How to Do CrossFit Correctly
An honest guide from a CrossFit coach — for complete beginners, and anyone who's nervous about starting.
By
June 10, 2026
Let me be straight with you.
CrossFit looks intimidating. I get it. You see videos online of people throwing barbells around at speed, and you think — that's not for me.
But I've been coaching CrossFit in Malta for over nine years. And the people sitting at home thinking that? They're usually the ones who end up loving it most.
This guide is for you. Not for competitive athletes. For people who just want to move better, feel stronger, and not get hurt doing it.
This is the thing I want to address first, because it's the question most people are secretly asking.
CrossFit has a reputation for injuries. And like most reputations, it's partly true and mostly misunderstood. Yes, CrossFit done without proper coaching, without scaling, without listening to your body — can lead to injury. So can running. So can sitting at a desk for 10 hours a day.
At CrossFit Martell, we ask our members for feedback regularly. You know what they tell us?
"I feel better. I feel stronger. And I have no injuries."
That's from real people — kids we train, teenagers, people in their 20s and 30s, people who are 55 and 60 years old. Different ages, different starting points, same outcome.
We genuinely believe CrossFit works for everyone. Not because it's magic — but because when it's coached properly and scaled to the person in front of you, it's just really good training.
At Martell, CrossFit is not dangerous. We say it’s being the same that’s dangerous — staying sedentary, never challenging your body, never building strength as you age. That’s ther eal risk. We work with beginners every single day. And our job is to make sure the first step feels safe, supported, and worth coming back for.
It doesn't mean lifting the most weight. It doesn't mean finishing first. It doesn't mean doing the same thing as the person next to you.
Doing CrossFit correctly means three things:
• Moving safely — no unnecessary stress on your joints or back
• Moving at the right level for you — not too easy, not so hard you can't recover
• Moving consistently — showing up regularly over time
That's it. If you're doing those three things, you're doing CrossFit correctly.
Trying to keep up with everyone else.
Someone new walks in, sees people moving fast and lifting heavy, and tries to match it in week one. That's how you get hurt and how you burn out.
The people moving confidently in class? They were once exactly where you are. The only difference is time.
CrossFit is not a competition with the person next to you. It's a slow, steady competition with yourself.
Every exercise in CrossFit has a correct shape — a way of moving that's safe and effective for your body. Learning that shape, at low or zero weight, is your only job in the beginning.
Our coaches will never push you to lift more until your movement is ready. That's not being cautious — it's how you actually get stronger.
Every workout at CrossFit Martell has multiple versions. RX (full difficulty), Intermediate, Beginner, and Masters 55+. These aren't grades. They're just different doors into the same room.
Using a band for pull-ups? Doing the workout correctly. Lifting 30kg instead of 60kg? Doing the workout correctly. Scaling isn't modifying the workout — it is the workout.
Most beginners go out too hard in the first minute. CrossFit workouts are meant to be sustained — not a flat-out sprint from the first rep.
Simple test: if you can't say a short sentence while you're working, you're going too fast. Slow down. You'll get more out of it, and you'll be able to walk the next day.
There's a difference between muscles burning and something feeling wrong. Burning is fine — it means you're working. Pain in a joint, something sharp in your back, anything that doesn't feel right — stop, and tell your coach immediately.
Your coach is there to help you move well. Not to push you past your limits.
Three or four sessions a week is enough. More than that and your body can't recover properly — and recovery is where the progress happens.
Sleep. Eat. Rest. Come back. That's the programme.
No. That's not how it works.
CrossFit is how you get fit. You don't get fit first and then come to CrossFit.
We have members who started unable to do a single push-up. Members who had never been inside a gym. Members in their 60s who hadn't exercised in years. They're all still here. Stronger, more confident, moving better than they expected.
If you can walk through the door, we can work with you.
We've been running in Gżira, Malta for over nine years. We train kids, teenagers, people in their 20s and 30s, people in their 50s and 60s. Every class has four scaling tracks so that whatever your level, there's a version of the workout built for you.
Before you join regular classes, you can do our On-Ramp programme — a private 1-on-1 introduction where you learn the foundational movements at your own pace, with a coach, before you ever step into a group class. So your first class feels familiar, not frightening.
We have 650+ Google reviews. The word people use most is "welcoming." That's not an accident — it's the culture we've built on purpose, because we believe fitness should include everyone.
We ask for feedback because we want to know it's working. And when members tell us — across all ages, all backgrounds — "I feel better, I feel stronger, and I have no injuries" — that's the goal. That's what we're here for.
That’s how we think about every single class. Not just a session to get through — a chance to move a little better than last time. To learn something. To feel the difference between a rep done rushed and a rep done right.
We focus on technique more than anywhere else. That’s not an exaggeration — it’s what we’re known for. Because we want you to reach a point where you’re posting your workout videos online and feeling genuinely proud of how you move. Not just proud that you finished. Proud of the movement itself.
That’s what good coaching and good CrossFit look like. It’s not about pushing you harder. It’s about making you better. Every rep. Every session. Every time you walk through the door.
