The best thing you can do to begin with is read the About Us and What is CrossFit on the site to gain a better understanding of what we do and how we are different. There is also an abundance of information on the main CrossFit site, and listed below are some of the most common questions asked about CrossFit. If after all your reading you are still curious and think that this might just be what you have been looking for, then click on the Joining CrossFit Jozi link, or call or email us to inform us of your interest. We will contact you to book you in for your free introductory session which is the first step to becoming a part of the CrossFit Jozi community.
What is the “WoD”?
WoD stands for “Workout of the Day”. Every day we post the “WoD” on the website to present the primary work components to be coached during the session. Workouts are designed based on the crossfit.com template to provide a constantly varied stimulus using functional movements executed at high intensity. Everyone at CrossFit Jozi is expected to follow the same workout. However the tasks in a workout are scaled to individual abilities, allowing everyone to be exposed to the complete program. Giving everyone the chance to complete the same work is what makes us a community and ensures that all receive the benefits of the CrossFit program.
What happens in a typical training session?
A typical training session lasts for an hour. The first 5-10 minutes are allocated to self-paced warm-up. Thereafter the lead coach explains the workout before taking the group through some skills instruction and a specific warm-up using the movements and weights specified for the workout. During this time people are usually organised into groups and the gym is setup for the workout. Once everyone is set, the trainer calls “3-2-1-Go” and the workout is underway. The actual workouts last 5-30 minutes, with 30 minutes being considered an extremely long session. Once everyone has completed the workout there is a short debrief, the gear is put away and the session is concluded with a 5-10 minute group stretch down.
What if I am not very fit?
Getting people fit is what we do, it’s our passion. Your level of fitness when you begin is not important to us. We care about how fit you become. The introductory session and all workouts thereafter will be scaled to your fitness level. Do not believe that you need to train to get fit before you join us. All you need to do is attend with a positive attitude and the will to attempt everything that comes your way.
If you require specific physical attention due to current/past injury or ailment, are severely de-conditioned or have joint mobility/stability concerns we will discuss the best way to bring you up to speed. Our Head Coach, Imtiaz Desai, is a Masters qualified Exercise Rehabilitation practitioner and will ensure that your CrossFit journey is begun in a safe, controlled and enjoyable way.
How often should I train?
The On-ramp program, which all new members are required to enroll in before joining the regular group classes, runs on 3 classes a week for 3 weeks. Thereafter, how often you train is largely up to you. The amount you train in the initial stages will be governed by how you feel while you adapt to the new form of training. After that, we recommend that you train as regularly as possible. At CrossFit Jozi we have classes on 5 days a week (Monday-Thursday and Saturday), and on Friday we post an out-of-gym workout. So you’ll begin by training 3 times a week and as your fitness improves over time you could manage 6 times a week, time permitting of course!
Is the WoD all that you do? It seems very short, how is such a short workout going to get me fit? Should I do extra training?
The WoD posted on the site is the primary component of training for the day. However we also perform specific skills work and conditioning drills, and warm-up and cool-down appropriately. So you are always active during the hour-long classes.
How is such a short working component going to give you the sort of fitness we promote? Through intensity. We aim to perform the most amount of work in the least amount of time. The more the work, the greater the intensity and therefore stimulus, resulting in a much greater adaptation than you would experience through the long bodybuilding or endurance based workouts. Irrefutable scientific evidence shows that high intensity training stimulates the central nervous and endocrine systems much more than longer workouts, and that this stimulus produces superior fitness. If you feel that the WoD is not sufficient, then to be blunt, you are either scaling the tasks back too much or not working hard enough.
CrossFit training is effective and enjoyable because of the short intense workouts.
I am not strong enough to do CrossFit. Should I do more specific strength training to supplement my CrossFit training?
You may initially feel like you are not strong enough to do the WoD as prescribed, and it may be disheartening to have your coach tell you to scale the weights down. Rest assured, you will get stronger just by following our program. Our promise to you is to make you fitter. Strength is a key component of fitness so we have to get you stronger to get fitter. The CrossFit program incorporates a lot of strength training so you do not need to do any more specific strength training. You might experience some initial rapid gains in strength, but this will be at the expense of your overall CrossFit fitness. Attend classes, do the WoD and give it everything. Constantly challenge your previous abilities and before you know it, you will be stronger than ever. In CrossFit our specialty is not specialising.
What should I bring?
Wear comfortable clothes that you can train in and shoes that are suitable for cross training. A lot of people wear a flat-soled shoe for the strength based sessions (runners are not much fun to squat in) and a cross-trainer or running shoe for the other sessions. Stay clear of heavily cushioned running shoes, and perhaps chat to your coach about what shoe is best suited. They might just recommend you get yourself a pair of Inov-8s 
Bring a water bottle and towel. It is also a good idea to have sports strapping tape in your kit bag. It is really useful for preventing blisters and shin scrapes.
Do many women train at CrossFit Jozi
Most certainly! We are fortunate to have a strong contingent of women training at CrossFit Jozi. CrossFit is a fantastic strength and conditioning program for wome
n and the CrossFit community has some exceptional female role models. CrossFit produces strong and healthy women, and they don’t have that ‘bulked up’ look that women performing bodybuilding type training might.
What are the abbreviations and acronyms you frequently use?
- AMRAP: As Many Reps/Rounds as Possible
- BW (or BWT): Body weight
- C&J: Clean and jerk
- C2: Concept II rowing machine
- DL: Deadlift
- FS: Front squat
- GHD: Glute-hamstring developer. A device that allows training of the glute and hamstring muscles.
- HSPU: Hand stand push up.
- IF: Intermittent Fasting
- KB: Kettlebell
- KTE: Knees to elbows. Similar to TTBs described below.
- MetCon: Metabolic Conditioning workout
- MU: Muscle ups. Hanging from rings you do a combination pull-up and dip so you end in an upright support.
- OHS: Overhead squat. Full-depth squat performed while arms are locked out in a wide grip press position above (and usually behind) the head.
- PR: Personal record
- Rep: Repetition. One performance of an exercise.
- Rx’d; as Rx’d: As prescribed; as written. The WoD done without any adjustments.
- RM: Repetition maximum. Your 1RM is your max lift for one rep. Your 10 RM is the most you can lift 10 times.
- SDHP: Sumo deadlift high pull (see exercise section)
- Set: A number of repetitions. e.g., 3 sets of 10 reps, often seen as 3×10, means do 10 reps, rest, repeat, rest, repeat.
- TGU: Turkish get-up (See exercise section)
- TTB: Toes to bar. Hang from bar. Bending only at waist raise your toes to touch the bar, slowly lower them and repeat.
- WO, sometimes W/O: Workout
- WoD: Workout of the day
