Newbie Tips and Tricks

It’s been great to see all the new faces tracking through our FOUNDATIONS program. Congrats on seeing that through and Welcome Aboard!  We hope you come to enjoy this type of fitness system as much as we do, and to that end, here’s some things worth mentioning that we feel will help you adapt and acclimatize sooner rather than later.

After seeing many examples of  “too much too soon”, over the years,  we really stress doing less, not more for as long as it takes to know how you’ll react to a given workout.

 “OOh, I really feel my biceps, abs, butt etc” is a normal and appropriate reaction to starting CrossFit.  “I fell down the stairs accidentally, but I’m OK with that because that was less painful than walking down them!”  is not appropriate and unfortunately all too common.  A very good rule of thumb is –

ANYTIME IN YOUR FIRST MONTH OF CROSSFIT, IF IN DOUBT ABOUT PUSHING HARDER OR BACKING OFF, OPT FOR THE LATTER AND SEE HOW YOU FEEL THE NEXT DAY.   We do A LOT of risk/reward considerations when we put workouts together, but at best it’s more art than science.  There are SO many variables from day to day and person to person that hitting the sweet spot where progress occurs but soreness remains mangaeable is impossible to achieve for every person in every workout.  It’s your gym and your body!  Be patient and opt for less in that first month.

Here are some purposeful steps you can take to reduce soreness:

1) Post Workout Foam Roll.  While you most likely just want to lay on the ground for ten minutes, then go about your day, you will offset a lot of the soreness heading your way if you spend 5-7 minutes rolling out the at risk muscles.  Basic foam roll video is HERE:

2) Stretch.  Hand in hand with foam rolling, stretching speeds all the recovery processes and post workout is a great time to stretch well, as your muscle temperature is likely up.

3) Supplements.  See below

4) Hydration.  Nothing Fancy but if you’re low on water, everything just takes that much longer to work and process.

Man, this is a big one, but for right now, it need not be super complex.

Here are some REALLY BROAD strokes that aren’t a bad place to start, if eating to perform is unfamiliar to you.

A very simple maxim is “Eat whole foods, not too much, mostly plants”.  Too much in this case, is beyond hunger.

Here’s another one sentence guideline that works for MOST people:  “Every 4 hours eat a protein source as big as the palm of your hand, a plant/vegetable source as big or 2x as big, a fat source half as big.”

Specific to Protein:  Most people would benefit from eating more than they currently do (Again, BIG BROAD GENERALIZATIONS here).  A good rule of thumb is 1.0 grams per day per lean body mass.  This requires knowing your Bodyfat Percentage.  If you don;t know your bodyfat percentage we can help you find it out ( we need to schedule that, but there’s no fee!) in the meanwhile eat .8 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight.  So if you are 140lbs  140x .8 = 112 grams of protein per day.

Most people starting off CrossFit find there appetite goes UP to some degree, due to the increased energy they are putting out.

Supplements.  Do I need them.  Definitely not, BUT there are some we recommend because the science is pretty strong (although NOT absolute by any means). Supplements may reduce your soreness and assist your fitness efforts.

Here’s the ones we like for a beginner:

Branched Chain Amino Acids-  (BCAA’s) These kind of serve as protein amplifiers, and the net effect is often (not always) a marked reduction in soreness.  We recommend the 1)Least Expensive 2)Flavorless 3) Powder BCAA’s you can find.  The manufacturing process is very simple and you do not need a premium brand.  Anything with a flavor additive usually drives up the cost considerably.  You could achieve the same end with the addition of your own flavor agent (like a MIO shot or Crystal Lite etc).  Lastly, we like powders over pills becuase the dosing is somehwat high.  Start with 5 grams and see if there’s any stomach upset (usually there is not) and if not work up to 10 grams post workout.  This would be a total of 10 pills!!  We prefer two 5 gram scoops in some sort of flavored water.

Protein/Recovery Shakes–   There are hundreds of types of recovery shakes out there and all of them will claim to have “special proprietary technology” or some other similar verbage.  We think the convenience and concentrated nutrition of a well manufactured shake can be advantageous given the demands of modern life.  We have been impressed by the efficacy (and the flavor) of a brand called Progenex and we hope to stock them soon. But we recognize that Progenex is on the high end of the market price point, so if you find a less expensive shake that is doing you good, please let us know about it.

Despite selling a shake and not selling BCAA’s, if you only get one recovery agent get the BCAA’s.  Bang for your buck, they are more valuable.

Fish Oil–  Here you DO want a premium brand.  WalMart FishOil wont cut it.  Regrettably, this is an expensive item, but the anti inflammatory effect are often substantial.

If one area has changed since we first discovered CrossFit Methodology it’s gear.  Here’s the essentials.

SHOES:  You want FLAT shoes, often called “Minimal” shoes.  In industry parlance, you want shoes with a small or zero “drop”.  That means the heel height is close to or equal to the forefoot.  Most Running shoes have a marked “drop”,  the heel is substantially higher than the forefoot.  Whether that’s good for running is debateable but it’s definitely a disadvantage for most of what we do in CrossFit.  That sloping drop encourages forward migration of the shin and “living in your toes/balls of your feet”.   Do you need to run right out and buy flat shoes?  No, BUT make the next pair you buy a “flat” shoe.  Here are links to REEBOKS,  NIKE’S and NEW BALANCE Functional Fitness Shoes.

What about Olympic Lifting Shoes?  Don’t bother just yet.

JUMP ROPE:  We have tons at the gym, but if you are motivated to work the “Double Under” on your own, you may want to pick up your own and get the length exactly to where it suits you and only you best.  If so,  you want waht would commonly be called a “Speed Rope”.  Don’t get anything leather or cloth.  Speed ropes will have some sort of coated cable.  Make sure the length of the rope is adjustable!  Expect to spend 12 to 25 dollars.  More than that is more than you need at this stage.  HERE is a link to amazon’s page SPEED ROPES FOR CROSSFIT.

That’s it!  See you out there!