Joined a great gym but I’m embarrassed that I’m last at everything

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angie032386

New member
Context: I’m 20 and just graduated college in May and started a full time job in the same city and moved to a more social part of the city.

I wanted to make more friends and have more discipline for working out, as I definitely slacked in college. I used to play soccer and weight lift a little in high school but I kinda just gave it up and fucked around in college. Now, I’m definitely out of shape athletically even if I don’t look it. I’m just basically super skinny.

I joined this crossfit gym because I knew it would push me to have discipline in the gym because I get really distracted by myself.

It’s super fun and exhausting, but wow my stamina and strength are shit. I finish the workouts slower than everyone and I can barely lift any weight.

For instance I was struggling to finish an RFT with 15lb dumbbells in a mix of lunges, squats, and power cleans.

I know it will get better in time and I’m the youngest in the class but I just feel like I should be better especially since everyone has been there for a while and i used to be athletic.

I also know I need to improve my nutrition because I’m bad with time so sometimes I don’t eat enough, but I’m working on that at the same time because I get sometimes super light headed during the workouts.

Any advice? I’m definitely sticking with me but sometimes the coach makes some comments about me being too slow or having light weights it’s both discouraging and angrily motivating at the same time

P.S. My membership only covers 10 classes a month and it’s a bit expensive but should I be doing more to see results ?
 
@angie032386 I also finish last at almost any thing, but it doesn't matter, I'm still getting a great workout and compared to 9 months ago I improved on many things.

Keep at it, you'll get there. Consistancy is key.
 
@angie032386 As others said…stick with it…BUT…your coaches need to help you dial in appropriate modifications to get you to complete the workout in the intended stimulus…example if it’s a 15 minute time cap….they should be able to say….”your goal is actually 9-12 minutes”. Then you and the coaches need to figure out how you can get that 9-12 completed at xyz rep/weights etc, if your coaches can’t or don’t do that….you need better quality coaches. A coach should never comment on “it’s too light” etc unless they have a clear understanding of your abilities and can coach/teach you what to increase on.

As a new CrossFitter, 2x a week should be a great base to get you on track with some results. Remember to not confuse duration with effort. You don’t have to be grinding along everyday for a long time. Each day should have clear intentions towards the stimulus. The staff should be able to help you meet that.

Also…do not compare yourself to others. They all started one day too. You’re there to get YOU better. Not to say you can’t look at other athletes and see that so and so is usually just ahead of me, or we lift similar and use that to help you find a pace or starting point. But seeing others finish ahead of you or doing whatever they’re doing has little bearing on your fitness. You need to figure out how YOU can meet that stimulus in the programming.

Stay with it and good luck!
 
@vitalyg My bad I should’ve clarified the max time to finish today’s was 11 minutes and I finished in 10 or 9:45 i forget and it was fine I was j still last
 
@angie032386 It could also be that some people are scaling too much. As the poster above you said, the coach should be able to clue the class into the stimulus (12 min TC, finish in 9-10 is the goal). Then you see someone who has a been around for a minute scale so much (for them) that they are finishing in 6 min.

(Yes I know that is just some people's capabilities and I don't know everything about the person)
 
@angie032386 Keep grinding. You’ll get better. that’s the thing about it, you keep doing it you will improve. Think about how you started in sports previously. You didn’t start soccer already knowing how to play, you had to build up to where you were. You just gotta do it again.

Underrated aspect of not just CrossFit but fitness in general is the mental capability/strength/stamina to keep going. You’re training your mind as much as your body.

So set goals, big and small, and work towards them. Progress isn’t linear nor is it instantaneous. But if you do the right things and are consistent you will get better before you know it
 
@angie032386 You’re young, part of getting older and wiser is realizing that everybody is just running their own race. Unless you’re a competitive professional athlete, some body is going to be better at you at something. The people at the gym have been doing it for along time and if you keep up consistently working you too will get there. Don’t compare yourself, just focus on showing up, learning and getting better everyday a little.
 
@angie032386 What do you do on other days? I would definitely supplement those 10 classes with other activities at home or in nature. Walking, hiking, running, body weight exercises, etc.
 
@angie032386 First off, don't worry about time. So long as you're completing the workout within the general timeframe/rep total set by the trainers, you're ok. This is why you scale workouts. If you are ending up last, you may be consistently biting off too challenging of a workout. There's no shame in scaling (up or down). You should figure out what your goal is for the workout - is it to work on mastering a movement? If so, a longer time is worth it. Is it to improve muscle endurance by taking fewer breaks between reps? Then maybe lightening the load would be the right choice. The coaches are there to help, I'd recommend talking to them and sharing what you want to get out the workout and they can point you in the right direction.
 
@itneverends I was going to put this, I'm glad to see you did. It takes a lot of workouts to learn. But the workouts give different results depending on how you do them. Do you want to do heavy and less reps for strength and muscular endurance or to practice movements, faster to get into a higher HR zone for cardio training? etc. I always think about this when doing carries while people are running around me with floppy core engagement. The slower you do the carries the better right if you care about increasing fitness and maximizing time under load. Do the programming but understand what your goals are and do your own workout your way to hit your goals. It's hard to tell when you are new but you can come in last in a group of a dozen people and be the only one doing things correctly. People wanting to haul ass all the time and using substitute movements is also a big reason why people can go so long without being able to do pullups, T2B, handstand walks, DU etc. It also can develop bad habits and weaknesses from imperfect form/wrong muscle utilization and imbalances.

As for frequency, going often on a scheduled program is important. However I am a big believer in intensity so more important is your concentration and effort level. Do not make excuses. Pushups are free, air squats, lunges, situps, running, jumping etc. It's free. There is plenty that can be done not at the gym and it will make a big difference especially a couple of days of some kind of cardio zone training. Remember all the growth and all the adaptation takes place OUTSIDE the gym. Eating and sleeping are critical otherwise you will not benefit.
 
@angie032386
  1. Eat more. This is the most important advice you are going to get. EAT. If you are skinny, young and consistent with working out, EAT the fuck out of this world.
  2. Comparison is the thief of joy. Just be consistent, EAT and you will see how you climb the ladder, if that's what you want to see.
  3. Your coach is an ass. Tell him, right away, that army style motivation is not your type.
 
@angie032386 Just keep going. Before you know it you’ll sometimes be not-last.

You’ll get fitter. You’ll get smarter with modifying and scaling the workouts, and you’ll get better at pacing and rest strategies.
 
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