crossfit is kicking my butt :-)

jflongo

I'm a 48 years old man, almost 49 in a few months, been hitting the weights pretty hard the past 1.5 years, used to do other stuff before as well.

Since the 2020 Crossfit open was going on, I decided to give some of the scaled workouts a shot. Holy crap they are brutal(in a good way though). I did 20.5 this morning in 14:10 minutes, but used a 10lb wall ball, since 24hr fitness didn't have a 14lb ball.

I did the 20.3 and 20.4 the pass couple of weeks too, all of them kick your butt.

If you are not familiar with them, here is 20.5, and like I said, I did scaled since I can't do muscle-ups.

https://games.crossfit.com/workouts/open/2020/5

MikePfirrman

I'm 55 (just turned). I do Cross Fit type of workouts all the time now. Strength isn't fitness. So just weights won't make someone fit. It's why I love the Indoor Rower and the Assault Bike (two Cross Fit favorites that I have at home). I want to get the Concept2 SkiErg as well -- again a full body workout that works muscles while you're doing hard *kitten* cardio. Nothing gets your HR up as much as working out this way. Many say, "well, Cross Fitters aren't as strong as powerlifters. True. But that ignores the whole premise -- fitness, not strength. Strength/Power and Cardio are not complimentary. To the contrary, it's exceedingly hard finding a balance between cardio endurance and strength. It's why you're seeing everyone, from MMA fighters to Olympic athletes that need their power, moving away from traditional cardio to things like the SkiErg, Rower and Assault Bike. Devices that are just nasty, dirty lactic acid torture machines. KBs too. KBs are ballistic. Work cardio and strength simultaneously. You mentioned medicine balls as well. Battle ropes are great. Plyo Boxes and Tires as well are fantastic. The old O-line sled is a perfect example of cardio combined with strength. My new favorite is the Endless Rope Machine. I will use that for like 10 minutes at the gym at a time. I've only seen one other person use the thing. It's an amazingly hideous device as well. So are Hand Bikes - wicked.

I won't pay for Cross Fit. It's not necessary to pay for it if you're disciplined enough to do that type of workout on your own. They are painful, make you want to quit, push you beyond what you've thought that you're capable of doing.

The issue most have with CF is the cult like following, the cost and the "AMRAP" approach, which can lead to injury. Personally, I'm so impressed with the level of athletes they have. The stuff they do pushes the body so hard. It's amazing how the body can adapt and do incredible things. Most never push it that hard in their lives. I took too long in mine (started in my early 40s) to really test the boundaries of what I could physically do, involving cardio and strength.

It's why half the "Ninja Warriors" are rock climbers -- the perfect mix of strength and cardio. I've never done rock climbing and couldn't -- way too hard for me, but it's another great example of functional strength/cardio.

jflongo

I'm not paying for the Crossfit entry, nor will I join a crossfit gym, way too expensive. However, on my rest days from lifting weights, I'm now doing Crossfit workouts.

So I used to do weights 4 x week, then walk on the treadmill on rest days, but now I'm doing weights 4 x week, then crossfit 2 x week, and 1 rest day. I may get addicted to this

Machafin

Yes they will! Make sure you do't over do it and give yourself plenty of rest to recover. I have been doing it for almost 5 years now without injury. Just stay smart!

jflongo

Machafin wrote: »

Yes they will! Make sure you do't over do it and give yourself plenty of rest to recover. I have been doing it for almost 5 years now without injury. Just stay smart!

This morning I hit shoulders really hard, and then did the 20.1 workout. Tomorrow I'm hitting legs hard, then taking Saturday and Sunday off, since I will have worked out Sunday - Friday this week. If I have the energy and motivation after doing legs tomorrow, I may knock out 20.2, but we'll see.

jflongo

jflongo wrote: »

Machafin wrote: »

Yes they will! Make sure you do't over do it and give yourself plenty of rest to recover. I have been doing it for almost 5 years now without injury. Just stay smart!

This morning I hit shoulders really hard, and then did the 20.1 workout. Tomorrow I'm hitting legs hard, then taking Saturday and Sunday off, since I will have worked out Sunday - Friday this week. If I have the energy and motivation after doing legs tomorrow, I may knock out 20.2, but we'll see.

LOL, I hit Legs hard this morning, then attempted 20.2. After about 4 rounds, I decided to quit, since my upper body was already pretty sore from the week. I'm going to take Saturday and Sunday off, I'll hit 20.2 again next week.