Welcome to Debate Club! Please be aware that this is a space for respectful debate, and that your ideas will be challenged here. Please remember to critique the argument, not the author.

CrossFit

Onedaywriter
Onedaywriter Posts: 326 Member
Love it or hate it? Why
«1

Replies

  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
    uggins311 wrote: »
    made fun of the pull ups (like everyone who hasn't tried a kipping pull up) and then one day I was talked into trying it out.

    I'm still working towards my first unassisted pull up and I have been reading a lot around the subject. I haven't (yet) found anything good said of the kipping pull up. Can you tell me, please?
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    That type of exercise doesn't really seem like it would be a good fit for me. I like being able to train at my own pace and do specific programs that interest me. But some people prefer a group setting where they are pushed. I think it all depends on what works for the individual.
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    I love it, I go every day since joining a Crossfit style gym. A huge draw for me is the social aspect, cheering each other on to overcome personal obstacles and face new goals. For me it is also a positive feature that I have no control over the moves we are doing (other than modding as needed for personal fitness level). Sure I'm not always going to do moves that I like, but it makes me do things I wouldn't otherwise.

    My gym also usually does a monthly challenge of some kind, mostly focused on one type of move set to allow people to focus on personal goals. One month it was planks, increasing time each day. This month it was wall-sits, next month we are doing sit-ups. At the start of the month I did NOT think I would be able to do it at the end (I hate wall-sits!), but I have surprised myself by lasting longer each day.

    The social aspect cannot be stressed enough. We have groups on FB that hold each other accountable for going when we don't feel like it (or wish us well if we aren't up to going). We check on each other outside of gym matters (family health, fun get togethers outside gym, recipe advice, etc). And in the gym we support each other regardless of fitness level. Personally I struggle with arm strength, and one of the regulars I'm friends with went through the stations with me and kept rep pace and cheered me on to finish my sets. I can't describe how much that helped, it kept me out of my head and fears and got me to finish my sets, and I left that night proud of doing more than I thought I could!
  • Fatguy2Fitguy
    Fatguy2Fitguy Posts: 129 Member
    I enjoy the variation, I found it difficult to 'just' workout when I finished sport. Before there was always a reason/plan for it, the variation and improving my skills helps with that. As mentioned the social side is also great. If in doubt, try it out!
  • uggins311
    uggins311 Posts: 2,204 Member
    edited January 2020
    uggins311 wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    That type of exercise doesn't really seem like it would be a good fit for me. I like being able to train at my own pace and do specific programs that interest me. But some people prefer a group setting where they are pushed. I think it all depends on what works for the individual.

    @hesn92 It may seem like people are not goung at their own pace, but trust me they are. Group settings may not be for everyone but if you're at a worthy CrossFit gym, you're going at your own pace. You may not be able to keep up with someone who has been doing it for years, but your intensity is what you need to focus on. And you're working just as hard as them. This is one of the biggest misconceptions of what we do. Everyone has their own goals and we push individuals to achieve their own goals. I wish more people would try it and not make judgements for the outside looking in. But i get it, it has the appearance of being a crazy thing, but it's actually a caring community who wants you to be the best you.

    I think one of the issues that sometimes comes up about CrossFit is that how do you know if you're in a "worthy" gym or not? This is harder if you're new to exercise or just unfamiliar with CrossFit-style activities. This is complicated by many of us receiving messages that exercise has to hurt or be incredibly uncomfortable to be worthwhile -- some people may not realize that these feelings are a signal that adjustments should be made.

    I don't think this problem is exclusive to CrossFit, but the explosion in popularity probably didn't help the ratio of good-to-bad trainers.

    @janejellyroll it is a challenge. Longevity of the gym is a good place to start, how long the members have been there can be an indication as well. If they often post about their placements in a competition and nothing else, then that's probably where their mindset is at. If you try a few gyms, ask people how long they've been there, ask them how the coaches have helped them, ask if they offer some sort of nutrition guidance, ask if they have anyone who has lost a significant amount of weight.

    In the end CrossFit is a workout program, not necessarily the "sport" you see on tv or social media. So if the gum has no real life success stories on changing lives, then most likely it's a gym owned or ran by someone who just wants to workout and has enough money to keep the place a float. Also word of mouth is usually how the better CrossFit gyms acquire new members. If you see ad after ad constantly for a particular CrossFit gym, they're probably in it for the wrong reasons. I run a couple of ads a year andost of my new members have been referred to us by someone who has had success with us.
  • fuzzylop_
    fuzzylop_ Posts: 100 Member
    I know a lot of people who love it, but I'm not personally fond of mixing my conditioning and strength work together. I also like everything to be periodized, which doesn't work so well with crossfit so as good as it may be, I don't think i'm an ideal candidate for crossfit.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    edited January 2020
    uggins311 wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    That type of exercise doesn't really seem like it would be a good fit for me. I like being able to train at my own pace and do specific programs that interest me. But some people prefer a group setting where they are pushed. I think it all depends on what works for the individual.

    @hesn92 It may seem like people are not goung at their own pace, but trust me they are. Group settings may not be for everyone but if you're at a worthy CrossFit gym, you're going at your own pace. You may not be able to keep up with someone who has been doing it for years, but your intensity is what you need to focus on. And you're working just as hard as them. This is one of the biggest misconceptions of what we do. Everyone has their own goals and we push individuals to achieve their own goals. I wish more people would try it and not make judgements for the outside looking in. But i get it, it has the appearance of being a crazy thing, but it's actually a caring community who wants you to be the best you.

    For instance, i have 5 people looking ro lose 100 lbs. I have a few competition level people, i have everything in between. The folks trying to lose 100 lbs are working at their own pace and the competitors are working at their pace. At the end everyone hi 5s eachother and supports one another. Not a single person is treated any differently, and for me at least, i get more satisfaction by helping someone lose 100 lbs over a competitor doing better. In the end it's cool you got 1st place, but losing 100 lb or more is LIFE CHANGING!

    I wasn't trying to pass judgement. That's nice to hear people go at their own pace. You're right I have in my head that everyone is pushed to do exercises, as many as they can within a time-frame. I'm glad to hear that is not always the case.

    However what about the bit where I said I like to do specific programs that interest me? If you go to Crossfit, are you not going and doing the same work out as everyone else?

    Maybe if I was in a different season of life I would be interested in Crossfit but not right now. It would be nice to have that social aspect, but it's also pretty expensive. I'm not willing to fork over that kind of cash.
  • uggins311
    uggins311 Posts: 2,204 Member
    fuzzylop_ wrote: »
    I know a lot of people who love it, but I'm not personally fond of mixing my conditioning and strength work together. I also like everything to be periodized, which doesn't work so well with crossfit so as good as it may be, I don't think i'm an ideal candidate for crossfit.

    CrossFit programming done correctly is periodized. CrossFit programming done poorly is just doing random stuff without any thought or planning behind it. With all of the jokes that we all hear about CrossFit with certain workouts, it's easy to assume that's all it is. We follow a strenght cycle and our cardio is based on the movements in the strength cycle. I understand the cardio and strength combination argument, but again it's the goals of the individual. If you want to be a body builder or power lifter, CrossFit is probably not the best choice, but if you're an everyday person who wants to be healthier, lose weight, fitter, stronger and more capable of doing things then it's a good option. Again it's "what are your goals?".

    Most of my members are just people who want to lose some weight, maintain the weight they're at and have fun while working out. Most of them have either came from Planet Fitness or other CrossFit gyms.
  • uggins311
    uggins311 Posts: 2,204 Member
    hesn92 wrote: »
    uggins311 wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    That type of exercise doesn't really seem like it would be a good fit for me. I like being able to train at my own pace and do specific programs that interest me. But some people prefer a group setting where they are pushed. I think it all depends on what works for the individual.

    @hesn92 It may seem like people are not goung at their own pace, but trust me they are. Group settings may not be for everyone but if you're at a worthy CrossFit gym, you're going at your own pace. You may not be able to keep up with someone who has been doing it for years, but your intensity is what you need to focus on. And you're working just as hard as them. This is one of the biggest misconceptions of what we do. Everyone has their own goals and we push individuals to achieve their own goals. I wish more people would try it and not make judgements for the outside looking in. But i get it, it has the appearance of being a crazy thing, but it's actually a caring community who wants you to be the best you.

    For instance, i have 5 people looking ro lose 100 lbs. I have a few competition level people, i have everything in between. The folks trying to lose 100 lbs are working at their own pace and the competitors are working at their pace. At the end everyone hi 5s eachother and supports one another. Not a single person is treated any differently, and for me at least, i get more satisfaction by helping someone lose 100 lbs over a competitor doing better. In the end it's cool you got 1st place, but losing 100 lb or more is LIFE CHANGING!

    I wasn't trying to pass judgement. That's nice to hear people go at their own pace. You're right I have in my head that everyone is pushed to do exercises, as many as they can within a time-frame. I'm glad to hear that is not always the case.

    However what about the bit where I said I like to do specific programs that interest me? If you go to Crossfit, are you not going and doing the same work out as everyone else?

    Maybe if I was in a different season of life I would be interested in Crossfit but not right now. It would be nice to have that social aspect, but it's also pretty expensive. I'm not willing to fork over that kind of cash.

    Sort of on the same workout thing, but every lift, every bodyweight movements has a level of progressions to meet you where you're at. Yes there are workouts wjere you do as many as you can in 5 minutes or 20 minutes, but of you can't do a push up, we modify to a push up on a box or against the wall. If you can't do a certain lift, we use a different movement to focus on that same muscle group. So the workout may not be identical but focuses on the same muscle groups and has an end goal of progressing to a more advanced movement or lift.

    And yes it is pricey, but you're paying for a designed workout program, and a trainer. If you go to a globo gym, personal trainer is usually more expensive. Plus the Planet Fitness's of the world couldn't care less if you show up or not, the prices are low enough for people to pay a year in full and if you never come back, they don't care. We do. We are small businesses who are independentally owned and operated, so we can't compete with the breaks that big corporation globo gyms are given to "develop" a vacant lot or building.
  • uggins311
    uggins311 Posts: 2,204 Member
    emmies_123 wrote: »
    uggins311 wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    That type of exercise doesn't really seem like it would be a good fit for me. I like being able to train at my own pace and do specific programs that interest me. But some people prefer a group setting where they are pushed. I think it all depends on what works for the individual.

    @hesn92 It may seem like people are not goung at their own pace, but trust me they are. Group settings may not be for everyone but if you're at a worthy CrossFit gym, you're going at your own pace. You may not be able to keep up with someone who has been doing it for years, but your intensity is what you need to focus on. And you're working just as hard as them. This is one of the biggest misconceptions of what we do. Everyone has their own goals and we push individuals to achieve their own goals. I wish more people would try it and not make judgements for the outside looking in. But i get it, it has the appearance of being a crazy thing, but it's actually a caring community who wants you to be the best you.

    For instance, i have 5 people looking ro lose 100 lbs. I have a few competition level people, i have everything in between. The folks trying to lose 100 lbs are working at their own pace and the competitors are working at their pace. At the end everyone hi 5s eachother and supports one another. Not a single person is treated any differently, and for me at least, i get more satisfaction by helping someone lose 100 lbs over a competitor doing better. In the end it's cool you got 1st place, but losing 100 lb or more is LIFE CHANGING!

    To build on the concept of going at own pace:

    A good gym won't pressure you on any aspect. Mine does nutrition advice, but they aren't pushy about it. When I first started going I was not ready, mentally, to change my diet as well as my exercise routine. And the trainers were totally cool with that. Slowly I realized they might be on to something with this whole nutrition thing, and I started asking questions about small changes I could make. The trainers helped me make some adjustments at my own pace (first step was veggies. She asked if I could do 4 servings a day of fruit or veg, saw my face and said "ok how about 1 serving of either"). Now when I go to a trainer meeting (one on one time offered at my gym) they support the changes, ask if I'm ready for something else or if I have a new goal, and advise.

    Same with workouts. The trainers remember everyone and their limits or their goals. They will high five someone doing the lowest mod with the same enthusiasm as someone who is doing the top level mod.

    For anyone considering, I suggest you try it at least once. I never thought I would love it this much, I never thought it would be worth the monthly cost. I also never thought I'd be able to do half the stuff I can do now!

    Thanks for the back up lol. This is what it's about!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I see it as getting a trainer that happens to have a gym and general method to the routines.
    Rather than joining a gym and then getting a trainer you hope will really work on your goals, and really do form and routines right.

    In either case you can get a bad trainer for you. Or a bad trainer for anyone actually.
    We've all heard horror stories.

    You could also join a gym that really won't work towards your goals.
    Perhaps you wanted to start lifting heavy with compound lifts and free weights. And joined Planet Fitness.
    Or need to swimming therapy and joined a lifting gym without a pool.

    So like the other options available - does the CrossFit gym have a trainer/trainers with a decent philosophy that agrees with your goals, and a gym that will support that.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I think it can be a great fit for many people. For me and my goals, it is not at all.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    uggins311 wrote: »
    uggins311 wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    That type of exercise doesn't really seem like it would be a good fit for me. I like being able to train at my own pace and do specific programs that interest me. But some people prefer a group setting where they are pushed. I think it all depends on what works for the individual.

    @hesn92 It may seem like people are not goung at their own pace, but trust me they are. Group settings may not be for everyone but if you're at a worthy CrossFit gym, you're going at your own pace. You may not be able to keep up with someone who has been doing it for years, but your intensity is what you need to focus on. And you're working just as hard as them. This is one of the biggest misconceptions of what we do. Everyone has their own goals and we push individuals to achieve their own goals. I wish more people would try it and not make judgements for the outside looking in. But i get it, it has the appearance of being a crazy thing, but it's actually a caring community who wants you to be the best you.

    I think one of the issues that sometimes comes up about CrossFit is that how do you know if you're in a "worthy" gym or not? This is harder if you're new to exercise or just unfamiliar with CrossFit-style activities. This is complicated by many of us receiving messages that exercise has to hurt or be incredibly uncomfortable to be worthwhile -- some people may not realize that these feelings are a signal that adjustments should be made.

    I don't think this problem is exclusive to CrossFit, but the explosion in popularity probably didn't help the ratio of good-to-bad trainers.

    @janejellyroll it is a challenge. Longevity of the gym is a good place to start, how long the members have been there can be an indication as well. If they often post about their placements in a competition and nothing else, then that's probably where their mindset is at. If you try a few gyms, ask people how long they've been there, ask them how the coaches have helped them, ask if they offer some sort of nutrition guidance, ask if they have anyone who has lost a significant amount of weight.

    In the end CrossFit is a workout program, not necessarily the "sport" you see on tv or social media. So if the gum has no real life success stories on changing lives, then most likely it's a gym owned or ran by someone who just wants to workout and has enough money to keep the place a float. Also word of mouth is usually how the better CrossFit gyms acquire new members. If you see ad after ad constantly for a particular CrossFit gym, they're probably in it for the wrong reasons. I run a couple of ads a year andost of my new members have been referred to us by someone who has had success with us.

    Wow, this is helpful. My sister has been wanting to try CrossFit, I'm going to pass this information to her. Thank you!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Love it or hate it? Why

    Neither - totally indifferent.
    Doesn't appeal to me at all so I have no reason to have strong emotions about it.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Love it or hate it? Why

    Indifferent...not my bag though.
  • onward1
    onward1 Posts: 386 Member
    I did cross-fit for a while and loved it. I did find that because of my competive nature I tended to overdo, and as a result had to stop because of a back injury doing dead lifts.....my fault. Also, I was very aware that there were others way stronger and more fit than myself and I would hate it when the exercise's required two people to team up. Who wants to be paired off with someone not as fast/strong/experienced as themselves, is how I felt. Not quite as bad as being the last one picked at gym class, but it did kind of feel like that as many there had been doing it for so long and I was the newbie. I'm at a point that I'd love to go back but feel I "have to get in shape" before I sign up again,lol. I've been a gym rat in the past and had a trainer, but cross fit is different, it exposed me to so many other things I hadn't done in my workouts. I've since gone on to set up a home gym in my garage that incorporates some cross fit elements, my absolute favorite being the rope climb......not bad for a little old lady. ;) I say try it and then you'll know how it works for you.
  • PennyP312
    PennyP312 Posts: 161 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Love it or hate it? Why

    Neither - totally indifferent.
    Doesn't appeal to me at all so I have no reason to have strong emotions about it.

    100% this

  • uggins311
    uggins311 Posts: 2,204 Member
    dnunny70 wrote: »
    Going to add my two cents...

    I entered my first box at age 47; 285 lbs; couldn't remember the last time I "worked out" and have mobility issues (bone on bone in both knees).

    My very fit, young friend said that I could do it.

    The hardest part was walking through the door.

    I soon realized that CrossFit is NOT what you see on TV/social media (as previous poster stated). Everyone has their own goals and they are all so encouraging.

    I had surgery due to and if it wasn't for the FUNCTIONAL part of Crossfit, I would have had much difficulty during my recovery.

    It is about the people and the particular box (gym).

    I am a tad biased, but the box I attended is the best!

    There is such a misunderstanding to what we actually do.
  • bobsburgersfan
    bobsburgersfan Posts: 6,457 Member
    One of the running jokes I've seen about CrossFit is that people who do CrossFit never shut up about CrossFit. I happen to have a boss and a coworker who do CrossFit and, and 5 or 6 years ago when they first got into it we also had some clients who did it (and they were all at the same gym), and that stereotype was true for me for about a year. Any time I was around those people it was nonstop CrossFit talk that seemed to border on obsession, and I genuinely hated it. It gave me a negative opinion of CrossFit that had nothing to do with what it actually is.

    I've never gotten the impression that CrossFit has the kind of atmosphere that uggins311 describes at his gym. I have over 100 lbs to lose, and I've always thought that CrossFit isn't geared toward people like me, and I'd want to lose that weight before I ever even considered it. (Also, I have no desire to work out with my boss, so even if I did want to try, I'd try one of the other gyms in town.) For now, I'm going to a different gym, and I'm challenged enough there. But if I ever do get bored and want to try something more, it's nice to know that not all of them have that same atmosphere.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    The CF place I went to for a while had an atmosphere similar to what uggins311 describes. There were a really wide variety of people and everyone was welcomed. And if you wanted to make workout friends and have people to go with or people who expected to see you there -- I don't, but I know for some this is motivation -- that was definitely a feature. In that social group can sometimes make fitness easier or harder (if you are the only one of your friends interested it can feel more difficult, I think), I can see it being a real plus for some people.