if necessary.
When it comes to scaling movements, the possibilities are endless. At the end of the day, what matters is that the athlete is moving and challenging themselves.
For more information on starting out at CrossFit, including definitions of some of the common terms and answers to questions like “How often should I go?”, you can check out this article.
At the end of the day, the all important question is…
Am I ready?
If you’re still reading this and wondering, “Ok… this all makes sense… but am I ready to start CrossFit?”
You’re ready.
CrossFit is a community that welcomes all shapes, ages, backgrounds – you name it. The coaches WANT to work with you to help you get comfortable, and make progress.
Heck, when I first started off, I could barely hang from the pull-up bar. It hurt my hands to simply do a dead hang, and pull-ups were completely out of the question.
Fast forward 3 months, and after consistent practice, I managed my first pull-up.
Fast forward years, and just the other day I hit an all-time record of 15 pull-ups in a row. Something that my old self would have never dreamed of.
The moral of the story? If you’re ready to change your life, put in the time, and the work – you’re ready to start CrossFit.
Foundations
After your free trial and you’ve officially decided to become a member, the very first thing we do is book you into 4 x 1-on-1 personal training sessions that we call FOUNDATIONS.
In these 60 minute sessions, we introduce you to some of the most common movements you’ll encounter in your workouts. We explain, demonstrate and then provide you with some easy to remember cues – by the end of the session, you will walk away feeling that much more confident and ready to start your weekly classes!
FAQS
What is a CrossFit Workout?
If some of the terms confuse you, don’t sweat it. The CrossFit community uses a good amount of acronyms and abbreviations when it comes to the movements and styles of workouts, but you’ll pick up on them quickly.
It took awhile – and I consistently confused the difference between AMRAPs and METCONS – not to mention those EMOM things…
Remember, everyone comes into CrossFit new, so everyone has had the learning curve of remembering these new acronyms. If you’re confused, just pull a coach or another member aside for help.
Here are a few common acronyms that you might see on the whiteboard:
What Should I Expect In Classes?
If you’re still feeling intimidated – fear not. We have onboarding classes for new CrossFit athletes. And after that, all our coaches will be there to offer you a little extra guidance in your first few weeks. You won’t just be thrown to the wolves and expected to know everything.
Most classes are 60 minutes long, and will follow a flow something like this:
- INTRODUCTIONS & WARM UP
- COACH EXPLAINS & DEMOS THE WORKOUT, INCLUDING SCALING OPTIONS
- STRENGTH OR SKILL WORKS
- WOD (MAIN WORKOUT)
- WARM DOWN / MOBILITY
How many days per week should I go to CrossFit?
This is going to vary depending on your fitness level. When first starting CrossFit, 3 days per week may the sweet spot for me to avoid excessive soreness, and allow the body to adapt.
After a few months, increase to 4 times per week, and then up to 5-6 days per week. You will now be much stronger than when you first started, and your body can handle back to back days of strength training and weights – where that wouldn’t have been possible in the beginning.
The key is to listen to your body, and do what you’re comfortable with. To see results as a beginner going to CrossFit, you’ll need to go more than once a week.
I speak from experience when I say that it can be easy to get caught up trying to hang with some of the more experienced members. Don’t fall for that trap – your body might not be ready for it yet. Your best bet is to focus on one thing: consistency.
While you won’t immediately be able to do all of the movements, and you might not be able to keep up with the CrossFit veterans… you are doing the most important thing for your health – taking action! Rain, Shine, or Snow – keep up your 3 times per week until your body feels ready for more. You’ll know when it’s time to ramp it up.
PRICING
IF YOU WANT TO ATTEND A FULL WEEK AS A VISITOR, EMAIL US & WE’LL PROVIDE YOU A DISCOUNTED LINK