Crossfit, tried it and want to quit

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  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,404 Member
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    Go in with confidence. Your mind can make your body react in different ways. Go in with a superhero attitude.

    Be batman! Put "du-nu-nu-nu-nu-nu-nu --BATMAN" in your head and "BAM" "POW" the $@!# out of the "HOLY workout of the day"
  • theWODdoll
    theWODdoll Posts: 90 Member
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    I've been doing CrossFit for almost 4 years now and I've been a CF trainer for a year now. I remember when I first did CrossFit, I wanted to puke, and it was the hardest thing ever, but I liked the push and I wanted to go back to get better each day. I was always the last person to finish and I didn't care because all that mattered to me was that I finished. And not all CrossFit gyms are the same, if you don't like that box, try a different one. Good trainers make a good CrossFit gym. Bad trainers and egos from members give CrossFit a bad name. CrossFit isn't easy but it works in my opinion
  • theWODdoll
    theWODdoll Posts: 90 Member
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    And if you end up not liking it that's totally fine, my brother doesn't like CrossFit he likes doing his own thing at the gym. Just find something you enjoy!
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
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    I would stick the month out. At the end of your month, if you keep going, you will be closer to your goal. Stop
    Now and at the end of the month you'll be exactly where you are right now. If after a month you don't like it....try something else...but I promise each class it will get easier, and you'll look back at that first class and be proud of how far you've come.
  • NYactor1
    NYactor1 Posts: 9,642 Member
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    I did CF for a month...felt the same way you did. People who stick with it definitely get results as far as getting in shape. I wasn't a fan of the workout structure and the stress on doing things based on time/reps. Form seemed to not be much of a concern. It certainly is a way to get in shape, but it wasn't for me.
  • ClosetBayesian
    ClosetBayesian Posts: 836 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    If you have kids what would you tell them if they wanted to quit after one music/sport/art practice/lesson?

    Yes, absolutely, if they disliked it as much as the OP didn't like CrossFit, there's no way I'd make my kids do something they disliked that much.
  • VegasFit
    VegasFit Posts: 1,232 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    If you have kids what would you tell them if they wanted to quit after one music/sport/art practice/lesson?

    Yes, absolutely, if they disliked it as much as the OP didn't like CrossFit, there's no way I'd make my kids do something they disliked that much.

    Right! I don't understand that logic. OP isn't a kid so it's completely different. Like others have said there are just too many options out there to do something you don't like.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    VegasFit wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    If you have kids what would you tell them if they wanted to quit after one music/sport/art practice/lesson?

    Yes, absolutely, if they disliked it as much as the OP didn't like CrossFit, there's no way I'd make my kids do something they disliked that much.

    Right! I don't understand that logic. OP isn't a kid so it's completely different. Like others have said there are just too many options out there to do something you don't like.

    Agreed. It's not like you get extra "goody points" or something for sticking to something you don't like just for the hell of it.
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
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    Coming only from anecdotal experience, it is completely normal to feel sick for quite a while after a hard workout if you're not used to it.

    Also, of course your BP/Heartrate is up. The point of exercise is to place strain on the body to force it to react.
  • shor0814
    shor0814 Posts: 559 Member
    edited April 2016
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    I've never tried and have no particular opinion of CrossFit, but I laugh every time I see it. The WSJ had an article several months ago detailing CrossFit making for bad neighbors. This was my favorite thing I've ever seen in the WSJ: "Even when she went outside, she couldn’t find peace. 'I would go out back and read a book,' she said. 'It was Nickelback playing and guys screaming. It was my worst nightmare.'"

    Well that pretty much says it all and is all the reason she needs to quit.

    Love or hate Crossfit there is nothing quite like watching Crossfit's director of training hitching his deadlift for what seems like hours in an official video. Jump to about 4:40 in the video.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne5FGRvP5Is


    Admire the tenacity but damn just drop the bar and try another day.



  • punkrockgoth
    punkrockgoth Posts: 534 Member
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    If it makes you miserable and you hate it, then don't go again. There are tons of other exercise classes and facilities out there. Maybe one day you'll want to try again. Maybe not.

    If you're unsure, you can always try again a couple more times before deciding, but really, life is too short and there are far too many fitness options out there to feel stuck in something you hate.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    edited April 2016
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Alidecker wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    absolutely quit if you don't like it!!!

    Let's face it, part of experiencing long term success has to do with our ability to sustain the changes you've made to our lifestyle. If this style of workout is not for you, then MOVE ON and find one that does!

    Personally I do not like crossfit. I think it is not a good choice for beginners or even those who are in relatively good shape but lack a lifting background. Because crossfit uses the group environment to "encourage" others I often find that people are pushed beyond their physical capabilities, may injure themselves from overuse (rhabdo is rampant in crossfit), and people sacrifice form for time. Don't even get me started on all of the bad practices i've seen where coaches will watch and encourage their members to perform dangerous movements.

    Anyways, you need to feel comfortable, confident, and enjoy the environment if you're going to stick to it longterm. I'm not saying you can't grow to love something, i'm saying it's pretty obvious that atleast for now that the environment is not one in which you want to continue and grow in. Is there anything else you want to try? Like swimming, cycling, running, zumba, les mills, etc.? Do you want to continue to workout in a group? Do you want to workout alone? Keep in mind what works for you may not work for your husband.

    I've tried three different boxes in my area, and this tends to be my issue with CF given my experiences. The coaches also didn't really seem to recognize or care that some people were really working beyond their means...I would expect a good coach to have them back off a bit...some people just can't inherently do that on their own in that kind of environment I think. As someone else up thread noted, it's basically putting the ideology ahead of the client.

    That said, I do know people who enjoy CF and have been just fine...but it's certainly not my cup o' tea and I do think in many ways it can be more dangerous than a lot of other exercise modalities.

    I'm curious as to whether the OP attended a "ramp on" or if that was even offered by the box? At one of the boxes I attended, I attended a free class which was basically a "normal" class...I really had no business being there and in that class at that time given my level of fitness. At another box I did attend a 3 week ramp on which was a lot more tame and everyone in that class was brand new...but still, it wasn't my thing.

    That is a good question. If they don't do the ramp class or some sort of training for people new to the gym, they should. I did a three week ramp class and it taught me a lot. At a different box, I did a free class to try it. It was hard, but not Olympic moves. More things like squats and lunges, etc. The first part of class the coach looked at everyones form on squats and squat thrusts. If you liked that, they had you sign up for the ramp class.

    The ramp class definitely gave me a different perspective on CF and was definitely much more mellow than just diving in head first to a WOD.

    People should also take note that really CF is not just exercise, but a sport in and of itself...so on that note, one has to determine if they like participating in that sport or not. It should also be noted that purposeful training for a sport...any sport is going to be more intensive than just going and getting some exercise and is also going to come with a higher risk of injury and I question whether or not purposeful training for a sport, particularly one as intensive as CF is something that someone brand new to fitness should really be doing...IDK, maybe I'm overthinking that...maybe not...

    One interesting thing in my area is that recently the city has banned it's police and fire fighters from doing CF as there were too many off the job injuries taking place
    ...

    Do you have something official you can link to about this banning? This is the type of thing I usually hear rumors of but tends to be urban legend. I'm not calling you a liar; I just haven't seen this sort of thing happen so I'm curious as to how it's enforced.

    Does a civilian commanding officer even have the power to ban perfectly legal recreational activities? What part of the union agreement is this? Can they ban drinking on the weekend? Motorcycle riding? Ski vacations?
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    JoRocka wrote: »
    Azdak wrote: »
    There is absolutely nothing about CrossFit that is so special that anyone ever needs to do it again if they don't want to. You picked something without really understanding what it was and when you found out, you didn't like it. Unless, after you thought about it, you thought it might be worth giving it another chance, move on and try something else.

    Don't let anyone browbeat you about a "lack of commitment". You didn't make a "commitment". You tried something out of the blue and it didn't work. There are a million ways to exercise and probably 999,999 of them are more suitable for you right now than CrossFit.

    Yes, any new program will be challenging and uncomfortable at first, but, again, there are innumerable ways to start exercising at a level that is suited to your current ability and that won't leave you feeling beat up and discouraged. When starting a new program, it's important to build on success, and working out with some dope who insists you "complete the workout" and leaves you feeling sick and discouraged afterwards is just stupid.

    I would 100% disagree with the bolded part above. doing something HIGHLY technical like olympic lifting under the shroud of cross fit JUST ONCE- doesn't mean "you found out you didn't like it"- You can't possibly figure that out with something that technical right off the bat.

    It's rare someone actually doesn't like something at first blush- it's more an emotional knee jerk reaction to being uncomfortable at learning something new. We see the same thing at dance classes- people come for one- feel out of place and leave. It has nothing to do with the activity- it has EVERYTHING to do with the reaction of feeling uncomfortable and not knowing. Happens at the gym too.


    edit to say- I'm not even a huge cross fit fan- so please don't take this as CROSSFIT YAR GO GO GO GO.

    Under different circumstances, I would agree. I wasn't making a blanket statement about never facing adversity, but felt that this was not worth the effort.

    If this was a situation where someone was going to a club for the first time to start a general exercise program and felt out of sorts and uncomfortable, or if the OP had stated that she really wanted to do CF, or even if she really wanted to do this together with her husband, I would have a different answer.

    I'm not implying for a second that I thought you were doing this, but I think that sometimes in the fitness world, there is a tendency to throw out these empty slogans and turn these situations into mini morality plays when it's not warranted. I see too many people beat down and discouraged because they feel forced into doing things they don't want to do because people are telling them to gut it out, be tough, blah, blah, blah. In those situations I don't think there is any benefit to continuing to beat your head against the wall--it doesn't "build character", it just leaves you with a giant, f--cking headache.

    I understand the point you and others were trying to make about having to adapt to situations that are initially uncomfortable. This is just one of my little soapbox issues.

  • Btheodore138
    Btheodore138 Posts: 182 Member
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    When picking out an exercise class, think about what you enjoy. Do you like sports? Are you naturally competitive? Do you like the water? Dancing? For me, I love to dance so I picked Zumba. I'm about 30lbs overweight, but I had so much fun that first class even though I had no idea what the hell I was doing. I just made up moves that I didn't quite get the hang of right away, and stayed until the end. I felt tired but so good afterwards. I now go 4 days a week and look forward to it every time. You don't need fitness to lose weight. It should be something you do because it makes better your quality of life.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    If you have kids what would you tell them if they wanted to quit after one music/sport/art practice/lesson?

    Yes, absolutely, if they disliked it as much as the OP didn't like CrossFit, there's no way I'd make my kids do something they disliked that much.

    So your kid decides he/she want to take music lessons. You spend $1000 for an instrument. Kid goes to 30 minute lesson and says doesn't like it. Do you say that's fine you don't have to go and the parents eat the cost of the instrument? Or do you talk to the teacher, try to find out what the issue is, make modifications if needed and send the kid?

    OP needs to contact the box before class, explain the workout was way more challenging than they thought it would be. See if the instructor could give them some modifications or switch to another class.
  • kcerrillo
    kcerrillo Posts: 103 Member
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    It took me a good 4 days before getting into the rutine. It's very hardcore. I love it and hate when I have a rest day :) not for everyone.
  • kcerrillo
    kcerrillo Posts: 103 Member
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    Did they not less the hard moves down?? If not look for a different box.
  • pomegranatecloud
    pomegranatecloud Posts: 812 Member
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    Finish the month. You signed up for it, and it's not a long commitment. I'll be a good lesson in preservence.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    shor0814 wrote: »
    I've never tried and have no particular opinion of CrossFit, but I laugh every time I see it. The WSJ had an article several months ago detailing CrossFit making for bad neighbors. This was my favorite thing I've ever seen in the WSJ: "Even when she went outside, she couldn’t find peace. 'I would go out back and read a book,' she said. 'It was Nickelback playing and guys screaming. It was my worst nightmare.'"

    Well that pretty much says it all and is all the reason she needs to quit.

    Love or hate Crossfit there is nothing quite like watching Crossfit's director of training hitching his deadlift for what seems like hours in an official video. Jump to about 4:40 in the video.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne5FGRvP5Is


    Admire the tenacity but damn just drop the bar and try another day.



    jesus.H.christ.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Azdak wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    Azdak wrote: »
    There is absolutely nothing about CrossFit that is so special that anyone ever needs to do it again if they don't want to. You picked something without really understanding what it was and when you found out, you didn't like it. Unless, after you thought about it, you thought it might be worth giving it another chance, move on and try something else.

    Don't let anyone browbeat you about a "lack of commitment". You didn't make a "commitment". You tried something out of the blue and it didn't work. There are a million ways to exercise and probably 999,999 of them are more suitable for you right now than CrossFit.

    Yes, any new program will be challenging and uncomfortable at first, but, again, there are innumerable ways to start exercising at a level that is suited to your current ability and that won't leave you feeling beat up and discouraged. When starting a new program, it's important to build on success, and working out with some dope who insists you "complete the workout" and leaves you feeling sick and discouraged afterwards is just stupid.

    I would 100% disagree with the bolded part above. doing something HIGHLY technical like olympic lifting under the shroud of cross fit JUST ONCE- doesn't mean "you found out you didn't like it"- You can't possibly figure that out with something that technical right off the bat.

    It's rare someone actually doesn't like something at first blush- it's more an emotional knee jerk reaction to being uncomfortable at learning something new. We see the same thing at dance classes- people come for one- feel out of place and leave. It has nothing to do with the activity- it has EVERYTHING to do with the reaction of feeling uncomfortable and not knowing. Happens at the gym too.


    edit to say- I'm not even a huge cross fit fan- so please don't take this as CROSSFIT YAR GO GO GO GO.

    Under different circumstances, I would agree. I wasn't making a blanket statement about never facing adversity, but felt that this was not worth the effort.

    If this was a situation where someone was going to a club for the first time to start a general exercise program and felt out of sorts and uncomfortable, or if the OP had stated that she really wanted to do CF, or even if she really wanted to do this together with her husband, I would have a different answer.

    I'm not implying for a second that I thought you were doing this, but I think that sometimes in the fitness world, there is a tendency to throw out these empty slogans and turn these situations into mini morality plays when it's not warranted. I see too many people beat down and discouraged because they feel forced into doing things they don't want to do because people are telling them to gut it out, be tough, blah, blah, blah. In those situations I don't think there is any benefit to continuing to beat your head against the wall--it doesn't "build character", it just leaves you with a giant, f--cking headache.

    I understand the point you and others were trying to make about having to adapt to situations that are initially uncomfortable. This is just one of my little soapbox issues.

    I feel like it's worth giving a shot- it's only a month- learning you're own body and what's to much is important. And a little emotional discomfort shouldn't stop someone from giving something a try.

    I also personalyl think most CF boxes push to much sh*{t way to hard to fast- so it's quite possible it was a crappy box.

    But- I also personally think people quite to easily for no reason than personal discomfort- just giving up because you felt emotionally uncomfortable I don't think is the same thing as toughing it out or beating your head against the wall. If she was 1 month into it and said- meh this isn't for me- fine- go- go do something else.
    But really- doing one workout and saying "this isn't for me" isn't a someone who really tried something and disliked it- it was they were emotionally uncomfortable and in which case- yeah a little intestinal fortitude to keep trying isn't such a bad thing.