Crossfit

pdobryan

How do I add crossfit workouts to my exercise?

AnnPT77

Crossfit can be a lot of different things - different mixes of activities and intensities.

You could consider breaking it into time segments, logging each activity separately (run, lift, row, whatever).

A fitness tracker would quite probably overestimate it, though how the tracker treats it might matter.

You could consider logging it in the MFP cardiovascular section using one of the Circuit Training or Calisthenics options, but that wouldn't look as nifty on your timeline, maybe.

You could create a custom exercise, and use one of the above to guess an initial calorie estimate for the duration. Once you do that, MFP will use that calorie level as a basis to adjust for varying numbers of minutes or changes in your body weight, when you repeat using your custom exercise.

You could create a custom exercise using METS estimates from the Compendium of Physical Activities plus a METS calculator to get an initial calorie estimate.

https://sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities/home?authuser=0
https://ergo.human.cornell.edu/MetsCaloriesCalculator/MetsCaloriesCalculator.htm

That's not the world's only METS calculator, it's just the one I've used in the past. There's nothing deep about a METS estimate . . . it's the METS number that needs to be research-based, and the quality of the research can matter.

Adopt a method that seems reasonable to you, use it consistently, then adjust your calorie goal based on weight management results averaged over 4-6 weeks (whole menstrual cycles if that applies). That should work OK.

beerfitter

As cardio.

The estimated calorie outbound will be (probably) way over estimated. In any case, I would turn off negative calorie adjustments and enjoy whatever extra calorie deficit you receive from class.

williamsonmj1

tl;dr- if you want to do actual CrossFit, go join a CrossFit box and find out how they do it. If you just want to do high-intensity circuits, just do pretty much any exercises and do them fast. Either something like 2 minutes on/1 minute rest, or 'complete as many circuits as you can in 20 minutes',

Long version:

Crossfit has a very particular way of doing things. It is usually based on doing a high volume circuit of some kind as fast as possible. These tend to be a combination of power lifts, Olympic lifts, pullups, sprints and some other things. These are called WODs (Workout of the Day). When you go to a CrossFit gym (or 'Box') there will be a WOD for the day and the gym can put up whatever they like. But there are lots of famous CrossFit WODs, like 'Fran' and 'Murph'. This is Fran:

21-15-9 reps for time of:

• Thrusters (a power clean (Olympic lifting movement) into a push press)
• Strict pull-ups

And this is Murph:
For time:

• 1-mile run
• 100 pull-ups (they do this funny style of pullup that lets you do zillions of them easily)
• 200 push-ups
• 300 squats
• 1-mile run

These are *hard*! It's also important to note that CrossFit WODs frequently include Powerlifts, Olympic lifts, basic gymnastic movements (muscle ups) and also stuff that needs equipment like sled drags/pushes.

So what this means is if you want to do CrossFit, you need to go to a CrossFit gym. Box, sorry. They have all this equipment (honestly they are awesome) and there are people there who can train you to do the lifts. For the longest time proper Olympic lifters have been very snooty about CrossFitters, and it's true that on average their technique is quite a bit less good, but the gap is narrowing. And real Oly lifters make lots of money going to CrossFit boxes and training the CrossFitters how to do it properly.

(Full disclosure, I have never done CrossFit because I have some serious injuries that would make me explode if I tried it. But I used to hang out at a Box and practice the Oly lifts there.)

Now, if you want to just to circuits, that it is a whole other thing. And much easier to do. You can pretty much choose whatever exercises you want, and then do them at high intensity. Two options are:

• Pick three or four exercises- say, 20 bodyweight squats, 10 burpees, 10 star jumps. Or some exercises with a barbell if you want. You have to get through all 3/4, then you can take a breather. Try to repeat as many times as you can, see how many times you can get through in twenty minutes. If it was easy next time try to get more sets in 20 minutes, or make the exercises a little harder.
• Pick one or a few exercises. E.g. barbell rows, overhead presses, front squats. All light. 10 reps each. Just start doing them quickly. Keep going for 90 seconds. Take 30 seconds break. Try to repeat as many times as possible. If it is easy next time make the breaks shorter or do more sets.

The sky is the limit with these. There is a website called Rosstraining, the guy has a ton of these. Eg

https://rosstraining.com/blog/work-capacity-101/