New to the Forum? ***READ THIS FIRST***

[Heather Archambeault]

Originally Posted by Tamara Cohen

I don't see it that way at all. I'm pretty darn internet savvy, and I think the main page and the forums are confusing as heck for new people. People "miss" information that is obvious because there is so much of it, and it isn't organized well. And, the search function is one of the worst I have ever used.

The info is out there...why not make it a little easier for people to find? If people use the sticky, it will be a huge time saver for them. If most people miss or ignore the sticky, oh well. I think it's still worth it.

I tolerate all and welcome all, and I can also deal if I get smacked down every once in a while.

I second this!!! =-)

[Darrell E. White]

Bo, well done! Nice contribution. Thanks.

--bingo

[Gerry Caruso]

Bo,
Thanks for welcoming me into this new experience. I look forward to the workouts but am looking for motivation. A lot of the workout videos are very inspiring. And your intro to help me navigate the site and answer my questions is great.
I'm not totally new at working out but rather just need a new routine (or no routine as it goes). I'm a 50 yr old male on the lean side 6' 170lbs. I competed in triathlons for 10 plus years from age 37 to 48. For 6 plus years, I used to run 30 to 40 miles/week, swim 3x a week & hit the nautilus here and there. I entered lots of running and bike trail races. The last few years I backed way off and only run (jog) 5 miles a week, swim here and there and hit the gym & nautilus 2x week. Crossfit seems like a good change-up 'cause I'm bored with my workout. I train hard and have always been competitive but now I need to to start-up something different.
GOALS: Funny I don't have a specific goal,just to get more fit. I don't want to really race again, (triathlons) because I'm so serious and competitive I have to go all out and train nuts, so I just want a very intense workout routine to gain strength and fitness, perhaps speed too ( I may run a road race again). I am a bit scared of the power lifting snatch etc. as I haven't touched free weights for 15 years.
I'm not sure how to approach this.
I will try to go thru the list of workouts and do a few a week. I look forward to reading yours and other posts. Thanks again.

[Ash Graham]

Hi

I'm new to the forum......whats a sticky???

Just kidding

Hello everyone, i'm Ash from Carlisle on the border of England and Scotland. No affiliate anywhere near but there are a few of us training CrossFit methods in our local gym. Three of us are going to the qualifiers of the games, more for the experience than to stand any chance of qualifying, but you never know

[Daniel Duane]

Hey there, quick question: what role does the main page WOD play in the overall CF picture? I've always assumed everybody was out there doing the MP WOD, but I'm getting the sense, through the forums, that I've been wrong. Given that, is the MP WOD meant to be partly inspirational/motivational? Related question: the main page WOD, at times, appears to be designed for truly elite-level athletes. The recent Garrett, for example. I know there are progressions for all these exercises: is that what most CFers are doing? Finding the progression that's right for them?

Please forgive my cluelessness; I'm just realizing that I've had some mistaken assumptions, and I'd love to get a fuller picture.

best,
Dan

[Lawrence "Bo" Boland III]

Originally Posted by Daniel Duane

Hey there, quick question: what role does the main page WOD play in the overall CF picture? I've always assumed everybody was out there doing the MP WOD, but I'm getting the sense, through the forums, that I've been wrong. Given that, is the MP WOD meant to be partly inspirational/motivational? Related question: the main page WOD, at times, appears to be designed for truly elite-level athletes. The recent Garrett, for example. I know there are progressions for all these exercises: is that what most CFers are doing? Finding the progression that's right for them?

Please forgive my cluelessness; I'm just realizing that I've had some mistaken assumptions, and I'd love to get a fuller picture.

best,
Dan

1) There are a lot of CF gyms out there that do their own programming and post their WOD's online. Some a lot of people will follow their favorite gym's WODs, and not necessarily the mainpage.

2) The majority of people cannot do the mainpage WOD as prescribed, without scaling it. There are some rather insane WOD's, such as the one you pointed out, that I'd guess <5% of the population of CF'ers can do.

Go to the BrandX site and figure out what level of intensity you can handle, and improve from there.

[Arlene Abastillas]

Originally Posted by Lawrence "Bo" Boland III

First and foremost, welcome to the CrossFit discussion forums. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on these boards, so please don't hesitate to ask questions BUT please read through this before posting especially if you've made it here before checking out the main site (www.crossfit.com) (work/family/safe). This post is meant to be a FAQ for the forums, as well as a list of "best practices". For quick scanning, look for the blue phrases to find the frequently asked questions on this post.

- The main Frequently Asked Questions page (FAQ) is located at http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/faq.html (WFS). This page is quite long, but provides a LOT of information. I will attempt not to
regurgitate all of the information on this page, and will try to go through the most frequently asked questions that occur on the boards.

- When making your first post, think a lot about your goals and write them in quantifiable terms, but be sure to include your fitness goals as well. "I want to lose 25lbs" is all well and good, but is your goal to be generally more fit? stronger? be able to run longer distances like 10k+? The answer to these questions are important to get the best information out of the posters on this forum.

- When you don't know how to do a movement or exercise, refer to the Exercises & Demo's page first: http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/excercise.html (WFS).

- "But I can't do these crazy workouts! Is there any way to scale it down?!". This is covered in the FAQ above, but is so frequently asked that I'll answer it here. Yes, go here: http://www.crossfitbrandx.com/index..../viewforum/16/ (WFS)

- Don't understand something about a workout listed on the main page? Check the FAQ first. The terminology is explained there.

- If you've read through all of the FAQ, scoured the forums for various information, and are still hungry to learn, subscribe the the CF Journal here: http://journal.crossfit.com/ (WFS) and read/watch everything they have that interests you.

- "I'd like to work out in my home gym, what do I need?". Search the Crossfit Journal for "Garage Gym" articles. Also, use my advice on searching (listed below) to search the Equipment forum http://www.board.crossfit.com/forumdisplay.php?f=10 (WFS)... it has been discussed at length.

- Want to join a CF Affiliate Gym? Go to http://www.crossfit.com/cf-affiliates/ (WFS) and look for your state or country off to the left.

- "CF Affiliates are expensive!". Many CF Affiliate gyms are more expensive than your typical "globo-gym". There have been many discussions on this, so please use my advice on searching the forums (see below). It does boil down to the quality of the training, and the fact that you are more 1-on-1 with the trainer than you would be at a globo-gym with a basic membership.

- If you don't have a gym membership, and/or don't have a lot of equipment at home, visit this thread to learn how to do CrossFit with limited or no equipment.http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=38312 (WFS).

- "How many rest days do I take? I'm worried that I might be over-training." - For beginners, it's highly recommended to do 1day on 1day off to start with. Work your way up to 2/1 then 3/1. Common workout schedules for those that have been CF'ing for awhile include 3/1, 3/1/2/1, and 5/2. The most simple answer: Listen to your body. You're not going to lose out on strength by taking a rest day. Quoting one of my favorite characters on here Jamie Skibicki... "You don't get fitter from training, you get fitter from recovering from training." A general rule is to do a half-intensity week every 4-6 weeks to give your body some rest, and also do a complete week off from CF every 3 months or so.

- "How do you keep track of your workouts?". Many people use the following sites to track their progress: http://www.logsitall.com (WFS) http://www.beyondthewhiteboard.com (WFS)

- New to CF, but are an experienced Endurance Athlete or Lifter? Looking for a more specialized intermediate plan? CrossFit Endurance: http://www.crossfitendurance.com/ (WFS) CrossFit Strength Bias: http://journal.crossfit.com/2009/02/...ength-bias.tpl (WFS, must be a journal member) http://www.board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=42787 (WFS, Forum Post)

- "What's this 'Starting Strength' I keep hearing about?". Starting Strength (SS for short) is a book/program by Mark Rippetoe. It is designed to take a beginner and improve his/her raw strength and to have strength gains that continue on a linear path (imagine a chart) upward. It is often recommended to people on these forums for people who can't lift enough in the Deadlift, Back Squat, Shoulder Press, etc (though it is often debated what "enough" is as a benchmark). It's a great beginner program and only requires learning 5 lifts: Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, Power Clean, and Shoulder Press.

- "These workouts seem so short, should I be adding cardio or something?". Depending on your goals, probably not. Especially as a beginner, recovery is important, and these workouts will tax your system PLENTY. Also, while many of the workouts seem relatively short, tell me if you need "cardio" after you run through a workout as fast as possible. If you're looking to improve your 5k or even 10k times, the WOD will provide enough work to improve those runs.

- "I play a sport, how can I do CrossFit?". Work it into your schedule, but be sure to have enough recovery days. Recovery is just as important as the actual work.

- After reading about nutrition, the first question is often see is "Should I do Paleo or Zone?". Remember that Paleo = Quality of food, Zone = Quantity of food. Many people will recommend fixing the quality of your food before you get heavy into weighing and portioning via the Zone. (Search both of the terms "Paleo" and "Zone" in the forums... TONS of info)

- If you don't have access to a coach or trainer, take full advantage of the Digital Coaching Forum http://www.board.crossfit.com/forumdisplay.php?f=6 (WFS). Post a video of your lifts, take criticism, work on your form, repeat.

- Rhabdomyolysis (or Rhabdo for short) is the excessive breakdown of muscle tissue that the body cannot keep up with, and can result in kidney failure and even death. A few exercises that CrossFit prescribes, done in excess (100+ reps, etc), can and has caused this condition. Read up on this subject (particularly this thread http://www.board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=38220 WFS), and be careful when doing high repetitions of Jumping Pull-ups, Thrusters, GHD sit-ups, and Kettlebell swings.

Finally, one of the more important skills to learn around here is how to search the forum. If you have a question about something, please use the search function (and the advanced search) on the site to look for posts similar to your question. Also, you can use Google to search the boards by typing the site into the search field Example: "Best Bacon Recipes site:http://www.board.crossfit.com/".

Another often overlooked feature of the site is the "similar posts" section. If you find a post about Bacon recipes, and you don't quite find what you're looking for. If you scroll to the very bottom of the post, there will be "Similar Threads". These can be very helpful when searching for something.

I was introduced to the Nutrition aspect of the CrossFit Program when I started training at my gym with my personal trainer. As an RN, my career often is very physically demanding and also mentally challenging as well. Nurses work extremely long hours, sometimes with little or no breaks, and deal with life and death situations on a daily basis. Those who are not physically fit often hurt themselves, mainly their backs. Is this type of a workout suited for those in professions such as mine to gain strength? My main problem is trying to gain more lean muscle mass. I already drink 2-3 whey protein shakes per day along with complex carbs and fats in my diet. Any other suggestions or sites I can go to for upping my food intake to keep up with my hectic pace at work would be very helpful.

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

Gallon of (whole) milk a day, shakes with raw eggs, drenching everything with olive oil, adding chopped nuts to your food, adding nut butters to what you eat already.

[Wayne Riddle]

Originally Posted by Tamara Cohen

I don't see it that way at all. I'm pretty darn internet savvy, and I think the main page and the forums are confusing as heck for new people. People "miss" information that is obvious because there is so much of it, and it isn't organized well. And, the search function is one of the worst I have ever used..

The main page is just a **** poor design.

[Arlene Abastillas]

I was introduced to the CrossFit nutrition program when I started training with my personal trainer at my gym last October. As an RN, I really have trouble gaining weight and gaining lean muscle mass in addtition to my workouts at the gym, which includes weights and cardio. Nurses often work at a very fast and hectic pace, sometimes with little or no breaks, and often deal with life and death situations on a daily basis. We often don't sit down all the time and run alot at work.I wanted to be as physically fit and as strong as I can get so I don't hurt myself at work. I try to workout at least 3-4 days a week and have been drinking at least 2-3 whey protein shakes a day, in addition to incorporating the complex carbs and fats in my diet.

Would CrossFit workouts benefit those in strenuous professions, such as nursing, in addition to working out at the gym?

Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Arlene Abastillas, RN