Yes you can. We love coaching beginners! We get to teach you to move the right ways, help you set goals, and watch how quickly progress. Everything is scalable, including intensity. Our coaches will be by your side helping you every step of the way! It’s so much more than a gym membership, its coaching from people that have your best interests in mind. You will learn how to scale all exercises to a level that you are comfortable with. You will learn work around any physical limitations you might have.

As the owner of CrossFit Train Harder I am going to let you in on a little secret. I did not think I would enjoy CrossFit classes. I come from a distance running background. Distance running is one of the most solitary sports there is and I like it. I also enjoy competing in all races from 5k’s to marathons. I enjoy the camaraderie and positive energy that happens when large group of runners get together, but I also like the fact that “I run my own race.” I know and accept that I am not a 20 year old college track star and there is no way for me to compete at that level. I race to improve my own times. CrossFit is the same. I CrossFit to improve myself. Having other people in class, trying to improve themselves, leads to level of motivation you will not find anywhere else.

I dreaded going to my first group CrossFit class, but I soon realized classes were much like “running my own race.” In a typical class you will find just about everything. There are 7 day a week CrossFitters and people coming in a few days a weeks to stay in shape. You can find complete beginners to the fitness world CrossFitting next to college athletes. Grandparents CrossFitting next to 20 year olds. Much like a running race, everyone is there trying to become a better version of themselves. Having everyone in class working toward that same goal of bettering themselves is a very positive atmosphere to be in. Everyone in class realizes that we are all at different levels and respects that fact. The effort that a beginner puts out doing 10 reps of an exercise at a low weight is just as difficult, if not more so, than the advanced CrossFitter doing 10 reps at a higher weight. Nothing builds camaraderie between classmates like hard work.

This is what makes a CrossFit gym different. We plan the workouts for you. Workouts are called WOD’s which simply means “workout of the day.” A typical CrossFit class is 1 hour long. Clients will register for which class they would like to attend on our website. Then just show up when you are scheduled to. Everyday a different WOD will be written on the whiteboard. We start class by performing mobility (stretching) exercises. Please see our mobility section to learn how important this is. Then typically a short 5-10 minute warm-up at about 75% of your maximum effort. The WOD will then be explained everyday and we will explain each exercise in the WOD. We will help you scale the weights and movements to your ability level. Then it’s 3…2…1….GO! and the WOD begins. Most workouts last between 15 and 30 minutes at higher intensity levels. Movements in CrossFit generally follow a core to extremity pattern. This simple means you start the movement with your large powerful muscles and finish with your smaller muscles. It’s the way your body was meant to move. It’s also taxing on your system which is why most WOD’s do not last more than 30 minutes. At the end of class, you will have time for more mobility or to work on skills you want to improve on while the next class is starting. We want to give you every option possible to improve yourself.

The answer is YES, in a positive way. Some people make CrossFit their only sport, some people supplement their favorite sport training by using CrossFit as their cross training tool of choice. CrossFit training makes you great at everything without specializing in anything. Look at the top marathoner runners in the world. They have great endurance, but other areas of their fitness are lacking, mainly power and strength. CrossFit trains endurance, strength and power to make you the fittest person you can be.

There is nothing wrong with specializing in your favorite sport. Many clients train 2-3 days week with CrossFit and train for their sport of choice the rest of the week. The key is finding the right balance. I was a distance runner and I found that I was able to cut my weekly running mileage down by at least 50 percent and improve my running times. My story is common. CrossFit works!

Absolutely!! The statement above describes 90 percent of clients in a CrossFit gym. We all have lives outside the gym. Three hours of CrossFit a week will improve your life in so many different ways. You will be more mobile, you will feel better, you will be stronger, and you will look better. Why is CrossFit becoming so popular all over the world? That’s simple, because it works.

Machines are the enemy, haven’t you seen I, Robot or The Terminator? Machines go against the way your body is supposed to function. Machines isolate small muscle groups and neglect your core muscles. That’s not a good thing. Guess what, there are no mirrors either. CrossFit has coaches, we are your mirrors. We are here to keep you safe and correct your form if you need it. You will not see anybody on a cell phone during a WOD either. Let’s get back to basics. CrossFit is functional fitness you can use in everyday. How many movements in a real life situation look like a machine bicep curl??? none. How many movements in real life look like a squat? Did you have to set your groceries down on the ground lately to unlock you door? Did you pick them back by squatting down to get them or did you go get a chair. sit down, reach down with one arm and bicep curl them back up? Unless something very strange is happening at your house, you squatted down to pick them up using your large leg muscles first and finishing up with your arms last. CrossFit is functional fitness!

By far, the most dangerous thing you can do in your life is to not exercise at all. MOBILITY and MUSCLE MASS. Keep those two things for as long as you can and you will age gracefully. When you lose your muscle mass and mobility by not staying active you are well on your way to living a life where you will need assistance. Your independence is gone. We understand there are situations (disease, accidents, etc..) where people lose these things through no choice of their own. That’s a terrible thing, but if you have the ability to be active, you need to be active!

Injuries specific to CrossFit occur mainly because of poor form. We teach correct form from day one. If your form is faltering because you’re using too heavy of a weight, we will simply take it off. Everything we do is safe, as long as your form is correct. Too much, too fast, too soon might be something you can get away with at other gyms, but not here. We would like you to come back, month after month, year after year.

Too much, too soon, too fast is something we often see in CrossFitters that were former athletes or former CrossFitters coming back after a layoff. The mind knows the feeling of high intensity workouts, but the body is not ready. We will not hesitate to cut a workout short or insist that you take another rest day. CrossFit is different than anything you have ever done. Rest is an important part of CrossFit. Without proper rest days, you will get burned out and your workouts will become counter productive. The best CrossFitters in the world follow a 3 day on 1 day off schedule.

In some gyms, puking seems to be encouraged. Not here! We learned from our first coach, who is a great coach.. Do Not Puke! It’s the worst thing you can do. All the nutrition/hydration you may have had in your system to help you recover after a workout is now gone. Not to mention you are going to feel like crap for the next few hours. Your muscles are starving for nutrition after you workout, but there is nothing there if you puke. Sure, we all might slip up once in a while and get sick. Don’t make a habit of it. When you’re at that red line… step back from the weight.. stop.. catch your breath.. quit the entire workout for the day if you have to… the world is not going to end because you stopped during the middle of a workout. There is always tomorrow.