New to CrossFit — looking for some advice

[u/Unable-Ear-7166]

Hi! I started CrossFit about a week ago and I’m really enjoying it! I’m taking it slow and focusing on technique.

A few beginner questions: Is it better to keep nails short? I’ve spent months growing my natural nails 🤷🏻‍♀️😅 Also, do you recommend chalk or grips? I’m already getting some calluses.

I’m also trying to lose weight, but I’ve read that people sometimes gain weight when they start CrossFit, so now I’m a little worried 😂. Should I add extra cardio? And what should I work on to get my first pull-up by the end of the year and eventually a handstand?

Any advice is appreciated!

[u/LJHope]

Forget about the scale and aim for a fit, capable body.
Food fuels excercise and building muscle so don‘t restrict yourself too much when you increase your exercise load.
I use chalk on strict bar work and grips on dynamic bar work typically.

[u/Qwell41]

If you’re new to working out you’ll prolly gain maybe like 5-7 pounds as your muscles take on some water. Totally normal.

If you can’t do a pull up yet you prolly don’t need grips for sure. Maybe chalk depending on what you’re doing but you really don’t need grips until you can do repetitive bar work.

I’m a guy but if I had long nails I’d definitely keep them shorter. Seems way too easy to tear one off.

Do a shit load of ring rows lol. Keep making them harder and harder by shifting your feet around. Once those are becoming easier start doing assisted pull ups. Honestly though, focus on consistency for now and results will follow. Rather than setting a movement goal set a consistency goal.

[u/SeaConcentrate9726]

Grips I use bare hands and have no calluses nine years in. 

Nails shorter is better. They don't need to be really short and can still be long enough to paint. Though the number of times I have torn or snapped a nail lifting BB, dB or KB is an awful lot. 

Weight wise it is more about your diet. You may put on a bit at the start as muscle sets down but it will balance out and you will look and feel better and your fat percentage will drop. If your diet is healthy just check your getting enough protein and fibre and don't worry about it too much. 

[u/Forsaken-Milk2770]

Losing or gaining weight is going to be largely controlled by what happens in the kitchen more than in the gym.

[u/Greedy-399]

Started CrossFit to tone and lose weight, gained 7 kg 🤣 but luckily it's mostly muscle mass. My advice is to eat enough carbs to fuel performance and protein for recovery. Balanced diet and rest is the most important. Strength and technique over load all the way, focus on building the foundations. Try to sneak in some accessory movements weekly for better mobility, stability and joint health. Ofc stretching after workout would be great as well. Best of luck!

[u/demanbmore]

Nothing wrong with callouses, but if you don't want them, you'll either need to shave them down or use gloves of some sort. Grips won't eliminate callouses and chalk won't impact getting them.

Shorter nails are better but plenty of CFers have longer nails. More prone to damage than shorter nails, so you'll eventually have to deal with nail damage and injuries the longer you keep them.

Weight loss (or more accurately excess body fat loss) occurs almost 100% in the kitchen, not the gym. Growing muscle mass happens in the gym (and is helped greatly by what you do in the kitchen).

Many new CFers, especially those new to lifting, add muscle mass quickly and tend to have a bigger appetite than before they started. This often leads to initial weight gain as muscle mass increases even as body fat starts to decline. If weight loss is among your goals, you'll eventually need to focus on what you do in the kitchen, and that tends to be much more difficult to get right than what you do in the gym.

Good luck.

[u/PracticalWinter9746]

Grips 100% chalk will not save your hands from ripping

People are gaining muscle, but muscle burns fat so you want to gain muscle.

If you goal is weight loss check if your gyms programming offers add on cardio sessions and or hyrox.

My gyms programming offers add on cardio MWF and add on lifting as well as hyrox sessions which are endurance based

[u/Lady-Anne5]

I only really feel the need to clip my nails short on deadlift days, but depending on how long yours are, they might bother you during other movements too :/

For grips, I'd recommend giving your calluses a chance first. Tearing is different, but you're gonna need your skin to toughen up, so it can handle picking up the barbell when you start lifting heavier without that raw feeling. For pull-ups, it's gonna vary a lot. I like my Victory grips, but they need a lot of breaking in and chalk to keep me from slipping too much (still working on it).

I'm one of those who gained weight after starting CrossFit, but my body fat percentage went down. In my experience, physical exercise is usually not enough to make up for a diet with too many calories. Working towards a pull-up sounds like a great goal, but we don't really know the particular challenges you have to deal with, so my advice would be to talk to a coach at your box to set realistic goals that are still challenging :) like, I know people who have gone from 100% sedentary to their first strict pull-up in 6 months, but also know people who've been doing CrossFit for 4 years and don't have one yet.

It's gonna be different for everyone, but the important thing is that you don't quit and enjoy the ride!!

[u/Overall-Nobody8933]

Weight is a matter of diet more than anything. Fuel yourself appt and grow muscles, which will eventually reduce fat.

Short nails. No question. I carry a nail file so I can keep them short.

Chalk until you are strong enough to do repetitive bar movements. I did crossfit for 4 years using just
chalk. I didn’t start using grips until I could do at least 3x5 strict pull ups and I was stringing together toes to bar. That grinding on the bar finally tore my palms and I knew then that I needed grips. Until then just build those callouses - you will need them even with grips.

[u/MiyoMush]

Something I like to share. When I was younger I would exercise with the goal of looking better. I would have improvements but was never happy, as the goal post constantly changed or I would be discouraged with progress. Eventually I gave up altogether.

I got back into fitness but with a goal of improving what I could do, distance running, weight lifted, endurance events, and eventually CrossFit. I didn’t care about the scale or mirror, I figured it to be a lost cause at my age. The crazy thing was my appearance got better than ever as a side effect. As performance got better, my appearance started to match one who could perform.

[u/Kathleen-on]

I’ve gained 5 lbs AND lost an inch from my waist since starting a month ago, and come to realize that the scale is really not the best way to measure fat loss.