What is Crossfit London Women?
It’s a unique city class based on the successful Crossfit regime, that shuns most of the silly machines and the aerobically-based dance classes that you find in leisure centres.
In 100 words, to be genuinely fit.
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: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, 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.
The purpose of Crossfit London Women is to make the CrossFit 100 words mean something to you.
At this class, we’ll get you through the basics of an exercise system that literally stamps over anything else you may care to try. Irrespective of your current fitness levels, it will make you as sleek, fast and strong as your genetics allow.
We also deploy anything that will help our training, such as kettlebells , olympic weight lifting, sprints, pull ups…
The really great women-friendly thing about “Crossfit London Women” is the central training philosophy of:
- Technique, then
- Consistency, then
- Intensity
FAQ
Sorry! Women deadlifting! And using weights! Are you mad?
This is one of the great weight loss secrets: aerobics/jogging and prancing around a dance studio at low intensity but for an extended time, is the worst thing you can do. It merely runs your body down and eats your muscles. Weight training adds tone, and the muscle you need to eat up your excess fat stores.
We also find that women love the technical challenge of lifting weights, and the sense of strength and independence it gives them – that sounds patronising, but it’s really not!
That said, lifting weights is only part of the programme: the real excitement comes with the pure variation of stuff that you do.
But I’ll turn into one of those grotesque body builders!
No you won’t. Women lack certain body chemicals which make male muscle bulk up. Our type of training makes you stronger, toned and sleek.
But my personal trainer says that aerobics are crucial!
Aerobic capacity can be important, but there are much better ways of building your aerobic base than by boring yourself to death with endless miles of road work or knee-destroying jogging.
This looks very advanced and tough. I’ve never trained like this before – won’t I feel awkward?
Every class is a lesson, plus a mini workout. We assume you don’t have any of the skills yet, and will teach you them all. Also, every workout is scaled to your ability.
Sorry, I just re-read the 100 words: Pull-ups, presses to handstands? Are you suggesting that women come to your class and learn how to pull-up and do handstands and handstand push-ups?
Eventually, yes. that’s the target, but these are skills you need to learn and work up to slowly. We have all the teaching progressions to help you get these skills (over time of course). That said, not everyone can do everything.
Will this class be full of stick-insect 18 year old girls?
I’m sure there will be some, but the bulk of our trainees tend to be 28 to 55, normal women.
Will there be lots of pelvic floor work and gentle jogging?
If you are stuck at the bus stop, by all means squeeze your pelvic floor as if you are having a wee and stopping half way through. But remember that most women who suffer from a “poor floor” are actually suffering from “core” weakness: the pelvic floor area is at the bottom of a abdominal box: all of which needs to be trained. We will train you to have a strong effective and functional (and sexy) midsection
Having said that, this is a regime that will be amended to your individual needs.
As to the gentle jogging…. er, probably not (unless you are just out of rehab). But as always, we take you at your current fitness level and work from there.
WHERE AND WHEN
Every Monday evening 6.30pm to 7.30pm at The Crossfit London UK gym at Arch 9 Gales Gardens, Bethnal Green E2 0EJ.
Book your spot by clicking on the Get Started button


I attended the class tonight (18/02/2010). I started the class thinking I was Gene HUNT from “Life on Mars”. Half way through the class, I begged for mercy, but Sally snarled and shouted, “it’s not supposed to be easy”, and made me carry on.
By the end of the class I was sucking my thumb and crying for my mommy!
HOWEVER BRILLIANT CLASS, YOU MUST GIVE IT A GO
Hmm…this looks like a mighty fine workout to me!
bar system check. 1/2 turn on number 1
11pm sunday… the blank spaces are u tube clips… probably still working trough the system
Steve certainly gave us some food for thought! God I’m so funny!
Any tips for getting functioning hamstrings again? Mine don’t seem to be co-operating!
Ahhh. Kitten picture forthcoming no doubt. Can’t wait. (p.s. Am missing CFL on my enforced sabbatical but hope to be back soon with 20 pull-ups). Ben
Time you invested in a cricket ball Trev…..get that under ya and you’ll feel like a new man
Looking forward to having you back soon, Ben!
Clearly our comment spam filter doesn’t screen for puns…
put helens thumbs to work!!
What a look!
Note to self: don’t get on Rosie’s bad side…
Those jump ropes were really rather good.
Where did you get them?
sounds yummy!
I’m in pain after that!
Kieran – they are the excellently named “Ultra Speed Cable Jump Ropes” from http://www.buyjumpropes.net/
That was a total of 20 people put through fight gone bad in 3 hours,
Well done everyone
Andrew and CF London. Thank you so much for letting me sweat at your box the last two days. You guys rock!
I will make sure to visit when I am in town next. If anybody from CF London is ever in the Boston area title=”CFNE”>’s doors are always open!
WOw ! Congrats Warren ! 213 for me
For the record, I scored 210 (up from 199). First time I’ve not totally hated the SDLHP.
I got to score for Warren, and the guy barely slowed:
Rounds: 123/111/107
WB: 84
SDL: 78
BJ: 68
PP: 56
Row: 55
BEAST!!
CrossFit Reading Strength and Power Invitational, in Association with FK.UK
http://www.crossfitreading.co.uk/page34.htm
80kg front squat x5
Good WOD, glad I found a good box here in the UK.
great work Los.
Poor Helen she was doing all the work really!!!
Oh that kicked my butt- 204 score. Something to build on I feel x
7:42 as Rx’d , that left me with a headache and the desire to hug a bucket!
At Crossfit Bristol;
8:12 with 26K Thrusters, Green band Pull up
x
Anyone coming to the Hell Bells on thursday is in for a treat! Whoop
The thrusters felt like hell!!!
Great article. Cheers
i think thats the worst photo of me i have ever seen! And i have seen some bad ones!
class was great though. I am aching all over and will be back for some more tonight!
i came, i saw, i was totally conquered! great class on thursday, knew i should have picked up the kb’s sooner.
Looked like a little bit of a kip on the multiples there Andrew……
at my age, are you surprised!
bar system check turns on 14, 13, 6
Get your self a bargin at the UK & Ireland sectional for the Crossfit Games on 20th March. BeaverFit will be selling their GHD’s at a special games price £400 only…..
I’ve got a question about the muscle-up progressions.
Is there an ideal number of reps to do? And should we be splitting them into sets with a defined rest period?
I get the feeling after the progressions that maybe I only did half as many reps as I could have. OTOH, I’ve definitely overtrained my upper arms twice in the past. So, is there a goal?
vary it. see some as 5 x 5 vsessions, others as max attempts, 1.1.1.1.1., but focus on getting the right position
This is the stuff of legend – I need it in my life!