Cross Fit - Worth it Yay or Nay?

RunningofftheEX

Thinking about changing up my routine and giving cross fit a try. Considering I only pay $15 per month for my gym membership $140 for cross fit is tough to swallow though it seems to be worth it. Like to see what other peoples thoughts are that have tried or are currently doing cross fit.

Sam_I_Am77

It all depends on what your goals are and what kind of exercise you enjoy. Here's my take on CF...

good: It's a great way to improve your all-around conditioning. You'll build a strong aerobic base and improve strength to a certain degree.

bad: Many compound lifts are conducted in an exhausted state and CF is considered to have a higher incidence of injuries, along with high-rep jumps and some other things that can be hard on your joints; these can be higher / lower depending on the box's coach.

shastasheeny

Hi there, I've never done CrossFit myself, but I recently herniated a disc in my back doing something else and just wanted to share what my back specialist told me. He mentioned that he sees people ALL the time coming in for similar issues after doing CrossFit, which is really hard on your discs. I feel like CF might be for people who are already quite strong and fit, and who have never had any issues with injuries. If you're going in at a pretty low-level of conditioning, your likelihood of injury will be much higher. I speak from experience not of doing CF per se, but I have messed up my back by jumping into "Boot Camps" and other high-impact fitness activities, and would hate for anyone else to experience this! I was not a really out of shape person before or anything (could run 3 miles no problem), but was just not strong enough to do this kind of stuff. Just food for thought! I know a lot of people love CF and have had great experiences with it.

jacksonpt

Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »

It all depends on what your goals are and what kind of exercise you enjoy. Here's my take on CF...

good: It's a great way to improve your all-around conditioning. You'll build a strong aerobic base and improve strength to a certain degree.

bad: Many compound lifts are conducted in an exhausted state and CF is considered to have a higher incidence of injuries, along with high-rep jumps and some other things that can be hard on your joints; these can be higher / lower depending on the box's coach.

Agreed, and well said.

Sam_I_Am77

amyekoehler wrote: »

Hi there, I've never done CrossFit myself, but I recently herniated a disc in my back doing something else and just wanted to share what my back specialist told me. He mentioned that he sees people ALL the time coming in for similar issues after doing CrossFit, which is really hard on your discs. I feel like CF might be for people who are already quite strong and fit, and who have never had any issues with injuries. If you're going in at a pretty low-level of conditioning, your likelihood of injury will be much higher. I speak from experience not of doing CF per se, but I have messed up my back by jumping into "Boot Camps" and other high-impact fitness activities, and would hate for anyone else to experience this! I was not a really out of shape person before or anything (could run 3 miles no problem), but was just not strong enough to do this kind of stuff. Just food for thought! I know a lot of people love CF and have had great experiences with it.

@ OP: If you think you want to try CF then by all means do it. But use Yelp, word of mouth, etc to research CF boxes in your area and to find one with a good coach, because the coach makes all the difference.

zaxx1953

If you are young/in really decent shape to begin with, don't want any size and love a "team" like environment (works well for ex athletes) than you will thrive in CF.

If not, there are usually much better choices cost-wise/time usage wise that may involve some of the concepts that CF uses, but without the rushed pace, high cost, high reps and lack of programming.

When I see videos of people doing 20 rep deadlifts for time, that just.....ya, that's a recipe for disaster bc NO ONE keeps form in that situation.

RunningofftheEX

Good information, thanks.

I have an old friend that runs one and the reviews are fantastic and I can't find a bad comment. It does seem to be more for the young even though I am not that old, 38. 3 knee surgeries though makes me apprehensive on being able to handle the rigors. They do free introductory sessions so may at least give that a try.

VegasFit

I would check Groupon, Living Social, etc. You can usually find Crossfit gyms on there so you can check it out without the long term commitment. I've tried CF at a few gyms in town and it's not my kind of workout but I have friends that love it. I do however go to a specialty gym that does compare in price to a CF gym and it is a sacrifice but to me it's worth it so pricewise that's a personal decision. I second checking out Yelp for reviews. I know at least here in Vegas there are CF gyms on every corner and I know just by word of mouth of friends that some are better than others.

I don't think it's for the young. The boxes I visited had varying ages and I have a girlfriend who is 52 and loves it and does better than most of the younger members. Good luck.

FullOnBurn

Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »

It all depends on what your goals are and what kind of exercise you enjoy. Here's my take on CF...

good: It's a great way to improve your all-around conditioning. You'll build a strong aerobic base and improve strength to a certain degree.

bad: Many compound lifts are conducted in an exhausted state and CF is considered to have a higher incidence of injuries, along with high-rep jumps and some other things that can be hard on your joints; these can be higher / lower depending on the box's coach.

Similarly when an activity takes on a "time" element to do things as fast as possible like in CF competition, it will be at the expense of proper form. Bad form leads to less than optimal training, less than optimal results and can lead to injuries.

3dogsrunning

FullOnBurn wrote: »

Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »

It all depends on what your goals are and what kind of exercise you enjoy. Here's my take on CF...

good: It's a great way to improve your all-around conditioning. You'll build a strong aerobic base and improve strength to a certain degree.

bad: Many compound lifts are conducted in an exhausted state and CF is considered to have a higher incidence of injuries, along with high-rep jumps and some other things that can be hard on your joints; these can be higher / lower depending on the box's coach.

Similarly when an activity takes on a "time" element to do things as fast as possible like in CF competition, it will be at the expense of proper form. Bad form leads to less than optimal training, less than optimal results and can lead to injuries.

A good CrossFit coach will stop anyone who's form is suffering. The coach at the one here repeats over and over again that we aren't "whiteboard heros" (the results are marked on a whiteboard). I've seen them make people take weight off the bar and correct for all the time.

OP -
It all depends on you. My husband wanted to try CrossFit. The only other activity he does is play hockey. He has had gym membership after gym membership, joined my swim club, tried running, bought a bike. None of it ever stuck. He'd go with me occasionally but never on his own. Then he found CrossFit. He was going 4 times or more a week on his own. It may be more expensive than a regular gym member ship but when you are only going once or twice a month, you really aren't saving money.
For me, it is worth every penny for him. I also enjoyed it and do want to go back but I have other goals at the moment and wouldn't be able to get there enough to make it worth the cost.