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CrossFit

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  • 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: 19,811 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: 41,879 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: 6,273 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: 7,899 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.
  • loveisapineapple
    loveisapineapple Posts: 38 Member
    Totally not for me. I hate the teamy atmosphere, I really don't need strangers to clap or cheer for me - I am not a 'woohoo' kind of person. I also hate having to get into groups as an adult, and the Crossfit gym I went to always had group activities (sharing the bar for deadlifts in groups of three etc). Plus the periodisation only really worked if you did the amount of days that everyone else did. So if the norm was Mon/Tue then Thurs/Fri and I did Mon/Wed/Fri the periodisation wasn't optimal.
    I did like the olympic lifting though, that is something I haven't done before and I enjoyed.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    My understanding is that Greg Glassman founded Crossfit because he looked around at the non-sport, exercise community and he saw weight lifters who were so bulky that they were lumbering and inflexible, and runners who barely broke a sweat before five miles of road work but had so little strength they had to drag the newspaper in from the porch.
    So, he thought, let's devise some workouts where you combine cardio and strength training, where you lift some heavy weight, then run around the block, etc., etc.
    After all, shouldn't one prefer to be well rounded?
    He used a lot of gymnastics movements because that was his own personal background.

    I think a major reason it has become so popular is because it gets excellent results. People see improvements in their abilities and their physiques. These improvements are largely due to the group atmosphere of Crossfit gyms. You are working out next to somebody, which is a naturally competitive situation, which pushes you to work harder than you would otherwise, the same way a personal trainer or a coach does.
    Many people like that competitive atmosphere and camaraderie.

    There is a famous story about how Crossfit caught on, which says a lot about what Crossfit is about.
    There was a video put up on Youtube recording three women -- who are famous in the Crossfit world now -- going through a workout called "Nasty girls." (Google "Youtube, Crossfit, nasty girls," you'll find it.)
    The workout is three rounds of: 50 air squats, 7 muscle-ups on gymnastics rings, and 10 hang power cleans.
    One of the women, in particular, really struggles at the end. She gets hung up on the last round of muscle-ups. She is grimacing and shaking out her hands and failing just about every other time she tries to get up. She looks incredibly distraught, as the other two have already finished.
    Her last set of hang cleans is unadulterated misery. She almost falls over on the last few reps, with the weight on top of her. She is crying she is so frustrated. When she finally finishes, someone has to hug her while she sobs.
    You wouldn't think that would be much of an advertisement. A lot of people don't like that kind of thing. They'll say: Oh, that's not good! That looks painful. And her form on her muscle-ups and hang cleans was horrible. She could have really hurt herself!"
    But surprisingly, many people did not respond that way -- women particularly. They said: "Cool! I want to test myself like that." And that single video, according to the lore, helped launch Crossfit to the popularity it has today.
  • vggb
    vggb Posts: 132 Member
    I have a friend that has been doing crossfit for a year now, she is 71. She loves it and goes 5 days a week and wants to go 6. Good for her. She enjoys the social aspect the most.

    But I finally had to tell her that the stories she tells me about her workouts makes it sound miserable and unpleasant! She is always in pain, she has to go home and ice her hip, then heat it and repeat, this is always. Today she was telling me about the pain in her arms and how she couldn't do or lift certain things because of it. Also, she isn't gaining strength, in fact she has a hard time lifting or doing anything that involves a little weight. Could it be age, maybe, but wouldn't the aches and pains abate just a little after time?

    It just doesn't sound fun at all. Maybe it's the gym, but she works out with the owner so after reading a lot of the posts here, maybe he's not so good either.
  • panda4153
    panda4153 Posts: 417 Member
    My best friend has done CrossFit for years both him and his wife, they love it. I think it’s like any other type of workout, on some level you have to like it to be able to stick with it. It’s definitely not for me. I like to workout alone. I prefer more moderate steady pace workouts and for lifting a moderate progressive program. I used to be a competitive swimmer but I was a distance person not a sprinter and I hate any kind of HIIT workouts. For me CrossFit would be miserable. I fully support anyone doing something they love to stay active and fit though.
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,757 Member
    I enjoy watching people do cross-fit, especially the documentaries. I don't think I would enjoy the workouts myself. Cross-fit just seems a little too much for me. Might be an age thing, but I am a tad intimidated by it. Maybe if I am looking for something new one day, and a friend can drag me there...I might give it a whirl.
  • gunderw59
    gunderw59 Posts: 45 Member
    I have been doing CrossFit for 9 months. Originally I was simply hoping to start living a healthier lifestyle. At 60 yrs old it was that or lots of medication for health issues. I started at a morbidly obese weight of 285 and was amazed at how encouraging the gym members were. I was brought along very slowly at first and learned a lot about scaling each exercise to my particular ability level. I was amazed how addicting it has become for me and how much i've learned and improved in this short time. I may be one of the lucky ones who just wondered in to a very good box for any fitness level but I would encourage anyone looking to improve their health and self esteem to at least give it a try. It has literally changed my life !! P.S. I'm new to the site any of you guys who would like to add me as a friend that would be great !!
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,937 Member
    Neither love nor hate it. If it fits your goals, preferences and training style, great!
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Love it or hate it? Why

    Indifferent...not my bag though.

    same... I also worry about injury.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    Not for me, but anything that gets people active is good.