CrossFit for Beginners: What to Expect Your First Week

At CrossFit Aggieland, your first week is five coached, one-hour classes. You'll use lighter weights than you expect, and your coach will adjust every movement to your level. Expect to be sore a day or two after your first class. The soreness eases as your body gets used to training. You don't need to be in shape or know any of the movements before you start.

What should I bring to my first CrossFit class?

Bring water, athletic shoes, and clothes you can move in. You don't need special lifting shoes, gloves, a belt, or anything else. Arrive about 10 minutes early for your first class so your coach can meet you, show you around, and ask a few questions before the warm-up.

What happens at my first class?

Your coach will ask whether you've trained before and whether you have any injuries or limitations. Then you join the class, which runs about an hour:

Warm-up. Easy movement to get warm and practice the day's movements.
Strength or skill. A lift or a skill, like squats or pull-up practice.
The workout. A short, harder piece, often 8 to 20 minutes.
Cool-down. Stretching or easy movement, then you log your score.

Here's an example of how a coach might adjust one day's workout for someone in their first week:

Part of class	As written	A first-week version
Warm-up	Row, air squats, push-ups	Same, at an easy pace, push-ups against a box
Strength	Back squats, 5 sets of 5	Goblet squats with a light dumbbell
Workout	12 minutes of deadlifts and rowing	Light deadlifts, steady pace, rest when you need to

Your coach will pick a starting weight with you, and it'll be lighter than you think it should be. That's on purpose. The first week is for learning the movements. You'll lift heavier once they feel natural.

Will I be sore after my first CrossFit class?

Probably. The soreness you feel after new exercise is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). It usually shows up within a day, is worst about two to three days after the workout, and then fades (Hotfiel et al., 2018). It's normal, and it doesn't mean you did something wrong.

Easy movement usually helps: walking, a light warm-up, or your next class at a lighter weight. Tell your coach you're sore and they'll adjust the workout. The soreness tends to ease as you keep training and the movements stop being new.

How is soreness different from pain?

Soreness is a dull, all-over ache in muscles you used, and it gets better as you move. Pain is sharp or stabbing, sits in a joint, or gets worse as you move. If something hurts in that way, stop and tell your coach.

One rare warning sign needs medical care the same day. Severe muscle pain, swelling, or weakness with dark, red, or cola-colored urine after a hard workout can mean rhabdomyolysis, a serious breakdown of muscle tissue (MedlinePlus). Starting light and building up gradually lowers the risk, and that's how we coach beginners.

How should I spread out my five free classes?

The nine days start when you claim the pass, not at your first class, so book your first class soon after you sign up. Don't take all five classes on five days in a row. A simple pattern:

Week one: Monday, Wednesday, Friday (or any three days with a rest day between).
Week two: Two more classes early in the week.

Try a couple of different class times while you're at it. Weekday classes run at 5:00, 6:00, and 8:30 AM, noon, and 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30 PM (no 6:30 on Friday). The full schedule has every time.

Do I need to be in shape before I start CrossFit?

No. Getting in shape is what the classes are for. Every workout is adjusted to the person doing it, so someone on day one and someone in year five can do the same workout at very different weights and speeds. If you're worried about keeping up, read how many days a week to do CrossFit and plan on two or three classes a week to start.

What if I have an injury or a health condition?

Tell your coach before your first class so they can plan changes to any movement that bothers you. If you have a heart condition or other medical condition, are pregnant, or have been inactive for a long time and aren't sure exercise is safe for you, check with your doctor first. For what the injury research actually shows, read is CrossFit safe?

What happens after my free week?

If you want to keep going, choose a membership. Every membership includes unlimited classes, and rates run $129 to $189 a month, with lower rates for students, veterans, teachers, law enforcement, and active military. See the rates. If CrossFit isn't for you, you walk away. There's no commitment.

How do I start?

If you live in Bryan–College Station, start your free week. You'll get a code that brings the five-class pass to $0 and a link to book your first class. Already do CrossFit and just visiting? Drop in for $20.

Sources

Advances in Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS): Part I — Hotfiel et al., Sportverletzung Sportschaden, 2018
Rhabdomyolysis — MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine