What should I do in the next month to prepare for a Crossfit class?

June 14, 2012 2:54 PM

I’ve got a little over a month to prepare for a Crossfit beginners class. What do I do?

After finding a gym that was reputable- with trainers that seem very willing to scale the workouts- and focus the beginning classes on proper form- I’ve made plans to take the beginners class in late July.

I was a cardio queen for years- now I find the countless hours on a elliptical machine incredibly boring and have basically quit- relying completely on outdoor urban walks to satisfy my need to get moving. Now I want to incorporate weight training- but It’s not cutting it. I need a little more push.

I’m excited by the energy and spirit that a lot of crossfiters exhibit- but I am a little intimidated. The websites tend to be dense and full of abbreviations I don’t understand. Weights in general are a little scary to me, so I figured I might want to wait until I’m taking the freakin’ trainer class to start messing with those- or should I just get a book and start going at it?

SO. What can I do to get myself ready for the experience? What books/websites are a little easier to parse so I can get down with the lingo? Can any of you tell me your experiences getting into crossfit?

oh- My nutrition is good, I sleep well and drink a bitchton of water.

please don’t go all “you can’t do it, try something easier.” I do best when challenged and I am looking forward to the ordeal.

posted by Blisterlips to Health & Fitness (13 answers total)

If it's really a good gym, they'll take you through it, so don't stress too hard. I would suggest going to crossfit.com and reading through the basic articles there - there's a good FAQ - and watching a bunch of the videos just to get an idea of what some of the exercises look like, but honestly you'll be better off going in with no expectations than attempting to look like you know more than you do. Beginner's classes are designed for beginners! Don't sweat it!
posted by restless_nomad at 3:01 PM on June 14, 2012

Fuck books, is all I have to say. Good for you for making an active investment in your health. Let your trainers tell you what to do.

I would prepare by scaling back on your caloric intake if you happen to be eating a lot of food or unhealthily. Get some whey protein and a multivitamin, at the very least. And get two sets of comfortable gym clothes and some comfortable shoes.
posted by phaedon at 3:02 PM on June 14, 2012

The first thing that usually surprised people about crossfit training is that a solid percentage of it is just pushups and pullups with a bunch of variations. Tons and Tons of them. If you have the time start doing pushup and pullup sets. If you are someone who doesn't think she can do any hop online and follow one of the great guides on going from zero to 100 pushups. The main reason is if you can't do any pushups the first few classes will be less productive then they otherwise would be.
After that just accept it is going to hurt a ton at the beginning but it is worth it.
posted by monkeywithhat at 3:04 PM on June 14, 2012

If it's a beginner class and a good box, you don't really need to prepare in advance. At the place I went to (before money worries caused me to design my own workouts again), the trainer went through all the exercises beforehand, including variations, and made sure we knew proper form, especially for lifting. Just go and have fun.
posted by Kurichina at 3:09 PM on June 14, 2012

I would suggest planks and pushups, as well as jumping jacks.

I have worked out at a crossfit studio, and now I go to a kettlebell place that is similar. I had a hard time with the upper body stuff in the beginning. Good luck!
posted by lotus-eater at 3:10 PM on June 14, 2012

Congrats on starting Crossfit. It's tough but fun. The beginner's program at a reputable Crossfit gym will scale you up appropriately so don't worry too much about preparing for the class that prepares you for Crossfit itself. Monkeywithhat's suggestion to start with doing push-ups and pull-ups is a pretty good one.

Anything other prep knowledge you might need to know can be gleaned from here by reading the sticky posts at the top:
http://www.crossfitbrandx.com/index.php/forums/viewforum/36/
posted by rlef98 at 3:40 PM on June 14, 2012

I'm not in Crossfit, but I am in an outdoor drill-style boot camp, and it sounds like you've got all the starting knowledge you need. You can't predict the workout regimen itself, so I wouldn't try to second-guess it. The most important things I learned are to be thoroughly rested, have a LITTLE something for energy about an hour beforehand, and hydrate early enough to pee before the class starts. I know it's Workout 101-type knowledge, but for a new regimen that is going to seriously physically challenge you, it's so, so, so important.
posted by mykescipark at 4:54 PM on June 14, 2012

I figured I might want to wait until I’m taking the freakin’ trainer class to start messing with those

Probably a good idea. Form is key for weightlifting - and you want someone who can give you feedback.

Being able to squat well will help you in the CrossFit exercises, and its good all-around too.

The Third-World Squat, from T-Nation. Flexibility, mobility and strength, all in one easy and natural exercise.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 5:03 PM on June 14, 2012 [2 favorites]

in regards: I do best when challenged

You can join the Metafilter Fitocracy group for an extra boost. FPP on Fitocracy.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 5:07 PM on June 14, 2012

Here's what was suggested to me, before I started my beginners' class at Crossfit:

3 Rounds of:
20 Sit-Ups
15 Squats
10 Push-Ups
1-5 Pull-Ups

or 3 Rounds of:
Run 400m
20 Reverse Lunges
1:00 Plank
10 Body Rows

Alternate between the two workouts, three times a week.
posted by hooray at 9:49 PM on June 14, 2012 [3 favorites]

Nthing all the folks saying that the on-ramp program at any good gym will be thoroughly sufficient.

However, I did a month or two of sit-ups, squats, push-ups, and pull-ups before I started and was pleased to have some better strength base thanks to that.

Have fun! It's not for everyone, but for me, the energy of Crossfit is just about the best.

Also, I recommend becoming buddies with K-star early and often. This man will save your tail: mobilitywod.com.
posted by gone2croatan at 5:59 AM on June 15, 2012

Joining a crossfit box has been the best decision that my gf and I have made this year by far. Both of us did some running before, and I'd messed about with weight machines at a normal gym, but not very productively. We both had pretty poor upper body strength. Despite that, with proper scaling, we've both come on massively in 5 months of going - it is really fantastic. Neither of us have struggled with the workouts too much - because one of the most important ideas in crossfit (as explained to me anyway) is that, by scaling exercises, athletes of different abilities can workout together effectively. That's definitely been our experience. There's not much you can, or need do to prepare for it - most of the exercises you'll be doing will involve you learning new techniques - I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!
posted by prentiz at 6:02 AM on June 15, 2012

Congrats on signing up for Crossfit. It really is amazing.

The one thing that I think would have been helpful for me going in is to have a better familiarity with the equipment and weightlifting, uh, lifts. So, for example at my box (aka gym) the full size rubber weights are 10kg (green), 15kg, 20kg and 25 kg (red). The men's bar weighs 20kg and women's weighs 15kg. The smaller weights range from 5kg, 2.5kg, 2kg, 1kg and 0.5 kg. This is all helpful because sometimes you are setting up bars before exercises or adding weights or whatever and the class moves fast so the less time trying to figure out what is going on the better.

I think if you don't already know what a squat, deadlift and clean look like it would be great to be familiar with those. Also, learn all the varieties of squats for example, back squat, front squat and overhead squat and the press and push press. For me at least, knowing what these looked like would have helped my learning curve.

I wish that I had spent some time on the crossfit exercises page watching some of the videos ahead of time just to get an idea of things; it would have helped me feel more comfortable starting out. Just remember to show up, have fun, and push yourself -- the rest of it will come.
posted by fieldtrip at 10:27 PM on June 15, 2012