COACHING

Traditional fitness wisdom once dictated that strength and endurance training should be separate to avoid the “interference effect,” where endurance work was believed to hinder strength gains and vice versa. CrossFit challenged this outdated approach by blending strength and conditioning within the same workouts, maximizing both in a way that traditional split routines cannot. While CrossFit incorporates pure endurance and heavy lifting days, its signature mixed-modality met-cons effectively bridge the gap, developing both aerobic and anaerobic capacity. This method yields superior fitness adaptations without excessive interference, preparing athletes for real-world demands where strength and endurance must coexist seamlessly.

If you get injured, your priority should be maintaining as much fitness as possible while allowing your body to heal. Instead of completely resting, adapting your training can help minimize fitness loss and prevent long-term setbacks. Strategies such as varying exercises, adjusting range of motion, and modifying tempo allow you to work around injuries safely. For more significant injuries, training surrounding muscles, focusing on cardiovascular fitness, and using contralateral training can support recovery. By staying active and making smart modifications in CrossFit classes, you can continue progressing your fitness without worsening your injury.

Starting your journey as a CrossFit coach is an exciting and transformative experience that requires preparation, openness to feedback, relationship-building, and self-care. By thoroughly preparing for classes, seeking constructive feedback, fostering a supportive community, and pacing yourself to avoid burnout, you can create impactful experiences for your athletes while building a sustainable and fulfilling coaching career.

Kai Rainey's health was in a downward spiral until she took control and traded her unhealthy lifestyle for a healthier one with CrossFit.

The CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course is the base requirement for anyone wishing to train others in CrossFit. But just as the air squat is the foundation — not the end point — of exceptional fitness, the Level 1 is only the beginning.

Being coachable is key to getting results.

On game day, there is no predicting what an athlete will face. CrossFit can help prepare for the unknown and unknowable.

For life-changing results, you need the kind of coach equipped to change lives. So, what makes a coach equipped?

Watch the recording of our newest webinar, when we took a deep dive into the CrossFit course, Coaching Fundamentals.

The CrossFit Training and Education team is excited to release Coaching Fundamentals, a new online course specifically geared toward coaches who are early in their career and eager to develop their skills and proficiency in the six criteria of effective training: teaching, seeing, correcting, group management, presence and attitude, and demonstration.