Pros and cons of crossfit gyms
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zorreena
Posts: 267 Member
Im moving to a new town and if I can't set up a home gym I'm wondering if I should join a crossfit box or just a regular gym. I was thinking I might be able to get better tips on proper form for weightlifting at a crossfit gym on the other hand I could just pay a trainer to help me at a regular gym if I am working into a new program and need help with form. I'm sticking with stronglifts for at least another 3 months but not sure if I should consider crossfit. I'm a bit scared of injuries from there. . .thoughts?!?!
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Im moving to a new town and if I can't set up a home gym I'm wondering if I should join a crossfit box or just a regular gym. I was thinking I might be able to get better tips on proper form for weightlifting at a crossfit gym on the other hand I could just pay a trainer to help me at a regular gym if I am working into a new program and need help with form. I'm sticking with stronglifts for at least another 3 months but not sure if I should consider crossfit. I'm a bit scared of injuries from there. . .thoughts?!?!
My understanding is that crossfit boxes vary WILDLY.
In order to open one you do a 3 day training course -- in other words basically ANY idiot can open one and be a 'coach' there. But some of them are legit good and have done their own homework and run good gyms. So the answer is, its a crap shoot.
I would personally HATE it as they tend to be fast paced and reps-for-time based and you do a lot of different things - some days you are running around doing burpees and what not, some days you do lifting, some days you do pull ups, etc etc. I'd show up and be like "kay I'm not gonna do any burpees, can I just take this barbell to the corner?"
on the other hand they will usually have awesome stuff like prowler sleds that other gyms won't have and that you wouldn't buy for your home.
If it appeals you to just run around doing whatever the work out of the day is, you might like it as-is. But do talk to the people, find out their backgrounds and credentials, watch them lead a class and see if they let dangerous stuff or half reps go.0 -
Some people at cross fit gyms do Olympic weightlifting. And for reasons I do not quite understand, there are different ways to do it. I like the more effective way. The reason I bring this up is because practicing of High Bar Back Squats is preferred over Low Bar in some communities where people do Olympic weightlifting. That being said, the gym's style of weight training may be different than the Rippetoe way. But you should still be able to go to the gym and see if it's your thing. There is a crossfit gym in my area that offers a free session, but they have you do their "Workout of the day" and I'm not really interested in all that so I never went.0
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From my understanding. (AKA randomly looking up monthly prices in MI and PA) they are ridiculously expensive. The one here is 99-150/month In the same area I can have a 24 hour gym with power rack, free classes (yoga, spin, les mills stuff,) sauna (possibly sketchy) for 20/month, or a powerlifing/strongman gym membership for 33. Or I could have both and a personal training session every month for less than 2xWeek at a crossfit gym. Also they kind of have a crappy schedule. Not trying to sound super down on cross fit, but those things kind of made me a little meh about joining one.0
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One of the crossfit places in my town has "open gym" times where I believe you can go in and do as you wish. I've been thinking about switching to crossfit in the fall, but the cost is higher than what I pay for my membership AND training at this point. I do like the running around and doing different things aspect, but I am able to do most of that on my own so it will probably come down to a financial choice for me.
tameko is right that the "coaching" can be hit or miss in those places as well. Most places will offer a trial period or may offer a single day pass type of thing.0 -
I have a friend who does crossfit and loves it, and it's become a huge part of her life (fitness in general, but they do mud run stuff together and run up mountains carrying rocks). From what I've seen, they have some good trainers, but as Tameko pointed out, the training will vary greatly depending on the box (equally true of personal trainers). Do your research no matter which way you go.
Also, a lot of the WODs are timed; do things as fast as you can. It seems like the rushing is what leads to form breakdown and ultimately injuries. Seems similar to boot camps; I did a boot camp with a friend, and it was a "first one to thirty" type thing. I could do 10 parallel squats in the time it took some guy to do 30, but he'd drop his hips maybe 4 inches. Didn't seem worth it to me. I'd imagine crossfit wouldn't be that bad at form, but I don't really know.
Most crossfit people I know eat paleo. I'm not sure how hard they push it, and again, it will probably depend on the box.
Crossfitters contend that it's cheaper than a trainer. This is true if you do every workout with a trainer. I can't afford that, and I think I'd find what a trainer tries to "arrange" for me to do as annoying as someone telling me to do a WOD. I'm assuming they don't have an issue with you avoiding the WOD altogether, but it seems to kind of defeat the purpose. It seems like they really try to create a community, and I don't see them leaving you alone to do your own thing. (Although I could be completely wrong and they could completely cheer you on as you lift too.)
That said, having a supportive community is amazing. The boot camp I did was fantastic because everyone was super nice and supportive. We had to "run" which I sucked at, but any time someone lapped me (yeah it was bad, but at least we were just running around a roundabout in the local park and not a track) they'd encourage me to keep going and not give up.
All the boxes in my area offer a free intro class, so I'd see what it's like before joining, and bring a list of questions with you. I'd straight up ask what it'd be like if you don't want to do the WODs (or maybe you'd like them so it wouldn't be an issue).0 -
Crossfit gyms sound more like clubs to me, really. The only reason I would ever join one would be to be able to praticipate in the overall Crossfit system/way of fitness. I agree that Crossfit gyms are pricey, and it would make zero financial sense to me to join one if I'm not going to participate in everything they have to offer.
If you're just wanting to focus on barbells/lifting, I think a regular gym with a well-equipped weight room will serve you much better. I'd do some scouting with an open mind, because ultimately it's not just about the equipment but also the people. There's knowledgeable lifters that don't mind helping other lifters out at any gym all over everywhere, and a personal trainer often simply isn't necessary. I mean lifting is lifting, and the basics never change, really.
Plus what everyone else has said already, obvs.0 -
Oh, something else to think about would be a powerlifting gym. They would be similar to crossfit with some of the stranger/unique equipment and people who know what they are doing, but they don't have all the crazy hype. However, in my area, there aren't many options (the one highly recommended would be at least a 45 drive not in traffic), they are still pretty pricey, and the pictures show a lot of people who are already in really good shape and are doing more conditioning type work (I would be intimidated as hell).0
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Crossfit gyms sound more like clubs to me, really. The only reason I would ever join one would be to be able to praticipate in the overall Crossfit system/way of fitness.
^This. I have a friend who has been a CF devotee for 18 months and she loves it -- but I suspect it is a combination of the workouts and the social atmosphere that her particular gym promotes. She has made a lot of friends there and they do a lot of stuff outside of the gym together. This is the cool part.
I would not, however, like the workouts they do and it is very expensive (she pays double what I pay per month to be a member at the Y -- which is also a pricey gym).
Also, her gym does promote Paleo as a diet. Not pushy, but encouraged.0 -
From my understanding. (AKA randomly looking up monthly prices in MI and PA) they are ridiculously expensive. The one here is 99-150/month In the same area I can have a 24 hour gym with power rack, free classes (yoga, spin, les mills stuff,) sauna (possibly sketchy) for 20/month, or a powerlifing/strongman gym membership for 33. Or I could have both and a personal training session every month for less than 2xWeek at a crossfit gym. Also they kind of have a crappy schedule. Not trying to sound super down on cross fit, but those things kind of made me a little meh about joining one.
I'm kind of wobbling for this reason.the town I am moving to also has a gym owned by a well known fitness model. The crossfit gym is 150 for 3x a week and 199 for unlimited access. The gym is 70/month and I guess I would have money left over to get training and focus on powerlifting. I talked To a seasoned trainer today and she really helped me Think about what am i really aiming for. so i think i needto think about that and figure it out that way. Thanks for your input it helped me cross that off my list. I'm happy with the community I have here on MFP. So I don't really need it for social reasons.0 -
I was a member of a crossfit gym for a while here and I have mixed feelings about it. The workouts/WOD, I didn't mind one bit as I like variety. What I didn't like is I was always sore...ALWAYS. The other thing that really stopped me from going was two fold: It was way too cliquey for me. If you couldn't always work out on the same day every week and had to do a workout on a different day where you didn't know anyone, they were very standoffish. I had went to a barbecue they held so everyone could get to know each other so my husband and I went (he wasn't doing CrossFit with me). They were so standoffish there it was ridiculous! Even my husband was like "if this is how these people are all the time, I don't want to join up there. That bothered me the most. We're all there to do the same thing so why be a jerk?!
The other thing is the last workout I did was last September and my hips have never been the same since. My right hip constantly hurts, left one is sore in it's own way. I don't remember the full workout that day but there was a lot of box jumps involved.
Sometimes I miss the variety of workouts but I'm pretty sure I'll never walk into another crossfit gym again, I'll just watch it on TV.0 -
find a good crossfit gym with staff that has a lot of experience and certifications besides the crossfit level one. its literally like always having a personal trainer (every session without paying extra every session) and everyone helps motivate and push you, plus you can drop the weights which is fun 0
