How to get into Cross Training and love the process

5 tips for falling in love with CrossFit

CrossFit is not for everyone, and doing proper research on this fitness program before deciding to start your journey is a good idea. If you have read up on it and decided that it is for you, you might have a difficult time actually starting it, but by the end, you’ll love it!

1) Remember why you started

If you have decided to begin a new sport, it is likely due to a goal you had in mind. Whether it is to gain muscle, lose weight, live a healthier lifestyle, etc., focus on that goal while working out. This will help you mentally, as you will feel that you are working towards something. In the toughest moments of the workout, this will give you the spirit to push through.

2) Don’t push yourself too hard

Even if the saying mind over body has some truth to it, pushing your body too far is never a good idea. If you feel like your body truly cannot handle any more exercise, stop and rest, even if you continue a while later. Pushing yourself too hard will only result in injuries. Know the limits of your body and understand that there is nothing wrong in not being able to complete a WOD (workout of the day), it’s part of the process. You’ll get there eventually, as long as you continue to put in the effort.

3) Focus on the positive side

In CrossFit, there may be many things you will not enjoy. For example, some people like cardio more than weights, some like gymnastics over cardio, and some prefer weights over gymnastics. We all have our preferences, especially when it comes to exercise. Despite the fact that you will have to do all of these exercises when doing CrossFit, try not to focus on the ones you dislike, and instead focus on the ones you do like! This will give you a small thrill when the workout includes mostly what you like, and if it’s made up of what you don’t like, then don’t worry, there will always be a new workout the next day!

4) Surround yourself with friends

This might seem irrelevant to actually working out, but in reality, it can be a very important part of your motivation. As we established earlier, the mind can have a powerful effect on the body, and friends sure improve your mentality! If you have friends in the gym, then you will enjoy going to the gym a lot more. You will have fun together, complain together, even suffer together, but most importantly, support each other. Trust me, when you feel like giving up, having a friend telling you to keep going helps a lot more than you’d think! And luckily, the CrossFit community is known for being extremely inclusive and supportive.

5) Accept your weaknesses

We all have both strengths and weaknesses, and there is nothing wrong in that. Work on your weaknesses whenever you have time and don’t be afraid to say you can’t do something and ask for the replacement of an exercise, it’s one of the many reasons the coaches are there! Don’t be afraid to ask if you don’t know how to do an exercise either and don’t be ashamed if you lift, or run less than others, or if you can't do an exercise that others can. We all start somewhere!