Consistency is Key

People often ask us, “How often should I attend classes to reallybenefit from CrossFit?”

The short answer is 5 to 6 days per week.

The original CrossFit prescription of 3 days/1 day off, followed by 2 days on/1 day off still makes sense for most. Some have modified it to 3on and 1 off, repeat.  If you are not getting to class 5-6 days a week, you are most likely not giving yourself a chance to reap all the benefits of the program.

By getting in 5-6 workouts per week, you are sure to experience the programming as it is intended and achieve a steady progression in your own performance. Workout variety is designed to give athletes a consistently structured combination of strength-heavy days, cardio-heavy days, and skill-heavy days. The variety and overall combination blends to provide you with a fully comprehensive approach to fitness and developing all 10 elements that define it:

·       Endurance

·       Stamina

·       Strength

·       Flexibility

·       Power

·       Speed

·       Coordination

·       Agility

·       Balance

·       Accuracy

So, it’s not just about your time on the clock or how much weight you lift on any given day. It’s about your overall progress toward improving on all of the elements of fitness steadily, over time. This progress is what will allow you to fight the impact of aging, help you avoid injury, and improve your overall health.

The constantly varied programming at Brickyard CrossFit keeps your experience fresh and fun while reducing the risk of overuse injuries.  Your body will adjust and recover much quicker if you can get to the gym more often.  There is a limit, however, and doing CrossFit workouts more than 5 days in a row is not recommended. Your body needs recovery days, so give yourself one every 2-3 workouts. Your ability to learn the movements, move safely, and show greater output will improve immensely with that pattern.  

Oddly enough, the days when you can make the most gains, are the days when you don’t feel like going to the gym. Anyone can go when they feel energized and ready! But, you will put yourself in a position to see greater gains if you show up on the days when you feel low energy or “just not in the mood”. That’s when your body is telling you it needs to wake up, be challenged, and get those great endorphins flowing. Get moving and you’ll find that you energy level will immediately return - and you’ll probably sleep great that night, too! 😊  

Of course, consistency with nutrition plays a huge role in your recovery and overall fitness gains as well, but that is a discussion for another day!

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(co-authored by Jason Wasserman and Lisa Pietrangeli)