CrossFit Level 1 (Start here!)
At CrossFit London we offer two main paths to getting started with CrossFit.
If you have never heard of Crossfit, you probably need to click here to get an overview of the system that everyone is raving about.
The highlights: Crossfit is varied, genuinely fun and properly challenging, but we need you to have a skill set before you join our classes. Depending on your timetable and finances you can learn these skills in a group (Level 1 classes) or one 1-to-1 basis (with beginners personal training)
Level 1 classes
These are 60 mins sessions running at least once or twice a day. Click here to see the full schedule of Level 1 classes.
Typically you will find yourself training with three to five other people, supported by a CrossFit London coach and often a trainee coach.
You will be able to complete these sessions at the Crossfit London E2 venues or at Crossfit SE11 if you are nearer Vauxhall: you can mix and match!
Each of the seven Level 1 sessions covers a specific part of our beginner’s syllabus, and you will need to complete each session at least once in order to ‘graduate’ to our Level 2 sessions.
You can complete the first five sessions in any order that you choose.
- Session 1.1: Squats, Front squat, Overhead Squat
- Session 1.2: Squats, Press, Push-press, Push Jerk
- Session 1.3: Squats, Deadlift, Sumo deadlift, sumo deadlift high pull & box jumps
- Session 1.4: Squats, Pull-ups, Push-ups and Ring Dips
- Session 1.5: Squats, kettlebell swing, snatch & Turkish get-up
- Session 1.6: The barbell snatch*
- Session 1.7: The clean & jerk*
Each session covers the skills work above, and ends in a structured, scaleable Workout of the Day (WOD) based on the skills covered that day.
* Sessions 6 & 7 build on techniques from sessions 1, 2 & 3. You will only be able to book on to Sessions 6 and 7 once you have completed 1-3, and been ticked off. Please allow 24 hours for your attendance at these classes to be recognised on the system. Sessions 6 and 7 cannot be reserved in advance of this.
The aims of the Beginners sessions are to ensure that:
- Your technique is solid and safe
- You have had some exposure to the ‘intensity’ of CrossFit exercises
- You are comfortable with the scaling that you may require for some of the exercises e.g. pull-ups, ring dips
Beginners sessions work on the same fee structure as regular classes meaning that you can pay for single sessions or packs of 5 or 10. You could even use our 3x sessions/week monthly membership.
Once you have completed the Level 1 sessions, you will be able to progress on to our classic CrossFit Level 2 classes.
Before attending your 1st level 2 class you will need to buy a skipping rope, and put it in your kit bag.
Beginners personal training
These are 60min sessions running throughout the week as part of CrossFit London’s Personal Training schedule. The sessions are 1-to-1 with a CrossFit London coach and cover the same syllabus as the beginners classes above.
These sessions have the advantage over the classes of:
- Taking place at a date and time of your choosing, throughout the week
- Being able to 1-on-1 with a CrossFit London coach
A single CrossFit Beginners Personal Training session is £55 with five beginners sessions available for £200 (one-time introductory offer). Please note: similar to the Beginners classes, it is likely to take at least five 1-to-1 sessions for you to demonstrate competence in the techniques.
If you do not see any sessions that suit you on our time tabel, drop Andrew an email with your preferred times and he will see what can be done. (Its unlikely it will be in class time though)
Medical Conditions
If you feel you have a medical condition that could impact your training, we suggest you make a personal training session with Andrew Stemler your first point of contact with us. Simply book a session with him on the online diary , or email him directly. Here, we can assess the nature of your condition, whether we need to talk to your doctor, and what reasonable adjustments we can make to keep you safe.
Are you fit enough to get started?
This is an interesting question. We have advanced athletes and normal gym members start at Crossfit London, but by implication, we assume you are fit enough to make your way through an hours worth of activity. We discuss some fitness ideas here.
If you are really nervous, or out of (any sort of) condition, do consider working with one of our fabulous personal trainers
Health & Safety
CrossFit is deliberately, and by design, a real world, functional fitness programme with ‘nowt taken out’. By this we mean that some of the exercises and techniques that we use can be dangerous if performed incorrectly or with poor technique. This is why we spend a great deal of time and energy on drilling technique and skills through the beginners programmes. To this end, our safety record is very good – a fact you can check by reading through our online Health and Safety logs.
This sort of exercise regime is not without risk, though. You can – and probably should – expect to pick up some bumps and bruises along the way. Our coaches and clients discuss this aspect of CrossFit training in the following article on the website.
We are most certainly NOT preaching “no pain, no gain”. However, if the idea of picking up a few “owies” along the way really turns you off, then CrossFit may not be the right programme for you.
If you would like to book on to one of the above options, click on the ‘Getting Started‘ button (above) for more information, or go right ahead and click on ‘Book Online‘ to access the booking and scheduling system.
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