6/1 Monday - How to Return To the Gym

Yay for barbells today!

How to Return to CrossFit at the Gym

We reopened the gym for in-person workouts on Friday, May 15. Today we start Phase 2 and more of us will be back in the gym. How do you return to in-person CrossFit workouts? SLOOOOOWLY! 
It has been over 2 months since we've been able to lift a barbell and seek the intensity we crave from in-person classes. Some of us crushed our remote programming and found ourselves working out more during our #stayhome order. Some of us did the remote programming and found it difficult to go hard, or long, or heck, just do it. We did it, it just wasn't with the same elan. Some of us didn't do a darn thing and well, that's ok, too.
We all had our own individual #stayhome journey, and now we have a very individual #backinthegym journey. Here's how to survive your first 1, 2, 3, 4 weeks of CrossFit classes. 
First, remove any performance expectations. You will not be as fast, fit, or flexible as you were before we had to stay home. Even if you did workouts at home, we didn't go heavy, we occasionally went short, and most of our workouts were MetCons or metabolic conditioning workouts in the 10-20 min range.
Without heavy barbells and sprint we weren't able to tap our anaerobic systems very often. This is what's going to be your first "holy crap this is hard" moment when you're in the gym. Anaerobic conditioning is amazing and it's hard and it will make you think your 2 months of MetCons were for nothing. 
Second, everything is going to feel heavy. When you first pick up that barbell you might be in for a shock. Yep, it is heavy. Yep, we will be slowly, slowly working on rebuilding our strength. We are starting with deadlifts. These will rebuild our strength fast.
Deadlifts will help us start to rebuild muscle.
Which will increase our metabolism. 
Which will help us burn more calories.
Which will help us shed our quarantine 15. It's all part of a lovely masterplan:)
Third, under no circumstances are we to compare ourselves to anyone else in the gym. Did you hear me: YOU WILL NOT COMPARE YOURSELF TO ANYONE ELSE IN THE GYM! You are a special unique snowflake and your back-to-the-gym journey is yours. This process is unique to you. To regain the fitness and happiness you want, just do you. Impress your Coach by doing the scaling and modifications we prescribe, going hard during intervals, resting during breaks, and listening to us. 
Fourth, establish a consistent routine now. You're going to be ridiculously sore after your first workout. COME BACK TO THE VERY NEXT CLASS. Movement will help. Some of you saw me on Saturday do the Spartan Sprint after Friday's barbell workout crushed me. Keep moving. It will keep your muscles actively repairing themselves, and more importantly, it will keep you in good mental health. 
Fifth, don't should all over yourself. There is no should. There is right now. Accept where you are right now. Trust this process. Your fitness will return to where it was in March. It will take some time, and it will get there. Be patient. 

Click Here for The WOD