• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workout
      • Best BCAAs
      • Best Testosterone Boosters
      • Best Bodybuilding Supplements
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Supplements for Weight Loss
      • Best Multivitamins
      • Best Collagen Supplement
      • Best Probiotic
      • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workout
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Magnesium Supplements
    • Protein
      • Best Protein Powder
      • Best Whey Protein
      • Best Protein Powders for Muscle Gain
      • Best Tasting Protein Powder
      • Best Vegan Protein
      • Best Mass Gainer
      • Best Protein Shakes
      • Best Organic Protein Powder
      • Best Pea Protein Powder
      • Best Protein Bars
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Equipment
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Weightlifting Belts
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Functional Trainers
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Trap Bars
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Cardio Machines
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Weighted Vests
      • Concept2 RowErg Review
      • Hydrow Wave Review
      • Best Jump Ropes
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Fitness

Park Your Misconceptions: Try CrossFit

So, you're thinking of trying CrossFit. Let's delve into it and walk you through the door of your local box.

Nick Wyllie

Written by Nick Wyllie Last updated on Nov 22, 2021

Something’s got to give. You aren’t happy with your body, and you know you should do something about it. But what?

You are now at the second step of what sport psychologists call “The Stages of Behavior Change.” This stage, referred to as the Contemplation stage, is where most people get stuck. It is filled with uncertainty and doubt, and taking the leap to commitment often overwhelms the budding acknowledgement of potential benefits. You’re thinking about trying CrossFit, but a combination of intimidation and misconceptions keep you from walking through the door.

Park Your CrossFit Misconceptions

It is time to clear the air and delve into these trepidations. Below is a detailed outline of what to expect when you commit to CrossFit training.

I’m Not in Good Enough Shape

Yes, you are in shape enough to start. One of the biggest misconceptions about CrossFit is that it requires a certain level of base fitness to even begin. On the contrary, trainers spend countless hours educating themselves on how to scale appropriately for every athlete that enters the gym.

The foundation of the training methodology is built around functional movements that are designed to translate into everyday life. A deadlift might look intimidating with 3-inch thick rubber plates on each side of a barbell, but it really isn’t all that different from picking your groceries up off of the porch.

As trainers, we encourage those that deem themselves unfit to just start training, so that we can give them back the ability to function well in real life. A trainer will do their best to tailor the exercises appropriately to each individual new member, so that they can benefit from the workout without becoming overwhelmed.

I’m Going to Get Hurt

You will be sore, but injury is rare. There might be times when the soreness is so great that walking up the stairs backwards sounds like a good idea, but rest assured your body will recover. Your body can handle being sore. Without going into in-depth physiology, the body only adapts when put through extreme stress. In the first few weeks especially, the soreness will be frequent and somewhat intense. The greater deviation from the normal patterns of your current life routine, the greater the soreness will feel and last. But after consistent training, it will be less extreme.

Any type of exercise carries with it a risk for injury, but it is way less common in CrossFit than most people believe. There are differences in how each gym runs their programming, but they all believe in safe practices. A proper warm up, appropriate scaling, and a fitting cool down all play a big role in injury prevention and are staples within the CrossFit community. Ego is a far more common culprit for causing injuries than the workouts themselves, so leave yours at the door. When the devil on your shoulder tells you to add more weight in a set when you know you shouldn’t, or to run further than your body can currently handle, it’s tempting you to flirt with disaster. Either way, the ego needs to go before starting CrossFit.

I’m Going to Lose So Much Weight!

Weight loss is possible, but so is weight gain. Losing excess fat in almost all cases is a good thing, but gaining muscle can be just as beneficial for many people. Muscle weighs more than fat, and therefore adding a small quantity of muscle and losing a larger quantity of fat might actually end up neutral on the scale.

After weeks of CrossFit training, it is very common to be pleased with the mirror but hate the scale. If you are gaining strength, are passing the eye test, and yet are gaining weight, there is a good chance you have lost fat but added significant muscle. Building skeletal muscle is often overshadowed by the emphasis on losing fat, but they are both important and beneficial.

It’s All So Random

The programming may seem sporadic and random, but it is all by design. Without going into too much detail, the body is very complex. You have three different energy systems that utilize three different energy sources to conduct movement from three different muscle fiber types. Your body consists of approximately 640 different skeletal muscles, with roughly 4,000 tendons, each controlling and contributing to an infinite combination of different motor patterns and responses. You would think it would be a no-brainer that training needs to match this level of complexity.

CrossFit responds to the diversity of the human organism by covering as much of this complexity as possible through constantly varied programming. The workouts will cover broad time domains and a large assorted amalgamation of movements, but all within a system that progresses the human body toward greater health. Trainers will design strength cycles and cardiorespiratory phase training, all beautifully wrapped up in complimentary movements that have real-life application. CrossFit is not random for the sake of being random or to go against mainstream thinking. There is a method to the madness.

The Goal is a Better Life

The goal of CrossFit, as with any proper training program, is to allow the athlete to live their life with higher quality outside of the gym. Whether it be through building up muscular capacity and function, or simply acting as a stress reliever, it is intended for everyone. Get past the stage of contemplation and reap the many benefits CrossFit has to offer. Leave your ego at the door, and let the process begin to work for you.

Nick Wyllie

About Nick Wyllie

Nick Wyllie is a former All-American and NCAA Division 1 swimmer. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a minor in Health Promotion from Michigan State University. He is currently a swim coach, CrossFit trainer, and a owerlifting and Olympic weightlifting private coach.

He is the swim coach at San Diego High School, where his team boasts a 7-1 dual meet record and a league title, and has produced the CIF Division 1 100m freestyle champion. His certifications include ACTION Certified Personal Trainer, CrossFit Level 1 Trainer, and American Swim Coaches Association Level 1.

View All Articles

Related Posts

Female competitors headline a graphic for the 2024 CrossFit Games season.
2024 CrossFit Games Season Schedule: Division-by-Division Breakdown
2023 Rogue CrossFit Invitational winners Pat Vellner and Laura Horvath holding their championship titles.
2023 Rogue CrossFit Invitational Results — Laura Horvath and Patrick Vellner Become Two-Time Champions
Female competitors performing medicine ball sit-ups at the 2022 Rogue Invitational.
2023 Rogue Invitational Events Revealed
CrossFit athlete Josh Bridges performs a barbell back squat in his home gym.
CrossFit Legend Josh Bridges Crushes Full-Body Workout Two Weeks Out From 2023 Rogue Invitational

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

New Year’s Fitness Sales (2025)

XWERKS Motion BCAA Review (2025): A Registered Dietitian’s Honest Thoughts

Assault Fitness AssaultBike Pro X Review (2025): Assault’s Best Bike Yet?

13 Best Exercise Bikes for Home Gyms (2025)

Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine Review (2025): The Key to Post-Workout Recovery?

Latest Reviews

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt Review (2025)

Omre NMN + Resveratrol, Lifeforce Peak NMN, and partiQlar NMN on a red background

Best NMN Supplement: Fountain of Youth in a Bottle? (2025)

The Titan Series Adjustable Bench on a red background

Titan Series Adjustable Bench Review (2025)

A photo of the NordicTrack Select-a-Weight Dumbbells on a red background

NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbell Review (2025): Are These Value Dumbbells Worth It?

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2025 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About