FAQs
What is the WOD?
Each day we will have strength and/or skill work along with the Workout of the Day (WOD). The WOD changes every day and is comprised of conditioning work covering a variety of movements and time domains. For example, some WODs might have 5 different movements and last 20 minutes while others only have two movements and last 5 minutes. The WOD is constantly varied and is to be done with the highest intensity possible. This is your new “cardio”.
What can I expect on my first visit?
CrossFit can be intimidating and we want you to feel comfortable as you begin to improve your health and fitness. You will be led through a basic warm up and then your current movement patterns will be assessed in order to identify, and begin to correct, any deficiencies. You will then be given a baseline workout in which the intensity (how hard the workout is) will be entirely up to you. We encourage everyone to push themselves but if you have not worked out in awhile then you will be strongly encouraged to take your time and just complete the workout.
What if I have an injury?
Many people I’ve trained have started with some type of chronic injury they’ve been dealing with for years. These injuries are often due to muscular imbalances, bad posture and lack of physical activity. Pain from these injuries can be severely reduced by following a strength and conditioning program that emphasizes correct movement patterns. Low back pain is the most common and the VAST majority of people are just too weak.
You should be doing deadlifts and other movements to gain strength and endurance. Shoulder pain is also very common – especially for those that sit at a desk all day. Improving your scapular stability while increasing and improving your range of motion through the shoulder girdle nearly always corrects the problem. In general, if you have an injury then that should encourage you to start doing something to fix the problem! And we can help you get started down that path.
Do I need to get in shape first?
No, No, No. We strongly believe that our program is the optimal path to general physical preparedness (GPP). If you show and up and do our workouts then you WILL get results. Why in the world would you do something else to try and prepare for the thing that you want to do when you can start now?
Every workout is scalable and we promise you can do it regardless of your current physical condition. Too many people look at the best CrossFit athletes in the world as they compete on ESPN and think “I can’t do that.” Well I can’t compete with those people either BUT I’m more fit today than I have ever been in my life and you can be too!
Am I too old?
Nope. If you can move then you can do our workouts. There might be specific movements that need to be scaled or altered for current fitness level but you are never too old to start working out.
How often should I come in?
As often as your body and schedule allow! We feel that training at least 3 days per week will allow you to benefit the most from our program, but we understand people are busy and have other activities outside of our gym (in fact we encourage that!). This is why our membership levels are flexible so you can train however many days you wish.
Why is the membership more expensive than this other gym?
There are many traditional gyms that simply want to take your membership fee and don’t care if you ever show up. We are different. We know your name, goals, previous injuries and actively encourage you to improve your health and fitness. You will also know everybody else’s name and that sense of community helps drive everyone to become better than they imagined.
You will receive individual coaching to improve your lifts, movement patterns and nutrition. Our group training environment is not quite personal training but it’s pretty close, and if you compare our rates to personal training rates then I think you’ll definitely see the value. Depending on your membership level the cost is only $5-10 per class, and after you join and see everything we offer you will think it’s a bargain.
But I don’t want to get too big and bulky!
This statement usually comes from the women. I’m not going to argue which body type you should strive to look like as there is enough of that garbage being dished at you every day by a variety of sources. I will simply say that we will help you meet your goals.
If you want to look like an athlete then we will help you do that. If you want to get as big and strong as you possibly can then we will help you do that too, BUT that will require work significantly above and beyond our regular programming.
In general muscle doesn’t make you big and bulky – fat does. Our program will help you lose fat while simultaneously making you stronger and more fit. Eventually you will come to realize that improving your athletic performance is the optimal path to improving your aesthetic appearance.
For a longer discussion on this topic read this – http://crossfitfms.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/the-fear-of-bulkiness-and-crossfit/
Where can I learn more about CrossFit?
Schedule and intro and come talk to us! Or check out CrossFit.com and the CrossFit Journal. Below are some excellent articles that explain CrossFit and the CrossFit methodology:
http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/what_is_crossfit.pdf
http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/CFJ-trial.pdf
http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/56-07_Understanding_CF.pdf