How to start CrossFit

CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program that was founded by Coach Greg Glassman, in California, USA. CrossFit workouts are scalable, which means that anyone can do them – the fit, unfit, men, women, young, old, able and disabled.

If you are new to CrossFit and want to understand the philosophy & foundations then we recommend that you read all of the three CrossFit articles below:

What is Fitness by Greg Glassman (free download)	The Garage Gym by Greg Glassman (free download)	Foundations by Greg Glassman (free download)

 

The best way to start CrossFit is by attending an official CrossFit Gym – known as a CrossFit Affiliate. These are run by knowledgeable coaches – certified & trained by CrossFit staff, with all the equipment you would need. There is an increasing number of CrossFit Affiliates in the UK.  If you are not able to attend one of the CrossFit Affiliates regularly, then at the very least you should arrange some 1-to-1 personal training sessions at one  – even if it means travelling to one for the weekend.

Attending a class or a 1-to-1 personal training session at a CrossFit Affiliate, while enable you to workout under the guidance of an approved CrossFit instructor, who will make sure you are doing the exercises properly.

If you prefer to begin CrossFit without the help of an official CrossFit trainer, then how you start will depend on your existing level of fitness and knowledge of the movements:

1) You are already fit and have experience of doing CrossFit exercises – start with the WOD (Workout of the Day), as shown on Crossfit.com.  If you have already done gymnastics and Olympic weightlifting then this is the starting point for you. Should you come across a WOD with an exercise that you are not familiar with, the view and learn the movement on the exercise section on CrossFit.com.

2) You are quite fit , but you have little or no experience of CrossFit exercises – you would follow the CrossFit WOD, and substitute any exercise that you are not familiar with or don’t have the equipment for. To assist you in replacing an exercise that you have not yet developed the skill or have the equipment for, then there is a Substitution Chart in the FAQ section of CrossFit.com

3) You have no or little experience of most of the CrossFit exercises  – you should start learning the basic CrossFit movements e.g. :

 

Air Squat View Air Squat Demo… [wmv][mov]	Shoulder Press Shoulder Press Intro… [wmv][mov]	Deadlift Deadlift Setup, Mark Rippetoe… [wmv][mov]
Front Squat View Front Squat Demo… [wmv]	Push Press Push Press video… [wmv][mov]	Sumo Deadlift High Pull Sumo Dead Lift High Pull… [wmv]
Overhead Squat Overhead Squatting Safely… [wmv][mov]	Push Jerk Push Jerk video… [wmv][mov]	Medicine Ball Clean Medicine Ball Cleans… [wmv][mov]

 

You should practice doing these for at least 2 months or until you become confident doing them all. This 3rd level is where most people new to CrossFit start. To help you learn all of the CrossFit movements there are videos you can watch online of at CrossFit.com at the ‘ exercises  section ’.

A handy guide to have by your side when you are learning the basic 9 CrossFit movements, is the checklist that those attending a Level 2 CrossFit Certification use. This guide will help you learn & correct any of the 9 movements. Click here to download the pdf.

Three beginner’s articles that are a must read for those new to CrossFit are:

A Beginner’s Guide to CrossFit By Greg Glassman (free download)	A CrossFit Startup Guide: Part 1 by Todd Widman (free download)	A CrossFit Startup Guide: Part 2 by Todd Widman  (Journal subscribers only)

 

The key to success with CrossFit is to learn proper execution of the basic movements, and learn them in the correct progression. For example you should not try to do a Thruster until you have learned both the front squat and the push press. You should not do a front squat until you have learned to do a squat without weight, and you should not try the push press until you have learned to press. Correct form for each movement comes first (Mechanics, Technique, or Form), then consistent execution of proper form (Consistency), and last comes Intensity.

Almost nobody starts  out doing  the Workout of the Day (The WOD) as prescribed. Those workouts are designed to challenge the fittest athletes on earth. Most people – especially beginners  modify it or scale it or do something else altogether. To help you modify or scale WOD’s for you, visit BrandX Scaled Workouts  website which provide scalable workouts for every WOD listed each day on CrossFit.com

CrossFit Equipment for beginners

CrossFit workout exercises are functional and consist of a relatively small number of exercise movements. Compared to most commercial gyms CrossFit equipment is fairly simple. Whether you plan on training in your house or garage the CrossFit equipment you should have includes, starting with the most useful at the top:

• Olympic bar
• Olympic weights
• Pull Up station
• Kettlebell
• Jump box
• Concept II rower
• Gymnastic rings
• Paralettes
• Medicine Ball
• Dumbells
• Climbing rope
• Dip station
• Skipping rope
• Glute-ham developer

Click here to view a range of CrossFit equipment that you can train with. CrossFit Equipment UK aims to help you find affordable, quality CrossFit equipment from UK suppliers. (See CrossFit Journal, September 2002, “The Garage Gym” for information in fitting out a world class strength & conditioning facility in your home or garage.)

Tips

• Subscribe to the CrossFit Journal (http://journal.crossfit.com/)– you will have access to hundreds of articles, videos and podcasts that will be both educational and entertaining. It will be the best $25 you have ever spent. (Warning: many people who subscribe to the CrossFit Journal find themselves hopelessly addicted to the site, spending hours, days, weeks  – even months glued to their screens, they just love the articles so much!!….. so be careful)
• Visit the CrossFit Message Board – a fantastic place to get help & advice, whether it on technical points, nutrition or anything else CrossFit related. CrossFit.com has a great community with lots o people happy to help you.
• Take your time  – Properly learn the basic CrossFit movements. Read the many CrossFit articles and view the videos in the exercise & demo page. CrossFit workouts can be extremely demanding, so take your time and be careful. Star off by working toward completing your WOD comfortably and then in time try to improve your times/weights.
• Variety – routine is the enemy of CrossFit. Never do the same workout day after day. Mix up tour workouts – including time, reps, duration, weight and equipment. Following the WOD or the scaled versions on Brand X will help you with this. CrossFit.com WOD’s are specifically planned to avoid routine workouts
• Stay hydrated – drink sufficient water before, during and after workouts.
• Warm Up – before every CrossFit workout complete a warm up of some type e.g. :

 

Suggested CrossFit Equipment UK Warm-Up Sit-ups (with an Abmat) Back Extensions Push Ups Pull Ups Air Squats Sumo Squat Barbell Shoulder Press Samson Stretch (Lunge L/R Pole behind head) Overhead Squat (with Lightweight Olympic training bar) ( 10 Repetitions for 3 rounds )

Click here to download pdf