Do I have to get in shape first before I start?
This is a common misconception.
If you have seen the CrossFit Games on ESPN, you might think that everyone that does CrossFit is an elite athlete. And yes, some of us are…. but most of us are not. Still, even the most elite athletes can come into our gym and find a workout challenging. That’s why we are here to offer scaling options for each individual so that you can thrive in each workout on a personal level. Fitness is a lifelong journey, and we are never really “there.”
In reality, the majority of our clients are just trying to lose a little weight and feel less winded when walking up the stairs. The hardest part about starting a CrossFit program is walking through the door. You’ll find that we are a diverse community of athletes and that everyone is at a different place in their fitness development. Our gym is a safe place where you will feel welcomed, comforted, and supported. Our only request is that you work hard and make a commitment to being better than yesterday.
I am afraid I will get too big and bulky?
In order for people to get bigger, especially women, there are two things that you would have to make a concerted effort to do.
1: Pick up very heavy weight on a frequent basis. This is not something we do. Yes, we are very much concerned about your strength and we do lift heavy some days. But, this is not our main focus.
2: Eat an extremely high calorie diet. For most to gain productive muscle mass, it takes quite an effort in eating the right foods in large amounts. The majority of the workouts we do provide your muscles with more contractile potential and not hypertrophy (muscle mass).
Our focus is on building lean body mass and we find that most of our clients lose weight rather than gain it. Improving your body composition by building muscle will increase your metabolism and aid in your body’s ability to burn fat. It takes specific and deliberate programming to “get big” doing CrossFit.
I have heard that you can get hurt doing CrossFit, is this true?
You can injure yourself in any activity, but CrossFit is safer than many activities that people perform every day. We like to work with people in 3 stages. First: mechanics (learning how to do the movements with correct technique), Second: Consistency (the ability to do the movements over and over again with safe and relatively efficient technique), Third: Intensity (the speed at which you do the movements). We take a slow and step-wise approach to ensure that you are moving safely. There is an inherent risk with any activity that requires jumping, running, lifting, rowing, climbing, etc. Our stance is that the program we provide better prepares you to avoid injury in all areas of life by increasing core strength, coordination, flexibility, agility, and endurance.
I have heard CrossFit is really hard, can I do it?
CrossFit is as hard as you make it. We encourage people to push the limits of their own tolerances, but only you can make the most out of your workouts. It just depends on the amount of effort you put into them.
Can I get a good workout in under 30 minutes?
Yes, this is absolutely what we believe in. More and more research shows that shorter duration/higher intensity workouts yield higher benefits/results. Basically, it just boils down to hard work. The truth is, the longer the effort, the lower your intensity. If you run 10 miles, your intensity (power output) will be lower than if you run multiple 400 meter sprints. 12th State CrossFit does go beyond 30 minutes on occasion, but the majority of our workouts are shorter in duration. If your workout is shorter, you can work harder by nature, which can lead to a better response. Without hard work, you will not receive results, which is why we encourage you to work to the limits of your physiological and psychological tolerances.
I can’t do CrossFit because I don’t want to aggravate back or neck pain from previous injuries.
Numerous clients of ours have come through the doors with previous injuries or tweaks and found relief from the pain by strengthening the muscles around the problem area. All too often, people avoid exercising their low back due to fear of injury. Because of this, they end up deconditioned, weak, and more susceptible to injury in the future from minor mishaps. Taking part in CrossFit will provide you a buffer so that you are less susceptible to these kinds of injuries. The movements and workouts are all completely scalable, allowing anyone to take part.
CrossFit is too expensive, is this true?
CrossFit is often difficult to compare to other fitness programs. We offer a variety of classes and options as well as some of the best trainers that CrossFit Headquarters has to offer. The reality is that with the quality of instruction you get from our trainers, it is personal training at a fraction of the cost. Furthermore, you can’t put a price on your own health. Resources invested in your health and fitness now will pay dividends in the future. You can get yourself in shape now for a fraction of the cost of a prescription bottle later.
Since you don’t follow the CrossFit.com programming, what are your goals when programming for the gym?
CrossFit.com provides excellent programming. At 12th State CrossFit, we take the same approach with constantly varied movements and workouts. We choose to offer workouts that may be more easily scaled in group settings and address some of the needs/desires of our community. You are guaranteed to have one day per week be heavy loading to help address strength demands. We also like to provide people with a longer workout each week so they can get their “endurance” bug fed. Another approach that we have is to address weaknesses that the gym may have as a whole. This may include things like overhead squats, olympic lifting, or basic technique with bodyweight movements. Our philosophy is the same as HQ (constantly varied, functional movement at high intensity). We just try to meet some more specific needs of our community.
I just follow your blog and then do the workouts on my own, is this okay?
You could just follow our blog, but you would not get the quality of teaching from our certified trainers. Most people are not taught how to move correctly and don’t know how to teach themselves. You are automatically making yourself more susceptible to injury and leveling off in your gains by trying to do this on your own. It is also infinitely more fun when you are encouraged and held accountable by a group of your peers. Plus, you won’t have someone cheering you on in your basement or local gym, like you have at 12th State CrossFit.