Nervous and excited.... just signed up for fundamentals

fattyfoodie

Hi all- maybe I don't quite belong here yet but I just contacted the box near my house and signed up for a three class fundamentals session.

I am mostly scared sh**less, but am looking for some advice. I haven't spoken to the trainer who does these sessions yet (I have a phone call with here a couple of days before my start date) so I am just wondering what I should do to prepare myself.

Is there anything I need to buy? What kind of shoes should I wear? Am I going to die?

madmags

You are absolutely in the right place! No worries, they have fundamentals so you learn all the moves without all the stress. Good sneakers to start, be prepared to work hard and go in with a great attitude. If you have those covered you are good to go!

Supern0va81

I had the same worry for my fundamentals session. Mine was 4 sessions of 1hr each across two weekends and it taught form, nutrition, and gave perspective on the crossfit mentality. We worked with a PVC pipe which simulated the bar to focus on form when lifting. 'Our' box also seems to have a strong mentality that you should have the same form lifting the PVC as you should if you were lifting a bar with weights - whatever the weight, or through any of the other exercises.

It did make you sweat and that came from learning the stature to avoid injury but if I hadn't done the fundamentals and watch some of the more experienced athletes then I think I more than likely would have been injured if I went straight in to doing a class or even the WOD. As a very unfit person I have every admiration for anyone interested in crossfit. This is my week 2 of getting involved. Good luck and have fun

Mrs_Duh

I was scared sh*tless when I first started, too. Crossfit is hard, but totally doable. You can scale your workouts to your current skill level, and the fundamentals class is a great way to get familiar with all of the movements. Be sure to listen to the trainers and listen to your body. If something doesn't feel right or you are unsure about form, ask the trainers.

You probably don't need to buy anything right now, but I always bring water and something to wipe the sweat off myself with (Crossfit makes me sweat like crazy). Regular gym shoes are good for Crossfit. If you "drink the kool-aid" and really start getting into it, I'd advise looking into some Crossfit-style shoes and maybe getting your own jump rope.

Good luck on your fundamentals course!!

fattyfoodie

Thanks so much for your replies. I am already feeling better about it!

kiramaniac

You'll do great! I was also terrified initially and very intimidated. I was a little heavier than you when I first started. I actually did two rounds of Fundamentals because I didn't think I was ready for a real class. Then finally, I started doing 1 class a week. This week, almost a year after my first CF class I'm doing 4-5 classes!

I really love the folks I've met at Cross-Fit - so supportive. I hope the people are the same where you go.

Always scale to what YOU can do (your trainer should help you do appropriate scaling) and listen to your body.

I agree - make sure you have WATER. We bought the Innov8 shoes after about the first month (hard to do a good squat with the wrong shoes) and then also got jump ropes. I probably wouldn't have gotten a jump rope, except I found that I actually could do a double-under with one particular length / brand of jump rope, so I bought my own to practice with -- it has helped!

fattyfoodie

You'll do great! I was also terrified initially and very intimidated. I was a little heavier than you when I first started. I actually did two rounds of Fundamentals because I didn't think I was ready for a real class. Then finally, I started doing 1 class a week. This week, almost a year after my first CF class I'm doing 4-5 classes!

I really love the folks I've met at Cross-Fit - so supportive. I hope the people are the same where you go.

Always scale to what YOU can do (your trainer should help you do appropriate scaling) and listen to your body.

Wow, than you so much for sharing that. I think my current weight and total lack of fitness is why I'm so nervous.

I also suffered a severe back injury a couple of years ago, a multi-disc herniation at L3/L4 and L4/L5, so I am very nervous to lift heavy. The trainer just emailed me though and said that form comes first, and then weight, so I am going to trust her!

kiramaniac

Absolutely! In my fundamentals, you RARELY did anything with weight. Almost everything is done with PVC pipe. The focus is entirely on Form in fundamentals. And you would be amazed at would a workout it is just to do those exercises with that light piece of plastic.

kiramaniac

Usually at my classes the trainers ask at the beginning if anyone has any injuries or pain that day. We have one girl who has lost about 50 pounds, but is still pretty heavy, and she has chronic back problems. She and the trainers both ensure she's scaling appropriately. One of my quads was giving me pain during squats last week, and I was given a time-out to sit and use a rolling pin on my thigh.

We have a 72 year old man in my class who attend with his 63 year old wife! They come 3-4 times a week. They may not do the same number of reps, or lift as much weight, but they do what's right for them.

You need to monitor yourself, and make sure you speak to the trainers when something isn't right. A lot of times it means something is wrong with form, and they can help you correct.

fattyfoodie

I just spoke to the trainer and am starting TONIGHT. I don't want to wait anymore, I am tired of saying "well when I lose XX pounds I will do this" and I am done not doing things because of how I feel about my body. Wish me luck, if I'm not around tomorrow I probably just can't lift my arms to type.

rmk20togo

Am I going to die?

If you are like me, you will sometimes wish you would! I'm only 3 weeks into to CF and did 5 fundamentals classes. In mine, we went over form with PVC pipes and then I used either an empty bar or light weights to work more on form. I had some weight lifting experience so I already had the form on some things. At the end of each of my sessions I did a modified WOD each time. It was just me and the trainer in my classes, so doing Fight Gone Bad on the last day with 100% of the trainers attention was that moment when I wish I could die. Once I recovered, the pride I felt in just finishing, even scaled, was overwhelming and the very reason I'm still going!

Good luck!

fattyfoodie

Am I going to die?

If you are like me, you will sometimes wish you would! I'm only 3 weeks into to CF and did 5 fundamentals classes. In mine, we went over form with PVC pipes and then I used either an empty bar or light weights to work more on form. I had some weight lifting experience so I already had the form on some things. At the end of each of my sessions I did a modified WOD each time. It was just me and the trainer in my classes, so doing Fight Gone Bad on the last day with 100% of the trainers attention was that moment when I wish I could die. Once I recovered, the pride I felt in just finishing, even scaled, was overwhelming and the very reason I'm still going!

Good luck!

Thanks so much for sharing this experience. I think there are three other people signed up for the fundamentals, so we shall see how it goes. I know I will likely be doing scaled WODs for a long time but I seriously hate not being able to master things on the first go.... not sure if that will be a benefit or not!

Mrs_Duh

Am I going to die?

If you are like me, you will sometimes wish you would! I'm only 3 weeks into to CF and did 5 fundamentals classes. In mine, we went over form with PVC pipes and then I used either an empty bar or light weights to work more on form. I had some weight lifting experience so I already had the form on some things. At the end of each of my sessions I did a modified WOD each time. It was just me and the trainer in my classes, so doing Fight Gone Bad on the last day with 100% of the trainers attention was that moment when I wish I could die. Once I recovered, the pride I felt in just finishing, even scaled, was overwhelming and the very reason I'm still going!

Good luck!

Thanks so much for sharing this experience. I think there are three other people signed up for the fundamentals, so we shall see how it goes. I know I will likely be doing scaled WODs for a long time but I seriously hate not being able to master things on the first go.... not sure if that will be a benefit or not!

Don't let the scaling get you down! I've been Crossfitting for over a year, and I still have to scale a lot of stuff. Most people are like that. There are some people who have been athletes all their lives and can master things very fast (like pull-ups, etc.) or some people who are super-strong freaks of nature (those lucky *kitten*)... but most people I encounter at Crossfit are just average joes who want to improve themselves physically and mentally.