CrossFit beginner guide: 5 things everyone must know before starting

Whether you want to lose weight or tone up, this CrossFit beginner guide is a great starting point for meeting your health-related goals.

What is CrossFit?

CrossFit has become a popular option for many people despite only having coming into existence a few years ago. It’s a branded fitness regime that focuses on high-intensity training to strengthen and condition your body.

The movements that are used are based on actions you do every day, such as squats, pulling, pushing, and even walking. The secret is in doing these exercises for short bursts, at high intensity, without rest. At the same time, each exercise is weighted to ensure it pushes your body to its limits.

It’s advertised as the “sport of fitness” and anyone can participate, there are dedicated CrossFit gyms across the world. You simply need to scale the activity to your fitness level.

But, as with starting any new fitness regime, it’s important that you assess your health, and see a doctor if necessary. You should also check out this physio in Surry Hills, they can help to deal with any injuries and ensure your body recovers faster, allowing you to train harder.

Here’s 5 things you should know before you head of to your first ‘box’ session.

Starting point for the CrossFit beginner guide

CrossFit is a surprisingly good choice if you’ve never done any weight lifting before. You can start at a level that suits you and your coach will guide you through the best routine for you.

Gradually you’ll find that your ability to complete the exercises improves. And you may even find that you enjoy it; whether you like going to the gym or exercising outdoors instead is up to you and is a matter of preference. Find what you like doing and you’re more likely to stick with it!

It’s competitive

Not everyone likes to be competitive which is part of the reason this workout isn’t for everyone. But, if you like to push your body had, trying to beat your own records and others, then this is a great place to start.

The aim is to give every exercise everything you’ve got, you’ll be exhausted and have to force yourself to finish. But, that’s what builds strength and fitness.

3 days on

In most exercise regimes you’re recommended to have at least 24-48 hours of rest between working the same muscle groups. CrossFit adopts a different approach and recommends you workout 3 days in a row and then have 1 day off.

However, you’ll find that CrossFit is quite addictive and you’ll probably end up going for more sessions than they recommend. Just make sure you don’t become obsessive about exercise!

Form is essential

This could be said about any type of exercise but it is especially important when doing CrossFit as you’ll be working extremely hard and switching between movement types. You need to ensure you have the correct form before you start loading up the weight.

If you don’t there’s a high probability of injury.

That’s why all beginners should start with a low-level weight and focus on getting the form right. After you’ve mastered that you can increase the weight and see the extra benefits.

CrossFit beginner guide: The whole package

It’s important to note that CrossFit is only part of your new regime, should you choose to do it. If you’re really going to improve your health and fitness you also need to be thinking about what food you’re consuming and wear the right clothes.

The right eating plan will complement your CrossFit program, giving you the strength to complete the exercises while repairing your body and making you stronger.

Always check with your doctor before starting any new fitness regime or making significant health-related changes. This post is for information only and does not take the place of medical advice.