One of the many benefits of CrossFit is that you never know what to expect. There is always a new skill that needs to be improved and become stronger.
In addition, you can get more out of your workouts and become more efficient in your movements, therefore, you will be able to increase the intensity level of your training progressively.
It’s easy for an untrained eye to look at the weekly CrossFit schedule and think that everything is done at random. Some less experienced programmers are to blame for doing this, lack the proper education, or simply see CrossFit as a money-making brand.
Often these programmers do not promote warm-up or have the real knowledge to teach the skills or how to perform the movements correctly.
This is why it is very important to have adequate knowledge or at least a clear idea before looking for a CrossFit box or gym .
How can not having knowledge of CrossFit affect me?
If you are starting in the world of CrossFit and you do not have many notions about what is done daily in a Box, it is best to advise yourself first. The daily CrossFit schedule should be far from random, everything should be well thought out for weeks or even months before the dates.
CrossFit workouts have to focus on many different areas. The “unknown” is one of the key concepts of CrossFit. However, this is only in regards to the customer. The WOD programmer must know the full capabilities of the athlete.
If you are constantly in a workout that you feel is not good for your body and may cause injury, continually working the same muscles and not taking rest, you can be prone to serious long-term consequences.
Is there variety in CrossFit?
Scheduling, repetition, and loading are extremely important for weekly training. Volume and intensity are too.
CrossFit spans many different time domains on your system. Short domain workouts tend to vary between three and ten minutes in length and are often high intensity and low in volume and repetitions.
Long domain workouts tend to last more than twenty minutes and are often lower in intensity and high in volume and repetitions.
There is an in-between between long and short training and mostly ranges from 10 to 20 minutes in duration . In addition to time domains, there are also strength workouts, based on the skills of CrossFiters.
CrossFit works because it is constantly varied. Good programmers understand this and this is why certain CrossFiters are seen with better results than others.
Does your coach fill you with myths?
It is the job of a programmer to be aware of how workouts affect people and to adequately monitor to cover all needs, even if it means adjusting to individual levels.
If you hear coaches or programmers say that you should not lift too much weight to avoid becoming very muscular, that there are workouts that are not intense enough and you must repeat them too many times, if they tell you that you must train too much to achieve a goal, you are in the place wrong and you better get out of that box.
What should I take into account when choosing a training box?
There are a lot of gyms these days that call themselves CrossFit-friendly. Be mindful of your programming, do your research, and pay close attention to them.
These are the things a solid CossFitter should keep in mind when looking to join a Box:
1. Does the gym have original programming?
Does the Box only have schedules with workouts called “Girl” and “Hero”? Or does it just stick to the CrossFit home page on a regular basis?
It’s okay to schedule these workouts on occasion, but using them as your primary training source shows a lack of experience. Chances are, whoever runs the Box has no real understanding of how to program.
2. Do you have a program for beginners?
If they don’t have one, then this is a major red flag showing that they definitely don’t know how to handle a Box.
3. Do they encourage you not to recover or not to rest your muscles
Everyone gets injured and while CrossFit is an amazing way to stay in shape , it is still a sport. Proper recovery is always key in any physical activity.
4. Do they take nutrition into account?
No matter how much you train, if you do not have a proper diet , it is very difficult for you to see the physical changes you want in your body.
5. Is programming posted online for all to see?
If a CrossFiter truly trusts their programming then they are going to let the whole world see it. If you use excuses for not uploading your schedule online, you probably have no idea what you are doing.
These are all questions to ask yourself when considering a CrossFit gym. Do not forget to do your research, take into account your needs and requirements before deciding what is suitable or not for you. Remember that it is your health and you should not allow anyone to play with it.
You must follow the actual CrossFit programming, however, it is a constantly changing workout , so the most important thing is that you are always open to new ideas.
References
- Mike Tromello. CrossFit Is CrossFit, Right? How to Choose a Good CrossFit Gym. To: breakingmuscle [Revised November 2015]
