I often get asked how much training, CrossFit training in particular, that an individual should be doing. I, myself, have struggled with over- and under- training over the years. The answer, unfortunately, isn’t black and white. There isn’t a magic formula to determine how much you should be training and how hard. Trust me, I wish there was. What I can tell you is that it is a very individual thing and very dependent on your body’s ability to recover and what your personal goals are.
The goal is always (at least it should be) to train in a way that allows the athlete to recover properly and avoids injuries while still achieving their overall goals. There is a lot to all that.
First you need to know what you are working towards. Are you trying to lose weight? Are you trying to get stronger? Are you trying to lower your cholesterol and blood pressure? Are you training for a Tough Mudder? Are you getting ready to compete? Are you off-season cross-training for a sport? Your answer to that will matter for sure. If you are competing or have a deadline for something or an event date, that could mean you need to step up your training appropriately. If you are maintaining your current weight or trying to lose weight, that may mean a schedule that isn’t as intense.
Secondly, you need to take a good hard look at yourself and honestly assess how your body is recovering from the workouts you are doing. Nutrition, supplements and sleep all play a very big role in that. Your body isn’t getting stronger from wrecking yourself lifting heavy stuff in a WOD for 30 minutes, your body gets stronger at night while it is resting and repairing itself. You need to make sure you are working out hard enough so the body has stuff to repair, but also resting enough and giving it the nutrients it needs so that it can actually do the repairs. It is a very fine balance.
Very rough guidelines would suggest 3 times a week if you are maintaining what you have, 5 times a week if you are training for something specific with a deadline. CrossFit headquarters maintains a three days on, one day off schedule. Everywhere you look, rest days are important, at the very least one day a week, most places suggest two rest days a week, especially if you are giving your all to your workouts each day.
Bottom line is that frequency and intensity varies by individual. Your Coach should always be willing to sit down and talk to you about your goals, where you are at, what you are working towards, what you need to do to get there, how to scale the WODs, how much and when to recover and any nutritional and supplement advice to aid you in doing that.