What to Expect During Your First CrossFit Class

Feeling intimidated about attending your first CrossFit class? You’re not alone.

Here’s what you need to know before you go.

By definition, in CrossFit you will “perform functional exercises at high intensity with constantly varied structure.”

CrossFit focuses on 10 areas of fitness: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy.

You can bet you’ll be doing one, two or all ten of these in any given day.

Box, AMRAP, As Prescribed, Fran…after a couple workouts, you, too will be tossing around these words into your everyday conversation.

Read our blog on Learning Some Common CrossFit Language , to find out more.

Maybe you’ve heard from your neighbor, who knows a guy who knows a girl that hurt herself in a CrossFit class. Unfortunately, CrossFit has gotten a bad rap from countless shock-value viral videos.

Rest assured, all the coaches at CrossFit Salus are certified level 1 and level 2 trainers and have decades of experience. Your safety is our top priority and we’ll never hesitate to take weight off a bar if we feel form is being compromised.

So, be prepared to check your ego at the door.

Cult? No.

Community? Yes.

One of the best things about CrossFit is the crazy energetic and supportive atmosphere where the loudest cheers are for the last to finish and everyone knows your name.

The beauty about CrossFit is that all of our coaches are prepared to provide modifications for any and all exercises. You’ll notice that in each of our CrossFit classes, we also offer a “fitness” level that features scaled down movements and lighter weights as well as a “performance” level that features more advanced movements and heavier weights.

Wondering how to prepare for your first CrossFit workout?

Don’t forget your water bottle, mask if necessary, a good attitude, comfortable shoes and maybe a dry shirt to change into after you’re done.

Each class is an hour long. You can expect to move through about 5-15 minutes of a warm up followed by a skill or strength section before moving into whatever the workout is programmed for the day.

The workout (WOD) starts with a much anticipated 3,2,1 GO! And everyone starts together.

When and how much you eat depends on your own personal preferences and variables- some people like to eat right before they exercise, some people prefer to fuel up an hour or so beforehand.

Not sure what to do? Opt for a small portion carbs (think: half a banana) beforehand and a more substantial meal within an hour after training, which will help with recovery.

Need more in depth information on nutrition? Let’s chat.

Most people new to CrossFit will feel sore. It’s best to do some light activity the day after to get the blood flowing. If you’re not used to feeling sore, opt for a long walk or bike ride in between sessions as well as plenty of stretching.

Remember to be open minded and be willing to learn, laugh and sweat a lot.

Schedule your free consultation to chat with a Salus coach and discuss your goals and answer any questions.

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