You’ve seen the CrossFit competitions on TV, full of men and women at the peak of physical perfection. Just one of their workouts, let alone the entire ordeal, seems impossible for someone like you to do.. So you can’t understand how CrossFit has evolved into the latest fitness craze.
Understand that the physical contests on TV are reserved for top competitors. That doesn’t mean that the average Joe and Jane can’t thrive with a typical CrossFit WOD, or Workout Of the Day. We at CrossFit Winter Garden can give you five good reasons why CrossFit is for anybody, including you.
It’s based on functional exercises.
At CrossFit, you won’t find exercises targeted to just one body part, such as a bicep curl. The WODs emphasizes functional exercises that are designed to help you perform everyday tasks. The squat, for example, is what you do when you pick up a child’s toy from the floor or lift a package from the warehouse floor. It also exercises multiple body parts at the same time, such as your legs, abs, and back, and improves both your strength and balance. Do the exercise multiple times, as is typical, and you also work on your endurance.
It can be modified to fit your goal.
At each WOD, superb athletes do the exact same exercises as out-of-shape executives and beginning CrossFitters. However, scaling modifies the movement to fit your goal. The experienced athlete trying to improve strength may be lifting the maximum weight. The executive who isn’t as strong may be working with an empty bar. And the newbie who is still learning the ropes may rely on a wooden dowel. The coaches who watch over each class can modify exercises to suit your goal. For example, if you’re recovering from an arm injury, the coach may delete all the arm exercises from your WOD and emphasize leg movements.
Workouts involve the mind as much as the body.
The biggest obstacle to completing a workout is often the mind and not the body. So exercises often target your mental strength, primarily with multiple movements done over a long time. For instance, anybody can do a lunge but doing it multiple times over 20 minutes requires the mental toughness to persevere even when you want to quit. Working with members at different skill levels helps. You’re inspired by athletes who are better than you and persevere when you see less-skilled members not quitting.
Class sizes remain small, which leads to semi-personal training
CrossFit classes tend to be small. Depending on the time you go, it’s not unusual to be working out with just one or two other people. Even during the busy times, class sizes may max out at 10 or 12. This allows the coach to keep a watchful eye on all that is happening and to offer you personalized attention and advice, if you’re not performing to standard. He or she will push you to do your best but won’t hesitate to have you scale back your effort, if you’re struggling too much.
You become part of a supportive community.
People who struggle through the same physical task together, day-in and day-out, develop a camaraderie that you can’t get elsewhere. You begin to push each other and also encourage each other when one of you is tempted to quit. This support extends to outside the box, which is what Crossfit gyms are called. Pretty soon, you’re going to healthy dinners together and participating in mud runs and marathons with each other. Even in competitions, it’s not unusual for CrossFitters who finish first to go back and encourage those in the back of the pack to push on.
The best way to find out how CrossFit works for you is to come visit us at Winter Garden CrossFit. You can even try out a beginners class free of charge to experience the improvements that a WOD can bring you.
