I have been doing CrossFit for about 9 months now. I have turned this form of fitness into a habit, a passion or dare I say… addiction? Challenging my mind and body in this way has changed me as a person, and I never thought I could say that about working out. Here are my tips to those (especially women) who are interested in stepping into a box.
1) This is not your 24-Hour Fitness
I had a membership to a typical fitness gym for almost two years. Upon arrival, I would plug in my ear buds and step on an elliptical. While listening to the latest Beiber single, I watched whatever glared from the flat screen, and kept a close eye on two things: the calories and time I was burning. Watching the counters on the machines was excruciating. I was just waiting to be done so I could go home; I wasn’t having fun, so I wouldn’t go. After weeks of skipping the gym, no one would ever ask me, “Hey, where have you been?” No one even knew my name.
When you arrive at a CrossFit gym, most often music is blaring. People are high-fiving, talking about their weekend plans or lying on the floor drenched in sweat and pride. A common CrossFit saying is, “Your workout is our warm-up” and this is no joke. I sweat more doing inch-worms and lunges then I ever did on any elliptical. I’ve made friends; they push me to show up, work hard and are sometimes what motivates me to get to the gym.
2) Stop Comparing
OK, you can do it a little tiny bit for inspiration, but not to run yourself down, and definitely not as an excuse to quit. I was extremely intimidated walking into the gym for the first time. After all… the only exposure I really had was watching the CrossFit Games, and I expected a bunch of Annie Thorisdottir’s walking around. This of course was absurd. Everyone has their own story with their own goals and yes, even insecurities. The girl who can back squat massive amounts of weight might envy how you plow through those burpees.
3) You will NOT get bulky
This is a special message for the women new to CrossFit. You will NOT get bulky. You just won’t. Having never even bench pressed in my life, I was pretty naive to what lifting weights even meant. The truth is, you have to lift like a bodybuilder to get bulky and that just isn’t CrossFit. Look around. See that woman with the body you would love to have? She lifts weights. End of discussion… the elliptical won’t get you there.
4) You will not be good at everything… so get over it
My biggest problem has always been that I like to do everything, and at a very early age I decided I would try to be proficient at everything I ever tried. Going in with this mindset will be setting you up for disappointment. I found movements that I enjoy and I am good at, and then try my hardest to improve the ones I suck at. Having goals is a great motivator. But if you’re working to improve your snatch, max back squat, muscle ups, and strict press all while trying to set a new PR on Fran... Well, that’s not how it works. Only patience will get you there, and respect for form and technique.
5) Know your body … Don’t get injured
Skills are improved with persistent and regular work. If you get injured you have to take time off, and that sucks. So stretch and work on your mobility. Scaling is GREAT! Challenge yourself, but don’t let anyone persuade you into weight that you’re not ready for or that might injure you. CrossFit isn’t (despite what some people think) about impressing other people. It’s about your progress to better fitness, and health and being able to show up tomorrow is more important than those twenty extra pounds on the bar that send you to the couch for three weeks.
Also, pain is different than discomfort during a workout; learn the difference.
6) Self-Discovery
You will find that you barely knew yourself at all before beginning this adventure. In the heat of battle, when your body is soaked in sweat and there is nothing but the clanging of metal and the grunting of others around you, you will reach inside of yourself and go to that next level. When you realize that you are 80% of the way through a punishing workout, you will dig deep and find what you need to get through to the other side. It's there, and maybe you haven't had to access it in years…but when you finally do...my god. There is real change underway. 
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