I am attempting here to answer some common questions and explain some of our philosophy. All of these questions are answered by me, Sean White, so if you have further inquiries or complete disagreement, I would be happy to discuss it. Feel free to e-mail or call me.
Q: Why CrossFit?
A: This is probably something best discovered for yourself, but I can tell you my experience. I studied exercise science in university and worked as a personal trainer for a few years before I even discovered CrossFit, so I come by it honestly. I was impressed by the fun variety of programming and the results that followed. It’s not one of those “exercise fads” as a lot of people tend to throw the name around. Unfocused difficult exercise is still a waste of time. Anyone can throw a bunch of hard exercises together with no measurable or predicted outcome. (actually I believe this is usually called boot-camp) True CrossFit programming is designed to increase your capacity in ALL 10 physical skills, and we will show it to you. We will expect you to learn and progress. You will always have a coach correcting, encouraging and teaching you. Anything less is leaving weak spots, literally, in your overall fitness. It is also a unique community of support, encouragement and challenge. Everyone celebrates our collective achievements and the community gets stronger as a result. At Natural Strength CrossFit you will train under a certified, qualified and experienced strength and conditioning coach who happens to be a proud member of the CrossFit community.
Q: It looks hard, and I know I can’t do some of the exercises posted in the workouts. Can I even do it?
A: Yes. Anyone can do it. We are striving for improvements, so yes, that will involve some effort. Easy doesn’t do anything. However, all of the exercises are modifiable. The exercise prescription is for elite fitness, but we are not all there yet, so we modify to our level. Fitness is individual and relative, that’s why you have a qualified trainer there for each workout. We want you to work hard, but for your relative fitness level. Trust us, this is our job, we are professionals, we do this everyday. We even offer beginner oriented Foundation classes for more extensive instruction and gradual introduction into the workout intensity. We will show you the modifications, we will make it appropriate. Everyone has been able to do it, from 11 to 65 years old, past injuries, mobility issues, competitive athletes to first time gym go-ers. So this is not an excuse not to come. Your job is to show up, once you get here, I’ll do mine.
Q: Do I need to be in pretty good shape already?
A: No. Although we hear this fairly often after people have come to try their first workout. Most people are surprised at the difficulty even though we modify their workout (lighter loads and generally half volume). They may feel that they are way behind everyone else that is lifting heavier weights and still moving faster and doing more work. So, what does that tell you? We are really good at what we do. We make people stronger and more fit. It definitely doesn’t mean that we are very lucky and every person that came through the door to train with us was very strong and athletic and was good at everything already. Truth is EVERYONE starts with modifications. The other truth is that EVERYONE who has been coming consistently is way stronger and more fit than when they began. So don’t be one of those people who cleans up the house before the cleaning lady comes. Let us do our job. If you want to use the excuse that you need to be more fit before going to professionals that WILL get you more fit, then please acknowledge that it is just that; an excuse.
Q: Can’t I just do it on my own?
A: You could, but you would be missing out on a lot. The extra push that comes from working out in a supportive group environment. The watchful eye and constant instruction from a coach. The varied focus on different strengths and weaknesses that comes from a coach programming your warm-ups, skills and workouts rather than yourself. So yes you could follow workouts off the internet and do it on your own but your learning curve will be dramatically slower and your intensity will likely be less than it would under supervision of a qualified coach and alongside fellow CrossFitters. It depends if you really want to get better or not. The immediate feedback a coach provides is invaluable for skill development as well as to maintain the necessary intensity. This is my job, it is not a hobby. Strength and conditioning is my career. I am here to teach you how to move better, to encourage you to try harder and to help you realize your potential. Besides having that on your side, it’s also a lot more fun to workout in a group than it is to toil alone.
Q: My friend goes to “_____” and says they do CrossFit, isn’t it just the same circuit training?
A: Absolutely not. Anyone who says they are offering CrossFit without having the name on the door is outright lying. They are taking advantage of a very successful (copyrighted) name and using it to sell you their own brand of “whatever”. Like opening a burger stand and using a big yellow M as your logo; you may fool enough people for a while to get some business, but eventually people will catch on that you’re not the real deal. Difference number one may be just the fact that that matters to us. It’s not a trick or a sales pitch. We want to offer real, useful training. Not entertainment or busy work. Anyone can make you sweat, but are they building better athletes? We are. CrossFit is not simple circuit training, far from it. It is constantly varied movements intended to improve your strength and capacity in all identifiable areas of fitness. I don’t know what other people do in their gyms, I can show you what I do in mine. Anyone unconvinced can come for a free trial. Meet our members, compare your results to theirs. Talk is cheap, see for yourself.
Q: What is Barbell Club?
A: Barbell club focuses on power-lifting, olympic lifting techniques, along with dedicated strength and power building exercises. It is for anyone who wants to improve their overall strength, wants to practice their lifting technique or just likes to lift heavy. We added it to the schedule to allow people to tweak their training, and to encourage participation in competitive lifting. Regular attendees should keep a log book as these workouts will not go on the whiteboard since they are more individualized. There is not an extra cost, Barbell Club is open to all members.
Q: Everyone does the same workout? What if my goals are different?
A: Our goal is simply increased fitness, or increased work capacity. This will involve an increase in strength, speed, power, stamina, endurance, etc… If your concern is more aesthetic, rest assured that as these physical adaptations are improving, your body composition will follow. If you have very specific goals you would like to work on, there is always the option of personal training with our qualified coaches.
Q: What about cardio? Aren’t the workouts too short?
A: Our variety of programming ensures that we train ALL metabolic pathways, but if you are unsure about the cardio – please join us for a Helen, Fight Gone Bad or even Fran. Likely you’ll understand halfway through. This is not your typical “strength training” 3 sets of 10 with a walk to the water fountain and conversation in between. We are concerned with high power output, intensity driven workouts rather than longer, easy efforts. You simply gain way more benefits. Our anaerobic training will extend our aerobic capacity while the reverse is not true, so we spend more time training in the more useful zones. Shorter, more intense workouts create better, positive adaptive response. If you feel like this is not enough cardio for you (which most regulars will likely find laughable) then it is a matter of your current fitness level rather than the workout design. If you find that people around you are huffing and puffing and sweating away while you are feeling fine, then it is either because A) You are a gifted super-athlete or B) You are not working as hard as they are. Basically you get out what you put in, and if you are not strong enough or have enough stamina to maintain the intensity in a given workout, then it may feel “too easy”. For example, it’s EASY to run 400m, anyone can complete one lap around a standard track – now if I tell you to do it in 50 seconds, not so easy. You may need to build up the work capacity necessary for higher power output. YOU MUST TRY HARD and BE CONSISTENT!
For anyone that believes the time domains are too short to get a “real workout” – PLEASE contact me immediately for a FREE TRIAL.
Q: Will it make me too bulky? Will I lose weight? Will I get toned?
A: I’ve combined these questions as I feel the answers will overlap. However I will try to address each of them. First, the notion (myth) that ladies feel that they will get too bulky from weight training. Surprisingly common misconception, however, I have yet to see it ever actually happen. The cartoony, exaggerated muscle development you see on the cover of Flex magazine is the result of extremely dedicated and specific bodybuilding training, strict nutrition and acute “supplementation”. Our training is extremely different than a bodybuilding regimen. Even so, body composition is more about what is going into your mouth than anything else. In my experience the “bulk” that people complain of is excess body-fat. If you are not conscious about what you are eating, yet training regularly and developing some muscle without monitoring your body-fat, then yes, perhaps you will appear more bulky. But it is certainly not the fact that you have become too muscular. As far as toning goes, it is not a real thing aside from a marketing buzzword. People that are strong and have a healthy amount of body-fat appear “toned”. There is not a different way to train specifically to “tone” muscles and anyone who tells you they can; is either grossly uninformed about basic physiology or they are just a liar. Please look at all the top performers at the CrossFit games, or even our own strongest girls in the gym. I feel that there are two options here. Look strong or look weak. We train to become stronger. If you want to be strong and lean, train and eat smart. It’s not magic, it’s your choice. Make excuses or make changes. Only one of those gets you what you want.
Check out this picture for an example of a common mis-conception
Q: Will it make me a better runner, skier, golfer…whatever?
A: Whatever your sport, I think we can all understand the benefits of being stronger and more fit. We train all 10 physical domains, in order to improve our capacity in all areas. I don’t see how this can do anything but contribute to success in any sport. Of course you need to practice your sport for neuro-muscular efficiency and to develop a high level of skill regarding your movement, but if you want to see some advancement you need to really train. This is what I do. I am a professional strength and conditioning coach. I am dedicated to improving your strength, speed, stamina, etc… Reducing your incidence of injury, improving your power production. You can get advice from your local loudmouth because they’ve “been there”, or you can train yourself doing what you’ve always done. I hear bad advice everyday, sometimes dangerous, mostly just time wasting. All I ask is that you consider your sources and check your results. Program design is based on the best information I have about what works and what doesn’t. I follow current research, take regular training, workshops and specialty certifications to be best able to generate results for any client. Personal training allows us to even further identify and work on very specific goals that you may have.
“…at some point, all serious athletes go outside their sport-specific work to improve, and recreational athletes just want to play their sport and wear the clothes.” - Rip
More FAQs added as this will be a “work in progress” when I can find time, so if you have a question not answered here feel free to e-mail or call us.
