Top 5 Mistakes Newbies Make



Miss my old box. Oct 2009

 Starting a program like CrossFit can be many things: exciting, nerve racking, hopeful, scary, etc... A lot of us who start CF don't know much about the in's and out's of the workouts, nutrition plan, recovery and mental preparation it takes to succeed. Below is 5 tips that will help you get started on the right track...enjoy!

Here is what NOT to do and WHY:

Dont Journal: One of the major motivators of any sports/workout program (especially CF). You have to be crazy if you want any kind of results/improvement and you DONT JOURNAL. Read up on this old blog post I wrote about JOURNALING.

Just focus on working out and not on your diet: People come to CrossFit to workout, not to diet. But boy is that as stupid as it gets! Whatever you put in your mouth over and over again you will eventually look like (i.e. donut/bagel). Most of us usually eat 'better' when we start working out, but most people don't even know what 'better' is. Successful dieting takes the same principles and a successful exercise program. Take the time to learn, prepare, and excute and you will fast fwd any results you desire.

Too much too soon: Coach Burgener says over and over, flexibility and range of motion before strength. It is waay to easy to go for the glory and throw too much weight on the bar and tweek/pull/pop something that can stop your results dead in their tracks. Relax, be patience and go with the mindset of a spinter in a marathon, it is going to be a long journey, but go hard every workout...smartly.

Dont do the full warmup: A great Bill Starr article that really motivated me about warming up. Not only can you injure yourself much easier, but you are actually cutting down your results with every single workout. Take the time and do it right. Also, I have found that wearing long sleeves and sweats during the warmup help warm you up even better:-)

Cherry picking the WODs: What you hate the most is exactly what you need the most. Don't be guilty of picking and choosing what WODs you will or wont do. Attack your weaknesses. If you hate endurance,  its because you SUCK at it, so get better! Afraid of getting bulky, shut up, throw some weight on the bar, and you will tone up like never before.

Anything you would like to add, from personal experience or something you see from others of what NOT to do and WHY???

P.T.S!