If you have been putting off trying CrossFit because you think you need to get in shape first, you are not alone. That belief keeps a lot of people from ever walking through the door. And it is the one thing worth clearing up before anything else.
The Myth That Keeps People From Ever Starting
The most common thing people assume is that they need to already be fit before they start. That is exactly backwards from how CrossFit actually works. The whole point is that we can take a person no matter where they are at. Off the couch, two months into working out, or a marathon trainer. Each of those people can get a version of the workout that works best for them. That is not a workaround or a consolation prize. That is the design.
What Scaling Actually Means in a CrossFit Class
Scaling is not a lesser version of the workout. It is the workout, adjusted to meet you where you are. What works best for the person next to you might look completely different from what works best for you, and that is fine. The goal is to find a version of the workout that matches your current tolerance so you can do it to the best of your ability on that day. Some days that looks one way. A few months in, it looks another way. The workout is the same. The approach shifts.
How CrossFit Never Forget Coaches Adjust Workouts for Every Fitness Level
Before a new athlete comes in for the first time, we try to get an intro phone call scheduled. On that call we ask three things: what your workout experience looks like, when the last time you did anything physical was, and whether there are any previous injuries we should know about. Those three questions tell us a lot. If the phone call does not happen beforehand, we ask those same questions as soon as you walk in. It takes a few minutes, and it shapes how we coach you through that first class.
Age Is Not the Barrier You Think It Is
We coach people in our group classes all the way up to just over 60 years old. Their workout will look very similar to everyone else’s in the class, but the goal is different. For a younger athlete, the workout might include burpees. For an older athlete, we might swap those for up-downs to a target. The movement pattern is close. The intensity is appropriate. What we are really after is getting them moving and keeping them moving, pushing back against the kind of physical decline that comes from doing nothing. Age is a factor we account for. It is not a reason to stay home.
What Your First Class Will Probably Look Like
What tends to stand out to people after their first class is the support from the community. Everyone in the room is doing the same workout, but it can all look very different depending on where each person is at. That contrast is not awkward. Most people find it reassuring. You are not being singled out for a modified version. You are just doing your version, alongside everyone else doing theirs.
Just Give CrossFit a Try: What Happens When You Show Up as You Are
If you have questions or things you are worried about, the easiest thing to do is hop on a phone call. Tell us what is on your mind. Ask whatever you need to ask. We are going to ask you questions too, and we are going to listen. There is no pressure to commit to anything on that call. It is just a conversation, and it is the same one we have had with a lot of people who are now regulars. Reach out to CrossFit Never Forget and we will go from there.
