Crossfit claim

shmerek
shmerek Posts: 963 Member
Just reading through the crossfit faq and came across this doozy
http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/faq.html#General4
1.5. Will I/can I get big doing CrossFit?
If you train the WODs hard, and eat right and get lots of sleep, you will definitely gain lean mass, lose fat, and yes, you can build muscle mass with the crossfit protocol. More specifically, according to Coach,
Here is a hierarchy of training for mass from greater to lesser efficacy:
1. Bodybuilding on steroids
2. CrossFitting on steroids
3. CrossFitting without steroids
4. Bodybuilding without steroids
The bodybuilding model is designed around, requires, steroids for significant hypertrophy.
The neuroendocrine response of bodybuilding protocols is so blunted that without "exogenous hormonal therapy" little happens.
The CrossFit protocol is designed to elicit a substantial neuroendocrine whollop and hence packs an anabolic punch that puts on impressive amounts of muscle though that is not our concern. Strength is.
Natural bodybuilders (the natural ones that are not on steroids) never approach the mass that our ahtletes do. They don't come close.
Those athletes who train for function end up with better form than those who value form over function. This is one of the beautiful ironies of training.
Now I am all for xfit as cardio but this claim is flat out retarded.
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Replies

  • metacognition
    metacognition Posts: 626 Member
    "Those athletes who train for function end up with better form than those who value form over function."

    Many torn rotary cuffs and herniated disks beg to differ.
  • shmerek
    shmerek Posts: 963 Member
    Ya that claim is a bit perplexing. WTF does "training for function" actually mean? Without good form (regardless of workout) you are going to **** yourself eventually.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    WOW, that's complete nonsense. More made up malarkey from the Crossfit crowd...
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    Jelos
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    what-did-you-just-say.gif

    :laugh:
  • shmerek
    shmerek Posts: 963 Member
    I guess Arnie was secretly doing xfit back in the 70s... No wonder people hate crossfit so much.

    Yo crossfit do you even science?
  • Sapporo
    Sapporo Posts: 693 Member
    Weird. Form is very important at the box I go to. There a lot of buff guys and girls who only do CrossFit there but I don't think this FAQ is explaining it right. We do a lot of weight lifting. You can do that at a CrossFit box or at a normal gym or in your basement/whatever. What is the difference? Pick your preference, that is all.
  • ntdrive
    ntdrive Posts: 105 Member
    Arnold admittedly used steroids
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    I remember having a good laugh at that last year.

    Bold claims indeed.

    ETA:
    And before we go down the inevitable path, I'm a crossfit defender. My experience at a local crossfit gym was nothing but awesome, the trainers were all remarkably well-educated and credentialed (and yes, not just crossfit certifications)...most were in school to be PTs, chiropractors, other physiology related fields...with a lot of experience.

    So I've tried it...I believe in it...it's an awesome way to get in great shape and it's a lot of fun...

    ...but none of that changes the fact that the claims referenced in OP are really out there and are more marketing-based than reality-based.
  • shmerek
    shmerek Posts: 963 Member
    Arnold admittedly used steroids
    Damn!
  • rachsoderberg
    rachsoderberg Posts: 55 Member
    Just an FYI, in one year of CrossFit I went from a size 8 to a size 4 in pants, and from a medium to an x-small shirt. Don't knock it til ya try it. I'm eating twice as many calories as when I began, but far more focused on my macro nutrients and learned to eat much more wisely. I started my journey at about 125lbs in February of 2013. In the first 6 months or so my weight fell to 112lbs as I lost massive amounts of fat... Now I have begun to put on some amazing muscle and have gone back up to 122lbs.

    If you work hard and safely, you will have amazing results through CrossFit. I picked up obstacle course races and have seen excellent progress as I continue my training, as CrossFit teaches a full range of different movements and has you practice them quite often. It also builds your self confidence and promotes improved posture as you are working out many muscle groups, avoiding the imbalances that many gym-goers suffer from.

    If you want to learn more about it, please feel free to message me. I would LOVE to provide more information about CrossFit because it has been a life changer for me, and I hate to see people possibly miss out on something that could help them as much as it has helped me.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Just an FYI, in one year of CrossFit I went from a size 8 to a size 4 in pants, and from a medium to an x-small shirt. Don't knock it til ya try it. I'm eating twice as many calories as when I began, but far more focused on my macro nutrients and learned to eat much more wisely. I started my journey at about 125lbs in February of 2013. In the first 6 months or so my weight fell to 112lbs as I lost massive amounts of fat... Now I have begun to put on some amazing muscle and have gone back up to 122lbs.

    If you work hard and safely, you will have amazing results through CrossFit. I picked up obstacle course races and have seen excellent progress as I continue my training, as CrossFit teaches a full range of different movements and has you practice them quite often. It also builds your self confidence and promotes improved posture as you are working out many muscle groups, avoiding the imbalances that many gym-goers suffer from.

    If you want to learn more about it, please feel free to message me. I would LOVE to provide more information about CrossFit because it has been a life changer for me, and I hate to see people possibly miss out on something that could help them as much as it has helped me.

    So...how does this pertain to the claims listed in the OP??
  • rachsoderberg
    rachsoderberg Posts: 55 Member
    Just saying I've seen amazing results through CrossFit, it's not "just for cardio"
  • shmerek
    shmerek Posts: 963 Member
    Just an FYI, in one year of CrossFit I went from a size 8 to a size 4 in pants, and from a medium to an x-small shirt. Don't knock it til ya try it. I'm eating twice as many calories as when I began, but far more focused on my macro nutrients and learned to eat much more wisely. I started my journey at about 125lbs in February of 2013. In the first 6 months or so my weight fell to 112lbs as I lost massive amounts of fat... Now I have begun to put on some amazing muscle and have gone back up to 122lbs.

    If you work hard and safely, you will have amazing results through CrossFit. I picked up obstacle course races and have seen excellent progress as I continue my training, as CrossFit teaches a full range of different movements and has you practice them quite often. It also builds your self confidence and promotes improved posture as you are working out many muscle groups, avoiding the imbalances that many gym-goers suffer from.

    If you want to learn more about it, please feel free to message me. I would LOVE to provide more information about CrossFit because it has been a life changer for me, and I hate to see people possibly miss out on something that could help them as much as it has helped me.
    Just for the record I do crossfit 4 times a week and lift 3 times a week but this claim on the xfit site is just disingenuous. I would never get huge if I just did the crossfit, it just won't happen.
  • Well, they put this claim out there for marketing, to try to capture those newer folks trying body building and not putting on much muscle yet and to try to counter what is observed in real life. I think its pretty obvious if you look at groups of people, both in what I've seen, and the view of others, there is a perception that Crossfitters tend to do a good job getting lean and bodybuilders are strong/muscular. Even Crossfitters themselves will tell you they gain a lot of muscle and generally agree with the claims above, but if you listen to what they say, they tell you they got lean and gained some muscle, not that they were more efficiently gaining or more massive than bodybuilders, just like the girl Crossfitter who posted before mine above is a prime example of ;):)
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Just an FYI, in one year of CrossFit I went from a size 8 to a size 4 in pants, and from a medium to an x-small shirt. Don't knock it til ya try it. I'm eating twice as many calories as when I began, but far more focused on my macro nutrients and learned to eat much more wisely. I started my journey at about 125lbs in February of 2013. In the first 6 months or so my weight fell to 112lbs as I lost massive amounts of fat... Now I have begun to put on some amazing muscle and have gone back up to 122lbs.

    If you work hard and safely, you will have amazing results through CrossFit. I picked up obstacle course races and have seen excellent progress as I continue my training, as CrossFit teaches a full range of different movements and has you practice them quite often. It also builds your self confidence and promotes improved posture as you are working out many muscle groups, avoiding the imbalances that many gym-goers suffer from.

    If you want to learn more about it, please feel free to message me. I would LOVE to provide more information about CrossFit because it has been a life changer for me, and I hate to see people possibly miss out on something that could help them as much as it has helped me.

    Thank you for the most irrelevant comment to this thread that could possibly have been added...

    2ptebn9.jpg
  • Just an FYI, in one year of CrossFit I went from a size 8 to a size 4 in pants, and from a medium to an x-small shirt. Don't knock it til ya try it. I'm eating twice as many calories as when I began, but far more focused on my macro nutrients and learned to eat much more wisely. I started my journey at about 125lbs in February of 2013. In the first 6 months or so my weight fell to 112lbs as I lost massive amounts of fat... Now I have begun to put on some amazing muscle and have gone back up to 122lbs.

    If you work hard and safely, you will have amazing results through CrossFit. I picked up obstacle course races and have seen excellent progress as I continue my training, as CrossFit teaches a full range of different movements and has you practice them quite often. It also builds your self confidence and promotes improved posture as you are working out many muscle groups, avoiding the imbalances that many gym-goers suffer from.

    If you want to learn more about it, please feel free to message me. I would LOVE to provide more information about CrossFit because it has been a life changer for me, and I hate to see people possibly miss out on something that could help them as much as it has helped me.

    Thank you for the most irrelevant comment to this thread that could possibly have been added...

    2ptebn9.jpg

    d0Jmt.gif
  • rachsoderberg
    rachsoderberg Posts: 55 Member
    My claims about success in CrossFit are irrelevant in a thread about CrossFit claims? Okay then.... :noway:
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    My claims about success in CrossFit are irrelevant in a thread about CrossFit claims? Okay then.... :noway:

    They are irrelevant to what was posted in the OP. It's not about experience or how Crossfit changed your life. It's about the claims that were made which are ridiculous.
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    My claims about success in CrossFit are irrelevant in a thread about CrossFit claims? Okay then.... :noway:

    To put a finer point on things, yes.

    The issue is the claim that one can ONLY get big by doing crossfit or by using anabolic steroids.

    It's great you've found something that you are passionate about & it's helped you get fit & strong, but that's not what is being discussed here.

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  • shmerek
    shmerek Posts: 963 Member
    At the crossfit gym where I go I have convinced all but one person in the group of regulars to start lifting as well. :) Subversive *kitten* that I am.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    My claims about success in CrossFit are irrelevant in a thread about CrossFit claims? Okay then.... :noway:

    Absolutely, no one is questioning whether crossfit can get you in good shape, or whether it can help you gain muscle or lose fat etc. We are questioning the absurd claim that steroid free crossfit protocols are superior to steroid free bodybuilding protocols for hypertrophy. They also claim that a natural bodybuilder "can never approach the mass that our athletes do". Those claims are absolutely absurd. They're a complete joke, and if you would like to comment on that, that would be great.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    At the crossfit gym where I go I have convinced all but one person in the group of regulars to start lifting as well. :) Subversive *kitten* that I am.

    This was admitted as being necessary at my crossfit gym if getting really strong was one of your goals. For anyone to believe (or claim) that just doing the WOD would result in optimal strength is a little bit silly. It simply isn't programmed for that. (That said, I wouldn't be surprised if Glassman and company have and continually do make that claim.)
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    image.png

    ^ This is great!
  • shmerek
    shmerek Posts: 963 Member
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    ^ This is great!
    And people wonder why it gets a bad rap.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    image.png

    ^ This is great!
    And people wonder why it gets a bad rap.

    It mostly gets a bad rap because the people who are into crossfit have a religious devotion to it for the most part, they don't hesitate to tell everyone they meet that they do crossfit and they post their WOD on every form of social media they can, not to mention that it's EXTREMELY overpriced
  • shmerek
    shmerek Posts: 963 Member


    It mostly gets a bad rap because the people who are into crossfit have a religious devotion to it for the most part, they don't hesitate to tell everyone they meet that they do crossfit and they post their WOD on every form of social media they can, not to mention that it's EXTREMELY overpriced
    I am proud to say I have never posted a WOD on any social media. I really enjoy the work outs but I don't get the zealot aspect of it at all. My gym isn't too bad for price either.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    I don't buy a lot of the corporate stuff. I just like my peeps at my box. Good trainers, have fun, good music, swear a lot, irreverent, etc.

    I powerlift outside of CF but I probably would have never gotten into had I not started CF first. I didn't have the confidence to move from machines and dumbells for 9 years til I started CF'ing. I think of CF as my cardio and it has kind of replaced swimming and running a few days a week. Gotten good results. I didn't get the same results when I was just doing machines and db's plus cardio classes and running, but the combo of both strength training and CF seems to be working for me. You can really tell at my box who does supplemental strength training and who doesn't.