crossfit

MissMollieK

does anyone have experience- good or bad with crossfit- just opened in my hometown and debating on trying it out. I am not fond of "monkeybars" ever since I was a kid- and I see that there are apparatuses like this. I heard pretty good things from 1 friend but wanted some real life stories from other people...any to tell good or bad?

mathen2

I tried it and it definitely gives you a workout. Granted I wasn't in the best shape when I tried it, so the following days I was so sore that I could barely lift my hands above the shoulders. Now that I am getting better with working out and strength training, I might try it again.

erin_zuk

I'm not a fan of 'monkeybars' either. When I was 3 years old I fell off some and cracked my head open.

Personally, I think that regular cross training (elliptical, cycling, treadmill) + weights + flexibility training is generally good enough for me!

trybefan

Holy Crap! You want to get in shape and break yourself down then build yourself up mentally? Then Crossfit is for you. I did an intro class (30 minutes free) with one of the trainers that explained Crossfit, the purpose, and let us do some of the routines. Then, he said "I am going to put you though the toughest 10 minutes of your life." I was like HA. After the 10 minutes of the Crossfit routine, I was literally sore for 4 days. Like muscles screaming SORE. I would recomend if you are ready for a big challenge and can afford it.

erickirb

You will find people who love it and are fanatical about crossfit, then others who want nothing to do with it, and even others that think it is a good workout, but not the be all and end all.

thecrossfitter

Pros: Sense of community, accountability, a coach to teach you form and watch you, don't have to make your own program, all workouts can be scaled (I use a band to help me on the "monkey bar cage" and with the rings!)

Cons: Expensive, certainly not the only way to get in shape, restricted to certain times to workout, Not all affiliates will give you the same experience - I've heard some horror stories about some gyms

Just depends what you want/need A lot of places let you try it for free. Definitely give it a go before you actually sign up and pay for anything.

GingerBroad

I think it depends on your needs for working out. Crossfit can be great if you are motivated by others, like having some accountability, etc.

Most Crossfit places have a beginners or essentials class. So if you are not in that good of shape, you can ramp up before joining the general class.

I would say try it! They usually give you a week for free.

UponThisRock

The good: encourages people to train hard, introduces people to lifting weights who otherwise wouldn't

The bad: the teaching of bad form on lifts that could seriously hurt you, doing high-rep olympic lifts, no logical system of progressive overload, little/no screening, no programs tailored to specific needs of individuals

The ugly: sometimes cult-like mentality, encouraging/making light of training to the point of vomiting, making light of rhabdomyolysis (a deadly condition)

rileysowner

I have not done an official crossfit at the gym type workout, but the workouts I do are very similar in form.

The pluses for crossfit is that it works your muscles in a quite different way than steady state cardio. That means it also works your cardiovascular system in a different way as well. It is quite metabolically demanding, and has more of an effect on your metabolism for the hours (some say up to 36 or more) after you workout.

With this you can get a workout done in 30 minutes or so that will kick the behind of anything you do on an elliptical or even running. I don't run, but doing crossfit type workouts made me much more capable in running with much better speed and endurance.

The potential problems are that part of crossfit is doing as many of a certain exercise as you can in a certain time. That can lead to people being more focused on numbers of repetitions rather than correct form. The focus in a good gym will be on doing the maximum number you can do in the time allowed with good form. Some gyms just push speed, avoid them if them count things done in bad form as completing a repetition.

The other thing crossfit does not do very well is build up lots of strength. This is not to say it does not build strength, especially mentally, but for sheer strength building, there are faster, and likely better ways to do it.

MissMollieK

I'm not a fan of 'monkeybars' either. When I was 3 years old I fell off some and cracked my head open.

Personally, I think that regular cross training (elliptical, cycling, treadmill) + weights + flexibility training is generally good enough for me!

yes similar experience as a kid- now I fear them!

thecrossfitter

The bad: the teaching of bad form on lifts that could seriously hurt you, doing high-rep olympic lifts, no logical system of progressive overload, little/no screening, no programs tailored to specific needs of individuals

True. All affiliates are not created equal. I've been to one that was overly competitive and only pushed for time and coaches never corrected form. This is not only ridiculous, but it is dangerous. The one I went to like this was dreadful. I went once and never went back. It can vary a lot gym to gym.

UponThisRock

The bad: the teaching of bad form on lifts that could seriously hurt you, doing high-rep olympic lifts, no logical system of progressive overload, little/no screening, no programs tailored to specific needs of individuals

True. All affiliates are not created equal. I've been to one that was overly competitive and only pushed for time and coaches never corrected form. This is not only ridiculous, but it is dangerous. The one I went to like this was dreadful. I went once and never went back. It can vary a lot gym to gym.

I think one of the main issues is the certification process. Paying the money and having the certificate doesn't mean you really know anything. Same can be said for most personal trainers (only difference is the stuff they have you do isn't as dangerous, it's mostly just silly)

lizmichele

CrossFit will challenge you.
It will be a mental workout.
It will be a physical workout.
It has brought me to tears, of pain, fear and joy!
But it will give you strength, internal and external.

Give it a try. It is just like any other gym or workout, it is about the trainers and the people. Many CrossFits are like a family, close to the point of clique-ish. I go to a Box (CrossFit gym) where I put in an awesome hour of sweat and strength, and then I go home. Some WODs make me feel like a rock star. Some make me want to quit. And some make me want to come back every day, every hour until I can do what I couldn't before. But I somehow manage to get through the hard ones and improve. Just make sure you focus on your workout, not what the CF All Stars are doing next to you, that can be totally intimidating!

I would be happy to give you more details, message me.


Give it a try. You have nothing to lose.

kelrun

I did Crossfit for a few months until I hurt my wrist. I am weak on upper body and after I got over the soreness, I saw things improve quickly. It is super intense, but I felt too pressured to continue to up my weights and finally it caught up with me while I had 65 lbs on a barbell above my head. I felt the tweak and I haven't gone back since. I am 37 and I have friends in their mid 40s that do it everyday and they are rock solid and LOVE the program. Crossfit was not for me as I really enjoy doing cardio more than weights. So, I spin and run now and supplement with P90 or 30 day shred to keep some weight training stuff in the mix.

rachmaree

Give it a try! I've just started recently, and ı must say I enjoy it. It's varied, challenging, gives a great workout, and it's efficient. Not sure if I want to give up straight heavy lifting yet though.

mochalovies

I got in a crossfit kick couple of years ago. It was...in short -- humbling. I woke up with sore muscles that I did not know were there. I am a victim of habit, so I tend to go back to my gym rat ways. But yes, it is an awesome program.

Health_Gal

While Crossfit does have some good basic exercise routines, they also have WOD that are filled with lifts and other exercises that most people never heard or and don't know how to do safely. I do understand the benefit of having a lot of variety in our workouts, but the extreme nature of the Crossfit program has made me not want to even consider participating in it.

I am sure some Crossfit programs are fun and the coaches make sure that people are not doing more than is safe, but from all I've heard, those gyms are in the minority. The majority of Crossfit gyms seem to focus more on military style extremism, with Cossfit participants, proudly showing off photos of bloody and blistered hands after a weight lifting routine, and making others that didn't do quite as much damage to their body to get through a workout feel inadequate.

I feel the Glassman guy that started Crossfit is the inspiration for much of this extremism, especially when he makes statements such as

"It can kill you," he said. "I've always been completely honest about that."

See "Getting Fit, Even If It Kills You" http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/22/fashion/thursdaystyles/22Fitness.html?pagewanted=all

It's sad that something that could have done as much good as a exercise franchise that offers a lot of variety has become so much less effective at helping people with their fitness goals than it would have been without the extreme workouts and tough guy attitudes.