Crossfit yes or no
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Most crossfit gyms are in rectangular warehouse like buildings so that's probably why they call it a "box".1
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I've actually never heard anyone refer to my gym as a "box," including the owners and trainers.0
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Ok,so i just got done. It was what they call “partner” Saturday. We were all coupled. It literally kicked my *kitten*. A very intense hour. I’m not used to the intensity and so much cardio. Give me a bench, a squat rack and we can do it all day but this? Wow! It was a small class, about 10 people, trainer seemed prepared. Everyone cheering each other. It was kind of cool. They asked me if i will go back, I answered probably so. I liked it. I feel very good now.8
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I tried it years ago...my biggest thing I think was that it all seemed very random. I'm a former competitive athlete in a few different sports and my training has always been pretty specific and the randomness of cross fit was a bit off putting to me. It was an intense workout, but it just seemed like I was doing whatever just to be doing whatever.
I also started Oly Lifting in high school so was interested in getting back into that, but I've never heard of doing Oly lifts for reps which I thought was pretty silly given that the movements are so technical. I also didn't like working on a schedule...I like to go to the gym when I so desire.
I did it for about a month and decided it wasn't my bag.3 -
For those who say " it only takes a weekend course to get certified"...you realize,that that's
pretty much par for most trainer certifications?
Some don't even require in person education, just studying for a test. I also assume you folks only use trainers with a 4 year degree in exercise science?
I am aware that any legitimate certification ultimately only requires the passing of a certification exam. However, the amount of experience and training you would get during a four year degree or even more gives them way more qualification as a trainer. You simply know more. I have my bachelors degree in exercise science and I can just see the flaws everywhere.1 -
Ok,so i just got done. It was what they call “partner” Saturday. We were all coupled. It literally kicked my *kitten*. A very intense hour. I’m not used to the intensity and so much cardio. Give me a bench, a squat rack and we can do it all day but this? Wow! It was a small class, about 10 people, trainer seemed prepared. Everyone cheering each other. It was kind of cool. They asked me if i will go back, I answered probably so. I liked it. I feel very good now.
Glad to hear you liked it! I prefer days that are more lifting-focused, but the cardio there kicks my butt unlike anything else, including distance running.0 -
Davidsdottir wrote: »Ok,so i just got done. It was what they call “partner” Saturday. We were all coupled. It literally kicked my *kitten*. A very intense hour. I’m not used to the intensity and so much cardio. Give me a bench, a squat rack and we can do it all day but this? Wow! It was a small class, about 10 people, trainer seemed prepared. Everyone cheering each other. It was kind of cool. They asked me if i will go back, I answered probably so. I liked it. I feel very good now.
Glad to hear you liked it! I prefer days that are more lifting-focused, but the cardio there kicks my butt unlike anything else, including distance running.
Really did. We had front squats clean and jerks and deadlifts but doing all with no pause killed me. And those burpees in between all the sets!!!! Hare them lol
Then we had the running at the beginning as warm up. It kicked my butt but i feel accomplished.
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Im new here but I thought I would give you my 2 cents. I started CF in the middle of July this year and before that I had no experience with exercise. My only form of exercise was walking my 2 boys to school. In fact I hated exercise and would avoid it like the plague. Anyway, on the way to school I would walk past the box and I'd look over but I'd keep walking. It intrigued me but I was too scared to go in because I always thought CF was for really fit people.
Anyway, I'm really loving it. My trainer is awesome and only pushes us if he thinks we can do it. If we can't he'll tell us to do something else. Like sometimes I can't run so I do rowing instead.
My advice is see for yourself. Try it out. Don't let our opinion sway your judgment. I was like that. I'd ask for someone's opinion and based on that opinion I wouldn't do it. It's like someone telling me don't see that movie but then I end up watching it and loving it. You gotta do you.3 -
Davidsdottir wrote: »Ok,so i just got done. It was what they call “partner” Saturday. We were all coupled. It literally kicked my *kitten*. A very intense hour. I’m not used to the intensity and so much cardio. Give me a bench, a squat rack and we can do it all day but this? Wow! It was a small class, about 10 people, trainer seemed prepared. Everyone cheering each other. It was kind of cool. They asked me if i will go back, I answered probably so. I liked it. I feel very good now.
Glad to hear you liked it! I prefer days that are more lifting-focused, but the cardio there kicks my butt unlike anything else, including distance running.
Really did. We had front squats clean and jerks and deadlifts but doing all with no pause killed me. And those burpees in between all the sets!!!! Hare them lol
Then we had the running at the beginning as warm up. It kicked my butt but i feel accomplished.
Do you have a strong background in Oly lifting and weight training? On day 1 you are doing compound and Oly lifts for time? or reps? and then throwing in burpees for good measure between sets and you had no form breakdown?
Something here just makes me wonder.4 -
Davidsdottir wrote: »Ok,so i just got done. It was what they call “partner” Saturday. We were all coupled. It literally kicked my *kitten*. A very intense hour. I’m not used to the intensity and so much cardio. Give me a bench, a squat rack and we can do it all day but this? Wow! It was a small class, about 10 people, trainer seemed prepared. Everyone cheering each other. It was kind of cool. They asked me if i will go back, I answered probably so. I liked it. I feel very good now.
Glad to hear you liked it! I prefer days that are more lifting-focused, but the cardio there kicks my butt unlike anything else, including distance running.
Really did. We had front squats clean and jerks and deadlifts but doing all with no pause killed me. And those burpees in between all the sets!!!! Hare them lol
Then we had the running at the beginning as warm up. It kicked my butt but i feel accomplished.
Do you have a strong background in Oly lifting and weight training? On day 1 you are doing compound and Oly lifts for time? or reps? and then throwing in burpees for good measure between sets and you had no form breakdown?
Something here just makes me wonder.
I get what you’re saying. I’ve been lifting for many years so thankfully i have a decent background to help me avoid injuries. Yesterday i did everything way lighter than I normally would but what got is the no pauses during the workout. The burpees were between the exercises so like 30 between front squats and deadlifts.
Tomorrow i have a class that supposedly teaches fundamental lifts. We’ll see.
I’m super sore. I liked it. Going back tomorrow but am also still on the fence.
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I have recently started CF, and before beginning classes we have to do SIX fundamentals classes. So each of the key lifts is taught, and also some of the other ‘non-normal’ things such as wall-balls, hands-stands etc. Each of the fundamentals does a different main lift, and it is best to do the classes in order as it helps understand the more complicated lifts. At the end of the fundamentals class we did a short WOD for around 10 minutes. Once you graduate from the fundamentals classes you can attend normal classes.
Most classes follow a similar format (and they are posted the day before). So for my first class I did front squats 3x5, at a weight we could maintain good form throughout, with a couple of minutes rest between. Then the WOD was skipping (I can’t do double-unders so was just given a target skips), rowing for calories, plus multiple power snatches (60 if I recall). But any sensible person scales to themselves and doesn’t do stupid stuff. So if you know you are going to be doing 60No power snatches, you don’t choose a weight where you’d be stressing after the fifth one. I did mine in reps of 20, with a rest in between. Yes, it’s for time, but it’s entirely up to me how I use that time. I concentrated on form and why wouldn’t I? There are a maximum of 16 people in a class and the coach is there watching and happy to help.
I started CF as a way to get better all-round fitness. I’m a runner and planning to start a marathon-training programme in the New Year, but CF suits for all-round fitness as ‘cross-training’. Ultimately it should help me be a stronger runner, but only running will help me be a better runner.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgYIIOTYlHE
Brooke Ence was recently on the Super Training Podcast with Mark Bell. Around mid way they are discussing what she would recommend to a beginner who wants to become competitive in CF. She says ask them where their strength lifts are at, and it they aren't up to par, Stop doing metcons and get strong first....
She literally said, "Stop doing metcons." Soooo.1 -
I don't go to an actual box (I didn't want to pay the money, but then I got roped into a program at my gym and pay just as much as I would have anyway), but I do a specialized program at my gym that is somewhat similar to crossfit. I absolutely love it. Others have mentioned not liking being pushed, but that's something I enjoy about it. The coaches whose classes I've gone to have been extremely knowledgeable, and while they will push me to get the most out of my workout, they are extremely picky on form and would never push me too far. I've even seen them tell people to work with less weight for awhile. I personally find the workouts challenging and fun. Let us know how the class goes!0
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Davidsdottir wrote: »Ok,so i just got done. It was what they call “partner” Saturday. We were all coupled. It literally kicked my *kitten*. A very intense hour. I’m not used to the intensity and so much cardio. Give me a bench, a squat rack and we can do it all day but this? Wow! It was a small class, about 10 people, trainer seemed prepared. Everyone cheering each other. It was kind of cool. They asked me if i will go back, I answered probably so. I liked it. I feel very good now.
Glad to hear you liked it! I prefer days that are more lifting-focused, but the cardio there kicks my butt unlike anything else, including distance running.
Really did. We had front squats clean and jerks and deadlifts but doing all with no pause killed me. And those burpees in between all the sets!!!! Hare them lol
Then we had the running at the beginning as warm up. It kicked my butt but i feel accomplished.
Do you have a strong background in Oly lifting and weight training? On day 1 you are doing compound and Oly lifts for time? or reps? and then throwing in burpees for good measure between sets and you had no form breakdown?
Something here just makes me wonder.
I get what you’re saying. I’ve been lifting for many years so thankfully i have a decent background to help me avoid injuries. Yesterday i did everything way lighter than I normally would but what got is the no pauses during the workout. The burpees were between the exercises so like 30 between front squats and deadlifts.
Tomorrow i have a class that supposedly teaches fundamental lifts. We’ll see.
I’m super sore. I liked it. Going back tomorrow but am also still on the fence.
I had a very long layoff from the gym and lifting. Partly due to a lengthy and severe illness and partly due to just being lazy and discouraged by how much muscle mass I had lost. So, a couple of years ago my wife convinced me to hire this trainer she had worked with. Paid for a package deal of two months. Apparently this guy was moonlighting from his box because everything he had me do was ripped right out of a CrossFit manual.
Yeah, it was pretty intense. My heart felt like it was going to blow and 20 minutes in I could barely lift my arms let alone any serious weight. Every workout was also different, which lead to a ton of pretty debilitating DOMS... but there was no real progression. Just week after week of seemingly random exercises that would tear me up and wear me down - and of course, since so random, DOMS from hell.
Had a sitdown with the trainer finally - explained I wasn't new (probably look new, lol) to bodybuilding and my goals were not general fitness - it was bulk. I wanted bear mode again. I wanted strength. I wanted SIZE. Well, next workout was a great bodybuilding day. Pretty much the Pull of a PPL. Yay!... then next week back to balancing on a ball, shaking a giant rope and doing infinite reps of light weights to the point of lactic acid lockout. So, I fired the guy.
Anyhow, if soreness and fatigue are your goals and "general" fitness is what you want and you don't care about size or aesthetics or advanced strength and can survive injury free - CrossFit might be the sport for you.
/tl;dr - goals goals goals. Specifics vs Jack-of-all-trades and yadda yadda. lol
edit: paragraphs.
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Just want to chime back in to say I recently switched to a crossfit box, and crossfit is now a definite yes for me! I think it greatly depends on your goals to if it'd be for you or not. I don't care to be overly strong, but I do want to be strong and fit. Our workouts aren't super random, as the workout changes every day, but the strength portion of the workouts keeps the same focus throughout the weeks (i.e. Mondays are squats/legs, Tuesdays are shoulders, Wednesdays oly lifts, etc). We log our weight and reps in an app, and the trainers can see if we are progressing and getting stronger. When signing up, we are required to do 10 one on one sessions first to learn the fundamentals and see where we are at. The trainers use that opportunity to see where you are at with certain movements and provide scaled options for things you may run across in a WOD. I love it!0
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not_a_runner wrote: »https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgYIIOTYlHE
Brooke Ence was recently on the Super Training Podcast with Mark Bell. Around mid way they are discussing what she would recommend to a beginner who wants to become competitive in CF. She says ask them where their strength lifts are at, and it they aren't up to par, Stop doing metcons and get strong first....
She literally said, "Stop doing metcons." Soooo.
... maybe Brooke just doesn't want any more competition?0 -
Depends on what you want out of fitness. Depends on what level of health you're in. Depends on if you have a good instructor. I started back in 2012, 3 times a week, also 3 times a week of power lifting. Eventually I did 2 a day wod's 3 times a week, one a regular class wod and the 2nd one was a strongman wod like Atlas stones, heavy tire flips, tabata deadlifts with heavy weight etc. I was a big guy doing crossfit, some of the movements were tough for me. I'm long armed and legs and heavy. You don't see many 260 lb guys doing ring muscle ups or bar muscle ups, but I could do one. I felt like I was 20 again. But then the injuries started happening, probably because of my body weight movements. Now I just do power lifting. To each their own. Try it and see, I still send people to try crossfit. If done right with good instructor that cares about form more than pr's then go for it.2
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