Welcome to Wellness Wednesday where in-house nutrition coach, Coach Diana Leigh, answers YOUR questions about health.
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Q: I’m actually pretty new to the gym and I was wondering how often do you recommend going to class?
First of all – welcome! This is of course going to vary person to person, but here’s how I like to put it:
If you’re new to exercise or you’ve been exercising but you’re new to CrossFit, I’d start with 2-3 times a week in the beginning to feel it out for your body. Optimally try to incorporate a rest day between each training session. If you’re feeling pretty sore between sessions, stick with this cadence until your body acclimates.
Eventually you can build up to 4-5 times a week, but I like to remind people that constantly varied fitness means constantly varied soreness. One particular workout might leave you feeling more sore than others, so you may need an extra rest day that week to recover.
I think it’s also important to note you should really only be pushing high intensity exercise 5+ days a week if you are also doing the following:
- Eating a well balanced diet of whole foods across all macro profiles (protein, fats, carbs, and vegetables); also eating ENOUGH
- Maintaining proper hydration
- Sleeping 7-8 hours per night
- Incorporating stretching / mobility work regularly (at a minimum as many days as you train, optimally daily)
- Incorporating active recovery on off days
Without adequate recovery, you can put too much stress on your body which puts you at risk for injury. So don’t skip out on the post-WOD stretch!
If you are attending class 5+ times per week, I wouldn’t go 100% effort every single day. Pick a day or two to move at a slower pace or lighter weight for more recovery work. As mentioned, unless your recovery protocols are up to par it’s going to be hard to maintain high intensity for multiple sessions without risk of burn out or injury.
I can’t stress this enough:
Listen to your body.
Let it guide you and don’t put too much pressure on yourself to show up even when you’re not feeling it.
Happy training!
Coach Diana Leigh is a Precision Nutrition certified coach who uses habit-based coaching to help her clients get stronger and feel amazing in their bodies without the restriction and overwhelm of dieting. For more helpful tips, follow her on Instagram @coachdianaleigh.
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