I have a few friends in the CrossFit community, and they too have noticed that their CrossFit class size has been growing on a pretty regular basis. One of my colleagues in the industry is Max Lipset, owner and certified CrossFit instructor at The Power House at Highland in St. Paul.
Max was recently interviewed for a piece on how to avoid injuries during CrossFit. During the piece, he highlighted three questions you should ask your CrossFit trainer when considering joining a program. Today, we look at his three questions and expand on why they are important to ask.
3 Questions To Consider
Keep these questions in mind when deciding if a CrossFit trainer is the right fit for you.
1. “How will you introduce me to CrossFit?”
This is a great starter question and it should also be the easiest for the trainer to answer. Even if you’ve attended classes before, it’s important that you slowly ramp up to full speed. You shouldn’t just be thrown into a class without the instructor first learning more about your body, your fitness level and your previous experience with CrossFit. The quickest way to an injury is to jump right into a high-level workout that you aren’t physically ready for. At Max’s gym, their ramp up process plays a crucial role in keeping you injury free. No matter what gym you attend, your prospective trainer should explain how the introduction to CrossFit will take a little time.
2. “How are your trainers trained?”
This is another important question to ask during the initial meeting. While doctors and surgeons have to go to years of medical school and residency programs before they get the M.D. after their name, the same can’t be said for CrossFit instructors. There are plenty of great CrossFit instructors who have studied body mechanics and personal training for years, while there are others who earn their “certification” in a couple of weeks. You’ll want to ask about the trainer certification programs, their educational background and their years of experience. You wouldn’t want to learn Spanish from a teacher who just stayed one lesson ahead of the class, so don’t do the same when it comes to your body. Make sure your teacher is a professional.
3. “What questions do you have for me?”
This is the final question that shouldn’t be overlooked, and it’s important that the prospective trainer has some satisfying questions of their own. A good trainer will ask about your history with CrossFit and what you hope to get out of the program, but a great trainer will dive deeper and ask about your past injuries or pains. In order to provide you with a safe but grueling workout, your trainer needs to know about any past conditions or injuries. If you tore your Achilles or you have arthritis in your knee, your trainer will want to know about those conditions so they can tailor a program to your body. If the trainer doesn’t ask about any preexisting conditions, they might not be a good fit, especially if you have a few previous aches or conditions.
For more information about Max or about CrossFit in general, swing on over to his website!