Warm-Up / Mobility
- 400M Run
- 30 4 Count Flutter Kicks
- 25 Air Squats
- 10 Supermans
Strength
Back Squat
5-5-5-5-5
Met-Con
15 Minute AMRAP
- 12 Box Jumps
- 9 DeadLifts 155# / 105#
- 6 Hang Cleans
- 3 Push Jerks
If you are just starting in the sport,
CrossFit Delaware Valley offers
10 Tips for Success for the CrossFit Newbie:
10 Tips For Success For The CrossFit Newbie
Stepping into a CrossFit gym for the first time can be a bit intimidating and overwhelming.
You might see a bunch of half-naked hard bodies showing off their ink
and abs, ripping out butterfly kip after butterfly kip. You might ask
yourself, “Is that person having a seizure or doing pull-ups? What’s
with all the Chuck Taylors? Do they get a group rate? What’s with the
guy in the corner wearing only sweatpants, shirt off, all tatted up and
muttering to himself? Is he on a work-release program?” Fear not newbie;
these people won’t bite. They’re actually pretty darn friendly and
overly supportive once you get to know them. It can be a lot to take in
at first glance, especially if you’ve had limited exposure to Crossfit
prior to stepping into a box. But don’t worry; we’ve got your back. The
following are 10 things to keep in mind as you begin your CrossFit
journey.
1.) You’re Competing Against Yourself, Not Others
When it comes time to throw down in a wod,
don’t feel like you have to do everything RX’d or be able to complete 20
rounds of Cindy right off the bat. Go at your own pace. Let the
intensity find you. You need a solid foundation of strength and
flexibility in order to progress into more demanding workouts. Start
light, get your form down, and don’t worry about the mother of three who
is deadlifting 250 as you struggle with the bar. Chase your own
capacity before chasing the person next to you. Which brings me to my
next point…
2.) Don’t Be Too Proud To Scale
Tony Budding (of Crossfit HQ) describes scaling as another form of
programming. Scaling is such an individualized topic that it’s hard to
make sweeping generalized statements. You have to know your own body and
its limits. But most importantly, there’s no substitute for common
sense.
3.) What You Eat Is More Important Than What You Lift
Nutrition is the key to every aspect of your life. It affects your
energy levels, your recovery, and your overall defense against disease.
To quote the late Jack Lalanne, “You put junk in, junk comes out. You
put good in, good comes out.” When you’re first starting out, the
quality of your food is far more important than the quantity. Call it
whatever you want: Paleo, Primal, Hunter-Gatherer, Pretentious D-Bag
Diet; just eat clean. If you’re eating as clean as possible, you don’t
even need to worry about the quantity. You are a Ferrari. You wouldn’t
put regular unleaded fuel in a Ferrari, would you?
4.) Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Clarification, Over and Over and Over Again
It’s your time, money, and most importantly, health. If you
don’t fully understand something, ask. If you still don’t get it, ask
again. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if you don’t fully grasp
the concept, or you think others in the class will get frustrated with
you for taking up too much time. We were all newbies at one point. We’ve
all been there. Learning the mechanics of certain movements like the
kip, squat, deadlift, or any of the olympic lifts takes lots of practice
and critique from a trained eye. If you need help, just ask.
5.) Crossfit Isn’t Everything
Crossfit is a strength and conditioning program that focuses on
building general physical preparedness (GPP). It is quickly evolving
into a sport of its own, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be your
sport or your lifeblood. I Crossfit so that I can do whatever I want: Go
out, play sports, learn new things. Having that GPP allows me to take
on new challenges. Crossfit is not my life. I Crossfit so that I can
have a life…and be awesome at it.
6.) It Doesn’t Get Easier, It Just Sucks Less
The longer you immerse yourself in the suck, the less it sucks. You get
stronger, build a greater aerobic capacity, and become mentally tough.
All of these aspects, combined with experience, allow you to know when
to push yourself and when to back off, so that you can attack each
workout to the best of your ability. Soon, you’ll come to love the
beatdowns. Much like Kevin Bacon in
Animal House, you’ll be screaming, “Thank you sir! May I have another?” Well, maybe not. But you get the point.
7.) You Won’t PR Every Day
Don’t mistake intensity for hard work. Even if you’re having a bad day
and the intensity just isn’t there, you can still get a lot out of your
time in the gym through hard work. Intensity and hard work are not the
same thing. Don’t skip a planned session just because you don’t think
you’re going to kill it and leave everything out on the table. Not
feeling too strong that day? That’s fine; scale the weights and/or
rounds or time domain back. Something is better than nothing.
8.) Have Fun
Let’s face it, some of the workouts are not fun. Frankly, some of them
just plain suck. I’m looking at you, Hero wods. But when it’s over, you
feel a sense of accomplishment and maybe a little queasy. You shouldn’t
be pissed that you didn’t get as many reps as the person next to you.
Don’t take yourself too seriously. Smile. Laugh. Introduce yourself to
people you don’t know. If you’re not having fun, why are you here? Do
you enjoy your overall time spent at the gym? Do you enjoy the people,
the community, the knowledge and support that it provides? If so, then
don’t be too concerned with your competitive nature until you have a
strong grasp on the
9 Foundational Movements.
The things you’ll learn in a Crossfit gym are fun: gymnastics,
olympic lifts, new swear words. You can’t do this
stuff in a globo gym. The attitude is different too; no one is going to
get in your face and cheer you on as you knock out those last five
minutes on the elliptical. And the feeling you’ll have the first time
you get an unassisted dead hang pull-up or full squat snatch is an
amazing sense of power and accomplishment.
9.) You Are All Firebreathers
The term “Firebreather” comes from Crossfit legend and bad ass Greg Amundson, and he defines it as such:
Firebreather –Fie-r-bre’-th-er: (n) 1. One
who faces the triumphs and tribulations of great physical opposition
with an indomitable spirit. 2. An optimistic energy associated with the
heart of an athlete.
You don’t have to be an “elite” Crossfitter to embody the essence of a
true Firebreather. It’s not your Fran time, it’s the spirit you bring
to Fran that makes you a Firebreather. Don’t forget that.
10.) Respect Rest and Recovery
Too many newbies (and even those of us who have been doing this a while)
get caught up in overtraining. Don’t be afraid to schedule in a deload
day once per week, or a deload week every 4-6 weeks where you cut the
weight, rounds, and intensity in half. You have to think about this from
a longevity standpoint. If you’re killing yourself every time you step
foot in the gym, week after week, month after month, year after year,
you’re going to eventually break down. You need to respect your time
outside of the gym. There’s an old weightlifting adage that goes
something like: “You don’t get bigger and stronger from lifting weights,
you get bigger and stronger from recovering from lifting weights.”
Proper nutrition, hydration and sleep all play their part in
recovery, but you also need to listen to your body. If you continuously
beat yourself down, you’re going to get hurt, injured or worse. Stay on
top of your mobility work. If you haven’t done so yet, pay a daily visit
to
Kelly Starrett’s MobilityWOD. The information there is invaluable.
So, what now? You’re
about to start eating like a caveman. And your vocabulary will soon
include words like burpee, thruster, and snatch.
Welcome to CrossFt Sparks Elite!
