This was the response I got from a young lady who works at a popular fitness center near me. I should have asked her why, but it’s the New Year, and all fitness centers are popular.
Still, I couldn’t help but wonder why? Why would you be afraid of CrossFit?
Why Some are Afraid of CrossFit
- Getting hurt. This is the most common reason people are afraid of CrossFit. This
CrossFit Chest to Bar Pull Ups one baffles me. Sure, you can get injured, don’t get me wrong. But the injury rate of CrossFit is much less than all other sports, especially repetitive movement sports such as running, baseball, basketball, or hockey. This is where a high-quality CrossFit coach will keep you safe, prevent you from doing moves your shouldn’t, and correct your form when needed.
- Intimidating. The CrossFit equipment is foreign and the members look foreign as well with fit, muscular bodies. A CrossFit box is no more intimidating than walking into a gym with all the foreign weight machines or taking a group fitness class with different lingos or even yoga with its own language. Furthermore, most people who do CrossFit do not look like Mat Fraser or Annie Thorisdottir. They are average people who look like most others.
- Humbling. This is true especially for guys. You won’t be the quickest in the CrossFit box when you do CrossFit for the first time. You won’t be able to do all the moves. And you won’t be able to RX (perform the CrossFit workout with the recommended weight loads) for quite a while. This is why CrossFit is so addicting. You push yourself beyond your comfort zone until you change. In fact, that’s the only way you will change.
- Misconceptions. CrossFit is not what you see at the CrossFit Games, which, for most people, is all they know of CrossFit. There are so many misconceptions and misconstrued assumptions of CrossFit that are wrong floating around; however, a lot of people believe these untruths. The only way to know for sure is to try CrossFit out.
Fear is the universal reaction we all have when we are ignorant of something. You were afraid to ride your bike for the first time, afraid to go to school, afraid to go to college, and afraid at your first job interview. You were afraid to ask your now spouse out, afraid of rejection, and afraid of travelling abroad. But once you did it, your fear fled like a cat who hears a loud noise.
The fear of CrossFit is the same as the fear of any sport or any gym you want to join. Once you get used to CrossFit, you might enjoy it. But you’ll never know unless you try.
Life is too short to live in fear of anything.
Just do it. You’ll be glad you did.
My Journey to the CrossFit Games 
I have been now contemplating starting Crossfit for nearly a year now and as much as I am wanting to take the leap off the diving board, I am also SO nervous. I am very out of shape and am worried I will not be able to do most of what the movements will be. Granted I felt like I need to quit my habitual drinking habit in the bud, which I have (1 month sober today!) but truly do want to take back the control of my own life again. As you said, the fear will likely go away once I get one class under my belt. I am no stranger to fitness as I use to be a gym rat in 2010, but since 2011 I’ve taken a huge hiatus due to divorce and so many life changes that have taken a terrible, negative toll on my body. Anyway! Thanks for listening and especially thank you for posting this, it definitely hit home with me!
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Hey Debbie!
Thanks for commenting! You’ll never know if you don’t try, and then you’ll always wonder if you should have or not. I coach as well, and we have people who come in and are out of shape as well. You learn as you go with the coaches helping you along the way. The vast majority of people look like everyone else — not what you see on TV. CrossFit is like any other workout program, whether it’s running, going to the gym, group fitness, or weightlifting. Find what works for you. Try CrossFit and see. You’ll probably know right away. If not, try something else. You won’t stick with a program unless you like it. Keep me posted on what you decide! Take care and Happy New Year!
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Thanks for following my blog.
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And Happy New Year
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Thank you SO much for the reply back!! I wanted to let you know that hubby and I both went and observed a Crossfit class early April of 2018. It looked exciting, but also scary all at the same time. But let me explain what I mean by “scary”… just seeing what the class consisted off and what these 4 people could do. They were all so nice and friendly and told us when they had started just a couple months prior they couldn’t do most of what they were doing. The Crossfit coach/owner was VERY friendly and although I hadn’t met his wife (also a coach and owner) I’ve spoke with her a couple times back then on the phone and through texts and I felt VERY comfortable with them both. But in the class we observed tt was 2 couples probably about hubby and my ages too. SO I did feel comfort, but still scared! What I like about the concept of Crossfit is that it is functional! Right now I can’t do a handstand, or a pull up or a push up… I want to be able to do these things and use my body like it’s meant to be used. Thanks again for the comment, if you have anymore tips or anything else you’d like to share with me, I’d love to hear it. I’m hoping tomorrow I can start making some strides to working out regularly and then adding in Crossfit in 2019 (hopefully earlier rather than later)!
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