THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO

NO RISK CROSSFIT

Welcome to our community of like minded individuals at No Risk CrossFit, and congratulations to taking the first

step to Achieve a Better You!

We know the transition into a CrossFit gym can be intimidating, and an entirely new experience from what you may have done previously. We hope that this guide

will help you in that transition.

Please do not hesitate to ask any of the staff, in person, or via email, if you have additional questions. Optimizing

your experience is our number one priority!

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Table of Contents

Section Page

What is Crossfit 3

No Risk CrossFit Difference 3

How to sign up for class 5

Train Heroic 7

Attire 8

Class Structure 9

Abbreviations 10

Barbells 11

Warm Up Sets 11

Strength Days 11

Foam Rolling and Lacrosse Balls 13

How to Properly Address the Bar for Squats 14

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What is CrossFit? The best definition of CrossFit comes from it’s founder, Coach Greg Glassman. He basically summed up what CrossFit is in 100 Words

“Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull­ups, dips, rope climb, push­ups, sit­ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.”

What is No Risk CrossFit? No Risk CrossFit is Northern RI’s Premier Strength and Conditioning Facility. At No Risk CrossFit we blend traditional strength and conditioning with CrossFit methodology to help you Look Better, Feel Better and Perform Better. We are a “minimalist program” and this is reflected by the functionality and simplicity of the equipment and exercises compared to most commercial gyms. There is nothing “minimalist” about the results you will experience. Not all CrossFit gyms are created equal and we here at No Risk take this extremely seriously. We may do things differently than what you see on CrossFit.com, or at other CrossFit or Functional Fitness Facilities. Only here at No Risk will you be coached by RI's most proven coaches, in fact we are the only gym in the area with a Level 3 CrossFit Coach. Our programming is custom designed to not only ensure a safe and productive environment, but it also delivers results and gains beyond expectations in most cases.

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We also understand that there are many variables which go into implementing an effective exercise prescription for every individual. We have taken the guesswork and indecision out of your hands by designing an exercise program for you based on your biological age, training age, and mobility and flexibility issues. This is why we require three one­on­one training sessions to start our program. You are an individual in our group program. We need to assess you on how you move, so that we can begin to address strategies of how we can enhance your strength, and movement, all the while, helping you attain a healthy athletic looking body in a lifelong sustainable way

With consistent training, good nutrition (see No Risk Nutrition Guide) and proper sleep, in no time you will progress to a better you!

You will:

Become a stronger and leaner you! Become Reacquainted with your body! Become Powerful! Gain Better Posture, Stability, Mobility and Flexibility!

Our method of helping you Achieve a Better You is done in a variety of ways.

Some of the ways we help you do this are:

The first rule of any training program should be DO NO HARM! Our program is designed to minimize risk, keep you safe, healthy and progressing, for the days, weeks and years to come. In fact, that’s why we call ourselves “No Risk.”

Something Different in Every Class. You will find we take a varied but not random training approach allows you to continuously keep your body stimulated and making progress

SCIENCE!­ Our staff is the most knowledgeable and credentialed staff in the area. No Risk has the only Level 3 CrossFit Trainer in the immediate area. Not many gyms have 75% of their coaches certified by USA Weightlifting. Our coaches are not only trained as strength and conditioning coaches but they have strong science backgrounds in nutrition, health and strength and conditioning research.

We are constantly reading and looking at areas to enhance and apply current thinking . Beware of the status quo. We do our best to bring you the best practices as soon as possible

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Training Days and Test Days­ In life, every day is not a “Test”. We take this same approach. We encourage you to have training days, where you do not go 100%. We also enjoy test days. Test days are fun. These are the days you can go all out, explore the capacity of your strength and skill, and discover new goals to strive for! However, it is not healthy for lifelong sustainable fitness to treat every day, and every session like a test!

Each individual’s progress means something to us.

How to Sign Up For Class The same system you used to register for the Intro class and/or the Assessments, is used to sign up for class. We kindly ask that you please sign up for class beforehand. The Schedule on Front Desk is up to date and reflects any time changes that may occur due to a holiday or a snow storm. Our Facebook Page/Twitter has up to the minute notifications if there ever is a cancellation due to severe weather.

Please be sure to read and accept the terms and conditions of your contract. This can all be done digitally.

Class Sign Up happens at NoRisk.FrontDeskHQ.com which you can do from your desktop or phone. Once you log into your account, select the day and time class you would like to and enroll in the class. If you need to cancel, you can also do this through your account. See screen shot below to aid you in this process.

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Sign Up For Train Heroic

Once you are a member of the gym you have access to use our Athlete Progress Management System, Train Heroic. This is a free service we provide. Train Heroic is an online version of a workout log. You can input all the data into it, and it keeps an electronic record of your workouts. It has the ability to manage your max lifts, or some of the benchmarks workouts we use to show improvements in fitness. Each day’s workouts will also be emailed to you the so you know what the workout is before you come to the gym. Alongside each of the exercises in a given day, there is a tips section which usually includes a video of that movement. You can access Train Heroic by clicking HERE or using the following link: https://marketplace.trainheroic.com/#/subscribe?type=team&id=2820

Now that you signed up for class, we know you may be a little apprehensive, but please don’t be. We have a friendly coaching staff, along with a welcoming community. When you arrive for your first class please introduce yourself to the coach. Let him or her know this is your first class. If you completed an assessment the coach may already have a report on your individual skill level and abilities. Please let them know any of your questions or concerns!

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We know there are a lot of confusing things about CrossFit. The following pages hopefully will clarify some things for you.

Attire Athletic clothes are the norm. Shirt and Shorts are usually worn by members year round when working out. In colder months, a sweatshirt or sweatpants may be worn during the warm up and strength, but usually extra layers come off during the conditioning piece. Attire sometimes depends on the work being done. We encourage you to wear long socks when you do rope climbs, as it helps prevent you from burning your legs on the ropes. Long socks or pants may also be advisable for days with deadlifts where the bar may be in frequent contact with the shins and legs.

There is no definitive shoe for CrossFit or Strength and Conditioning training but one thing you will notice is many experienced individuals do NOT wear running shoes. Running shoes are designed for running on a road. Running shoes create instability, primarily laterally, in the ankles, yes they do, regardless of what the skinny guy at the specialty shoe store told you. If you are going to run in a straight line for miles, a linear activity, well

a running shoe makes sense, however, for what you will be doing in the gym, zig, zag, jump, sprint, crawl, climb and lift “heavy” stuff, it is not an optimal shoe. Running shoes or other stylish shoes (unless stylish is skateboarding shoes) with huge cushy heels encourage your weight distribution to go forward, not back into their heels or mid­foot. It is

also more difficult to externally rotate your hips by screwing your feet in the ground when there is over an inch of rubber disengaging your feet from the ground. You also lose power from your legs because it goes into the cushioning instead of the ground. The ideal shoe for what we do is a minimalist shoe, lightweight, strong construction and flat soled. Typically the thinner and flatter the sole the better. It should certainly have a neutral

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or nearly­neutral drop between heel and toe. You do not need to buy a fancy and expensive minimalist shoe, just a minimalist style shoe.

Popular options:

Most Expensive: Reebok Nano, INOV8, Nike MetCon

Middle of Ground: New Balance Minimus; Converse All Star Chuck Taylors

(low cut)

Cheap: Water shoes

Class Structure Each class usually has 4 main parts and lasts about an hour.

Warm­Up­ This is to get your body and the joints which you will be using that day warm and a great way to assess how your body is moving or feeling that day in terms of range­of­motion In the warm up there will be also movement corrective exercises, as well as joint mobilization drills.

Strength or Skill­ A given barbell or gymnastics strength movement, or a particular skill is worked on during this time. On days where the conditioning piece is longer, there is no strength or skill work.

Conditioning­ This is the “cardio” portion of the workout. We will use a variety of implements to get your heart rate up. Depending on the day this will be anywhere from 5­45 minutes long

Homework­ This is a cool down, accessory work, mobility or flexibility portion of the class, depending on time may be done in the class but should be done immediately afterward.

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Here is a list of common abbreviations you may see on the

Workout of the Day (WOD)

AD AirDyne MOO What a cow says but What does a Fox say, I ask you?

AED Automatic External Defibrillator­ What you need after too many sprints on AD

MU Muscle ups. Hanging from rings you do a combination pull­up and dip so you end in an upright support.

AMRAP As Many Reps (sometimes Rounds)as Possible

OHS Overhead squat. Full­depth squat performed while arms are locked out in a wide grip press position above (and usually behind) the head.

BO Body Odor PR Personal record

BW (or BWT) Body weight PU Pull­ups, possibly push ups depending on the context. Also what your brain registers when someone has BO

C&J Clean and jerk Rep Repetition. One performance of an exercise.

C2 Concept II rowing machine Rx'd as Rx'd: As prescribed; as written. WOD done without any adjustments.

DU Double Unders RM Repetition maximum. Your 1RM is your max lift for one rep. Your 10 RM is the most you can lift 10 times.

EMOTM Every Minute on the Minute Set A number of repetitions. e.g., 3 sets of 10 reps, often seen as 3x10, means do 10 reps, rest, repeat, rest, repeat.

FROM Full Range of Motion SLDL Single Leg Deadlift

GPP General physical preparedness, aka "fitness."

SMR Self­Myofascial Release

GSP Georges St­Pierre, possibly the greatest MMA fighter of all time.

TGU Turkish get­up

HSPU Hand stand push up T2B Toes to bar. Hang from bar. Bending only at waist raise your toes to touch the bar, slowly lower them and repeat.

K2E Knee to Elbow WOD Workout of the day

KB Kettlebell MetCon Metabolic Conditioning workout

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BARBELLS We have three types of barbells in the gym.

Beginner’s Bar­ This is a shiny silver bar, and is only 15 pounds. If you are lifting more than 65 lbs, you should not use one of these.

Women’s bar. This bar is 35 pounds. The diameter of the bar and the length is smaller.

Men’s Bar. This bar is 45 pounds. The diameter and length of bar is slightly longer than the women’s bar.

Please do not drop an empty bar, or a bar with only ten or fifteen pound plates on it, because lighter plates can bend and crack and it damages the equipment. A general rule of thumb is: if the sum of the plates on the bar weigh less than the barbell, do not drop the barbell. (ex. do not drop a 35# barbell with two 15# plates, because the plates weigh a sum of 30# which is less than the weight of the barbell).

Warm Up Sets vs Strength Sets Warm up sets are designed to get your blood flowing, your muscles and tendons accustomed to the movement and your nervous system prepared for progressive loading of the movement. There is no set number of reps or sets to complete to get the muscles ready for movement, part of it is individualized, and what “type” of weight is being lifted. Usually, the number of reps of the working sets should be the same rep range of the warm up sets. The warm up sets SHOULD NOT bring you close to, or to muscle failure. Warm up sets are not meant to be challenging, they are a method of “feeling out” your abilities for the movement and easing you into the weights you plan on working with. Work sets are designed to create a stimulus and contribute to strength building. They are heavier and depending on the day may bring you close to muscle failure.

How to approach a Strength Day

Our members love getting stronger. It gives them a sense of accomplishment. Strength is something which you need to be goal oriented about.

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You enter the gym and the work on the board says Back Squats, 4 sets of 5 @75% of your 1RM. Being new to lifting weights, you do not have a 1 Rep Max, so you are confused on how to proceed and get the strength work accomplished. How do you go about preparing for this work? How should you warm up? What does 4 sets of 5@75% mean? When there is a set number of sets and reps at a set percentage, the weight on the bar during the 4 sets does not change. You will be using the same amount of weight the entire time. This does not mean that you do not warm up with lighter weight, you do. To warm up, follow the previous advice.

Unless you are attempting to go for a 1 rep max on any given day, we use percentage work or perceived exertion rating to help increase strength using non­maximal amounts of weight. These sets should appear to be heavy, but doable usually, with the the last 2­3 reps of the last two sets being much more challenging than the first sets, however, a majority of the work should not be of maximal exertion, like a true 1 rep max.

Whether you know your 1RM or not, you should approach the work the same way. If you know your 1RM, calculate the percentage you need to use in the work sets. If you do not know your one rep max, determine a weight beforehand by estimating what you think you can lift (either maximally and determine percentage, or for the day’s work).

Remember, warm up sets are just that, sets to get the body, and movement pattern warmed up. Depending on how heavy you are lifting, you may on a given day need more or less warm up sets, only you know how you feel on that movement on that day.

For examples sake, lets say we are back squatting, and we have a max Back squat of 200 lbs. If we are lifting at percentage work of 75%, the maximum amount of weight on the bar will be 150 lbs. How might one design their work for this session?

Set 1: 5­10 reps with just the bar

Set 2: 5 reps @ 95 lbs

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Set 3: 5 reps @ 125 lbs

Set 4: 1st work set at 150 lbs

Set 5: 2nd work set at 150 lbs

Set 6: 3rd work set at 150 lbs

Set 7: 4th and last work set at 150 lbs

The warm up sets will be quick, roughly 60­90 seconds between sets. The work sets will be roughly 90­120 seconds between them. The entire strength session will be somewhere in the proximity of 15­16 minutes, including warm ups.

Whether you are estimating your 1 RM or know your one rep max, it is important to record all your strength days, and all your strength work in a journal or on Train Heroic. For each session you want to record the warm up sets, how much you lifted and for how many reps for each set, your work sets, and a quick note how each set felt. Each session that you find yourself doing a strength lift you have done before, you should refer back to your journal to help guide you in preparation for the new days work.

Strength work IS GOAL ORIENTED! Focus on it as so and put the same amount of energy into it you would a Fitness WOD. To give you a goal to strive for, we have created the No Risk Iron Man. Any male who lifts 1000 lb. or any female who lifts 700 lb., combined in the Squat, Bench and Deadlift, earns entry into this club.

Why and How We Use The Foam Roll and Lacrosse Balls

We utilize something called Self Myofascial Release at No Risk. SMR is a "self­massage" technique with the goal of increasing mobility and flexibility via the general decrease of muscular adhesions. Basically, our muscle fibers are supposed to slide uninhibited past one another. Any muscle movement, or muscle immobility allows adhesions to build up between

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muscle fibers. These adhesions prevent us from having full range of motion and contribute to immobility. Foam rollers and lacrosse balls are great tools to help start breaking up these sticky parts.

How to Squat Properly

Squat technique is imperative to safety and progress. The squat and your success in it starts with your approach to the bar. This should be a ritual, and not done haphazardly. The following video by Tony Gentilocore addresses all the key points. https://youtu.be/sGwJfsgChxY

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