How do we feel about Crossfit?

_Amy_Budd

Okay, here's my stats/goal, for those of you who asked: I've been running, and really enjoying it, and recently signed up for a series of races that culminate in a 10K in early May, and I also want to do the Warrior Dash in August. I'm not a fast runner, but I don't need to be - I just want to increase endurance to travel further distances at an easy running pace. I have lifted weights before, I've done the P90X workouts and enjoyed the hardcore aspect of those, but I'm looking for to increase the frequency and effectiveness of strength training without the repetitiveness of workouts on DVD.

I want something that will complement the training for the 10K and the Warrior Dash, and my target is to get to my goal weight (40 more pounds) by Warrior Dash weekend (Aug 11, just over 7 months from now).

When I went to the local Crossfit gym today, there was 1 man and 2 women being trained by the owner, who is the wife of a husband-and-wife owner/trainer team. I spoke with her about my history as a non-athlete, and my concerns about scalability. She pointed out that part of the WOD was Handstand pushups. The man did them without modification. One of the women did just the handstand against a wall, without the pushup, just holding the resistance of her own body weight. And the other woman couldn't do that, so she was doing overhead shoulder presses with weights. A modification, another modification. I liked that.

So there are some more details, if that changes anyone's opinion at all...

Thanks,
Amy

Jeff92se

It will benefit you.

You aren't trying to deadlift 400lbs are you?

beckym71

I know this topic will draw blood...

Haha! Awesome pic! I was thinking the same thing!!!!! Pass the popcorn please!!!!

Jeff92se

It's so odd that something like the new rules for lifting for women is so highly praised but crossfit is criticized. Like anything else, you do it a your speed/ability level.

Just because you do power lifting moves, you don't bench 350lbs, squat 650lbs and dead 500lbs.

I would have thought crossfit would be one of the more highly praised programs here.

cheri0627

Okay, here's my stats/goal, for those of you who asked: I've been running, and really enjoying it, and recently signed up for a series of races that culminate in a 10K in early May, and I also want to do the Warrior Dash in August. I'm not a fast runner, but I don't need to be - I just want to increase endurance to travel further distances at an easy running pace. I have lifted weights before, I've done the P90X workouts and enjoyed the hardcore aspect of those, but I'm looking for to increase the frequency and effectiveness of strength training without the repetitiveness of workouts on DVD.

I want something that will complement the training for the 10K and the Warrior Dash, and my target is to get to my goal weight (40 more pounds) by Warrior Dash weekend (Aug 11, just over 7 months from now).

When I went to the local Crossfit gym today, there was 1 man and 2 women being trained by the owner, who is the wife of a husband-and-wife owner/trainer team. I spoke with her about my history as a non-athlete, and my concerns about scalability. She pointed out that part of the WOD was Handstand pushups. The man did them without modification. One of the women did just the handstand against a wall, without the pushup, just holding the resistance of her own body weight. And the other woman couldn't do that, so she was doing overhead shoulder presses with weights. A modification, another modification. I liked that.

So there are some more details, if that changes anyone's opinion at all...

Thanks,
Amy

Hi Amy,

It sounds like you've done a lot of research and you've also got some set goals, both of which are great.

I'm also doing Warrior Dash, but a few weeks before yours. My trainers tell me it'll be no problem after CrossFitting. I know several people who have done one already and have told me the same thing. CrossFit also often involves a good deal of running, although usually shorter distances (400m seems to be pretty common) so it might not be as good of a training tool for your 10K. That being said, several of our trainers run half and even whole marathons, and fit that training in with CrossFit.

Every workout is different than the day before, so you won't have that repetitiveness of DVDs, which is one of the reasons I love CrossFit. And every workout can be scaled, as you saw. It sounds like you have found a box where they really understand and stress that.

I will say that 40lbs by August might be hard, but it might work just fine for you. I've loss less than that in over a year, and I had a long way to go. (I'm still 23lbs. from my goal weight.) I am so much stronger and inches smaller. (For example, my hips are now 5" smaller than my waist used to be!)

I wish you the best of luck, and I hope that you have found something that works for you.

Cheri

Nopedotjpeg

It's so odd that something like the new rules for lifting for women is so highly praised but crossfit is criticized. Like anything else, you do it a your speed/ability level.

Just because you do power lifting moves, you don't bench 350lbs, squat 650lbs and dead 500lbs.

I would have thought crossfit would be one of the more highly praised programs here.

Doing it on your own is completely different. Crossfit can be good and can be bad. Mark Rippetoe has been holding many seminars at crossfit gyms, so I believe it can be a very good way to workout because they're inviting proper form into. However, some gyms try to force an advanced lifting routine to someone who has just begun working out.

Health_Gal

Even if your local Crossfit does encourage scaling, it would not be much fun to be near the bottom of the class, which is where you would probably be if most of the elements in their workouts are new to you. Personally, I like being in a class where I'm about in the middle as far as ability levels go. That way, I'm not at the bottom of the ladder, and I still have something to strive for. I am somewhere in the middle ability-level in most of the group fitness classes I take at the YMCA .

I know some marathon and half marathon runners that tried Crossfit for a while. Two of them got injured trying to do some crazy stunt in a Crossfit workout, and had to miss their races. The others decided that Crossfit was either taking too much out of them for their running training, making them to sore to train with their running coach, or was too expensive for what they were getting out of it. So none of them are now dealing with the Crossfit gym.

Bottom line,if you want to try weight lifting, you will probably feel a lot better doing something like Group Power, Body Pump or the equivalent (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcY1w6ZVaEs&feature=related ) at the YMCA or another non-Crossfit gym. Then you won't have to deal with the elitism and extremism Crossfit the trainers and participants at many Crossfit gyms are known for.

j4nash

A bit of advice.. as I've been in your shoes before and had my first "crossfit" experience about a year ago. GIven, I'm a former athlete so I'm used to a lot of the excercises that they've done but you have to start somewhere.

I think the modification of the workout routine in the beginning is important. For me, as I had been off the wagon for a while, they had me do 1/2 the WOD for the first few weeks to get my self back into decent shape. Second, ask for modifcation of excercises if you don't feel comfortable.. like the handstand pushup. Those are high-risk, injury prone moves as some people have never done a handstand in their life.. much less a pushup doing one. The basic cross-fit workout routines are very low-risk.. pushups, pull-ups, military press etc. The more involved ones are squats, hang-cleans, overhead squats (which I hate), dead-lifts and box jumps, assuming you miss the box

Don't feel bad if you're just starting out and don't get intimidated! Crossfit people are some of the nicest people I have ever met and are very encouroging to new members.. it isn't the blockhead, I can lift 8,000,000lb types that you may sometimes run into at the gym. I haven't met one person in Crossfit with a negative attitude, not that all of those types are mean but I've seen some of the stabs at the new years resolution types.. and mainly because the WOD will kick anyone's *kitten* and they're quite humbling.

Just know your limits, don't push yourself beyond healthy limits and be patient. It will come.

HOSED49

Even if your local Crossfit does encourage scaling, it would not be much fun to be near the bottom of the class, which is where you would probably be if most of the elements in their workouts are new to you. Personally, I like being in a class where I'm about in the middle as far as ability levels go. That way, I'm not at the bottom of the ladder, and I still have something to strive for. I am somewhere in the middle ability-level in most of the group fitness classes I take at the YMCA .

I know some marathon and half marathon runners that tried Crossfit for a while. Two of them got injured trying to do some crazy stunt in a Crossfit workout, and had to miss their races. The others decided that Crossfit was either taking too much out of them for their running training, making them to sore to train with their running coach, or was too expensive for what they were getting out of it. So none of them are now dealing with the Crossfit gym.

Bottom line,if you want to try weight lifting, you will probably feel a lot better doing something like Group Power, Body Pump or the equivalent (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcY1w6ZVaEs&feature=related ) at the YMCA or another non-Crossfit gym. Then you won't have to deal with the elitism and extremism Crossfit the trainers and participants at many Crossfit gyms are known for.

Hmm out of 231 posts I am guessing 219 of those are bashing crossfit because someone she knows got hurt.....we get it, you dont like crossfit....please take your crossfit is the end of the world sign somewhere else.....let people make their own decisions!

Health_Gal

If you can afford a personal trainer, that will help you reach your goals much better than Crossfit, because the goal with Crossfit is basically to get good at doing Crossfit workouts, and not necessarily your own personal goals.

The Crossfit people I've personally met are NOT very nice. They have the attitude that Crossfit is better than anything else, are very elitist, extremists, and are proud of all the bloody blisters on their hands and the scars they received from injuries doing Crossfit workouts. Maybe all Crossfit gyms don't attract that kind of a crowd, but from all I've seen and heard that seems to be the norm .

Jeff92se

If you can afford a personal trainer, that will help you reach your goals much better than Crossfit, because the goal with Crossfit is basically to get good at doing Crossfit workouts, and not necessarily your own personal goals.

The Crossfit people I've personally met are NOT very nice. They have the attitude that Crossfit is better than anything else, are very elitist, extremists, and are proud of all the bloody blisters on their hands and the scars they received from injuries doing Crossfit workouts. Maybe all Crossfit gyms don't attract that kind of a crowd, but from all I've seen and heard that seems to be the norm .

Crossfit as the name implies is an overall fitness type of workout. Can be extreme or can be not so extreme. If your definition of crossfit is being faster, stronger and leaner, then you are right, you will be better at crossfit. But you'd also be be better at most anything else too. Tell me how a personal trainer would help a person achieve their goals faster by using them vs a crossfit program? I wouldn't really go into about being a bodybuilder, powerlifter or marathoner. Because 1) the OP doesn't have that goal and 2) crossfit would probably meeting those goals better than some random personal trainer.

Health_Gal

2) crossfit would probably meeting those goals better than some random personal trainer.

That's exactly what I mean by Crossfit elitism. They automatically think that Crossfit training and Crossfit trainers are better than anything else around.

I did not say to use a random personal trainer. They can be good and bad too. But if you have a personal trainer that you work well with and that understands your goals, you'll probably be a lot better off than doing Crossfit, which doesn't focus on your goals, or really focus on anything except being extreme.

Jeff92se

2) crossfit would probably meeting those goals better than some random personal trainer.

That's exactly what I mean by Crossfit elitism. They automatically think that Crossfit training and Crossfit trainers are better than anything else around.

I did not say to use a random personal trainer. They can be good and bad too. But if you have a personal trainer that you work well with and that understands your goals, you'll probably be a lot better off than doing Crossfit, which doesn't focus on your goals, or really focus on anything except being extreme.

Incorrect assumption. Overall, the idea of the crossfit program is overall fitness. Stronger, faster, leaner, better cardio shape.

That covers 90% of all people's overall goals here.

Finding a trainer that can consistently perform better than what the general program that crossfit offers, is going to be tough.

I think you put personal trainers on an elitest pedestal in my opinion.

Health_Gal

Crossfit makes you a jack of all trades and master of none.

addisondisease

Finding a trainer that can consistently perform better than what the general program that crossfit offers, is going to be tough.

Totally agree.

A good crossfit trainer (yes one that teaches good form) would be great at all the fitness aspects. Again your trainer should be chosen based on your goals, you wouldn't have a cross fit trainer if you are wanting to focus on power lifting, you wouldn't want a zumba instructor teaching you how to kip, you wouldn't want your dentist performing a endoscopy, you get the idea. Trainers are just like us, they can know a lot about different things, but they always have an expertise. Choose the trainer that works best with your goals.

Jeff92se

Crossfit makes you a jack of all trades and master of none.

Yes, you have said this and I've addressed it.

personal trainers will most likely give you luke warm results and charge you an arm and a leg for it. Although crossfit can be pricely also.

Then again, my last statement was about you putting personal trainers on an elitest pedestal that you were criticizing others for doing with crossfit.

Jeff92se

Finding a trainer that can consistently perform better than what the general program that crossfit offers, is going to be tough.

Totally agree.

A good crossfit trainer (yes one that teaches good form) would be great at all the fitness aspects. Again your trainer should be chosen based on your goals, you wouldn't have a cross fit trainer if you are wanting to focus on power lifting, you wouldn't want a zumba instructor teaching you how to kip, you wouldn't want your dentist performing a endoscopy, you get the idea. Trainers are just like us, they can know a lot about different things, but they always have an expertise. Choose the trainer that works best with your goals.

You do know that the OP doesn't have any of those listed right? Not to mention how difficult it would be to find a personal trainer that excells in power lifting, marathoning, bodybuilding. Personal trainers are also just a jack of all trades. Nothing special

addisondisease

Finding a trainer that can consistently perform better than what the general program that crossfit offers, is going to be tough.

Totally agree.

A good crossfit trainer (yes one that teaches good form) would be great at all the fitness aspects. Again your trainer should be chosen based on your goals, you wouldn't have a cross fit trainer if you are wanting to focus on power lifting, you wouldn't want a zumba instructor teaching you how to kip, you wouldn't want your dentist performing a endoscopy, you get the idea. Trainers are just like us, they can know a lot about different things, but they always have an expertise. Choose the trainer that works best with your goals.

You do know that the OP doesn't have any of those listed right? Not to mention how difficult it would be to find a personal trainer that excells in power lifting, marathoning, bodybuilding. Personal trainers are also just a jack of all trades. Nothing special

I don't even think OP is reading this anymore. Now were just making noise.

Athera82

In regards to what others have said saying how bad Crossfit is I would have to completely disagree. I just started running last spring and loved it. Since I live in Upstate NY the running outdoors season has pretty much ceased. I started going to Crossfit as a way of building my muscles up so I could increase my speed and decrease my time. I found that I gained more than that by going to classes. I was able to really see what I could do as an athlete. My crossfit trainer is one of my best friends, and believe me she is not easy on me. The best part about when I leave the gym is that I have accomplished something new every time! I highly recommend it. Give it a try and really see what you can do. I figured after I ran my first half-marathon I was an athlete... well not so much...there's still so much that I never imagined I could do and I've done it all at Crossfit! Try it out you'll be glad!! Remember Strong is the New Skinny!!!

Jeff92se

In regards to what others have said saying how bad Crossfit is I would have to completely disagree. I just started running last spring and loved it. Since I live in Upstate NY the running outdoors season has pretty much ceased. I started going to Crossfit as a way of building my muscles up so I could increase my speed and decrease my time. I found that I gained more than that by going to classes. I was able to really see what I could do as an athlete. My crossfit trainer is one of my best friends, and believe me she is not easy on me. The best part about when I leave the gym is that I have accomplished something new every time! I highly recommend it. Give it a try and really see what you can do. I figured after I ran my first half-marathon I was an athlete... well not so much...there's still so much that I never imagined I could do and I've done it all at Crossfit! Try it out you'll be glad!! Remember Strong is the New Skinny!!!

Didn't you know, crossfit won't help your running? Stop making sense.

HOSED49

yes, its better to have not tried crossfit at all but consistently bash it even though you have absolutley no clue what its about, how its done, or what benefits you may get from it.......
All those crossfit games they have on espn, they are fake, those athletes benefit nothing from the crossfit workouts they do, abs are prolly painted on, one girl on here , her friend was injured having his crossfit abs painted on...she absolutley will not recommend it it so it must be bad for you if she says so over and over and over and over (x infinty)...
Makes me so mad to see people bash a program they have no clue about...
Someone gets hurt squatting in front of a personal trainer....watch the biggest loser, they go flying off the treadmill with multiple personal trainers around, someone gets blisters or shin splints when they run, oh dear god a buddy of mine dropped a dumbbell on his toe putting it back on the dumbell rack-so dont use dumbells they are dangerous!!! riding a bicycle is bad for you, you could get hit by a car, running on the road is dangerous for you, again-could get hit by a car. If you fatigue doing pushups your arms could give out and you could land on your nose.....dont jumprope- could get strangled in the rope!
Seriously....if you havent physically done Crossfit , then you have no clue how it will affect your body or your performance, much like any workout DVD or Zumba Class or any other class you take....maybe youll hate it, maybe youll love it....but dont let some ignorant repeptitive post sway you away from it....Look at the physiques it produces, look at the world renowned coaches they bring in to make it better.... try some of the easily printable workouts at home....then decide for yourself.....cant stress that enough...try it, if you dont like it you lost 30 minutes to an hour of your life....you do that most days with some of the tv shows you pick to watch at night...

Health_Gal

I have taken boot camp classes at the YMCA, and I didn't really like them. That was close enough to Crossfit stuff for me. Who the heck invented burpees? That's the silliest looking exercise I've ever seen. It looks like they don't know if they want you to exercise on the ground or standing up- LOL.

I don't have a goal of trying to look like the "ripped" Crossfit women you see on their posters.. Personally, the ripped look on men or women doesn't appeal to me. Some muscle definition is fine, but not the extreme looking 6-pack abs stuff.

j4nash

Let's see.. personal trainer, 6 days a week, 60 an hour, 4 weeks, $1440 + 50 gym membership. $1490 a month. The personal trainer argument, from a financial standpoint, is asinine.

Crossfit - $150 a month.

Crossfit is a great combination of strength and cardio. If you haven't tried it go on a Saturday. Most of the gyms I've seen do a free Saturday session.

Elzecat

Even if your local Crossfit does encourage scaling, it would not be much fun to be near the bottom of the class, which is where you would probably be if most of the elements in their workouts are new to you. Personally, I like being in a class where I'm about in the middle as far as ability levels go. That way, I'm not at the bottom of the ladder, and I still have something to strive for. I am somewhere in the middle ability-level in most of the group fitness classes I take at the YMCA .

Good grief. So someone shouldn't try CrossFit now because they wouldn't be at the "top" of the class? What a horrible attitude to bring to any fitness activity, RachelSNO. What is so wrong with being "at the bottom of the ladder?" When I started working with my running group in August I was by far the SLOWEST runner there except for one woman about 25 years my senior. Should I have felt bad for being a beginner and being several minutes slower pacewise and given up, or not gone, because I knew I was slower? I could have said, oh no, I'm not going to try this because I won't be "in the middle" or very good at it, at first. Fortunately for me, I have a much better attitude than you and was willing to be less than "in the middle" of a new activity. 5 months later...I've shaved 3 minutes off my mile pace. I have completed a half marathon and multiple other races. I've made new friends and become passionate about something that frankly I was not all that "good" at when I started.

LisaCFSF

yes, its better to have not tried crossfit at all but consistently bash it even though you have absolutley no clue what its about, how its done, or what benefits you may get from it.......
All those crossfit games they have on espn, they are fake, those athletes benefit nothing from the crossfit workouts they do, abs are prolly painted on, one girl on here , her friend was injured having his crossfit abs painted on...she absolutley will not recommend it it so it must be bad for you if she says so over and over and over and over (x infinty)...
Makes me so mad to see people bash a program they have no clue about...
Someone gets hurt squatting in front of a personal trainer....watch the biggest loser, they go flying off the treadmill with multiple personal trainers around, someone gets blisters or shin splints when they run, oh dear god a buddy of mine dropped a dumbbell on his toe putting it back on the dumbell rack-so dont use dumbells they are dangerous!!! riding a bicycle is bad for you, you could get hit by a car, running on the road is dangerous for you, again-could get hit by a car. If you fatigue doing pushups your arms could give out and you could land on your nose.....dont jumprope- could get strangled in the rope!
Seriously....if you havent physically done Crossfit , then you have no clue how it will affect your body or your performance, much like any workout DVD or Zumba Class or any other class you take....maybe youll hate it, maybe youll love it....but dont let some ignorant repeptitive post sway you away from it....Look at the physiques it produces, look at the world renowned coaches they bring in to make it better.... try some of the easily printable workouts at home....then decide for yourself.....cant stress that enough...try it, if you dont like it you lost 30 minutes to an hour of your life....you do that most days with some of the tv shows you pick to watch at night...

I 'm loving it!!!

LisaCFSF

Even if your local Crossfit does encourage scaling, it would not be much fun to be near the bottom of the class, which is where you would probably be if most of the elements in their workouts are new to you. Personally, I like being in a class where I'm about in the middle as far as ability levels go. That way, I'm not at the bottom of the ladder, and I still have something to strive for. I am somewhere in the middle ability-level in most of the group fitness classes I take at the YMCA .

Good grief. So someone shouldn't try CrossFit now because they wouldn't be at the "top" of the class? What a horrible attitude to bring to any fitness activity, RachelSNO. What is so wrong with being "at the bottom of the ladder?" When I started working with my running group in August I was by far the SLOWEST runner there except for one woman about 25 years my senior. Should I have felt bad for being a beginner and being several minutes slower pacewise and given up, or not gone, because I knew I was slower? I could have said, oh no, I'm not going to try this because I won't be "in the middle" or very good at it, at first. Fortunately for me, I have a much better attitude than you and was willing to be less than "in the middle" of a new activity. 5 months later...I've shaved 3 minutes off my mile pace. I have completed a half marathon and multiple other races. I've made new friends and become passionate about something that frankly I was not all that "good" at when I started.

Amen!

kir911

I am just wondering how many forums you can post on negatively Rachel...this is absurd!!! shut up already

LuckyAng

I know this topic will draw blood...

AH hahaha!!!

Health_Gal

Even if your local Crossfit does encourage scaling, it would not be much fun to be near the bottom of the class, which is where you would probably be if most of the elements in their workouts are new to you. Personally, I like being in a class where I'm about in the middle as far as ability levels go. That way, I'm not at the bottom of the ladder, and I still have something to strive for. I am somewhere in the middle ability-level in most of the group fitness classes I take at the YMCA .

Good grief. So someone shouldn't try CrossFit now because they wouldn't be at the "top" of the class? What a horrible attitude to bring to any fitness activity, RachelSNO. What is so wrong with being "at the bottom of the ladder?" When I started working with my running group in August I was by far the SLOWEST runner there except for one woman about 25 years my senior. Should I have felt bad for being a beginner and being several minutes slower pacewise and given up, or not gone, because I knew I was slower? I could have said, oh no, I'm not going to try this because I won't be "in the middle" or very good at it, at first. Fortunately for me, I have a much better attitude than you and was willing to be less than "in the middle" of a new activity. 5 months later...I've shaved 3 minutes off my mile pace. I have completed a half marathon and multiple other races. I've made new friends and become passionate about something that frankly I was not all that "good" at when I started.

You missed my point entirely!

I didn't say you shouldn't try ANYTHING because you might be the slowest, but the extremely competitive do-it-or-die atmosphere of many Crossfit gyms would not be fun to deal with if you are not able to keep up. I was one of the slower runners in my running group when I started that activity, but the leaders were reasonable people, and it wasn't all about pushing yourself until you puked or passed out. BIG DIFFERENCE!

XFitMojoMom

MOST Crossfit affiliates offer a "foundations" or "fundamentals" program before you start. It teaches you the proper form for O-lifts and gymnastics and all the functional movements you will be working on in a Crossfit WOD (workout of the day). My box offered a monthlong fundamentals program 3 x week - so it was pretty intensive and wide focusing. Make sure when you visit your box you ask them what their upramp program consists of. I wouldn't join one that offers only a week long program.

Should you try it - heck yeah!
But keep in mind it may not be for you. Hey - running is not for me... just not my thing... I hurt, plantar fasciitis , shin splints, soleus issues...
Crossfit I do because it's something new each time I go. I have 1 coach with usually at least 1 level 1 certified athlete in the group of 10 in the class. I scale most WOD's, but also push myself outside my comfort zone. Sometimes the slowest, sometimes (like yesterday) the quickest :happy: but I ALWAYS LEAVE FEELING LIKE I DID SOMETHING NEW AND WITH A GREAT SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT.