WHAT IS A WOD?
The WOD stands for “Workout of the Day.”
WHAT TYPES OF MOVEMENTS/EXERCISES WILL I BE DOING?
You will first be learning nine foundational functional movements. Then you will learn how to perform bodyweight exercise and weight training. We use kettlebells, barbells, bumpers, gymnastic movements, Olympic lifts, bands, rings, rowers, medicine balls, dumbbells, and more.
WHAT IS THE CLASS STRUCTURE LIKE?
Classes are approximately 1 hour. The first 15-30 minutes are dedicated to warm-up time, mobility work and strength training. We then go over the WOD, cover movements and help you scale (if needed). Finally the group WOD is performed (this lasts between 5-30 min depending on the WOD). The remainder of the time is left for cool-down or stretching on your own.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I DO CROSSFIT?
We program WODs Monday-Saturday at DCF. That doesn’t mean you need to work out 6 days per week. We recommend two days a week for beginners. Once you are acclimated to the training we encourage three days on followed by one day off for best results. Rest days are an important part of recovery. We also recommend just listening to your body and resting as needed.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO SEE RESULTS?
This really depends on how hard you are willing to work. Someone that is dedicated and wants results instantly can achieve it fast. If you are willing to change your nutrition and start exercising immediately, then you could achieve results in a few weeks. The average person can start to see physical changes in 4 weeks. Members often get other changes much quicker. They experience more energy throughout the day, better sleep, better focus, and less stress after a few sessions.
IS CROSSFIT FOR HEALTH, ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE, WEIGHT LOSS, OR AESTHETICS?
CrossFit is a complete regimen that will improve health, athletic performance, body fat loss, and build strength all in one. Whatever your goals are, CrossFit will help you achieve them faster.
DO I HAVE TO BE IN SHAPE BEFORE I CAN START CROSSFIT?
No. It will actually be more beneficial if you start CrossFit without any knowledge of how to exercise. You get to learn the important fundamentals right off the bat. This will allow you to develop a great base. Exercising without coaching can lead to improper form, muscular imbalances, and higher risk for injury.
IS CROSSFIT FOR ATHLETES ONLY?
Our goal is to make you a complete athlete by targeting all 10 general physical skills: Cardio- Respiratory Endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Speed, Power, Coordination, Accuracy, Agility and Balance. Most traditional training methods only target a few of those skills. The most important part of CrossFit is that we use functional movements, Olympic lifts, and gymnastics to propel you to the next level. CrossFit will also improve your mental toughness. Our workouts will push you mentally every time, which gives you an advantage over non-CrossFitters. CrossFit is known as the “sport of fitness.” Each training session will feel like a competition; which carries over into your sport. Being able to perform while you hit that mental wall and
when fatigue sets in can be trained. Learn how to eat right, get stronger, become more explosive, move faster, increase flexibility, and increase mental toughness to become a complete athlete!
I CAN’T DO CROSSFIT BECAUSE I HAVE BACK PROBLEMS AND/OR KNEE PROBLEMS, ETC.
Many people hurt or tweak their lower backs, knees, shoulders, etc. and are afraid to exercise those areas. The problem with avoiding those previously hurt areas forever is that they never get strengthened. This is disaster waiting to happen. You create muscular imbalances by training other areas of your body and avoiding the problem area. You become stronger everywhere else but at the same time that problem area gets weaker in comparison. This actually increases your chance for that area to be reinjured.
CrossFit can actually be used as rehab for injuries. Many people have come to us, unable to Squat (get yourself up from a seated position), Deadlift (picking up your groceries), Press (putting something up on a shelf) CrossFit teaches you how to move properly and exercise with correct mechanics, which in turn helps you regain functional capacity.
IS CROSSFIT SAFE? I HEARD YOU CAN GET INJURED DOING CROSSFIT, IS THIS TRUE?
CrossFit is safe when done correctly. In the Foundations Program we teach you proper mechanics for these functional movements, and continue to review them in the regular group setting, as safety is a priority for us. We first teach you proper mechanics, we drill them consistently then we add the intensity.
Remember, any activity can result in injury. CrossFit is safer than most activities because we incorporate movements your body is meant to do. When was the last time you saw someone outside of the gym doing a bicep curl? Never, this movement does nothing for you in real life. Now when was the last time you saw someone deadlift in real life? Pretty recently I bet.
“The workouts you post are too hard, I could never do that.”
Have no fear, the WOD is made to challenge an elite athlete. But that same workout is scaled to YOUR skill level. When you start, you will be doing a modified version of the WOD. We change the load (weights), repetitions, rounds, and distances to fit your abilities. Modifying the WODs will prevent you from over exerting yourself and prevent soreness.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DOING THE WORKOUTS ON MY OWN AND DOING THEM AT DCF?
The most important part is coaching. Having a knowledgeable coach with you during your WOD will reduce the risk of injury, improve your fitness faster, and fix bad mechanics. You can’t see yourself while you train. This leads to bad form and bad habits. These problems will actually be harder to correct in the future.
You are missing the warm-up, cool down, and fun time. We also work a lot on mobility and stretching for injury prevention.
A big part of CrossFit is community, family, and camaraderie. Having a good base of positive people around you is the best environment to train in. Not only will you be pushed harder because of the support from everyone, but you will have a great time doing it. Take a look at your chain gym. When you walk in, you will see a bunch of people with Ipods. Everyone is secluded and not interacting with anyone else. This leads to boring workouts that have no intensity (which means ineffective) and eventually pushes people to quit exercising. It is a sad sight to see. If you go to any CrossFit gym, you will see that the energy is high, everyone is encouraging, and everyone really cares about each other.
I’M JUST VISITING WALLA WALLA, BUT I HAVE DONE CROSSFIT BEFORE. CAN I PLEASE COME TO A GROUP WOD CLASS?
We welcome experienced CrossFitters from all over the world. You must email us to come in for a CrossFit class. We cap our classes, so mandatory reservation is necessary. Please sign up here. Be sure to let your coach know your level of experience and if you have any limitations.