What's crossfit ?

donyellemoniquex3

Is it like a bootcamp, or another type of class ?

JESSJESJ

Sort of. It's high intensity training which focuses on strength and conditioning. They also promote eating paleo - grass fed meats, organ meats, lots of veggies nuts minimal fruits - mainly berries, and avoiding dairy and grains. It seems like it is a fun work out to do.

pstaceyca

Exercise on steroids!! LOL

jessem30

It's awesome cardio mixed in with weight training with a focus on functional movements. I started about 3 months ago and it has been the best workout I have ever done. But i still like traditional weight lifting and running but i get bored with it. Crossfit changes everyday so you never or almost never do the same workout. But it does have its disadvantages, you dont need to, but it helps if you have a little weight traing experience. Also it can be very hard on your joints so you should get checked out before you start just to make sure you dont have any pre-existing conditions that could hurt you. Also its very pricey!! But overall I really enjoy it, most crossfit gyms let you try a 2 week free trial to see if you like it.

ShaniWulffe

Okay, piggybacking on this... Why do so many people dislike Crossfit?

jayche

Okay, piggybacking on this... Why do so many people dislike Crossfit?

A lot of people feel like using momentum to complete a movement is cheating (i.e. the kipping pull-up).
Crossfitters also have notoriously bad form when it comes to technical lifts. I don't blame them, having to do 30 snatches for time doesn't really call for perfect form on every snatch. Not to mention a lot of Crossfit coaches don't know how to properly perform the exercise themselves and teach other crossfitters incorrect form.
It's also on the pricey end (100+ dollars a month iirc).

Overall it's a fun program that produces great results if you're into that kind of thing.

dstromley1

Okay, piggybacking on this... Why do so many people dislike Crossfit?

advocating terrible form. Stupid. a kipping pull up? seriously looks like there having a seizure on the chin bar.

3dogsrunning

Okay, piggybacking on this... Why do so many people dislike Crossfit?

A lot of people feel like using momentum to complete a movement is cheating (i.e. the kipping pull-up).
Crossfitters also have notoriously bad form when it comes to technical lifts. I don't blame them, having to do 30 snatches for time doesn't really call for perfect form on every snatch. Not to mention a lot of Crossfit coaches don't know how to properly perform the exercise themselves and teach other crossfitters incorrect form.
It's also on the pricey end (100+ dollars a month iirc).

Overall it's a fun program that produces great results if you're into that kind of thing.

This. It depends on the box. Some are bad, some are good. It really depends on the box and the trainers. I just signed up and am in the process of doing my intro to it. It was something I was very conscious of when checking out the one I am going to.

Wiki has a good explanation with a break down of a lot of the exercises
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CrossFit

grantdumas7

In a nutshell crossfit is The Jack of All fitness aspects the Master of none of them.

iWaffle

Kipping everything.

leighann881

Okay, piggybacking on this... Why do so many people dislike Crossfit?

I don't dislike the idea of crossfit. I dislike crossfit gyms. Often you find coaches promoting dangerous exercise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BDDyxXyf6UU

apotheosismax

In a nutshell crossfit is The Jack of All fitness aspects the Master of none of them.

This is pretty much it. Take gymnastics, olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, and whatever any other expert has brought to the table and you get this chimeric cult of koolaid drinking addicts.

Crossfit is essentially a deconstruction of fitness. Their model of performance relies on mechanical output of the exercise with the highest goal being power. This is why you see the kip implemented in high-rep pull ups. So long as they cross a full range of motion from fully extended to fully raised over the bar, the net work of a single pull up, work in physics terms ie force (weight) X distance (pull up height) is equal. Power is measured as work done over time (Newtons * meters / seconds) , so the kip is implemented as a technique to get the most work done in the least time.

There's a lot of criticism against the kip. First is that it's a cheated pull up. This is more of an argument by definition, and most examples used show people failing the kip and not reaching a full range of motion. Trainers are instructed to police their gyms of that behavior. But so long as the full range of motion is reached, the body is performing that work; the momentum becomes additional stress on the shoulders to rotate the kinetic energy back upwards.

The second common argument is that it isn't safe. If that's the case, then all of the high rep exercises should be unsafe as well, particularly the weightlifting and powerlifting ones, especially when executed in tabata intervals. The body adapts. Now, it is true that athletes unaccustomed to this level of stress on their joints are at a greater risk because of their ability to push themselves to the point of injury, but sedentary individuals face little if any risk because their body cannot handle the workload necessary to injure themselves. Seasoned crossfitters face few problems from properly executed exercises.

The third common argument is that kipping pull ups are ineffective in a life saving situation. While strict pull up performance can suffer after training with only kipping, you'd be hard pressed to find someone doing high-rep kips without managing a single strict pull up. Further, one of the milestone goals of crossfit is to perform a muscle-up. That's when you pull yourself up on the rings, flip your grip over at the top, and then push out of a dip position so that your arms are at your hips. This level of advancement certainly qualifies as potentially life-saving, more so than just a pullup, and it's an intended goal for every crossfitter.

Now, there is a problem with how crossfit's handled, and that comes from it's franchising. Gym owners think they can get in on an expensive fad so they jump in without having a clue. If you're looking to join, investigate your gym first. If they have an introductory course for newcomers, that's a good sign. If they have a strict and rehearsed explanation of the squat, olympic lifts, and anything else with heavy attention paid to technique, then you're in a good place. leighann881's video with death-gripped cleans is clearly the work of idiots.

Through crossfit I've found the most diverse and informed resources for all kinds of skills. Every coach I've met is repulsed by imperfect form, though some trainers's egos for their times have inexcusably let that slip.



this honestly isn't a sales pitch, I just felt like some clarification was in order. An auspicious first post, I'm aware.

leighann881

In a nutshell crossfit is The Jack of All fitness aspects the Master of none of them.

This is pretty much it. Take gymnastics, olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, and whatever any other expert has brought to the table and you get this chimeric cult of koolaid drinking addicts.

Crossfit is essentially a deconstruction of fitness. Their model of performance relies on mechanical output of the exercise with the highest goal being power. This is why you see the kip implemented in high-rep pull ups. So long as they cross a full range of motion from fully extended to fully raised over the bar, the net work of a single pull up, work in physics terms ie force (weight) X distance (pull up height) is equal. Power is measured as work done over time (Newtons * meters / seconds) , so the kip is implemented as a technique to get the most work done in the least time.

There's a lot of criticism against the kip. First is that it's a cheated pull up. This is more of an argument by definition, and most examples used show people failing the kip and not reaching a full range of motion. Trainers are instructed to police their gyms of that behavior. But so long as the full range of motion is reached, the body is performing that work; the momentum becomes additional stress on the shoulders to rotate the kinetic energy back upwards.

The second common argument is that it isn't safe. If that's the case, then all of the high rep exercises should be unsafe as well, particularly the weightlifting and powerlifting ones, especially when executed in tabata intervals. The body adapts. Now, it is true that athletes unaccustomed to this level of stress on their joints are at a greater risk because of their ability to push themselves to the point of injury, but sedentary individuals face little if any risk because their body cannot handle the workload necessary to injure themselves. Seasoned crossfitters face few problems from properly executed exercises.

The third common argument is that kipping pull ups are ineffective in a life saving situation. While strict pull up performance can suffer after training with only kipping, you'd be hard pressed to find someone doing high-rep kips without managing a single strict pull up. Further, one of the milestone goals of crossfit is to perform a muscle-up. That's when you pull yourself up on the rings, flip your grip over at the top, and then push out of a dip position so that your arms are at your hips. This level of advancement certainly qualifies as potentially life-saving, more so than just a pullup, and it's an intended goal for every crossfitter.

Now, there is a problem with how crossfit's handled, and that comes from it's franchising. Gym owners think they can get in on an expensive fad so they jump in without having a clue. If you're looking to join, investigate your gym first. If they have an introductory course for newcomers, that's a good sign. If they have a strict and rehearsed explanation of the squat, olympic lifts, and anything else with heavy attention paid to technique, then you're in a good place. leighann881's video with death-gripped cleans is clearly the work of idiots.

Through crossfit I've found the most diverse and informed resources for all kinds of skills. Every coach I've met is repulsed by imperfect form, though some trainers's egos for their times have inexcusably let that slip.



this honestly isn't a sales pitch, I just felt like some clarification was in order. An auspicious first post, I'm aware.

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upgetupgetup

sedentary individuals face little if any risk because their body cannot handle the workload necessary to injure themselves.

Did you want to think about this part again?

apotheosismax

sedentary individuals face little if any risk because their body cannot handle the workload necessary to injure themselves.

Did you want to think about this part again?

They will get exhausted or throw up long before they will tear a rotator cuff doing pull ups, not to mention even finding a kipping rhythm.

squall88c

I like crossfit but don't do it because of the cost.

But after looking at he crossfit injury board, I'm having second thoughts.

upgetupgetup

sedentary individuals face little if any risk because their body cannot handle the workload necessary to injure themselves.

Did you want to think about this part again?

They will get exhausted or throw up long before they will tear a rotator cuff doing pull ups, not to mention even finding a kipping rhythm.

When I was a 28 year old office worker in fine (read: average) health, I twigged my neck blowdrying my hair. It doesn't take much at all to throw off a weak or unbalanced body. I didn't even have to barf.

Injuries to novices (especially novices over 30) are common with unfamiliar or unattended movements. It's not just about load.

edit: you are reasoning from principles ("High repetitions are safe because the body adapts") - if you could support some of your premises with reference to epidemiological data or exercise science stuff I could more comfortably accept them.

zealousmissjj_wechange

Whoa, lots of negativity about CrossFit! Didn't count on that

I've just started CrossFit and I love it! Well, loving is perhaps the wrong word. I'm so sore all week, but I find it challenging and a lot more fun than weightlifting in the gym (which I still do). It's not weightlfiting, and it's not cardio. But I love it and intend to keep doing it!

zealousmissjj_wechange

To add: isn't comparing CrossFit to weightlifting comparing apples to pears? They're just different, right?

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waldo56

Biggest problem with it is the cost.

LOL @ $100/month Crossfit box. 'Round these parts $200-$250/month is more likely. That's just a silly amount to spend to go work out a few times a week.

Kipping pullups have their use. Anti-kipping and strict dead hangs is more the language of pullup noobs (in order to get into a dead hang you have to drop the tension in your lats, this is akin to doing "strict" pushups that include lying down on the floor each rep). I used to be very anti-kipping and have never been a fan of Crossfit, but learning to do a bar muslce-up has been very humbling (FYI, doing pullups dead hang as opposed to natural (natural =/= purposeful kipping) is nothing special at all, it reduces your rep numbers more than anything, doesn't actually make you stronger, chest to bar, THAT separates the men from the boys, not dead hanging).

Learning to kip (which is actually quite difficult, its a fairly technical skill) when you can pull >+75lbs from a dead hang in order to learn to do a muscle up is a bit of a kick in the nuts to your pride.

zealousmissjj_wechange

Hmmm.. I pay about $72 for unlimited crossfit sessions a month. I can't compare any of your experiences with crossfit, but my instructors pay a lot of attention to good form. I actually have to follow two lessons that are soley about good (crossfit) form to even be allowed to crossfit.

I don't care what people think about crossfit, I was just surprised at the negative responses since I'm enjoying it so much! Bet to each his own, right?

waldo56

I don't care what people think about crossfit, I was just surprised at the negative responses since I'm enjoying it so much! Bet to each his own, right?

Fanaticism breeds fanaticism. Many Crossfitters treat it as the greatest thing ever in life, the universe, and everything; thus those that don't care for it have to oppose it as if it is the worst thing ever in the life, universe, and everything.

Same as how the Crossfitter diet, Paleo, has a cult-like following that preaches the good word about how it is better than sliced bread and the cure of all the maladies of man, thus pretty much everyone who doesn't do the paleo diet ends up with vile revulsion for all things paleo and its followers. The rhetoric leaves you with only two opions, love or hate, indifference isn't really on the table.

Jessiebell527

How do you know someone does Crossfit? Don't worry, they will tell you.....

iAMsmiling

sedentary individuals face little if any risk because their body cannot handle the workload necessary to injure themselves.

Did you want to think about this part again?

Yea, that's out there in left field quite a bit.

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PRMinx

I love CrossFit. I don't eat Paleo.

I think it depends on your box, but my coaches are awesome and the people in my class are really supportive. The people who get hurt are the ones who are pushing themselves too far before being in shape. You know, the old football player who thinks he still has it even though he hasn't worked out in 10 years. The point is to compete with yourself, not with others in the class.

I've never been as motivated to work out as I have been since starting CrossFit. I hope I stick with it. Honestly, anything that gets people in the gym and moving their butts has its benefits. Haters are always going to hate, but they often don't look at the big picture.

Par8hed4life

Crossfit is pure awesomeness.
I used to hate getting up an going to the gym to lift and wouldn't push myself ..
Now, I am excited when my alarm goes off at 5:15am and I push myself harder than I ever had before. I know it has a lot to do with the people I train with, my competitive nature and a coach pushing me.
That is what I pay for. Somebody to challenge and push me.
I am addicted and I love it. Today marks my 10th week of Crossfit.

Crossfit is changing my life.

iAMsmiling

Hmmm.. I pay about $72 for unlimited crossfit sessions a month. I can't compare any of your experiences with crossfit, but my instructors pay a lot of attention to good form. I actually have to follow two lessons that are soley about good (crossfit) form to even be allowed to crossfit.

I don't care what people think about crossfit, I was just surprised at the negative responses since I'm enjoying it so much! Bet to each his own, right?

I see people do it who are happy and successful in their goals. Good for them. It looks injury prone to me and at my advanced age, I'm far too risk adverse to try anything like that.

drchimpanzee

LOL threads like these always turn in to "my exercises are better than your exercises." Yay egos!