CrossFit

bethberg12

I've started a CrossFit class at my local gym, but I'm having trouble breaking it down to enter into exercises on here. I work my butt off for 65 minutes, but when I list the activities out, it tells me I've burned like 90 calories. Anyone found an effective way to measure what you're doing with CF on here?

TIA!

madmags

I have found if you use circuit training it is a better fit. I don't do cf but I do similar style workouts.

bethberg12

Thanks! That's a great suggestion.

MongoMN

The workouts vary so much in duration and intensity, there really isn't any way to estimate them. Your best bet is to get a quality heart rate monitor and use its calorie tracking do the work for you. I've been a crossfitter for just short of 2 years now.

WingWife

Heart Rate Montior! I also do crossfit and the best way to really know what you are burning is by buying a good HRM that calculates your calories for you. I burn anywhere from 400-700+ calories an hour doing crossfit.

natalie2355

i agree with wingwife... i wear my HRM

Health_Gal

Good luck, but I am not a big fan of Crossfit. It's too extreme and they make you do things that have too high of a risk for injury.

Personally, I think it's far more important to stay free of injuries than to push myself to the extreme with a program like Crossfit.

I would highly recommend this article from the NY Times to anyone that is thinking about getting into Crossfit:

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

Thulpa

I would not recommend cross fit to people starting off, Cross fit to me is a program for people with a moderate level of fitness to take them to a high level of fitness. The same with P90X. Doing fast, extreme workouts when you are first starting out is a first class ticket to injury ville.

Now, once you plateau, cross fit and P90X are great ways to break through that plateau. For starters, get on a circuit/strength training program and low impact cardio like elliptical and cycling. Also, add a yoga class in so that you can get a good stretch to help prevent injury.

My first crossfit class, I hurt a leg muscle and was out for 3 days, went back and hurt my ankle. So I will not be going back until I am I ready for the level of fitness.

Health_Gal

I have a moderate level of fitness, and I do not make Crossfit a goal because there are too many things I do not like about the organization to want to participate in it..

First of all, I do not like the highly military focus of Crossfit. They name their workouts after fallen warriors, and while I certainly don't object to honoring those who died in service, there's no way that pushing yourself to the extreme in a workout is going to bring those people back.

While this may not be true of all Crossfit gyms, while Crossfit claims to preach safety, Crossfit is known for pushing people to take workouts to an extremely intense, dangerous levels where good form and safety is sacrificed for heavier lifts and high numbers of repetitions.

Crossfit attracts a high percentage of people that like to take things to the extreme, and while a program such as Crossfit might meet a need for them, I certainly do not want to work out in a gym with that sort of a do-it-or-die-trying atmosphere..

I am not at all impressed by the photos of blistered, bloody hands I see on Crossfit websites and Facebook pages. I need my hands for many things in life, and do not want to join an organization that glorifies tearing your hands up so you can look tough.

The hardcore Crossfit people I know, and many that I've heard about from others come across as elitists that believe they are so much better than people that train at other facilities.

DaisyCrazy82

I believe that everyone is entitled to an opinion and I have seen instances where people have gotten hurt in many forms of excercise. However, I do not believe that Crossfit can be generalized into a specific do or die category. I have been doing Crossfit for the passed two months and love it. The instructors I work with are more concerned with technique then anything else. They will not allow you to increase weights until they are sure you understand and are capable of the movements.

I do understand that the type of workouts seem extreme, but they are only what you make them. The workouts are scaled to each individuals fitness levels. The instructors at my gym do not ever make me do something I do not feel comfortable with. It is a very community oriented atmosphere and everyone at my Crossfit gym is encouraging and supportive.

I have been a member at every type of gym in my area... Circuit training gym, generic type of gym and 100% instructor taught classes, but nothing has ever encouraged me to try to be the best me I can like Crossfit has. And you're right, it's not for everyone and I was sure it wasn't for me, but I absolutely love it!

As I mentioned, this is just my opinion. I just thought I'd share as others did before me.

crawpapa

Congrats on finding something you enjoy doing. I love CrossFit, and have been doing CF for a few years. Every CF gym I have gone to, the instructors are right there ensuring everyone has good form and can handle what they are doing, or they scale the work-out. The major thing is just moving and doing something you enjoy - if you don't like it, why would you keep going back. Back to your original OP before all the CF "haters" got on here, a HRM is going to be your best bet. There is just no way to track calories doing "Cindy" or "Fran" or some other WOD without one. I have been using a Garmin HRM that I love, only because I didn't like the looks of the Polar ones (personal preference). Just make sure you get one that has a chest strap, as the kind without them you will need to hold the watch on your wrist with your other hand to get a reading. Not exactly do-able when you are going for time.

PompousClock

First of all, I do not like the highly military focus of Crossfit. They name their workouts after fallen warriors, and while I certainly don't object to honoring those who died in service, there's no way that pushing yourself to the extreme in a workout is going to bring those people back.

My CrossFit's workouts this week have been named "Jumpball", "Chelsea", and "Walk This Way". Perhaps it's just the locations near me, but I haven't heard or seen any militaristic focus (which I agree would be off-putting). I joined CrossFit after witnessing several of my friends get into shape using the method. I'm not friends with any muscle-heads, though, so it's viewed and enjoyed as a vigorous workout regimine that helps with weight loss, muscle building, and increased energy. Plus, the class times and location are easier for me than any other gym in the area.

Perhaps to address the widespread criticisms of too much weight too fast, the trainers at my location are eagle-eyed about keeping people at or below recommended weights, always oncentrating on form first. And people doing modified workouts are cheered on just as much as the ones who can easily lift higher weights. I've been impressed with how supportive and cheerful everyone is.

addisondisease

At my gym (not cross fit) i see bad form when people CURL! I've been to cross fit gyms where they have crappy form from dead-lifts to cleans. It doesn't matter what kind of gym you go to, there will always be people who think they have the best form ever and "OMG i can dead-lift lmao 3plate! i must have awesome form" yet the bar never touches their shins and their backs look like candy canes.

Crossfit has not invented a single lift on their own, they just use a different format of the already existing lifts to create a well balanced athlete. If someone uses bad form or works outside of their capabilities they are the ones who will pay the price. Even at west-side barbell the lifters coach each other on form every single day.

outy5y2k

its probley the wrong answer as far as a fitness certified trainer would look at it .. but on my fitness tracker i input EVERYTHING good or bad that i eat .. im strict with my calorie intake. ive started eating smaller / healthy portions more times a day. but i just ignore the exercise portion of this app. unless its cardio. i have found that by doing this im still able to maintain my calorie intake and i still feel great and also am getting results.

PS .. CrossFit Changed my Life.

Health_Gal

I don't want Crossfit to change my life, especially after I've seen the kind of changes it has made in the lives of some people I know.

I know people that used to have a reasonable, healthy attitude about fitness that went to the gym maybe 4 or 5 times a week,. But after getting involved with Crossfit, they became exercise fanatics that put going to Crossfit for their workout of the day above doing things with their family or activities with friends. And they don't just exercise, they think they haven't done enough unless they are so sore they can barely move or walk the next day. I've seen some people with bad bruises, scrapes, sprains, and other injuries, acting like it was something to be proud of because it happened during a Crossfit workout.

So no thanks, Crossfit. I don't need those kind of changes in my life.

jukemaster

I have to say, Crossfit hasn't given me any fear of injury. Our trainers make us go through a foundations course to focus on learning proper form for all the exercises. They also use this time to help shape the workouts towards someone's fitness and flexibility levels. I have terrible flexibility and poor shoulder strength. This means I'm not allowed to do some of the exercises as planned. Instead, they have me doing modified exercises meant to provide a similar workout with a focus on improvement. The trainers watch everyone like a hawk and if someone is doing the workout wrong, they stop that person and work with him or her. And when someone is trying to lift too much weight at the expense of the workout, the trainers step in. Yes, these workouts are extreme in that they leave you sore and tired, but I have no fears about injury.

It's certainly something that the addictive personality will gravitate towards. That's probably why some people get super hardcore about Crossfit. However, I think that's a smaller subset of the Crossfit population. At the end of the day, I'm meeting up with people to workout as a group, all of whom are the most supportive out of any other program I've seen. From all levels of skill and fitness to all walks of life, everyone helps each other to get fit and healthy. It's amazing and I love it.

Health_Gal

At the end of the day, I'm meeting up with people to workout as a group, all of whom are the most supportive out of any other program I've seen. From all levels of skill and fitness to all walks of life, everyone helps each other to get fit and healthy. It's amazing and I love it.

That paragraph could describe ANY fitness program. The fact that it is at a Crossfit gym has nothing to do with it. It's just about the people at that particular gym. I've heard people say the same thing about "biggest loser" type programs at the YMCA where they have groups that support each other.

You just happen to be at one of the less extreme Crossfit gyms. If you went to other Crossfit gyms, including the one in my area, you would see super hardcore Crossfit people that feel like they are SOOOO much better than people that train at other gyms, people that take pride in making their hands blistered and bloody from a workout of the day routine, and coaches that preach safety in the beginning, but then go on to encourage participants to push themself as hard as they possibly can, which highly increases the possibility of injury.