The CrossFit has become a very popular sport thanks to all the good results you have achieved. It is a very complete sport since it combines strength training with aerobic training.
has always had the belief that him aerobic training causes adaptations to strength training to decrease. In other words, if you go running, then you won’t be able to have as much muscle mass, but it’s not like that at all.
Even though CrossFit it’s a pretty hard sport, has also become popular among people aged 50 and over. Even so, the physical base that an adult of that age has is not the same as that of a person of 20-25 years, so we give you below nine tips to keep in mind before entering the world of CrossFit.
Learn the technique of the exercises very well
Some of the exercises that are done in Crossfit such as clean & jerk, deadlifts, squats, etc., are very technical movements that if done incorrectly, there is a high risk of injury.
Usually, to practice these movementsespecially those related to weightlifting, a pick is usedwhich is a wooden stick that weighs nothing and allows us to practice the technique without any risk.
heat properly
Warming up is a fundamental part of training, and more so in CrossFit, which requires very polished movements. The warm-up can be defined as a preparatory activity prior to the practice of exercise. Its realization is necessary both to prevent injuries and to increase subsequent performance. This improvement in performance is due to different physiological causes:
- Increased core temperature.
- Increased blood flow.
- Increased conductivity of nerve impulses.
- Increased joint mobility by reducing viscosity in muscles, ligaments and tendons.
Don’t be in a hurry to progress
It is normal that when a person begins to practice a particular sport, at first progress fairly quickly. After that first section, then it is more difficult to continue progressing.
It is normal for people age 50 and older for progress to slow down because adaptations are not as efficient like those of a 20-year-old person, so we recommend being patient, especially when we want to gain weight in multi-joint or technical exercises.
Be careful when running
It is very common in CrossFit to do aerobic exercises such as running, bike assault, rowing, etc. With these last two there would be no problem since the impact on the joints is not very great.
When it comes to running it’s totally different, and the impact on the joints is much greaterso we recommend people who have problems with the knee, ankle, hip… to talk to the trainer so they can substitute this type of aerobic training or, if they want to do it and there is no pain, run slower so that the impact on these joints is less.
leave the shame at home
It is normal for many people who have already reached a certain age to be ashamed of going to exercise, either because of their own age, body composition, etc.
You have to understand that in The world of sportwith rare exceptions, It is a world in which above all there is respect for the partnerand more if you start with sports.
If you are older and you sign up for CrossFit, do not doubt that all your classmates will want to help you and that you be one of the family.
rest properly
CrossFit is a type of very intense training and that requires a lot of concentration and a state of fluidity. What it can cause to have a bad rest is that we are not so concentrated, leading to a very possible injury, so it is important at night, In addition to sleeping the hours that they touch, they rest properly.
On the other hand, rest should not only be at night, but also between training sessions. At first, we do not recommend doing more than 3 or 4 days of CrossFit per week for the body to adapt to the new stimulus.
buy yourself suitable clothes
It is very important that when doing any sports practice we are comfortableso we recommend that when you start practicing it, we buy a shirt and pants that are comfortable, that do not rub against us, and stable shoes that allow us to perform the movements without fear of injury.
hydrate properly
As in any other sport, it is vital that our hydration is optimal, so we recommend that you not only bring water to your workouts, but if you can also add mineral salts to replenish what you lose, much better.
We tend to think that hydration depends above all on the amount of water that is ingested, but above all It depends on the amount of water that we are able to retainso if, in addition to replenishing the liquid that we sweat, we also do it with salts, we will notice it a lot in sports performance.
Hire a nutritionist to teach you how to eat
CrossFit, being such a demanding sport, requires that if we want to be as efficient as possible, we have to feed ourselves in a particular way, increasing our amounts of protein and carbohydrates.
Above all it is important that we know what to consume in the peri-workout, that is, before, during and after training. It may be that hiring a nutritionist for a period of time will help us to be better in the sport that we are starting.
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Images | Men’s Health, iStock