What Will Your First CrossFit Class Be Like?

Just like when you start a new job or school, you may be a little nervous, but also excited. You will be learning new skills and improving some existing ones. The other class members will be doing variations of the movements in the workout and at the end of class, there will be cheering, clapping, high fives, fist bumps all around.
If you have never done CrossFit before at Rye Canyon, you will be meeting a new community from the Santa Clarita Valley, all rooting and cheering each other on to do their best. This will likely rev you up to train harder, but pace yourself! It is very easy to over train the first couple of weeks. Learning to pace yourself and not worrying about keeping up will be very helpful as you improve your fitness. Trust us, you will become stronger, leaner, and also feel great about the work you put in with us.
Having said that, here is what you can expect on Day 1, and how to get ready for it.

WHAT TO BRING
Just bring a water bottle, comfortable workout clothes, and relatively flat gym shoes to your first CrossFit class. All other equipment you may need for the workout will be provided for you.

MAKE A RESERVATION IN THE CLASS YOU WILL ATTEND
CrossFit Rye Canyon & Barbell Club has a schedule of CrossFit classes throughout the day starting at 5:00am. You can see the classes and make your reservation on our app that you will receive when you join. If you are not yet a member, please contact us for an appointment. Our classes have a cap on the number of people that can attend to ensure the coach can give attention to each person in the class. Please reserve your spot prior to arriving.
Be sure to let the coach know this is your first class, they will make sure you feel welcome and understand the process.

SHOW UP EARLY
You will need to show up 10-15 minutes early to sign a waiver (if you haven’t already taken care of this) and to get a little familiar with the space, such as where the restrooms are, where to put your belongings, where the equipment is located, etc.

FIND YOUR COACH
Before class starts, introduce yourself to your coach and let them know this is your first CrossFit class. They will walk you through everything throughout the class and answer any questions you may have.
If you have any injuries or limitations, make sure to let the coach know so they can scale your workout appropriately. At CrossFit Rye Canyon & Barbell Club we are experts at “constraints-based coaching”; this means that we will be able to modify the workout to your current abilities so that you get the intended stimulus from the movements. In other words, don’t worry if you can’t do a pullup, none of us could when we started (some of us still can’t).

WHAT DOES A CROSSFIT CLASS LOOK LIKE?
A CrossFit class is a one-hour group coached session. A typical class looks like:
Overview brief — At the start of class, the group will circle around a monitor.

The coach will talk through the workout, the movements within it, the intended stimulus — the purpose of the workout and what level of intensity it’s designed to elicit — and ideas for scaling.

The coach will walk you through the movements after the overview, do not worry if the movements listed on the board are unfamiliar. In your first classes you will focus on learning the movement techniques, using a PVC pipe or very light barbell for any barbell movements, and scaling other movements to your current fitness level and ability.

Warm-up — The coach will lead the class through a warm-up to prepare for the workout.

Skill practice —The coach will lead the class through skill practice, typically related to the movements that appear later in the workout.

Cleanup — After the workout is over, athletes give each other fist bumps and high-fives, wipe down and put away their equipment, and meet back at the whiteboard to write down scores.

KEEP TRACK OF YOUR SCORE
When the class has ended, you will gather at the monitor again to record your score for the workout. Depending on the workout, your score can be the time you ended the workout, how many reps you completed, or the weight on your bar. We use scores to track our fitness over time, so the next time you do the same workout you can see your progress.
This is your first class, so don’t worry about comparing your score to other athletes’. This is your starting point!

INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO YOUR CLASSMATES
A big part of CrossFit is the community. Introduce yourself to your fellow classmates. They all remember the first time they walked into a CrossFit gym and can help you acclimate to class.

KEEP AN OPEN MIND
CrossFit is hard. We aren’t going to sugarcoat it. But that’s what makes it so empowering. You will soon be able to do things you never thought you could do before. You will be able to flip onto your hands into a handstand, climb a rope, or even get your first pull-up one day.
But it doesn’t happen overnight.
Use your first class to get a taste of CrossFit, learn more about the affiliate, and have fun. You will learn more with time.

NEXT STEPS
Now that you have experienced your first CrossFit class, it’s time to consider signing up for a membership! If you enjoyed your class, the staff will help walk you through the next steps…
Special thanks to CrossFit.com for the guidance in the content for this blog post.