Am I Too Old for Crossfit? – My Top 10 Tips to Get Started

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With the recent articles, I have been reading about people being too old for Crossfit, or that people who are older than 45 should not do it at all, I have been wondering to myself ‘am I too old for CrossFit?‘

I know this is something that has crossed my mind as I am 48 years young this year and just signed up for a Crossfit gym that recently opened in my area.

I have been thinking about doing it for the past year, I am fit, I train regularly, but every time I tell friends or family about my plan to start Crossfit, they laugh or mock me and say I’m too old to start doing CrossFit. Let me assure you, I’m not crazy, I’m just an adventurous and defiant soul. The mocking just makes me want to try it AND excel at it even more!

This CrossFit gym is amazing looking and has great equipment, which encouraged me, even more, to join because my current gym isn’t the best, plus I was growing bored of the place and I felt it was time for a change. I will tell you more about my current gym in a future article, but for now, let’s focus on my age and the question of ‘am I too old for Crossfit?‘.

My friend told me last night and I quote “you should not do CrossFit because of your age”, he told me that I could get hurt or injure myself.

He said there are plenty other things I can do to stay in shape without doing CrossFit, and he’s right, there are, I currently do heavy weight training and go trail running twice a week. But my friends’ words didn’t silence the curiosity within me to try something new, even if it did carry a bigger risk of injury for somebody my age.

Table of Contents

• Am I too old for Crossfit? – My Advice to you
• 1. Don’t Compare Yourself to People That Are Younger Than You.
• 2. Proceed With Caution
• 3. Don’t Jump into Things Too Quickly
• 4. Getting Hurt Is Part of the Game
• 5. It’s Going to Take a Lot of Time – Enjoy the Process
• 6. Sacrifice
• 7. It’s Never Too Late to Start Getting in Shape
• 8. Watch Your Diet
• 9. Ask for Help
• 10. Listen to Your Body
• Conclusion – Am I Too Old For Crossfit.

Am I too old for Crossfit? – My Advice to you

So I have come up with some points that you should think about if you are older and considering starting CrossFit.

Remember this is only my opinion, I’m not a doctor or anything close to being one.

Take everything I say with an open mind because I am not trying to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do, but rather give you information and insight as to where I am.

1. Don’t Compare Yourself to People That Are Younger Than You.

This is something that I’ve been doing for as long as I can remember and it doesn’t always end well. It’s hard to stop, but I’m going to tell you this, comparing yourself to other people will only hinder you. Remember, the only person you need to compare yourself or compete with is you and no one else.

2. Proceed With Caution

I know that sounds like a cliche thing to say but it’s how I’m feeling right now. I have seen plenty of people injure themselves at the gym because they do things without thinking it through.

Crossfit is not just about having the strength and moving weights a little more quickly but using your brain as well. If you don’t use your brain and lapse in focus, you could injure yourself.

For example, some people use a weight bench to load up a bar with heavy weights without using a spotter. That’s just being careless and it scares me that I might get hurt doing something simple like that.

3. Don’t Jump into Things Too Quickly

I don’t want to go from 0-60 in a matter of seconds. I want to take my time and make sure that I’m doing everything right before pushing myself too hard. Focus on technique, if you have to use a bar with no weights until you get the form correct then so be it.

4. Getting Hurt Is Part of the Game

You are going to get hurt, it’s just a fact of life. You can’t prevent injuries but you can be prepared for them when they happen.

5. It’s Going to Take a Lot of Time – Enjoy the Process

I know that it’s going to take up a huge part of my life before I get good at this, but that doesn’t bother me at all. Overall I know I’m going to be happy with the results and how much effort I put into CrossFit compared to other things I might do.

6. Sacrifice

Starting out can be hard especially if you have a busy schedule. In my experience, there is always something you can sacrifice in your life to make room for other things, but don’t make the mistake of sacrificing too much and regretting it later on down the road. I personally sacrificed staying up later in the night watching Netflix in order to wake up earlier to train in the mornings.

7. It’s Never Too Late to Start Getting in Shape

This is one benefit that I like about CrossFit; I’m not too old to start. Life isn’t the same for all of us at all, but whatever your story, if you make the time, you can start something new today. Just go slowly as I did. I actually met a guy in this new gym who was actually older than me who has been doing CrossFit for two years. It’s never too late to start.

8. Watch Your Diet

This includes taking care of your body by eating healthier, which is what I’m trying to do now. Crossfit has spiked my appetite quite dramatically because of the cardio aspect in the workouts. So I find I am much hungrier now than I have ever been, but the temptation to eat junk food is still there (there’s a fast food place right across the road from the gym) and I have to remain strong.

My cheat day is Saturday, and I’m strict with it too. Just don’t offer me any salad on my cheat day, because I’m just not interested!

9. Ask for Help

Most people have gone to a few Crossfit sessions, and then decided that they can figure out every progression themselves. However, I think its a lot better if you ask the people that are actually doing good at it to help you since they know what they’re doing, and also, you might make a new buddy.

10. Listen to Your Body

One of the most important things I need to remember is not to overdo it; listen to your body and don’t push yourself too far.

Push yourself to strong discomfort, but don’t push yourself to pain!

Conclusion – Am I Too Old For Crossfit.

Hopefully one of these tips in my list can be useful to you if you are wondering ‘am I too old for Crossfit?’. The most important thing is just to bite the bullet and get started.

The truth is, whether you should or shouldn’t do Crossfit (or any other new exercise program for that matter) is a very personal decision that only you can make.

Don’t let your age be a barrier or excuse to why you shouldn’t be trying it out.

If you’re up for the challenge and willing to put in the effort, do it! Just like I did. Happy Crossfitting!