It may seem like a new thing to some of you, but CrossFit is almost 20 years old. CrossFit has gained a loyal following over the decades, with thousands more discovering the incredible results that this unique fitness system can produce each year. There are a lot of mistakes newcomers to CrossFit can make, leading to discomfort or sometimes even injury, so it’s really important to make sure you have the skinny on how to do it right.
If you’ve just started your CrossFit journey, make sure you avoid some of these common mistakes. Read on to find out more and be ready for your first CrossFit workout today!
1- Going Too Hard, Too Fast
This can be said of all types of exercise, but it really applies to CrossFit. Since CrossFit is all about high intensity interval training along with intense weight lifting and other types of full body exercises, making sure you don’t push yourself too fast is an absolutely essential thing you should avoid. This might be frustrating, but it’s better to stop and build up your abilities than to hurt yourself and set yourself back.
2- Forgetting to Breathe
We mean this both literally and figuratively. Check your breathing as you workout and make sure you’re providing your muscles with the oxygen you need. This will help you prevent injury while building up your cardio health.
But more than that, going from no exercise at all to regular CrossFit is like placing an F1 engine inside a junker: it’s not going to end well. It’s not only okay to take a day or even two to rest while your body gets used to the new workout regimen but essential.
3- Lying (to Others OR Yourself)
A consistent mind is a key to creating consistent, healthy habits. CrossFit is no different. If you start telling everybody that you’ve figured out that you only need to do your CrossFit routine once a week and see the same results as them, (a) they probably won’t believe you, and (b) you’re only hurting your own motivation. The same goes for telling yourself that you only need to do your routines once a week. If you start lying to yourself, you might start believing it.
4- Not Asking for Help
Speaking of being honest, there’s no shame in admitting to experts that you don’t know what you’re doing. After all, they were all once where you are now! Especially considering how many resources there are out there that can give you all the information you need on CrossFit, you really don’t have any reason to feel embarrassed. Make sure you take the time to get the insights of your CrossFit trainer before you try to do something you’re not ready to do.
5- Competing with Everyone But Yourself
CrossFit isn’t about outdoing everyone else in the group. Remember, CrossFit is about you and your goals. Those are what you should be keeping in your sights, whether it’s how many reps you’re building to per session or how many rests you have to take. If you’re focusing on the guy or girl next to you focusing on their own goals, how can you meet your own?
At Paradiso, a popular Culver City CrossFit, they abide by the credo ‘Everything is Everything’, which means that you should focus on your fitness goals both inside the gym and outside the gym by keeping in mind that your actions — what you do, what you eat, and how you manage stress — contributes to your overall physical fitness and mental well-being.
6- Being Picky About the WODs
CrossFit is built around WODs or Workouts of the Day. Each day, a different fitness routine tests different areas of strength and flexibility. When newcomers to CrossFit are just getting started, they tend to cherry pick their WODs based on the ones that seem easy or play to their strengths.
Remember, you’re only cheating yourself. By committing to the WODs for those days on which you are working out and making sure you’re not skipping a day to avoid an exercise that you find intimidating, you’re setting yourself down a path that will get you results fast.
Barring any serious injury (which you should be dealing with under the discretion and supervision of a physician), skipping your WODs is one of the most serious mistakes a new CrossFitter can make.
Consider these six mistakes when beginning your CrossFit regimen and think of them every time you start to feel those doubts creep into your mind!