crossfit

jofjltncb6

No quality, trained, experienced fitness coach that cares about their reputation would want anything to do with an organization such as Crossfit that allows people with no education in physical fitness training beyond a 2-day Crossfit workshop be certified as a coach.

Any organization that allows people to be a "coach" after taking a 2-day workshop cares anything about quality control, or the reputation of their organization. All the Crossfit organization cares about is growing their brand by certifying people with almost no training and and raking in the money.

Yes, Crossfit has encouraged some women to get into strength training. But many more women have started strength training through programs like Les Mills Body Pump and Body Training Systems'Group Power, which are offered at many YMCAs and other gyms. Those classes are much less intimidating than Crossfit for those who are curious about strength training and looking for a good starting point..

Your purported knowledge of the most intimate details of the Crossfit organization (and all of its affiliates) is astounding. I suspect very few within the organization, even at the highest levels, have the level of insight you seem to have. (Unfortunately, I am aware of several trainers at some local Crossfit affiliates who do not fit your first assertion, but they're probably just outliers, right?)

Do you still work there? How long were you an employee? Are you sure you aren't violating any NDAs related to your current or previous employment by sharing all of this publicly?

3dogsrunning

No quality, trained, experienced fitness coach that cares about their reputation would want anything to do with an organization such as Crossfit that allows people with no education in physical fitness training beyond a 2-day Crossfit workshop be certified as a coach.

Any organization that allows people to be a "coach" after taking a 2-day workshop cares anything about quality control, or the reputation of their organization. All the Crossfit organization cares about is growing their brand by certifying people with almost no training and and raking in the money.

Yes, Crossfit has encouraged some women to get into strength training. But many more women have started strength training through programs like Les Mills Body Pump and Body Training Systems'Group Power, which are offered at many YMCAs and other gyms. Those classes are much less intimidating than Crossfit for those who are curious about strength training and looking for a good starting point..

You've made this point a number of times already. Again, I truly believe anyone has the right to express their opinion on this topic, I also believe that you have the right to defend your position, but I don't understand your need to repeatedly make the same points in the same post against something you know nothing about. You aren't adding anything new, you don't respond to anyone who challenges your points. You just post the same stuff over and over, even though people have repeatedly point out the problems with your posts.

The trainer at my old gym who does the bootcamp class you suggest I take - guess what her qualifications are - a weekend course. The other boot camp class available - she has NOTHING. Know what the course for body pump and all those other workouts are - a weekend course. I'm sorry, I've done those, it isn't near the same thing for me as crossfit is. It did not teach me anything about strength training or lifting heavy. You are comparing apples and oranges.

I don't know what your idea of a quality trained trainer is but I think it differs greatly from mine.

Most of my coaches at crossfit have been long time lifters with tons of experience in Olympic lifts before they got into crossfit. Some were certified trainers. IMO experience counts for a lot. That's where checking into the box comes in.

jofjltncb6

In my first three months of CrossFit, I came to grips with who I truly was, how out of shape I had let myself become and what kind of impact a steady and compounding list of physical achievements could have on my daily life. Now I find myself fleeing from the city after work each day at top speed just to make it back in time for a class. I find myself declining virtually every opportunity to drink at happy hours and eat lavish dinners and the like. Anyone who knows me will tell you how out of character all of this is.
But I’ve found a new addiction, something that both takes everything from me – physically, emotionally and mentally – and then gives me back even more than I had before. I’m hooked, and now all I want to do is keep getting better at it.

That's awesome.

Now, whatever you do, do *not* share this positive story with anyone else...ever...because not every crossfit location has great trainers and Crossfit corporate wants to be profitable...

...(or at least that's my takeaway from this thread).

ArroganceInStep

I will state my biggest problem with crossfit:

You b*tches are too fast for me. All those stupid exercises with running are completely biased against my fat *kitten*.

I have a couple buddies who do xfit and love it. Thankfully I'm still stronger than them.

Used to be we'd have competitions with this sort of thing to see who was better. They don't let me play with them anymore.

Apparently walking over to someone doing deadlifts for speed and kicking them in the junk so you don't have to run the 250 meters that fast is 'cheating'. I call it an expansion of available techniques and broadening of interests, which is EXACTLY in line with the xfit mentality. I should've gotten a check from corporate HQ for that little bit of ingenuity.

janebshaw

Since when is Les Mills or Group Power a heavy lifting program?

I did not say those were heavy lifting programs. I said they are strength training programs, and the weights they have available for people to lift in those classes is more than sufficient for most people's fitness needs.

Not everyone is trying to be a body builder. They just want to get some strength training in and have fun doing it.

bumblebums

Since when is Les Mills or Group Power a heavy lifting program?

I did not say those were heavy lifting programs. I said they are strength training programs, and the weights they have available for people to lift in those classes is more than sufficient for most people's fitness needs.

Not everyone is trying to be a body builder. They just want to get some strength training in and have fun doing it.

Had to google Les Mills. (After that, didn't feel like googling the other thing).

Thanks for giving me my laugh of the day.

KatLifter

Since when is Les Mills or Group Power a heavy lifting program?

I did not say those were heavy lifting programs. I said they are strength training programs, and the weights they have available for people to lift in those classes is more than sufficient for most people's fitness needs.

Not everyone is trying to be a body builder. They just want to get some strength training in and have fun doing it.

Heavy lifting doesn't turn you into a body builder. Just saying. Especially women, we would have to eat a very specific diet in addition to training very very hard to ever start to look like a bodybuilder.
I squat 150 and deadlift over 200. I'm not any bigger than before I started lifting. More defined, yes, but overall I'm smaller. It's how we're designed.

janebshaw

But I’ve found a new addiction, something that both takes everything from me – physically, emotionally and mentally – and then gives me back even more than I had before. I’m hooked, and now all I want to do is keep getting better at it.

I am sorry that you are having to use an addiction to feel you have something important to do at the end of the day. Addictions are not a good thing to have in your life, even if they are addictions to exercise.

I hope you can find a way to overcome your addiction, as it is not as positive to have an exercise addiction as you might think. For example, what happens if you get injured, either during a workout or if you sprain your ankle stepping off the curb and can't exercise for several weeks? What would you do with your evenings then? Do you go back to all the not-so-great things in your life that you did before you became addicted to Crossfit?

janebshaw

Since when is Les Mills or Group Power a heavy lifting program?

I did not say those were heavy lifting programs. I said they are strength training programs, and the weights they have available for people to lift in those classes is more than sufficient for most people's fitness needs.

Not everyone is trying to be a body builder. They just want to get some strength training in and have fun doing it.

Heavy lifting doesn't turn you into a body builder. Just saying. Especially women, we would have to eat a very specific diet in addition to training very very hard to ever start to look like a bodybuilder.
I squat 150 and deadlift over 200. I'm not any bigger than before I started lifting. More defined, yes, but overall I'm smaller. It's how we're designed.

I did not say that heavy lifting makes women look like a body builder. I said that the level of weights people lift in those classes is enough to meet the fitness needs of most women. Even though you may enjoy heavy lifting, the idea of lifting heavy does not appeal to the majority of women. I am not interested in heavy lifting, because if you aren't willing to pay someone to "spot" your form, you can get injured pretty easy.

Doing Group Power has made me -- and numerous other women I know -- enough muscle definition to suit our needs. The weights used in those classes are enough to help women safely gain more strength and bone density without having to pay someone to "spot" us..

KatLifter

I did not say that heavy lifting makes women look like a body builder. I said that the level of weights people lift in those classes is enough to meet the fitness needs of most women. Even though you may enjoy heavy lifting, the idea of lifting heavy does not appeal to the majority of women. I am not interested in heavy lifting, because if you aren't willing to pay someone to "spot" your form, you can get injured pretty easy.

Doing Group Power has made me -- and numerous other women I know -- enough muscle definition to suit our needs. The weights used in those classes are enough to help women safely gain more strength and bone density without having to pay someone to "spot" us..

You are just full of misinformation.
Have some bacon, it will make you less hangry.

BeachIron

Since when is Les Mills or Group Power a heavy lifting program?

I did not say those were heavy lifting programs. I said they are strength training programs, and the weights they have available for people to lift in those classes is more than sufficient for most people's fitness needs.

Not everyone is trying to be a body builder. They just want to get some strength training in and have fun doing it.

Heavy lifting doesn't turn you into a body builder. Just saying. Especially women, we would have to eat a very specific diet in addition to training very very hard to ever start to look like a bodybuilder.
I squat 150 and deadlift over 200. I'm not any bigger than before I started lifting. More defined, yes, but overall I'm smaller. It's how we're designed.

I did not say that heavy lifting makes women look like a body builder. I said that the level of weights people lift in those classes is enough to meet the fitness needs of most women. Even though you may enjoy heavy lifting, the idea of lifting heavy does not appeal to the majority of women. I am not interested in heavy lifting, because if you aren't willing to pay someone to "spot" your form, you can get injured pretty easy.

Doing Group Power has made me -- and numerous other women I know -- enough muscle definition to suit our needs. The weights used in those classes are enough to help women safely gain more strength and bone density without having to pay someone to "spot" us..

I think this program is for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-50GjySwew

ArroganceInStep

Since when is Les Mills or Group Power a heavy lifting program?

I did not say those were heavy lifting programs. I said they are strength training programs, and the weights they have available for people to lift in those classes is more than sufficient for most people's fitness needs.

Not everyone is trying to be a body builder. They just want to get some strength training in and have fun doing it.

And not everybody is trying to lift a 20 pound weight 400 times in 30 minutes, nor does everybody find THAT to be 'fun'. I've done body pump, it was a great cardio workout. It wasn't strength training though, at least not for me. In the same way that not everyone is trying to be a bodybuilder (which is an erroneous statement anyway) what right do you have to judge what is and isn't sufficient fitness-wise for most people?

I played rugby in high school and college. I also did Judo at an international level (I wasn't that good but it's one of the benefits of living on a small island, you get to travel) in highschool. I've been lifting weights casually for 12 years now and recently started training seriously for powerlifting. How is a Les Mills class EVER going to satisfy my exercise needs? I'm not even that fit!

I'm not special. What about the people that want to train for marathons or spartan or cycling or rock climbing or something? What about soldiers or other people who have physically demanding jobs? For some, the classes you're talking about may be sufficient, for others that's just not the case. Others may actually have fun doing the things you seem so deadset against. You clearly believe that xfit is too much for you, and that's fine, but that doesn't mean it's too much for everyone. Some of us want to push ourselves. Some of us are willing to risk injury to do things we enjoy, because at the end of the day we're all going to die anyhow so we might as well make it worth it. Now I don't enjoy crossfit, mostly because I'm not that good at it. If I did though, I wouldn't stop going because I was scared of getting hurt, and I certainly wouldn't because of some scaremongering tactics on the internet.

I'm done discussing this with you, you're not going to change your stance on the matter and you DEFINITELY aren't going to change mine.

To anyone else who may be interested in my thoughts on the matter: don't be afraid of hard work and challenges. Those are the things that make you better. People never got to be great by half-a**ing things. This really has nothing to do with xfit, it goes for anything:

If you want to try a crossfit box, or going to that bamf MMA school with all the jacked dudes with tats, or try out for the football team, or ask that hot chick out on a date, or run a marathon, or run for President, you'll never know if you don't give it a shot. Your potential isn't worth a damn if you don't use it.

Hellbent_Heidi

But I’ve found a new addiction, something that both takes everything from me – physically, emotionally and mentally – and then gives me back even more than I had before. I’m hooked, and now all I want to do is keep getting better at it.

I am sorry that you are having to use an addiction to feel you have something important to do at the end of the day. Addictions are not a good thing to have in your life, even if they are addictions to exercise.

I hope you can find a way to overcome your addiction, as it is not as positive to have an exercise addiction as you might think. For example, what happens if you get injured, either during a workout or if you sprain your ankle stepping off the curb and can't exercise for several weeks? What would you do with your evenings then? Do you go back to all the not-so-great things in your life that you did before you became addicted to Crossfit?

:laugh: Perhaps there's a 12-step program for slamming Crossfit and everything about it....really...I'm serious!

You're entitled to your opinion (as is everyone else)...but seriously, you appear to be as equally obsessed with badmouthing it as anyone else could be about doing it.

BeachIron

If you want to try a crossfit box, or going to that bamf MMA school with all the jacked dudes with tats, or try out for the football team, or ask that hot chick out on a date, or run a marathon, or run for President, you'll never know if you don't give it a shot. Your potential isn't worth a damn if you don't use it.

QFT

RichOC

I did not say that heavy lifting makes women look like a body builder. I said that the level of weights people lift in those classes is enough to meet the fitness needs of most women. Even though you may enjoy heavy lifting, the idea of lifting heavy does not appeal to the majority of women. I am not interested in heavy lifting, because if you aren't willing to pay someone to "spot" your form, you can get injured pretty easy.

Doing Group Power has made me -- and numerous other women I know -- enough muscle definition to suit our needs. The weights used in those classes are enough to help women safely gain more strength and bone density without having to pay someone to "spot" us..

You are just full of misinformation.
Have some bacon, it will make you less hangry.

She may be full of misinformation... slightly... just a little... But I think I come to these Crossfit threads more for her than I do the actual thread itself. She always gives me a good laugh. Her unrelenting hate for Crossfit is boundless.

But janebshaw, I'm worried about you. Like you said earlier, addiction is bad, real bad. It ruins lives and destroys everything good about the world. You clearly have an addiction to hating and bashing Crossfit and I urge you to seek help. There are professionals out there ready and waiting to help you with your situation. Don't do it for me, cause I love your spite-filled rants, do it for the children, the children!!!

PRMinx

No quality, trained, experienced fitness coach that cares about their reputation would want anything to do with an organization such as Crossfit that allows people with no education in physical fitness training beyond a 2-day Crossfit workshop be certified as a coach.

Any organization that allows people to be a "coach" after taking a 2-day workshop cares anything about quality control, or the reputation of their organization. All the Crossfit organization cares about is growing their brand by certifying people with almost no training and and raking in the money.

Yes, Crossfit has encouraged some women to get into strength training. But many more women have started strength training through programs like Les Mills Body Pump and Body Training Systems'Group Power, which are offered at many YMCAs and other gyms. Those classes are much less intimidating than Crossfit for those who are curious about strength training and looking for a good starting point..

you are protesting against crossfit so vehemently, that I get the impression you tried it and couldn't hack it.

Snort :drinker:

jofjltncb6

Since when is Les Mills or Group Power a heavy lifting program?

I did not say those were heavy lifting programs. I said they are strength training programs, and the weights they have available for people to lift in those classes is more than sufficient for most people's fitness needs.

Not everyone is trying to be a body builder. They just want to get some strength training in and have fun doing it.

And not everybody is trying to lift a 20 pound weight 400 times in 30 minutes, nor does everybody find THAT to be 'fun'. I've done body pump, it was a great cardio workout. It wasn't strength training though, at least not for me. In the same way that not everyone is trying to be a bodybuilder (which is an erroneous statement anyway) what right do you have to judge what is and isn't sufficient fitness-wise for most people?

I played rugby in high school and college. I also did Judo at an international level (I wasn't that good but it's one of the benefits of living on a small island, you get to travel) in highschool. I've been lifting weights casually for 12 years now and recently started training seriously for powerlifting. How is a Les Mills class EVER going to satisfy my exercise needs? I'm not even that fit!

I'm not special. What about the people that want to train for marathons or spartan or cycling or rock climbing or something? What about soldiers or other people who have physically demanding jobs? For some, the classes you're talking about may be sufficient, for others that's just not the case. Others may actually have fun doing the things you seem so deadset against. You clearly believe that xfit is too much for you, and that's fine, but that doesn't mean it's too much for everyone. Some of us want to push ourselves. Some of us are willing to risk injury to do things we enjoy, because at the end of the day we're all going to die anyhow so we might as well make it worth it. Now I don't enjoy crossfit, mostly because I'm not that good at it. If I did though, I wouldn't stop going because I was scared of getting hurt, and I certainly wouldn't because of some scaremongering tactics on the internet.

I'm done discussing this with you, you're not going to change your stance on the matter and you DEFINITELY aren't going to change mine.

To anyone else who may be interested in my thoughts on the matter: don't be afraid of hard work and challenges. Those are the things that make you better. People never got to be great by half-a**ing things. This really has nothing to do with xfit, it goes for anything:

If you want to try a crossfit box, or going to that bamf MMA school with all the jacked dudes with tats, or try out for the football team, or ask that hot chick out on a date, or run a marathon, or run for President, you'll never know if you don't give it a shot. Your potential isn't worth a damn if you don't use it.

DavPul

I will state my biggest problem with crossfit:

You b*tches are too fast for me. All those stupid exercises with running are completely biased against my fat *kitten*.

I have a couple buddies who do xfit and love it. Thankfully I'm still stronger than them.

Used to be we'd have competitions with this sort of thing to see who was better. They don't let me play with them anymore.

Apparently walking over to someone doing deadlifts for speed and kicking them in the junk so you don't have to run the 250 meters that fast is 'cheating'. I call it an expansion of available techniques and broadening of interests, which is EXACTLY in line with the xfit mentality. I should've gotten a check from corporate HQ for that little bit of ingenuity.

PRMinx

No quality, trained, experienced fitness coach that cares about their reputation would want anything to do with an organization such as Crossfit that allows people with no education in physical fitness training beyond a 2-day Crossfit workshop be certified as a coach.

Any organization that allows people to be a "coach" after taking a 2-day workshop cares anything about quality control, or the reputation of their organization. All the Crossfit organization cares about is growing their brand by certifying people with almost no training and and raking in the money.

Yes, Crossfit has encouraged some women to get into strength training. But many more women have started strength training through programs like Les Mills Body Pump and Body Training Systems'Group Power, which are offered at many YMCAs and other gyms. Those classes are much less intimidating than Crossfit for those who are curious about strength training and looking for a good starting point..

Oh hey Health_Gal. I see you're spouting off garbage again. My CrossFit trainer has Crossfit Level 1 Coach Certification, NCSF National Personal Trainer Certification, EFTI by Equinox., CPR Certification, Boxing Coach Certification by USA Boxing
pending, CrossFit Movement and Mobility Certificate (March/2013), CrossFit Olympic Weightlifting Certificate (June/2013) and a dietitian.

But I guess all those bootcamp trainers are SO much more qualified to swing a Kettleball around.

PomegranatePriestess

No quality, trained, experienced fitness coach that cares about their reputation would want anything to do with an organization such as Crossfit that allows people with no education in physical fitness training beyond a 2-day Crossfit workshop be certified as a coach.

Any organization that allows people to be a "coach" after taking a 2-day workshop cares anything about quality control, or the reputation of their organization. All the Crossfit organization cares about is growing their brand by certifying people with almost no training and and raking in the money.

Yes, Crossfit has encouraged some women to get into strength training. But many more women have started strength training through programs like Les Mills Body Pump and Body Training Systems'Group Power, which are offered at many YMCAs and other gyms. Those classes are much less intimidating than Crossfit for those who are curious about strength training and looking for a good starting point..