6 CrossFit Tips For Beginners

Created By Scott Cathcart

A new trend in triathlon training has been to integrate the high intensity, functional fitness form

known as CrossFit.

C R O S S F I T I S H I G H I N T E N S I T Y F U N C T I O N A L F I T N E S S . Y O U T R A I N T O L I V E H E A LT H I E R , A N D P E R F O R M E V E RY D AY N AT U R A L

M O V E M E N T S I N M O R E F U N C T I O N A L A N D E F F I C I E N T WAY S .

CrossFitters want to excel in all 10 areas of fitness:

1.cardio 2.respiratory endurance 3. stamina 4. strength 5.flexibility 6. speed 7.agility 8. coordination 9. balance 10.accuracy

Here are my tips for CrossFit beginners:

Start light and modify –

Don’t try to do the most challenging

moves right away. Take it slow and scale back until you can master

the form of each move. Once you get

comfortable with how to do each lift, you can start adding weight – SLOWLY! If you fail to

start light and ease into the exercise, you

can severely hurt yourself, so please, remember this tip!

Slow and steady wins the race….

Take a few starter classes – Most CrossFit gyms should offer these to beginners and they are usually free. Usually there’s a

quick overview, and then a basic body weight movement workout so you can learn how to do all the moves and lifts.

F I N D A G O O D B O X – A C R O S S F I T G Y M I S

C A L L E D A “ B O X . ” I T ’ S B A S I C A L LY F O U R WA L L S

F I L L E D W I T H R O P E S , W E I G H T S , P U L L - U P B A R S , G I A N T T I R E S

A N D S W E AT Y H U M A N S . A G O O D B O X W I L L B E

F I L L E D W I T H C O A C H E S T H AT W I L L S L O W Y O U D O W N T O M A K E S U R E

Y O U A R E D O I N G T H I N G S C O R R E C T LY

B E F O R E Y O U D O T H E M Q U I C K LY A N D I N J U R E Y O U R S E L F, O R L O A D O N M O R E W E I G H T.

Don’t compare yourself to others – There will be people in your classes that have been doing CrossFit for a while. Try not to compare yourself to them. Instead, use them as motivation. Compete with yourself and your own goals – not with others.

Be social – CrossFit is a great community. While everyone is athletic and competitive, they are also super supportive of everyone else, so don’t be shy! CrossFit also incorporates a lot of partner workouts,

so make friends! By making friends at the gym, you can also score yourself a new workout buddy! Having a friend to help keep you accountable for those days when you don’t feel like working out can

also be another great motivator.

Your hands will get torn up from the barbell and pull-ups and more… You’re also bound to get banged up a bit. People get bruises on their collarbones

constantly. Some people wear lifting gloves, but it’s not required. Other people actually prefer to not use gloves because they like to build up calluses

on their hands to up their grip strength.

Be prepared for blisters & bruises –

Whether you’re incorporating CrossFit into your training routine or you just want to try something new, remember

my tips, have fun and enjoy it!