I don't like lifting, but love the results. Advice?

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  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
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    I never thought I'd be a crossfit person, but here I am joining a crossfit gym...

    At my gym, classes usually start with a strength portion. A frequent strength portion might me 3 "Cluster sets" of 3x1 @ 90% for a movement like squats, snatch, OHP, etc. (or 3x3 at 80%, basically something heavy, taking your time) which I think is really fun!
    Then the WOD includes things like lunges, muscle ups, pull ups, etc. Everything can be scaled to your abilities, while remaining challenging. Instead of muscle ups you might do assisted pull up and dips. For me, those are still going to be challenging.
    My coach recommended pacing according to the workout - not just going so hard you puke! (Ex- If you have to do 30 pull ups total, don't go to failure on your first set, do enough that you can recover quickly and continue.)
    A lot of the things they do I am not able to do yet, but we found the alternatives that are still going to challenge my strength and conditioning and allow me to work up to the RX workouts over time.

    I'm not sure if that ended up sounding as "fun" as I feel it is, but yeah. I think it's going to be a really interesting way to strength train!
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
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    I have to agree with the crossfitty-type recommendations...I have a 6-week program (4 days a week, but I just do 2, and then take a class a couple of times a week) drawn up for me by a "bootcamp" personal trainer, and it is a great mix of the basics (rows, squats, DLs, etc) and the obscure/entertaining (garhammer raises, swiss ball stuff, different planks, different plyometrics, etc.). On different days, I have a metabolic focus (higher reps at lower weights), lactic acid focus (slow lifts), density focus (AMRAPs) and strength focus (low reps at high weigh). It has kept me entertained, interested and engaged for a year and a half. It's not crossfit, but it has such a wide variety of workouts, that it feels similar.

    I am especially amused by things like DB windmills, DB snatches, medicine ball exercises, and anything else that seems like it would have been performed by a man with luxuriant moustaches in the old-timey days:

    http://www.artofmanliness.com/2016/04/06/oldtime-strongman-exercises/

    The drawback is that my lifts are not increasing like they would if I were doing Stronglifts or some such, but on the bright side, I am 44, and I have plenty of runway for progressing in the coming decades while looking pretty toned.

    I would also agree on the rock climbing and yoga as great complements, alternated with weighted exercises.
  • jaedwa1
    jaedwa1 Posts: 114 Member
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    I love crossfit because of all the ways it made other activities easier. It made me more aware of how to engage my muscles during day to day activities. I have no issues putting my carry on in the overhead bin...and usually end up helping a few other people. I was shoveling snow last winter and on one scoop felt a twinge in my back, realized my form was crap, and was able to reset and finish the job without injury. I love that awareness.

    But I do agree with everyone about choosing a reputable, effective box. My first box had amazing coaches and my results were awesome. My second box was substandard comparatively. A lot of the advice at the box conflicted with my experience and might have caused injury if I hadn't known better. I did some research and learned 99% of the coaches in the second box were only level 1 certified...so basically they were rookies who were learning along side me. It's okay if one or two are at that level, but it's bad to have a whole staff of newbies.
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,114 Member
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    I agree with the CrossFit recommendation.

    There's a strength portion of the workout which is ever-changing in lift, number of reps, pauses, etc.

    The workout is also ever-changing so it never gets boring - gymnastics/body weight movements combined with Olympic lifting and conditioning.

    It's addictive and there's always someone who can lift more or do more than you, and that's motivation (for me). :)
    It's also measurable and that's awesome.
  • tk2222
    tk2222 Posts: 199 Member
    edited August 2017
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    jennybearlv wrote: »
    I actually come from a gymnastics background and if I remember correctly was very muscular and strong without ever touching a weight. I've been messing around with some tumbling this summer when it's been too smoky and hot to go outside. After 25 years the muscle memory is still there, but the flexibility and strength to move my 200 pound self are not. Definitely something I should consider working on.

    This is my motivation. I love gymnastics and looking forward to getting back to some variation. I motivate my patchy weightlifing at the moment by reminding myself that it will give my tumbling and acrobatics a boost when I'm in a place (geographically, not just physically) where I can get back to it. There's so many varieties - circus, trapeze, silks, tumbling, pole, parkour, acroyoga - I figure I - and anyone - can find one that will work.

    Another option might be martial arts, which involves a lot of muscle building outside of weight lifting. I've done taekwando, boxing and krav maga at various points, and enjoyed all of them much more than draggin myself into the gym to lift weights.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    jennybearlv wrote: »
    MikeinNOLA wrote: »
    You need CrossFit in your life. Their are 14 gyms in the Reno area. Try a few out before deciding on one. Have fun, use your fitness.

    Wow. 14? We have a population of like 200000. I will check that out.
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Lifting is not my favorite thing to do, but getting into Olympic lifting was a game changer in that regard. Every session starts with my Olympic movements...after that, I do whatever else my trainer has for me...I'm already there, so I might as well.

    I also like that I have some days that are just my Olympic lifts followed by some pullups and dips and I'm pretty much in and out. I've recently gotten into rock climbing as well which is a great full body workout that combines strength, cardiovascular, and endurance...and it's hella fun!

    I've always thought Olympic lifts looked fun, but I'm afraid of breaking my floor. Maybe I need to look for a gym where I could learn the lifts.

    I keep seeing rock climbing and bouldering coming up. I live in the mountains so I'm sure that's a thing around here. I'm just not really sure how to get started.

    Thanks for all the responses. You are giving me a lot of ideas.

    My wife and I currently climb in a gym. We spent some time just getting comfortable and using auto belays and recently took the top rope belay class and got top rope certified so now we're using ropes and playing in the "big boy room"...next up will be lead climb.

    Our gym offers guided outdoor excursions as well for a price...I think from there, you just start getting to know people and where to go, etc. I'm going outside in October with a buddy of mine in Colorado Springs who is an avid climber...it will be my first outside.

    In RE to the Olympic lifting, I was fortunate to cross paths with my trainer a few years ago...not only does he teach the movements, they are a basic component of his programming for all of his clients from young to old. When I dabbled in crossfit years ago, they offered an Olympic lifting specific class...it didn't have all of the other typical crossfit WOD stuff, just the lifts.

    In regards to your floor, you'd need a solid base like a concrete slab and then an Olympic platform...these can be purchased and also made DIY pretty easily.

    Olympic lifting is all kinds of fun.
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
    edited August 2017
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    I just visited the Crossfit website and am feeling very skeptical now. WOD looked fine then there's this photo of a group running with weighted vests. WTF? Then I scroll down to some text telling me not to eat sugar. Oh hell no. Then it goes into some fun sounding strength activities, okay. Then it goes into cardio and gets weird from there. It's this the kind of woo I should expect from Crossfit or are some boxes more based in reality?
  • jaedwa1
    jaedwa1 Posts: 114 Member
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    jennybearlv wrote: »
    I just visited the Crossfit website and am feeling very skeptical now. WOD looked fine then there's this photo of a group running with weighted vests. WTF? Then I scroll down to some text telling me not to eat sugar. Oh hell no. Then it goes into some fun sounding strength activities, okay. Then it goes into cardio and gets weird from there. It's this the kind of woo I should expect from Crossfit or are some boxes more based in reality?

    This goes with what we were saying about trying different boxes. Mine offers nutrition classes as a separate option. I didn't sign up for that so I never have to listen about Paleo this or that. You'll never have to run in a weighted vest unless you choose to. My brother just started doing that to make his short runs more challenging (he is in SUPER great shape) but I do not see that ever happening for me. I will also never do Spartan races as I do not want to jump over things on fire. :smiley:
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
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    jennybearlv wrote: »
    I just visited the Crossfit website and am feeling very skeptical now. WOD looked fine then there's this photo of a group running with weighted vests. WTF? Then I scroll down to some text telling me not to eat sugar. Oh hell no. Then it goes into some fun sounding strength activities, okay. Then it goes into cardio and gets weird from there. It's this the kind of woo I should expect from Crossfit or are some boxes more based in reality?
    Like I mentioned, things will be scaled. Some WODS include weighted vests, but you always have the option to do something else. Any WOD at my gym is written out 3 ways - RX, "Gold", and "silver", and you can even pick and choose beyond that so you're doing a workout that fits your needs.

    There is some diet "woo" out there, but I've also seen Games athletes saying how carbs are great, and eating ice cream. During my intro classes my coach didn't say a word about diet, or try to kindly suggest that things would probably be easier if I were lighter. (He did mention that they "don't really 'drink the kool aid' here" though, if that counts.) They seem pretty down to earth, and like someone else mentioned, most people there are "training for life."
    Different boxes will vary. I think you can walk into any gym and find PTs that speak fluent woo, but there's also really great ones out there. Just a matter of finding a good one.
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,114 Member
    edited August 2017
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    My box doesn't really tell us what to eat, although when I had some recovery issues at the beginning they suggested eating more protein which helped.

    Weighted vests would be RX (for the most seasoned athletes), so I've never used one. All workouts are scalable. I have a morbidly obese friend who went with me for awhile and they were able to help her modify as well. That's just to say that it's all based on your own personal ability level, and my fitness level and strength have dramatically increased with CrossFit. Not to mention, my muscles look nice.

    Sherry
  • MikeinNOLA
    MikeinNOLA Posts: 91 Member
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    jennybearlv wrote: »
    I just visited the Crossfit website and am feeling very skeptical now. WOD looked fine then there's this photo of a group running with weighted vests. WTF? Then I scroll down to some text telling me not to eat sugar. Oh hell no. Then it goes into some fun sounding strength activities, okay. Then it goes into cardio and gets weird from there. It's this the kind of woo I should expect from Crossfit or are some boxes more based in reality?

    Go look at the affiliate map and find the three boxes closest to home or work. Look at their websites and FB pages.

  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
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    ^ Yes, I was also going to mention look at the websites of the actual gyms. Much less intimidating!

    The reason I'm so gung-ho is that I went in being SCARED. And then I saw the people who are going to be in my class (the only other girl is freaking JACKED!) and I got even more scared. But the way we went through everything made me feel really capable and excited. They laid out all the things that I CAN do, and then ways to make those more challenging. Most people at my gym aren't doing much (or any) of the RX stuff, but they make people feel good about what they can do. And for me, it's great as goals that I want to work toward.
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
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    I looked up stuff around me and dang Crossfit is expensive! The web pages did not look as totally goofy as the main site. I did stumble across a gym with crossfit, powerlifting, olympic and strongman stuff that looks totally awesome. Also, expensive. $80-150 a month, but they do allow drop ins including classes, so maybe I could check out different stuff on the cheap and see what I'm into.
  • lorbor93
    lorbor93 Posts: 39 Member
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    Crossfit is very fun, but very intense. Make sure to join a program with someone is is diligent about getting your form down before adding weights. No one should be rushing you to perform the RX if you can't even squat w/ a full range of motion.

    I hated lifting at first, but i don't do it because it felt good or because i "loved" it. I did it for the results. If i always did what "felt good" i'd never leave the couch.
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
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    jennybearlv wrote: »
    I looked up stuff around me and dang Crossfit is expensive! The web pages did not look as totally goofy as the main site. I did stumble across a gym with crossfit, powerlifting, olympic and strongman stuff that looks totally awesome. Also, expensive. $80-150 a month, but they do allow drop ins including classes, so maybe I could check out different stuff on the cheap and see what I'm into.

    For me it's $120/ month for unlimited classes and open gym. I thought that was kind of pricey too, compared to my previous gym. But I figure if you're getting good coaching, it is worth a little more to me. Taking multiple classes at my other gym or working with a PT would've cost way more.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    jennybearlv wrote: »
    The simplicity of Stronglifts was a plus for me, but I plateaued on all my lifts at fairly low weights. I would be open to something with all compounds I can get done in 90 minutes a week like SL.

    i transitioned to 3x5 after a year of sl, because trainer's format. and then when that topped out for me, he moved me onto wendler 5/3/1. it was actually rage that tipped the balance :D. i do love lifting, but those last few weeks of everything-always-being-a-struggle on 3x5 was on its way towards changing my mind.

    so you could try that, unless it's the actual lifting you hate.
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
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    girlinahat wrote: »
    Bouldering or climbing?

    My sister-in-law and brother-in-law do bouldering in AZ and go to a climbing gym. My SIL is ripped! She is 40 & 5' tall and looks like an Olympic swimmer or gymnast.
  • VeronicaA76
    VeronicaA76 Posts: 1,116 Member
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    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    Am I the only one who had Ronnie Coleman pop into their head, upon reading the OP?

    Everyone wants to be a bodybuilder, but no one wants to lift heavy *kitten* weights..

    Yep
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
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    VeronicaA76 wrote: »
    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    Am I the only one who had Ronnie Coleman pop into their head, upon reading the OP?

    Everyone wants to be a bodybuilder, but no one wants to lift heavy *kitten* weights..

    Yep

    I don't know who Ronnie Coleman is but that describes me well.
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
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    canadianlbs wrote: »
    jennybearlv wrote: »
    The simplicity of Stronglifts was a plus for me, but I plateaued on all my lifts at fairly low weights. I would be open to something with all compounds I can get done in 90 minutes a week like SL.

    i transitioned to 3x5 after a year of sl, because trainer's format. and then when that topped out for me, he moved me onto wendler 5/3/1. it was actually rage that tipped the balance :D. i do love lifting, but those last few weeks of everything-always-being-a-struggle on 3x5 was on its way towards changing my mind.

    so you could try that, unless it's the actual lifting you hate.

    I don't think I hate lifting. I do think I'm completely done with the high reps and eight exercises every time with Strong Curves. My butt does look great, but I think I actually lost some of my upper body muscle I was loving and I was pretty miserable and tired. I do think I was getting a little bored with Stronglifts, but doing the exact same thing for six months and not getting any stronger will do that.

    I am leaning towards body weight training, or maybe a combination, because I'm not sure I can make much improvement in lower without weights. I ordered some books to give me a better idea. The 3x5 or 5/3/1 may be a good approach to look at for the exercises I plan on sticking with. I really can't imagine a program without the basic compounds. I have really missed standard deadlifts.

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