Frequently Asked Questions at Deathproof CrossFit
I'm not ready for CrossFit yet. I've seen your athletes and they're so awesome they scare me. How can I prepare?
You're ready. The most important thing you need is the will to walk through the door and ask to start. We can scale any and every thing for your starting condition. You will feel like a beginner compared to the folks who have been doing this for a while but as soon as the next new guy walks through the door you'll feel like an old hand. Our community celebrates improvement, will, mettle and attitude. Walking in despite your trepidation will win you instant fans and a whole lot of love and support. If you want to start on your own or with a group of friends then call us and we'll get you ready in solitary before we throw you into general population. In the box, you'll only find friends. People who want you to succeed. No haters, no whiners. Not ever. This tribe votes that kind off the island in no time.
I've heard that CrossFit can injure you. My friend / grandfather / trash collector recommends that I find an alternative method of achieving increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains.
CrossFit promotes position, movement and mechanics above all else. Our programs hold safety as the paramount value. We insist that sound mechanics precede increased load which in turn precedes increased intensity. You don't get to go hard until you know how to go properly. Many new athletes who would already consider themselves "fit" upon joining our gym find that the weight is removed from their bars until they learn correct technique. People get injuries for sure. However, there is nothing about CrossFit which inherently causes this. Far better that you get a few tweaks from exercising regularly than suffering a catastrophic thumb blister from your X-Box controller or a paper cut from your bag of Cheetos.
What kind of shoes do I need for CrossFit?
A good shoe is one which supports your activity and protects your feet without altering or interfering with your mechanics in any way. A low drop (height difference between heel and forefoot) shoe such as a minimalist running shoe works best. The shoe should allow direct force transmission to the ground without squishiness or deformity and without allowing stones to bruise your feet when running. This rules out most running shoes except those pitched as "barefoot running shoes". If you come to the gym having bought running shoes from a company which sells shoes and tells you to run barefoot then expect to be made fun of on general principle but they will work quite well. If you're on a budget, Chuck Taylor's work quite well and can be bought for around $35. If you want higher performance and a real hard wearing shoe then we recommend Inov-8 shoes which are designed for CrossFit and appear to work much better than Reebok Nanos and come in all kinds of fitting options for narrow or wide feet. Deathproof CrossFit recommends Inov-8 shoes. We are finding that these shoes can last 2-4 years under heavy daily use. That makes them even cheaper than the Chucks in the longer term.
