CrossFit Trainers Near Me

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FAQs:

What is a CrossFit Trainer?

The Certified CrossFit Trainer (CCFT) credential is for an experienced individual who wants to demonstrate a higher level of CrossFit coaching knowledge and ability. The purpose of the CCFT is to ensure that an individual possesses the knowledge and competency required to train clients safely and effectively.

What is CrossFit Training?

To put it simply, CrossFit training is a fitness program centered on functional movements that are constantly varied and executed at a high intensity. The workout method can be broken up into three elements: weightlifting, gymnastics (aka controlled bodyweight moves), and monostructural metabolic conditioning (aka cardio).

What is the Purpose of CrossFit?

The stated purpose of CrossFit is to “increase work capacity across broad time and modal domains.” The program attempts to help participants achieve the maximum possible level of achievement in every physical aspect of their lives. This reflects the belief of founder Greg Glassman that the best measure of a person's overall health is not any one medical measurement, such as blood pressure), or a combination of them, but one's overall fitness. Training for a healthy life demands that a person push his or her body to achieve the highest degree of physical fitness possible.

Is a CrossFit Box Better Than a Gym?

Not necessarily better, but maybe more fun. A CrossFit box is like a lifting playground. Instead of a maze of tightly packed exercise machines and dumbbell racks, you'll find a smaller array of barbells, bumper plates, lifting platforms, climbing ropes, rings, medicine balls, kettlebells, and a whole lot of pull-up bars, all built around a large open space. You'll also get more in-depth personal training and the freedom to lift how you want. In a CrossFit box, you don't have to worry about dropping your heavy deadlift, getting yelled at for grunting or being kicked out for being too awesome. And the lifting community in an established box is both supportive and competitive in the best way.

How Often Should You Do a CrossFit Workout?

For beginners who haven’t done any training for a long time, the best advice is to first get training regularly in your system and your weekly schedule. Try to pick the same days every week and block the time for your training just as you would block time for work or family time.

As far as frequency goes: try to go to 3 times a week as quickly as possible. Working out 1 day and taking 1 day off is a good starting point. An example is working out on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and taking Tuesday, Thursday and the weekends off.

For more experienced ones, the CrossFit workout template suggests you work out 5 times per week using a schedule of working out 3 days and then taking 1 day off. When you have been training for some time (as a very general rule of thumb let’s say 3-6 months) this is a great workout frequency that will give you incredible results.

Is CrossFit Good for Beginners?

In general, most CrossFit workouts are high-intensity, strenuous workouts that combine cardio, strengthening, metabolic, speed, power, and plyometric exercises all in one. CrossFit for beginners can be a bit too intense if you are jumping into an advanced CrossFit class or not deliberately selecting beginner CrossFit exercises. With that said, certain CrossFit movements can be incorporated into a beginner’s fitness routine. As with starting any type of fitness program, CrossFit for beginners is best approached progressively and gradually, beginning with CrossFit movements that are easy to master from a technical standpoint and not extremely physically demanding. As you build up your strength, stamina, endurance, and power, you can progress through more challenging CrossFit exercises. One of the benefits of trying CrossFit for beginners is that a lot of the CrossFit exercises are designed around functional movements and foundational fitness movement patterns that will help you in everyday life as well as build more advanced workout progressions.

Is CrossFit Dangerous?

Can you get hurt doing CrossFit? Sure you can. But you could also hurt yourself mountain biking, doing karate, base jumping—or just doing a normal bro workout. All physical activity comes with some risk. If you follow directions, warm up adequately, keep your ego in check, and scale down when necessary, CrossFit doesn't need to be any more dangerous than other styles of working out.

Does CrossFit Transform Your Body?

Research has shown that sticking to CrossFit style training for as little as 12 weeks can cause significant and simultaneous improvements in both muscle strength and aerobic fitness, while also causing reductions in body fat percentage and increases in muscle mass. This provides a clear indication that this type of training very much does what it is intended to do.

Is CrossFit Good for Weight Loss? 

Sure, any type of exercise can be good for weight loss, but that might not be the result you see with CrossFit. If you’re just starting to do resistance training, you may find that you gain weight after some time, but lose body fat. This is called body recomposition. Also, remember that sustainable weight loss is achieved with a caloric deficit as well.

How to Stay Safe While Doing CrossFit?

There are a few things you can do to safeguard yourself against CrossFit injuries. First, if you have an old injury or any nagging musculoskeletal pain, get cleared by a doctor and/or physical therapist before starting CrossFit. Additionally, do your research before joining a box and evaluate the credentials of the coaches. Don’t let your ego get in the way of your performance and learn the difference between pushing your limits and setting yourself up for failure.

History of CrossFit

CrossFit was founded in the 1980s by former high school gymnast Greg Glassman and his then-wife, Lauren. After graduating from high school in 1974, Glassman took a job as a physical trainer at the Pasadena, California, YMCA, where he worked with professional athletes, emergency responders, and other specialized athletes, as well as with the general public. He was somewhat surprised to find that many of his supposedly well-trained clients needed to improve some skills that might be essential in their lines of work. Over time, he developed a series of workouts that became the basis of CrossFit. These exercises combined traditional bodybuilding exercises, such as curls and raises, with high-intensity aerobic exercises, such as sprinting. Glassman was convinced that this combination of exercises provided the key to helping an individual reach his or her maximum physical fitness.

Glassman built his first formal CrossFit gym in his garage in Santa Cruz, California, in 1995. The same year, he was hired to train members of the Santa Cruz police department in his new approach to physical fitness. CrossFit grew exponentially, from 18 affiliated gyms in 2005 to more than 2,000 affiliated facilities in 2011. By 2017, the number of facilities had increased to more than 13,000. A turning point in the company's growth was the establishment of its first Internet site in 2001. Individuals who would otherwise never have heard of CrossFit learned about the program on the Web and found out about the exercises promoted by the program. CrossFit not only operates its programs through its affiliate members, but additionally, the company encourages individuals to construct their home gym that contains all the equipment needed to participate in the program.

How CrossFit Training is Different from Other Workouts

Looking at these numbers, it becomes apparent that a typical CrossFit workout genuinely taxes every system in the human body. From a cardiovascular perspective, your heart rate shoots through the roof. Metabolically, your blood lactate rises exponentially. The muscular system sees extreme fatigue, and your ability to produce force becomes severely inhibited. Lastly, from an entirely mental perspective, the workouts are perceived to be very hard. But you might be wondering how this differs from other workouts. And the answer might surprise you. You see, both the heart responses and the lactate accumulation observed in each of these three workouts are comparable to those observed during a HIIT session lasting around 38 minutes (Nicolò, 2014), or across an entire game of rugby (Granatelli, 2014). The muscular fatigue observed is also thought to be quite similar. Although it is important to state that with the CrossFit workouts, these measures were obtained in as little as 4 minutes. Now while this does give you some insight into how challenging these workouts can be – it should also indicate how effective they can be.

8 Beginner CrossFit Workouts

Now, you know the basics of CrossFit and for what you should be mentally prepared. Let’s get to know the workouts you can try as a beginner.

JUMPING AND LUNGES

Jumping lunges is an effective exercise to build strength in the lower body. It is a split exercise that majorly focuses on the Quads and Hamstrings.

It’s also an important exercise for building balance and muscle coordination. Other than working on the legs, it also impacts the core effectively.

- Stand with your feet shoulder feet apart.

- Bend your knees as you are preparing to jump.

- Lower your body by performing a deep lunge.

- Let your weight sink through your legs, and contract your core muscles.

- Then, jump with full force while launching your body in the forwarding direction.

- As you land switch your legs.

- Repeat this jump and lunge movement for at least 60-sec.

BURPEES

For gaining strength in your upper and lower body with one exercise, Burpees is a great option. Burpees is a full-body CrossFit workout in which you work on your arms, quads, hamstring, core, and back muscles. Burpees can also be effective for warming up your body before a CrossFit session.

- Stand with shoulder-width apart.

- Bend your knees, and lower your body (perform a squat)

- As you lower your body, put your hands on the mat.

- Kick back your legs, make your body and legs straight (pushup position)

- Lower your body, like you do while performing pushups.

- Lift your body using your feet and arms, return to plank position.

- Jump back up into the squat position.

- Stretch your arms and explosively jump into the air.

- When you land, immediately bend your knees into a squat position.

- Repeat this exercise.

ROPE AND BALL

Using a jump rope and medicine ball you can perform a vast range of CrossFit exercises. Everyone from beginners to professionals performs workouts using the jump rope and medicine ball.

This is a type of circuit exercise focusing on both, the upper body and lower body strength.

- Stand with hip-width apart, and keep your back straight.

- Do simple jumps using the jump rope for 60 sec.

Then take a rest for 30 sec and perform medicine ball squat by following these steps:

- Stand shoulder-width apart.

- Keep the medicine ball between your legs.

- Bend your knees, keep the hips lifted and perform a deep squat.

- Grip the medicine ball with both hands.

- Lift your body.

- As you stand straight, throw the ball in the air with full force.

- Catch the ball as it comes down.

- Again, perform the squat while holding the ball.

- Repeat this for 60 sec.

PUSH AND PULL

Push-ups and pull-ups are two effective exercises for building upper body strength. You can perform these exercises to burn fat and gain muscles.

While doing push-ups you engage your chest muscles, triceps, shoulders, and upper back.

Similarly, when doing pull-ups, you lift your body by using force from the rear dells, biceps, forearm, mid-back, and core.

In this way, by doing push-ups and pull-ups you effectively engage all the big and small muscles in the upper body.

There are a lot of variations to add to your push-ups and pull-ups but as a beginner, you should just focus on simple moves.

- You can either do as many as possible push-ups for 60 sec, rest for 30 sec, and then pull-ups for 60 sec

- Or you can do 15-20 reps for each exercise with 30-sec rest between the sets.

COMPOUND LIFTING

In compound lifting the major muscle groups in the body work at the same time. This ensures the effectiveness of compound movements in less time.

Some of these exercises that you can try as a beginner are:

DEADLIFTS

- Stand with your feet in the middle of the barbell rod.

- Bend your knees, lifting your hips out.

- Grab the barbell with a shoulder-width grip.

- Now, lift your chest while grabbing the barbell.

- Straighten your back, and take a deep breath.

- Lower the bar by the same posture you used for picking it.

- Do a total of 10 reps.

KETTLEBELL SWINGS

Stand shoulder-width apart.

- Bend your knees, stick your hips out, and keep your chest raised high.

- Grab the kettlebell with both hands.

- Now, lift it while swinging it in the forward direction.

- Only lift it to the height of your chest.

- Then, swing it down, between your legs.

- Repeat this exercise for 30-40 sec.

WEIGHTED SQUATS

- Stand shoulder-width apart.

- Grab the barbell a little wider than your shoulders.

- Lift it and stretch your arms.

- Now, bend your knees, keep your back straight, and your chest lifted.

- Lift your body by stretching your legs straight.

- Do a total of 8-10 reps.

10 Benefits of CrossFit Training

Whether you’re looking to build muscle, increase endurance, or enhance mobility and flexibility, CrossFit offers a range of benefits:

1. It Burns A Lot Of Fat

HIIT workouts have become very popular as a means of losing weight. A session takes less time than a weight training routine and it has been shown to have incredible afterburn effects, which means that your body continues to burn calories even after you’ve finished the workout.

Although the exact number of calories burned will depend on the intensity, level of training, and exactly what is included in a daily plan, the American Council on Exercise reports that women burn between 13 and 15 calories per minute and men between 15 and 18 calories per minute, equivalent to between 800 and 1,100 calories per hour.

2. Builds Functional Strength

Functional training means that you perform actions during your workouts that mimic or closely replicate movements you make every day. Such daily movements can include reaching up to get items down from cupboards to running up the stairs. CrossFit workouts can make everyday activities easier and can even help prevent injuries in your daily life.

 3. Increases Muscle Mass

CrossFit isn’t designed to help you pack on huge muscle, but it builds functional, lean muscle. It will yield a toned, muscular physique, and offers a range of benefits to help get you there.

For a start, exercise routines are hardly ever repeated: whenever you turn up to class or follow the daily workout, you will be doing something different. This prevents your body and your muscles from getting used to the exercises and prevents gains from plateauing.

4. Cardiovascular Benefits

Not all benefits of CrossFit are weight and muscle-related. The intensity of CrossFit workouts means that they improve the target heart rate and they ensure better circulation of oxygen around the body. CrossFit can improve breathing, heart health, and your blood pressure.

5. Progressive Overload

If you perform the same workout or the same exercise over and over again, you need to find a way to increase the intensity or load. Otherwise, your body becomes accustomed to the workout and the benefits of the exercise diminish over time. This can mean increasing reps and weights, but there are limits to time and to the amount of weight you can lift.

Rather than keep increasing the reps and weights, performing a broader range of exercises and movements enables progressive overload without having to lift competitive weights or spend hours at the gym each day. CrossFit uses a range of exercises and equipment to help continue to achieve progressive overload.

6. Classes Are Short

There are several reasons that short workout classes are good. For a start, it is much easier to fit a 20-minute CrossFit workout into your day, than it is to go for a 1-hour run. It is also easier to concentrate solely on your workout for a shorter period, rather than worrying about what else you should be doing with your time.

7. CrossFit Increases Endurance

CrossFit increases cardiovascular and breathing endurance. It also builds lean muscle. This combination means that, over time, you can increase endurance and stamina. Muscle endurance is especially important in certain sports, such as cycling. As such, CrossFit is not only popular for its own sake but it is also popular with endurance athletes.

What’s more, endurance is important in daily life. It enables you to stand, walk, and perform physical activity more efficiently, for longer, and with less recovery time.

8. Easy To Track Progress

Tracking progress enables us to set and measure our progress towards our physical goals, and it is an important, but sometimes difficult, aspect of physical workouts: but not with CrossFit. There are dozens of CrossFit benchmark workouts, and you can monitor your physical progress by recording times and reps when you perform them.

As well as doing these benchmarks during CrossFit classes, you can track your progress by implementing them into your home workouts.

9. Increase Mobility

Mobility and flexibility are important components of CrossFit workouts. You won’t be able to perform too many gymnastic ring exercises if you lack mobility. Similarly, mobility is important in everyday life. By training to increase your workout flexibility using functional exercises, you will increase general mobility levels, too.

10. There Is A Strong Community

CrossFit is said to be a way of life or a community, and with thousands of affiliated gyms around the world, it’s easy to see why. This not only means that it should be easy to find a local CrossFit gym, but it also means that participants can find other like-minded people who are undergoing the same journey. A community can help spur you on, pick you up, and keep you going, even when you feel like there’s nothing left in your tank.

The Downsides of CrossFit

As with any workout, there are risks of injury. CrossFit has a reputation for causing gruesome injuries and issues, but empirical evidence doesn’t support the idea that it happens more in CrossFit than in any other high-intensity workout. According to one study, around 20% of participants would end up with an injury during a CrossFit workout. Researchers believe this has something to do with participants getting tired and losing the proper form.

To avoid injury, you can follow these precautions:

1. Check your form: The workouts are designed to do specific things. If you’re shifting your weight because you cannot support it or you’re altering your steps because you’re tired, that’s when an injury will likely occur. Pay especially close attention to your back and your knees during any workout.

2. Listen to your body: If you’re the type to push yourself beyond your natural boundaries, you’ll want to be especially careful during CrossFit. These movements mimic what you do in your everyday life, but pushing yourself too far, too fast, or too much will increase your chances of injury.

3. Choose the right gym: Since different CrossFit gyms have their own personalities, you’ll want to give different gyms a chance. Look for a gym with experienced trainers and a well-regarded reputation so that you get workout direction from someone who knows what they’re doing.

10 Unwritten Rules to Follow at a CrossFit Box

If you have been CrossFitting for a while, you will recognize some or all of these… Here are ten unwritten rules that might be good to know when you attend your local box (or visit a new one). Some are meant to be humorous; others are serious. You can decide which is which:

1. Check your ego at the door

This will always be rule number one at a CrossFit box. Because of the nature of the program, something will always be humble even the greatest in the sport. CrossFitters have to understand that CrossFit is a competition against yourself and be ready to do what it takes to improve.

2. Be on time

Most CrossFit boxes operate on a class schedule. Unlike other programs, it’s hard to come in a few minutes late and catch up. Missing part of a warm-up can also increase your chances of injury.

3. Chalk Wisely

Chalk your hands over the bucket and help keep the box clean.

4. Stay until everybody finishes

Oftentimes, the last athlete that finishes a CrossFit WOD gets cheered on more enthusiastically than the first. Once you finish, catch your breath, and cheer on your teammates.

5. Don’t drop an empty bar (unless you are bailing from a lift for safety reasons)

It’s LOUD. It’s also bad for the bar. And, again… loud.

6. Support your teammates

As box-mates, people depend on one another to stay accountable and reach their goals. Encourage one another to reach personal goals. If somebody falls off, reach out and bring them back on board.

7. Don’t shave reps

Scale workouts to whatever is necessary, but don’t purposely come up short. CrossFit is about measuring you against yourself and cutting off reps to finish faster skews the data you have to measure progress. Worrying about your standing on the whiteboard won’t make you a better athlete – beating your previous PR will.

8. Track your Results

Whether you use a journal, take pictures of the whiteboard, or use Wodify, do something to keep track of your scores. CrossFit is a data-based program. In order to see how you’re progressing, you need hard numbers to compare. Any type of workout log accomplishes this task.

9. Don’t spot a back squat!

This one is a huge safety issue that can be seen at “globo-gyms” (and yes, unfortunately even some CrossFit gyms). Other than the bench press, most lifts should not involve a spotter. Before attempting a heavy lift, make sure you are comfortable with bailing. Spotting lifts, especially back squats, is dangerous for both the lifter and the spotter.

10. Be part of the community

CrossFit has one of the best communities around. Engage with your box mates both in and out of the box. Plan get-togethers outside of the gym and get to know one another. Following rule 10 will reap far more rewards than just becoming fitter.

How to Find a Reputable Crossfit Gym

Are you interested in starting with CrossFit, but you’re concerned about finding a reputable gym? Although they are not the norm, poorly run CrossFit gyms have given a bad name to the industry. Let’s take a look at the 7 most important things to look for in a CrossFit gym.

1. Credentials of the Trainer

Hands down, the most important thing you want to look for in a reputable and worthwhile CrossFit Gym are the credentials of the trainers. Don’t be shy or afraid to ask directly what certifications they hold and who the organizations providing them.

2. Gym Culture

One of the reasons that CrossFit is so insanely popular is the community support that is inherent in the gym. Don’t be surprised if you have a new circle of good friends once you join a CrossFit gym as a welcoming and supportive culture is found in all the best gyms. With that said, if you stumble into a CrossFit gym that feels less than welcoming, be aware this is not how things should be.

3. Gym Equipment and Fitness Tools

Since you’ll be performing Olympic-based lifts during your workout of the day (WOD), you need to make sure you’re using safe and durable CrossFit equipment. The last thing you need is a rusty and crooked barbell as you’re going for a clean and overhead press. Ask to tour the facility and pay special attention to the condition of the weights, ropes, and rings. If you see rust in the metal, chips in the wood, and tears in the rope, it’s probably best to find another gym.

4. Classes Offered

If the trainers check out, the gym culture is welcoming, and the equipment looks great, inquire as to what types of classes they offer. A reputable CrossFit gym will hold a variety of classes that match different skill levels. This is especially important if you’re a beginner as you’ll need to learn the basics of CrossFit. If the gym only offers one class that blends all skill levels, your next question should be whether or not a trainer will be there to specifically help beginners. If not, we suggest moving along.

5. Layout and Cleanliness

During your tour of the equipment, also take note of the overall layout and cleanliness level of the gym. Is everything placed very close together in a small space? Or do you have plenty of room to safely execute those big lifts? Do you see members wiping down equipment with disinfectant? Or are there sweat puddles under barbells and rings that no one seems to be worried about? While it might seem like a silly thing to consider, a proper layout is essential for safety reasons and to lower your risk of injury. As for cleanliness, a dirty gym is a breeding ground for serious bacteria that can lead to things like a staph infection.

6. Emergency Protocol

One thing you might not even consider when you join any gym is what emergency preparedness plans they have in place should something awful happen. You’ll be throwing around a lot of weight when performing these Olympic-style lifts. You should feel secure that the staff knows what they are doing if something goes wrong. Ask whether the trainers and staff are certified in CPR, and what they do in the event of a serious injury. Should an accident happen, you’ll want fast responders who know what they’re doing, not a bunch of people standing around looking at each other.

7. Reputation

If you’re happy with all of the other points above, take some time to ask around about the gym. Former and current members, along with people on social media, will be only too happy to tell you what they like or don’t like about a facility. If the CrossFit gym just opened, then they won’t have an online presence or any long-term members to chat with. While this isn’t the case with every gym, it’s important to be aware that newer gyms are so eager to get members that they might rely on some CrossFit gimmicks.

How to Find a Personal Trainer

To start, look at local gyms and fitness centers. They usually have their trainers who work there. Trainers at gyms are often more affordable than trainers who work independently. 

You can search online. Use local business review sites to find highly rated trainers in your area.

Asking friends or family members is a great way to find a personal trainer you're likely to get along with. Find out if anyone you know has had a great experience with a coach in your area. You can also ask people who belong to your gym for recommendations or references for the personal trainers there.

How to Get Started with CrossFit

If you’re interested in trying CrossFit, look online for an affiliate box in your area. Most CrossFit centers require beginners to sign up for two or three private or semi-private training sessions. These can cost between $150 and $300 to attend. Once you’ve completed the training sessions, you can sign up for group CrossFit classes or continue working with a personal trainer. While it’s possible to do a workout of the day on your own after you’re familiar with the CrossFit exercises, if you’re a beginner, you should work with a trained professional at a CrossFit box first. The instructors can model each of the moves and watch your form to confirm you’re doing it correctly. They can also introduce you to all of the equipment.

CrossFit exercises can be modified to accommodate beginners or those new to fitness. You’ll still need to work with the trainers at your local box to start. You may want to work one-on-one with a trainer for longer until you feel comfortable and increase your fitness level. If you’re new to CrossFit, always go at your own pace and don’t lift more weight than you’re comfortable with. Easing into exercise will help decrease your risk for injuries. CrossFit is a high-impact form of fitness. Always check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program like CrossFit, especially if you’re new to exercise or live with a health condition.

 

Sources:

SHAPE

JRANK

Crossfit Zeeburg

Marathon Handbook

Bodybuilding

Forever Fit Science

Garage Gym Reviews

Ironbull Strength

CCFT

WebMD

Healthline

The Manual

Wodplanet

Atemi Sports

 

The content herein is provided for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Medical information changes constantly, and therefore the content on this website should not be assumed to be current, complete or exhaustive. Always seek the advice of your doctor before starting or changing treatment. If you think you may have a medical emergency, please call your doctor or 9-1-1 (in the United States) immediately.