Before you walk in
Bring water and wear clothes you can move in. Arrive a few minutes early so you can meet the coach and say hello. If you are nursing an injury or have a movement you are unsure about, say it before class — not halfway through the workout.
The gym is at 13268 Poway Rd in Poway. Give yourself a few minutes before the start time for parking and finding the floor.
Wear shoes you can squat and jump in, and bring a water bottle. Leave the headphones in the car — the coach needs to be able to talk to you between sets. If you are bringing a child, call ahead about the kid zone.
The whiteboard brief
Class starts at the whiteboard. The coach explains the workout, what it is supposed to feel like, and the options for scaling. This is the part where you learn what the next hour holds.
Ask questions here. No one expects you to know the abbreviations or the movement names on day one. The coach would rather answer a question before the clock starts than correct a position under fatigue.
Warm-up and skill work
The coach leads the warm-up. It is not a personal routine you have to invent — the whole class does it together, and it is built around the movements in the day's session.
After the warm-up comes strength or skill work. Your first class will focus on learning the movement technique, not proving a number. The coach will help you choose a load and a version of the movement that you can repeat well.
You don't need to get in shape before you start CrossFit.
CrossFit Unsung
The workout
The clock starts and the room moves. Everyone is doing a version of the same workout, scaled to their ability. Some athletes are chasing a time; others are chasing clean reps. Both are the workout.
You will probably be tired. You will not be the only one. The class finishes together. When it is over, put your equipment away.
After the hour
The coach brings the class down with a cool-down. This is the best time to ask about a movement, a schedule, or what to do next. If you enjoyed it, the $25 trial fee is applied to your first month.
The goal of the first class is not to be good at CrossFit. It is to learn how the room works, meet a coach, and find out whether you want to come back. The hour is usually more normal than it looks from the outside.
You do not have to decide on a membership that day. Take the class, see how the room feels, and ask the coach what a sensible weekly schedule would look like. If you join, the trial fee is already applied to your first month.
Four questions will point you to the right class. Or come see the board in person — the $25 trial is applied to your first month.