Any cross-fitters??

13

Replies

  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    edited August 2017
    rybo wrote: »
    Xfitgrl7 wrote: »
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    I'm about a week into starting crossfit, and I'm liking it so far!

    One thing I have noticed though (coming from powerlifting/bodybuilding) is that certain movements aren't emphasized enough for most people to get very good at them.
    Our strength portion yesterday, for example, was bench press cluster sets - 3x1x3 @ 90%. Bench press is a movement I would typically train 1-2 times a week, whereas it might come up once a month in a WOD? I noticed many of the other women were not very good with bench press, I assume because they don't practice it often. I know benching isn't really a super important skill for crossfitters, but I think the same principle applies for most of the heavier lifts. (I know it will be hard for me to learn the Oly lifts when we only work on them sporadically.)
    I have no doubt I'll get in better shape and build strength, but I'm hoping to find a good balance between crossfit and some type of structured gym routine like I'm used to.

    Hence why crossfit gets a bad rep. That along with coaches can virtually buy their certification in the matter of hours.

    Many considered it random exercising instead of training because not enough frequency to improve strength optimally.

    I'm not downing crossfit, I think it's popularity has done wonders for the lifting community, I'm just pointing out some of the main flaws in general that raises eyebrows.

    I agree crossfit does get a bad rap because it's not designed for people to get "good" or "better" at lifting. It's constantly, varied, functional movements. Although I do question why I would EVER need to do a handstand pushup

    But as also mentioned upthread, some of the movements are pretty technical. To ask me to preform, say, snatch sets @ 90% and not work with me on getting "better" at snatches seems kind of... silly...?

    It is box dependant. If someone at my box is new and a heavy technical movement is programmed they will be told to just work on form and practice.
    Rybo is spot on. All boxes are not the same. Crossfit is planned and programmed but every box is not the same. If you are not getting proper coaching on lifts, I would look at other boxes.
    Strongly agreed.

    Many boxes take on the personality of their owners. For example, Badger Crossfit, the owner Tyler, has deep Olympic weightlifting background, so his box has that underlying focus. Crossfit West Allis (I'm going to their grand reopening this morning) the owner Kyle is a powerlifter, strongman and wrestler. CF West Allis has that underlying focus. And the box I currently Crossfit out of, Grid, the owner is an endurance athlete (i.e. Marathons) which is why I train there. Terri's programming is very endurance focus (lots of running and sprinting) which is 180 degrees opposite of powerlifting-- training for that 1RM.

    Anyone reading this, walking into a box or a gym for the first time, the most important muscle you can exercise is your jaw. In addition to how long they've been coaching, I always ask why my coaches what are their past fitness experiences before Crossfit? Also, be aggressively coached and demand as much feedback on the floor as you can get while training. Make your coaches earn their paycheck for the day. You'll get more out of every training session that way.
  • erikgoya
    erikgoya Posts: 77 Member
    To put it in the words of infinite elgintensity: zeroooo
  • redmama70
    redmama70 Posts: 23 Member
    jmweiner1 wrote: »
    Love love love Crossfit I am a 57 YO unathletic female. At times I do feel bad that I am literally the worst person in class. But then I don't give a

    I started almost 3 montgs ago...I am 47 and obese. I love crossfit! I have lost weight and inches. It is the mental part that I love and my box!

    I would love to add friends. I don't have a lotnpf time to check the boards.

    I have 2 goals by Memorial Day 2018...Snatch and Box Jump. I would love to say MURPH, but running is a challenge.
  • timsla
    timsla Posts: 174 Member
    Love the fact that crossfit is getting people into lifting, it's getting better as boxs start to bring in qualified lifting instructors good to see strength sports being more mainstream.

    Not a fan of boxs ran by idiots who look at injury as part of it and teach no form what so ever.
  • cbrealtor55
    cbrealtor55 Posts: 37 Member
    Great job Redmama70! Keep up the good work!
  • JnineGains
    JnineGains Posts: 136 Member
    johnny_19 wrote: »
    Going to my first crossfit class a week from Saturday. :o wish me luck!

    Thats awesome! Keep us posted
  • Cyliesmom
    Cyliesmom Posts: 35 Member
    I am 51 and have been doing crossfit for 4 months - i think i am addicted. I love the challenge of doing what seemed impossible on the first day.
  • amandakelly_
    amandakelly_ Posts: 4 Member
    I looooooove crossfit. My fiancés cousin opened a box about 5 years ago and I did not initially try to join, a decision I regret in hindsight. Last September she began a new six week program which was basically an introductory program to crossfit. She does also offer beginner classes and your fitness level is accessed and coaches work with you to determine the best weights/movements to start off, but the six week program was with the same group same times each week and came along with a meal planning guide and recipes. After the end of six weeks I was HOOKED and wanted to keep with it and see how much I could do.

    I cannot believe I didn't start it sooner and I will NEVER rejoin a regular gym ever again. It's kind of funny too when my friends or family members discover I even do crossfit because I'm so quiet about it, I know a big joke is 'how do you know if someone does crossfit? don't worry THEY WILL TELL YOU' and I have seen instagram accounts of other crossfitters where allllll they post is gym related stuff whereas I don't and I do enjoy the surprise when I tell people I do it !
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    I'm about a week into starting crossfit, and I'm liking it so far!

    One thing I have noticed though (coming from powerlifting/bodybuilding) is that certain movements aren't emphasized enough for most people to get very good at them.
    Our strength portion yesterday, for example, was bench press cluster sets - 3x1x3 @ 90%. Bench press is a movement I would typically train 1-2 times a week, whereas it might come up once a month in a WOD? I noticed many of the other women were not very good with bench press, I assume because they don't practice it often. I know benching isn't really a super important skill for crossfitters, but I think the same principle applies for most of the heavier lifts. (I know it will be hard for me to learn the Oly lifts when we only work on them sporadically.)
    I have no doubt I'll get in better shape and build strength, but I'm hoping to find a good balance between crossfit and some type of structured gym routine like I'm used to.

    Hence why crossfit gets a bad rep. That along with coaches can virtually buy their certification in the matter of hours.

    Many considered it random exercising instead of training because not enough frequency to improve strength optimally.

    I'm not downing crossfit, I think it's popularity has done wonders for the lifting community, I'm just pointing out some of the main flaws in general that raises eyebrows.

    Agree. It really isn't "training" per se.
    Training to me is planned and controlled, focus on form and progression. Doing a heavy bench once a month isn't training my bench, it's basically testing it and hoping the other random things I've done since then made it better.

    Will people gain some strength via regular resistance training and get in better cardiovascular shape? Sure. And if people are happy with that, good on them. But you can't train towards anything with no structure.
    There's a reason I'm a better bencher than all the women at my gym, and it's because I train my bench press.

    If the goal is not to get better at things, what is the goal exactly?
    Like I said I am enjoying it, but it seems like most of the workouts are more testing abilities and conditioning.

    I kind of think that is the point, though.
    No, you probably cannot be great at everything. But you can get a little better at everything. Yes, it will take you longer -- maybe much longer -- to get better at a bunch of different skills and strengths when you are trying to get better at all of them at once. But, what the heck? It is more fun.
    Plus, most Crossfitters who get serious about their lifting, and want more strength and better Olympic lifts, end up focusing on that, at least for a while. And, I think anyone would admit that the best Crossfitters actually do have pretty excellent form on their Olympic lifts. Nobody starts with excellent form. That is not a reason to not do it.
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,114 Member
    @Myles10987

    I used to add 12 calories per minute of the actual metcon, which most days came out to 240 (close to your 250). My FitBit now calculates my calorie burn for the entire hour and it is generally in the low 300 range, so I'd say your 250 is a good number.

    I have been doing CrossFit for two years. I'm 44 and it has vastly improved my strength and fitness level.
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,114 Member
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    I'm about a week into starting crossfit, and I'm liking it so far!

    One thing I have noticed though (coming from powerlifting/bodybuilding) is that certain movements aren't emphasized enough for most people to get very good at them.
    Our strength portion yesterday, for example, was bench press cluster sets - 3x1x3 @ 90%. Bench press is a movement I would typically train 1-2 times a week, whereas it might come up once a month in a WOD? I noticed many of the other women were not very good with bench press, I assume because they don't practice it often. I know benching isn't really a super important skill for crossfitters, but I think the same principle applies for most of the heavier lifts. (I know it will be hard for me to learn the Oly lifts when we only work on them sporadically.)
    I have no doubt I'll get in better shape and build strength, but I'm hoping to find a good balance between crossfit and some type of structured gym routine like I'm used to.

    Hence why crossfit gets a bad rep. That along with coaches can virtually buy their certification in the matter of hours.

    Many considered it random exercising instead of training because not enough frequency to improve strength optimally.

    I'm not downing crossfit, I think it's popularity has done wonders for the lifting community, I'm just pointing out some of the main flaws in general that raises eyebrows.

    Agree. It really isn't "training" per se.
    Training to me is planned and controlled, focus on form and progression. Doing a heavy bench once a month isn't training my bench, it's basically testing it and hoping the other random things I've done since then made it better.

    Will people gain some strength via regular resistance training and get in better cardiovascular shape? Sure. And if people are happy with that, good on them. But you can't train towards anything with no structure.
    There's a reason I'm a better bencher than all the women at my gym, and it's because I train my bench press.

    If the goal is not to get better at things, what is the goal exactly?
    Like I said I am enjoying it, but it seems like most of the workouts are more testing abilities and conditioning.

    The goal is to get better, obviously. Everything is measurable. The programming is not random. While the workouts are varied, it is not haphazard as you have made it out to be. We regularly work on back squats, deadlifts, bench press, etc. Being varied does not equal unstructured.

    FWIW
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    edited August 2017
    @not_a_runner

    We had bench press and bent over rows today. I might be cardio poor, but damn it felt nice to rep out super sets of barbell bench press and barbell rows for a change. (And actually saved me from doing the work tomorrow morning when I train deadlift.)
  • lhub2
    lhub2 Posts: 18 Member
    I started Crossfit about three months ago. I had been running and going to a regular gym for four years prior. I've seen more improvement in my strength and appearance since starting Crossfit than I've seen doing anything else. When I first started I was amazed at the people who had obviously been doing this a while. The women look like goddesses and the men look like superheros. I don't know if I'll ever get to that point but so far I like what's been happening to my body.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    edited August 2017
    I tried it years ago when I was starting out...not really my bag and it all just felt kind of random. I had fun with it for a couple of months and then I was just kind of meh...I thought I was going to get coached up more on Oly lifting which I have a passion for. In that regard, I've been much better off at a gym with a trainer who coaches all of his clients young and old in Olympic lifting...he also trains cyclists in various disciplines from BMX to mountain to road...so that was a win-win as well.

    It took me awhile to find him, but I also just had a lot of success running Starting Strength and then 5/3/1 and following established programs until I found my coach...

    Another issue I had at my box was that it seemed that the group pressure made some people work well beyond their fitness means and I saw quite a few injuries.
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    edited August 2017
    sllm1 wrote: »
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    I'm about a week into starting crossfit, and I'm liking it so far!

    One thing I have noticed though (coming from powerlifting/bodybuilding) is that certain movements aren't emphasized enough for most people to get very good at them.
    Our strength portion yesterday, for example, was bench press cluster sets - 3x1x3 @ 90%. Bench press is a movement I would typically train 1-2 times a week, whereas it might come up once a month in a WOD? I noticed many of the other women were not very good with bench press, I assume because they don't practice it often. I know benching isn't really a super important skill for crossfitters, but I think the same principle applies for most of the heavier lifts. (I know it will be hard for me to learn the Oly lifts when we only work on them sporadically.)
    I have no doubt I'll get in better shape and build strength, but I'm hoping to find a good balance between crossfit and some type of structured gym routine like I'm used to.

    Hence why crossfit gets a bad rep. That along with coaches can virtually buy their certification in the matter of hours.

    Many considered it random exercising instead of training because not enough frequency to improve strength optimally.

    I'm not downing crossfit, I think it's popularity has done wonders for the lifting community, I'm just pointing out some of the main flaws in general that raises eyebrows.

    Agree. It really isn't "training" per se.
    Training to me is planned and controlled, focus on form and progression. Doing a heavy bench once a month isn't training my bench, it's basically testing it and hoping the other random things I've done since then made it better.

    Will people gain some strength via regular resistance training and get in better cardiovascular shape? Sure. And if people are happy with that, good on them. But you can't train towards anything with no structure.
    There's a reason I'm a better bencher than all the women at my gym, and it's because I train my bench press.

    If the goal is not to get better at things, what is the goal exactly?
    Like I said I am enjoying it, but it seems like most of the workouts are more testing abilities and conditioning.

    The goal is to get better, obviously. Everything is measurable. The programming is not random. While the workouts are varied, it is not haphazard as you have made it out to be. We regularly work on back squats, deadlifts, bench press, etc. Being varied does not equal unstructured.

    FWIW

    Another poster made the comment that the goal is not "to get good/better at lifting". I was just questioning that logic.
    @not_a_runner

    We had bench press and bent over rows today. I might be cardio poor, but damn it felt nice to rep out super sets of barbell bench press and barbell rows for a change. (And actually saved me from doing the work tomorrow morning when I train deadlift.)

    The opposite seems to keep happening for me. I squat one day, we do 90-95% front squat for our WOD the next day, and I get screwed over because I'm already fatigued from the previous day. The volume from many of the metcons has been way too much for me as well.


    This is one reason why I struggle with the structure. I have no idea of knowing what we will be doing on any given day, until the day of. I'm not saying there is *no structure at all*. I just don't get to see the bigger picture I guess, as I am very accustomed to seeing when doing PL programs.
    I've always been told 70-80% is optimal for building strength, but the majority of the strength workouts I've seen/done are 90-95% for singles. I feel like I'm lacking the time spent in the 70-80% range where I can polish and progress. (Not just barbell movements... Chest to bar or handstand pushups for example, I feel like I need to be spending more time practicing rather than just what we do during metcons. I've been going at a snails pace for most of the movements I'm not familiar with in an attempt to actually do them correctly.)

    Oh, and they were trying to convince me to drop my deadlifts from the top the other day... HA. I will never, never do that. Sorry.

    Maybe I just don't get it or crossfit is not actually for me. I am really struggling to be able to do any training outside of a few classes per week.
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    edited August 2017
    sllm1 wrote: »
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    I'm about a week into starting crossfit, and I'm liking it so far!

    One thing I have noticed though (coming from powerlifting/bodybuilding) is that certain movements aren't emphasized enough for most people to get very good at them.
    Our strength portion yesterday, for example, was bench press cluster sets - 3x1x3 @ 90%. Bench press is a movement I would typically train 1-2 times a week, whereas it might come up once a month in a WOD? I noticed many of the other women were not very good with bench press, I assume because they don't practice it often. I know benching isn't really a super important skill for crossfitters, but I think the same principle applies for most of the heavier lifts. (I know it will be hard for me to learn the Oly lifts when we only work on them sporadically.)
    I have no doubt I'll get in better shape and build strength, but I'm hoping to find a good balance between crossfit and some type of structured gym routine like I'm used to.

    Hence why crossfit gets a bad rep. That along with coaches can virtually buy their certification in the matter of hours.

    Many considered it random exercising instead of training because not enough frequency to improve strength optimally.

    I'm not downing crossfit, I think it's popularity has done wonders for the lifting community, I'm just pointing out some of the main flaws in general that raises eyebrows.

    Agree. It really isn't "training" per se.
    Training to me is planned and controlled, focus on form and progression. Doing a heavy bench once a month isn't training my bench, it's basically testing it and hoping the other random things I've done since then made it better.

    Will people gain some strength via regular resistance training and get in better cardiovascular shape? Sure. And if people are happy with that, good on them. But you can't train towards anything with no structure.
    There's a reason I'm a better bencher than all the women at my gym, and it's because I train my bench press.

    If the goal is not to get better at things, what is the goal exactly?
    Like I said I am enjoying it, but it seems like most of the workouts are more testing abilities and conditioning.

    The goal is to get better, obviously. Everything is measurable. The programming is not random. While the workouts are varied, it is not haphazard as you have made it out to be. We regularly work on back squats, deadlifts, bench press, etc. Being varied does not equal unstructured.

    FWIW

    Another poster made the comment that the goal is not "to get good/better at lifting". I was just questioning that logic.
    @not_a_runner

    We had bench press and bent over rows today. I might be cardio poor, but damn it felt nice to rep out super sets of barbell bench press and barbell rows for a change. (And actually saved me from doing the work tomorrow morning when I train deadlift.)

    The opposite seems to keep happening for me. I squat one day, we do 90-95% front squat for our WOD the next day, and I get screwed over because I'm already fatigued from the previous day. The volume from many of the metcons has been way too much for me as well.


    This is one reason why I struggle with the structure. I have no idea of knowing what we will be doing on any given day, until the day of. I'm not saying there is *no structure at all*. I just don't get to see the bigger picture I guess, as I am very accustomed to seeing when doing PL programs.
    I've always been told 70-80% is optimal for building strength, but the majority of the strength workouts I've seen/done are 90-95% for singles. I feel like I'm lacking the time spent in the 70-80% range where I can polish and progress. (Not just barbell movements... Chest to bar or handstand pushups for example, I feel like I need to be spending more time practicing rather than just what we do during metcons. I've been going at a snails pace for most of the movements I'm not familiar with in an attempt to actually do them correctly.)

    Oh, and they were trying to convince me to drop my deadlifts from the top the other day... HA. I will never, never do that. Sorry.

    Maybe I just don't get it or crossfit is not actually for me. I am really struggling to be able to do any training outside of a few classes per week.

    This is where as experienced, platform, tested powerlifters, we need to go into Crossfit and tweak their programming and proscribed percentages in class when it doesn't make any practical sense. While CF et al are very good in training physical skills and developing general aptitude toward a host of barbell and gymnastics skills, and aerobic capacity (of course), actual periodized approach to "getting stronger" past newbie gains is severely lacking. It's not often for me to hear from my CF friends across the state in how they have plateaued in their lifts, which is why many of them will pay for an extra weightlifting class -- in addition to their weekly CF programming -- to break through these strength plateaus. Mark Rippetoe's original criticism of Crossfit still stands. Obviously, I don't think CF is completely without merit (since I train CF twice a week), as its methodology of doublets, triplets, etc is pretty sound. But as we know, there is no perfect program.

    Between the two boxes I train at, the owner/main programmer has an endurance background and doesn't really understand long term strength development. The other, trains her athletes the five lifts via 531 -- well sorta. When I questioned if they use Training Max (as the program proscribes) or True Max, they use true max. Her athletes plateau once again. Also, the infrequency of how much the five lifts are trained (in favor for movement variety) means much less volume and specificity in the main lifts (which they need to become stronger and practice technique) they are exposed too.

    What we need to do, as powerlifters, is put Crossfit in its proper training hierarchy and impose order upon it. If Crossfitters take additional classes to become stronger in the Olympic lifts, why should we totally abandon powerlifting? My goals in a class are different from your average CFer. I do the class as closely as possible in context of my long term training goals: destroy weakness, increase endurance, have fun, develop new physical skills in pursuit of becoming a healthier, stronger powerlifter.

    So yeah, do 70-80% (or lighter) -- no one will know.
  • Morgaen73
    Morgaen73 Posts: 2,818 Member
    Going for my first crossfit class as well tonight :)
  • johnny_19
    johnny_19 Posts: 32 Member
    Started Crossfit last Saturday...the people are super awesome and even though I'm exhausted, I'm loving the community. Hope to see progress...know it will take time... :)
  • MilesAddie
    MilesAddie Posts: 166 Member
    @johnny_19

    Congrats Man! So glad to hear it.

    As for results, if you're concerned about the scale, don't be discouraged. For the first 5 weeks I didn't lose more than about 3 or 4 pounds, but my clothes started to fit better. But around Week 6, the weight started falling off in chunks. I started in mid-May at 194 lbs. I weighed in yesterday at 168. And I am definitely eating!

    Every week I hit a goal that didn't involve a scale though. First handstand push-up. First unbroken Pull-up set in a WOD. PR, after PR, after PR. Keep focused on what you are getting accomplished and not what you aren't. Just get better everyday.

    Keep us posted!