Our most frequently asked questions...
Do I Need Previous Experience?
Absolutely not. Our introductory session is designed to bring everyone up to speed quickly so you can hit the ground running when you begin your classes.
Everybody comes to the table from different backgrounds and with different abilities. We make sure all of our movements can be adjusted to you accordingly, and we’ll start you at the appropriate level. As your strength, range of motion and skill quickly improve, we’ll move you up through the progressions.
The scalable nature of Crossfit, coupled with our small group personal training model allows us to give everyone “the same workout”, yet tailor it to your needs, allowing you to get the absolute best training possible.
Do I Need To Be Fit To Begin With?
Not at all. As mentioned previously, everybody comes to the table with different abilities, different backgrounds and with different body shapes. This huge variety of people creates an amazingly supportive and friendly community. Remember, every single athlete started from zero sometime, somewhere...
It’s time to feel comfortable with where you are and the body you are in… This is your start point. Everyone has a different start point, but those who make the changes they want to see are the ones who actually start and follow through on their health and fitness journey.
Why wait? The time is going to pass by anyway... No one has ever said “man, I’m really glad I waited 3 months before starting…”
How Are You So Damn Attractive?
Oh, stop...
Stop it, you...
What’s Your Demographic?
Something we touched on earlier… A huge variety of people; men and women ranging from 19 to 65, all with different abilities, backgrounds and body shapes… And every single one is a bloody nice person…
Where Do I Find You?
You can find us on the SM Tidy Industrial Estate on Ditchling Common.
Our gym is 1.9 miles from Burgess Hill Station.
5.2 miles from Sainsbury’s in Haywards Heath.
And 7.8 miles from The Black Lion Pub, Patcham.
Our address is:
Unit Y, SM Tidy Industrial Estate,
Folder's Lane East,
Ditchling Common,
Hassocks,
BN6 8SG
Is There Parking Available?
Yes - we have a car park right outside the gym that’s free to use. Just a heads up, though, some of our guys like to park diagonally...
Can I Train CrossFit Alongside My Other Sport?
Of course you can. While Crossfit is a sport in its own right, you can also think of it as a supplementary strength and conditioning program for your main sport - something you can use to help strengthen and bulletproof your body, serving to increase your sporting success.
"Already in training and a seasoned competitor in triathlon, I was introduced to Crossfit Blackbrook in January 2015… Their skills & knowledge in performance and programming filters through all aspects of my training now, from my diet to mobility, from work to rest.” - Diane Braid, 54 - Sports Massage Practitioner, Biomechanics Coach & Personal Trainer
"I recently joined Crossfit Blackbrook to help supplement my parkour training and I'm pleased to say I'm already feeling the benefits. Parkour can be tough on the whole body and over the years I have suffered from repetitive strain injuries from lack of strength around certain joints. At Blackbrook I am strengthening up my body to be prepared for the impacts and working on my explosive power to improve my performance. Neil and Julie have been amazing at working with me to achieve these, their knowledge, patience and enthusiasm is endless." - Fizz Hood, 32 - Parkour Instructor
What Makes CrossFit Blackbrook Different?
There are new gyms emerging seemingly every week, and health and fitness trends continue to rise and fall like the tide…
Squatting, running, pushing, pulling, climbing, twisting, carrying - these aren’t trends, these are human patterns - the very things you evolved to do… Vibration plate bicep curls just do not compare to CrossFit in terms of results or functionality - that is, using what you’ve learned and developed inside the gym in your day to day life... And bless you, but random bootcamp circuits simply do not stack up when compared to a tried and true, research backed strength and conditioning program... Just get off the damn vibration plates you perverts!
But what makes Blackbrook different from other CrossFit gyms?
There’s a lot to list, so here are a couple of the biggies:
- We operate in an individualised, very personal small group setting. Large group sessions frequently seen in other CrossFit gyms typically mean less attention to their member's needs... It’s very hard for one coach to monitor 25 people… And if you train on your own in a regular gym you won't get coached at all unless you’re forking out £40+ per hour for a personal trainer…
- We are leading the way when it comes to mobility & flexibility: yoga is great, but flexibility must be coupled with strength… There are two main types of flexibility - passive range of motion (think stretching), and range of motion under tension. If you’re someone who actually intends to use their flexibility in a functional manner (think of actually picking something up once you have bent over...) then you want range of motion under tension…
- CrossFit is almost all conducted in the sagittal plane (up and down). The lack of work in the frontal plane has lead many CrossFitters and high intensity trainers towards shoulder problems... Incorporating work in all planes of movement makes for a bulletproof athlete.
- There are 3 types of muscle contraction; CrossFit only really makes use of 1… To stay healthy, the primary function of a muscle must be trained, or at the very least considered…
- I could go on about the different types of grip, the energy systems, lack of unilateral work etc, but my nerd-talk, no matter how enthusiastic or passionate, would put you in a coma… Just know we are cutting edge, and if you do want to know more, either shoot us a message or check out our blogs...
Do You Provide Nutrition Advice?
Yes we do. We’ve broken the complex subject of nutrition down and made it clear and easy. You can be fantastically healthy and in ridiculously good shape without being a boring ****... It's true... We have designed an nutrition process that is relaxed, flexible, healthy and easy to implement, and specifically designed to instill long-lasting, sound nutritional habits. No weighing and measuring broccoli, no denying yourself wine, and no crying at night because you can't eat anything fun...
How Long Will It Take Me To Get Good At CrossFit?
That is a bit like asking how long is it going to take to get good at playing the harp... The answer is of course: it depends. How 'good' is the ‘good’ you are after? What talents and deficits are being revealed? How dedicated are you? These are just a few of the factors which influence the projected timeline.
Rather than focusing on the end of your journey, first you must start the process, enjoy it, and then be consistent and focused in your current training. By approaching it in this manner, the 'end' will take care of itself. You are where you are, and it will take what it takes...
Worry about your consistency and focus. Don’t worry about time.
Absolutely not. Our introductory session is designed to bring everyone up to speed quickly so you can hit the ground running when you begin your classes.
Everybody comes to the table from different backgrounds and with different abilities. We make sure all of our movements can be adjusted to you accordingly, and we’ll start you at the appropriate level. As your strength, range of motion and skill quickly improve, we’ll move you up through the progressions.
The scalable nature of Crossfit, coupled with our small group personal training model allows us to give everyone “the same workout”, yet tailor it to your needs, allowing you to get the absolute best training possible.
Do I Need To Be Fit To Begin With?
Not at all. As mentioned previously, everybody comes to the table with different abilities, different backgrounds and with different body shapes. This huge variety of people creates an amazingly supportive and friendly community. Remember, every single athlete started from zero sometime, somewhere...
It’s time to feel comfortable with where you are and the body you are in… This is your start point. Everyone has a different start point, but those who make the changes they want to see are the ones who actually start and follow through on their health and fitness journey.
Why wait? The time is going to pass by anyway... No one has ever said “man, I’m really glad I waited 3 months before starting…”
How Are You So Damn Attractive?
Oh, stop...
Stop it, you...
What’s Your Demographic?
Something we touched on earlier… A huge variety of people; men and women ranging from 19 to 65, all with different abilities, backgrounds and body shapes… And every single one is a bloody nice person…
Where Do I Find You?
You can find us on the SM Tidy Industrial Estate on Ditchling Common.
Our gym is 1.9 miles from Burgess Hill Station.
5.2 miles from Sainsbury’s in Haywards Heath.
And 7.8 miles from The Black Lion Pub, Patcham.
Our address is:
Unit Y, SM Tidy Industrial Estate,
Folder's Lane East,
Ditchling Common,
Hassocks,
BN6 8SG
Is There Parking Available?
Yes - we have a car park right outside the gym that’s free to use. Just a heads up, though, some of our guys like to park diagonally...
Can I Train CrossFit Alongside My Other Sport?
Of course you can. While Crossfit is a sport in its own right, you can also think of it as a supplementary strength and conditioning program for your main sport - something you can use to help strengthen and bulletproof your body, serving to increase your sporting success.
"Already in training and a seasoned competitor in triathlon, I was introduced to Crossfit Blackbrook in January 2015… Their skills & knowledge in performance and programming filters through all aspects of my training now, from my diet to mobility, from work to rest.” - Diane Braid, 54 - Sports Massage Practitioner, Biomechanics Coach & Personal Trainer
"I recently joined Crossfit Blackbrook to help supplement my parkour training and I'm pleased to say I'm already feeling the benefits. Parkour can be tough on the whole body and over the years I have suffered from repetitive strain injuries from lack of strength around certain joints. At Blackbrook I am strengthening up my body to be prepared for the impacts and working on my explosive power to improve my performance. Neil and Julie have been amazing at working with me to achieve these, their knowledge, patience and enthusiasm is endless." - Fizz Hood, 32 - Parkour Instructor
What Makes CrossFit Blackbrook Different?
There are new gyms emerging seemingly every week, and health and fitness trends continue to rise and fall like the tide…
Squatting, running, pushing, pulling, climbing, twisting, carrying - these aren’t trends, these are human patterns - the very things you evolved to do… Vibration plate bicep curls just do not compare to CrossFit in terms of results or functionality - that is, using what you’ve learned and developed inside the gym in your day to day life... And bless you, but random bootcamp circuits simply do not stack up when compared to a tried and true, research backed strength and conditioning program... Just get off the damn vibration plates you perverts!
But what makes Blackbrook different from other CrossFit gyms?
There’s a lot to list, so here are a couple of the biggies:
- We operate in an individualised, very personal small group setting. Large group sessions frequently seen in other CrossFit gyms typically mean less attention to their member's needs... It’s very hard for one coach to monitor 25 people… And if you train on your own in a regular gym you won't get coached at all unless you’re forking out £40+ per hour for a personal trainer…
- We are leading the way when it comes to mobility & flexibility: yoga is great, but flexibility must be coupled with strength… There are two main types of flexibility - passive range of motion (think stretching), and range of motion under tension. If you’re someone who actually intends to use their flexibility in a functional manner (think of actually picking something up once you have bent over...) then you want range of motion under tension…
- CrossFit is almost all conducted in the sagittal plane (up and down). The lack of work in the frontal plane has lead many CrossFitters and high intensity trainers towards shoulder problems... Incorporating work in all planes of movement makes for a bulletproof athlete.
- There are 3 types of muscle contraction; CrossFit only really makes use of 1… To stay healthy, the primary function of a muscle must be trained, or at the very least considered…
- I could go on about the different types of grip, the energy systems, lack of unilateral work etc, but my nerd-talk, no matter how enthusiastic or passionate, would put you in a coma… Just know we are cutting edge, and if you do want to know more, either shoot us a message or check out our blogs...
Do You Provide Nutrition Advice?
Yes we do. We’ve broken the complex subject of nutrition down and made it clear and easy. You can be fantastically healthy and in ridiculously good shape without being a boring ****... It's true... We have designed an nutrition process that is relaxed, flexible, healthy and easy to implement, and specifically designed to instill long-lasting, sound nutritional habits. No weighing and measuring broccoli, no denying yourself wine, and no crying at night because you can't eat anything fun...
How Long Will It Take Me To Get Good At CrossFit?
That is a bit like asking how long is it going to take to get good at playing the harp... The answer is of course: it depends. How 'good' is the ‘good’ you are after? What talents and deficits are being revealed? How dedicated are you? These are just a few of the factors which influence the projected timeline.
Rather than focusing on the end of your journey, first you must start the process, enjoy it, and then be consistent and focused in your current training. By approaching it in this manner, the 'end' will take care of itself. You are where you are, and it will take what it takes...
Worry about your consistency and focus. Don’t worry about time.
