New to Crossfit Vancouver??

People are always talking about how intimidating it is starting Crossfit, and how daunting it is walking through the doors of CFV. The truth is, it is scary, but we’ve all been there! Here are a few things I wish someone told me when I first started Crossfit.

A few tips for CF newbies…..in no particular order.

Compete against yourself!
-Sure it is fun to compete against others in class or have that person you chase, but at the end of the day you are only competing against yourself, know your limitations, don’t compromise form and do sloppy Crossfit just to beat the guy/girl beside you. Think about progression not just winning. Leave your ego at that door!

 Ease into it!

-Most likely this is a new fitness regime for you. Do not come 5 days a week right from the get go, especially if lifting is something new to you, you will feel pain you’ve never felt before and your body needs to get used to it. Start with 3/week and work your way up. Do not train every day!

Ask questions!
-Don’t waste your time and money only to be left confused. Ask tons of questions, if you don’t know what a squat snatch is, ask! We don’t expect you to know the lingo right out of PT’s. If you are unsure of your progression, please ask. However, if you’ve been here two years you should probably know 😉

Recovery
-I can’t stress this enough, I’ve definitely learned this the hard way. Take your rest days, eat well, sleep well and get back to it. Avoid injury by not overtraining and getting those rest days. Once you have progressed to more then 3 days per week, I suggest coming in no more then 3 days in a row with 1 or 2 rest days in between.

Check your nutrition!
-Log a week of your food intake and get your coach to have a look. Find out where you could be going wrong. Nutrition can have a huge impact on weight loss as well as energy levels.

Log, log, log!
–Track your results, when we ask what is your max shoulder press we’d like you to have a ballpark idea where you’re at, instead of a deer in headlights look.

Hand care and bruising
– Get right on the hand care, start filing your calluses and tape up for pull ups, toes to bar, etc.
http://www.tabatatimes.com/prehab-hand-maintenance/
http://www.crossfitinvictus.com/blog/how-to-tape-your-hands/
-You will get mystery bruises, deal with it, yes it sucks especially during tank top and shorts season, but it’s worth it ;). Ladies get some arnica and concealer!

 It won’t happen overnight!

-You will get some movements right away and others not so much, enjoy the process and BE PATIENT. If you have a goal to get your first pull up for example, work at it weekly, it will not happen overnight. Work on the movement you are trying to get every week. Ask a coach for drills to incorporate into your warm up. You gotta learn to walk before you can run!

Community
-Come to a community event, competition or party! This is one of the reasons I fell in love with Crossfit. The community aspect is amazing and keeps me coming back. The friendships you make in here are pretty unique and a lot of times life long. You work, sweat, and grunt alongside each other, may as well party together!

Top 3 things to buy when you start

1- Some flat light-weight shoes
2- A speed skipping rope
3- Foam roller and lacrosse ball

Been at CFV for awhile?

1- Try a specialty program
2- Sign up for a competition or volunteer!!!!

xo Meagan

Ps: Veterens– Post your tips to comments!!!

Warm Up:

6 rounds of
10/10 banded x walks
20 sec squat hold

Skill:

front squat
work up to challenging 3 rep.
then drop to 50%of that 3 rep for as many as possible

Workout: navy seal

12 min time cap

navy seal
1000m row
50 thrusters
30 pull ups

Coaching points:

Hit the row at about a 4:00 min pace transition onto the thrusters quick and rest only after a set has been completed. Break the pull ups as needed but avoid going until failure folks, it doesn’t work…