Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get started?
Go to our Getting Started Page and follow the directions for getting in touch with us for an Introduction.
Please DO NOT just show up to “see what CrossFit is about.” Our coaches will be focused on their class and will not be able to give you the attention you deserve. Follow the steps for Getting Started.
Can I just drop-in to a class?
No. We require everyone to get in touch with us prior to coming by the gym. We want you to get the most out of your experience with CrossFit Palo Alto. We offer more than just a workout because we are more than just a gym. Please DO NOT just show up to “see what CrossFit is about.” Our coaches will be focused on their class and will not be able to give you the attention you deserve. Follow the steps for Getting Started.
Is CrossFit For Me?
CrossFit is for anyone. Period.
The CrossFit program is designed for universal scalability, making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience or level.
We use the same routines for elderly individuals with heart disease as for elite level rugby players and ironman triathletes.
Even though the weights may be scaled, the intensity never will. Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive.
Combat, survival, sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist.
The needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree, not by kind. Our professional athletes, Special Forces, surfers, ultra marathon runners, computer programmers, mechanics, and housewives have found their best fitness from the same regimen.
CrossFit is right for you, CrossFit is right for everyone.
That doesn’t mean it is easy, in fact, it may be the most challenging workout you will ever come across. But, it may also be the most rewarding and provide the best results!
We will push you (and ourselves) for greater intensity, better technique, faster times, better form, heavier loads, and more reps.
Come with desire–you need to want the best fitness of your life. No matter what your age, weight, experience, or fitness level, the equation stays the same–max effort leads to max intensity, which leads to a fitness level that will astound you every day.
CrossFit changes lives.
Come on down and meet your community of people and let them tell you about the changes CrossFit has made in their lives. I am shocked by it daily. The comments I hear range from “I am 36 years old and I am in the best shape of my life” to “I can’t believe I can do pull-ups!”.
Come see for yourself!
How much does it cost?
You can find our pricing schedule by clicking HERE.
Excerpt From The CrossFit Journal with Coach Glassman, Founder of CrossFit
CFJ: What’s wrong with fitness training today?
Coach Glassman: The popular media, commercial gyms, and general public hold great interest in endurance performance. Triathletes and winners of the Tour de France are held as paradigms of fitness. Well, triathletes and their long distance ilk are specialists in the word of fitness and the forces of combat and nature do not favor the performance model they embrace. The sport of competitive cycling is full of amazing people doing amazing things, but they cannot do what we do. They are not prepared for the challenges that our athletes are. The bodybuilding model of isolation movements combined with insignificant metabolic conditioning similarly needs to be replaced with a strength and conditioning model that contains more complex functional movements with a potent systemic stimulus. Sound familiar? Seniors citizens and U.S. Marine Combatant Divers will most benefit from a program built entirely from functional movement.
CFJ: What about aerobic conditioning?
Coach Glassman: I know you’re messing with me – trying to get me going. Look, why is it that a 20 minute bout on the stationery bike at 165 heartbeats per minute is held by the public to be good cardiovascular work, whereas a mixed mode workout keeping athletes between 165-195 bpm for twenty minutes inspires the question, “what about aerobic Conditioning?” For the record, the aerobic conditioning developed by CrossFit is not only high-level, but more importantly, it is more useful than the aerobic conditioning that comes from regimens comprised entirely of monostructural elements like cycling, running, or rowing. Now that should start some fires! Put one of our guys in a gravel shoveling competition with a pro cyclist and our guy smokes the cyclist. Neither guy trains by shoveling gravel, why does the CrossFit guy dominate? Because CrossFit’s workouts better model high demand functional activities. Think about it – a circuit of wall ball, lunges and deadlift/highpull at max heart rate better matches more activities than does cycling at any heart rate.
What should I eat?
Crossfit Palo Alto believes that nutrition is essential for true health and fitness. Establishing a clean eating program is fundamental to achieving real results in the CrossFit program. This is true whether your goal is based in performance (sub 3 min “Fran”, BW press, kipping pull-ups) or overall health (fat loss, improved cholesterol readings, injury rehab).
This task may seem daunting, and make no mistake, it will take discipline and hard work, but CrossFit Palo Alto is dedicated to helping you every step of the way. We offer the following on your road to better nutrition: nutritional counseling where you are provided a personal plan for success, periodic seminars, potluck dinners and social events where you will gain education and insight, posted articles on such topics as intermittent fasting, insulin resistance, myths about fat, etc. as well as links to other information, resources and recipes.
Check out our Nutrition Page for more on what we offer to our members. You can also check out our facebook page for helpful hints, shared information, and answers to some common questions. There is a support network available to you each and every time you visit the gym or the website that is invaluable to your progress and meeting your personal goals.
