These terms, the movements, “post time to comments”, tough workout in only 10 minutes, what does this all mean?
Have no fear, you’ve come to the right place. This is CrossFit 101.
First off, CrossFit is an elite strength and conditioning program. It is broad, general, and inclusive fitness, anyone can do CrossFit.
CrossFit only uses functional, real world movements. Think squats, deadlifts, presses, jumps, pull-ups, running, and throwing. No bicep curls and leg extensions because gym machines don’t get you fit. The 9 fundamental movements are:
Sumo Deadlift High Pull (sdlhp)
Next up, CrossFit is constantly varied. Routine is the enemy. So Monday isn’t chest and triceps, Tuesday isn’t back and biceps, and Wednesday isn’t the long cardio on the treadmill. CrossFit varies the movements, the repetitions, the workout duration, the loads of the weights, it’s constantly varied. Some days are light weight, high repetitions, others are gymnastic/bodyweight focused, some are longer (20 minutes or more), some are faster and short (under 5 minutes). Constantly changing the workout allows the body to continuous adapt and keep you interested.
CrossFit is about high intensity. Our workouts require focus, concentration, and tons of effort. You cannot do CrossFit while reading a magazine and chatting with a buddy.
Most people can comfortably jog or walk a mile with not much effort. Now try sprinting a mile as fast as you can. Sprinting a mile as fast as you can means you can’t focus on anything else other than that one mile sprint. That’s intensity. That’s what we do in CrossFit because intensity equals results. Intensity signals to you that these workouts are hard, and that is when you see positive adaptations in your body and mind.
CrossFit thrives on its community. CrossFit is group training with personal coaching. Members encourage and motivate each other. CrossFitters keep each other committed to their fitness and health goals. You’ll make friends through the shared experience of CrossFit.
A CrossFit coach leads every class, ensuring you’re performing the movements safely and efficiently. In addition, we record workout times and other data to keep accountability and accurately measure your progress.
Okay, it’s becoming clearer, so how do the classes work? What’s a class session like? Can I really get fit with only hour-long classes?
Each class is structured with a thorough warm-up, a skill portion, and then the Workout of the Day (WOD).
A Warm-Up is crucial in fitness and exercise. It literally warms the muscles and gets the body ready to do work.
The Skill portion comes next and focuses on the different elements of CrossFit. The skill could be a strength training portion, learning one of the olympic lifts like the snatch, practicing gymnastics, or rowing time trials. CrossFit is the sport of fitness, and the skill portion is our pursuit of a ‘black belt’ in that sport.
The Workout of the Day (WOD) rounds out the hour-long class. The WOD is intense. Athletes move quickly and efficiently through a timed workout, trying either to finish the workout as fast as possible, or complete as many repetitions of a workout as possible in a set period of time. The WODs are hard and challenging if you put forth the effort and drive.
Won’t weights make me bulky? I still want to look like a woman.
Read these
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/06/health/06real.html?_r=1
http://www.stumptuous.com/strength-without-size-how-to-get-stronger-without-getting-bulky
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/strength-training-women/
What’s with all the technical jargon? Thrusters? Power cleans?
Don’t fret. Here are some posts on common CrossFit terms and phrases.
http://crossfitmerge.com/2011/02/09/crossfit-as-a-second-language/
http://crossfitmerge.com/2011/02/17/crossfit-language-part-2/
Here are some other good posts about CrossFit.
CrossFit or your big commercial Globo Gym
Still have questions, there’s more good info on the FAQ page. You can also contact us with any questions you might have.
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