Crossfit Training: Freshman Orientation

CrossFit training has been consistently growing in popularity over the last few years, and if you’re one of the newer CrossFit participants, chances are you feel like a freshman in high school or college. You’re meeting new people, learning new things, examining the ever-changing syllabus, and possibly even making long term plans on your future CrossFit career.

To get you started, this quick orientation guide will help you understand a few key concepts and preparations that will maximize the effectiveness of your workouts while minimizing your chance of stress, strain, or injury.

WODs

WODs, or Workouts of the Day, are the key component of CrossFit that separate it from any other sport or exercise style. Whether you’re getting your WODs directly from CrossFit.com or from some other source (like a personal trainer or workout buddy), the rules are the same: stick to the WOD.

Your WOD might have an aerobic exercise (like burpees) or a weight training requirement (like deadlifts). Whatever the task, your goals are to repeat the exercise as many times as you can in the allotted time and do your best to improve over time.

An important note regarding improvement: it’s important to remember that you’re not competing against anyone but yourself. Your goal should always be to do as well as or better than you personally have done in the past – measuring yourself against seasoned CrossFit participants is a sure way to strain or injure yourself.

Gear

Like any other sport, it’s crucial to use the proper gear when CrossFit training to make sure you aren’t setting yourself up for injury and to get the most out of your effort. A few of the necessary pieces of gear you’ll need include:

Belt – a sturdy belt or back brace is highly recommended if you’re planning on participating in standing weightlifting tasks, such as deadlifts or squats.

Gloves – a good set of weightlifting gloves with wrist reinforcements will help you during weight training tasks and well as with a good number of aerobic exercises. Keep a pair handy, and slap them on when you need the extra protection and support.

Ready Mat – you’ll need a mat on hand that you can toss down anywhere when you’re setting up for aerobic tasks like crunches or burpees. Your choice here is important, because the wrong mat may not provide enough protection and could actually slip out from underneath you during a set. Presently, many CrossFit participants agree that the FlexFit Mat gives you a strong, stable foundation that can be easily transported and set up anywhere.

Once you’ve got a few CrossFit sessions under your belt, take a look at the next article in this series.

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