Crossfit--worth it or too extreme?

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  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
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    I have a hard time taking anyone who does Crossfit seriously. Terribly judgmental of me, isn't it?
  • kristarablue2
    kristarablue2 Posts: 386 Member
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    Totally not too extreme for me, I did not think the workout was as good as my boot camp and I did not get sore like I do with boot camp, however, I hurt my back terribly going to crossfit. It was not being out of shape, I must have done something wrong cause it was instant pain.
  • Health_Gal
    Health_Gal Posts: 718 Member
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    Crossfit is too extreme for most people's needs - and on top of that, it's too EXPENSIVE!
  • superherointraining
    superherointraining Posts: 1
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    I did Crossfit for two years and for most of that time I loved it. You do things that are out of the ordinary for most fitness programs and they tend to be a lot of fun. I really started to have doubts about it about a year and a half in for several reasons.
    Expense: My CF gym was $250 per month. They sell that as "almost" personal training. When I was first starting out, I felt like the cost was worth it for what I was learning, the coaching I was getting and the effects. After a while, my gym grew, so classes were getting larger, I started to need less attention because my form was fine, and the shock-effect changes I saw at first were starting to lessen, but I was still paying the same amount. Diminishing returns, I'd call it.
    Injury: Although I didn't experience injury, many of the people at my gym were getting hurt. I had several nagging problems that would not go away. One reason I quit was to give myself time to really heal from whatever damage I might have been doing.
    Community: The community is a big draw until you realize that some of them are hyper-focused and you have little in common outside of the gym. I found there were some people I really couldn't stand, and the overall attitude in CF is one of elitism. I didn't care for that at all.
    So...is it worth it? At first, it is. The hard core workouts teach you that you can go farther than you thought you could. The change from current routine will result in very visual differences and in strength gain...it's not sustainable in the long term, either financially or physically for many.
  • Health_Gal
    Health_Gal Posts: 718 Member
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    For most people, Crossfit is too extreme, too expensive, and the "do it till you drop" atmosphere of many Crossfit facilities is much more likely than most exercise programs to cause injury. Crossfit coaches tend to be very hard core and encourage people to push their bodies harder than they should. And as we all know, injuries can be VERY expensive in terms of medical expenses, lost work time and pain.
  • RhineDHP
    RhineDHP Posts: 1,025 Member
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    In my opinion, there's better methods than Crossfit. There's a crossfit place near where I live, and a few of my sister's friends go there. Now, it works for some, but a couple of them have received some slight to moderate injuries doing it. Also, is expensive! Its like $1400 a year!
  • MGoodElite9
    MGoodElite9 Posts: 30 Member
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    I haven't read every single post so if I repeat something I apoligize. As many are saying, there are extremes to every form of diet and exercise. Cross-fit can certainly be effecive as can the Paleo diet, but everything in moderation. If you try cross-fit and someone is telling you to keep going when you know you are already sick or hurting yourself then they probably aren't the best coaches to work with. It is one thing to push limits and another to blatantly risk someone's well being. I was trained in a variety of simple isolation exercises, in proper form with proper weight, that minimizes the risk of injury while maximizing the effort of the targeted muscle group. It has worked well for me and I rarely have issues or injuries. Let's just say that being cautious did not prevent me from seeing results, you just need to be consistent.

    Whatever you choose to do, always start at a level that you can handle and work your way up into the more advanced levels, but don't be in a rush to do more than you are capable of at your current phyical state. It is great to push yourself and really figure out what your are capable of, but if you injure yourself you can't do ANYTHING until you recover, so be reasonable.

    As to the "cult" side of things, that is probably different at each facility you go to. Having a support group can be good, as long as they are not advising you poorly!!! (don't drink the Kool-aide)
  • giggitygoo
    giggitygoo Posts: 1,978 Member
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    The crossfit in my area charges $220 a month. That's bananas. It's cost prohibitive, if nothing else. I tried it anyway and ultimately decided it wasn't worth the risk of injury.

    I can do standard pull-ups but they insisted that I shouldn't, and that I need to use the kipping method instead. I didn't understand the logic but complied skeptically. I ended up straining my shoulder and never went back.

    I'm sure there's a rebuttal out there somewhere for my viewpoint, but in my opinion the methods are too risky. Putting new, inexperienced lifters in a timed environment is scary. I saw people doing lifts with absolutely terrible form with little correction. The instructor was trying, but in a fast paced group class it's nearly impossible to keep everyone on track with form.
  • Nataliaho
    Nataliaho Posts: 878 Member
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    There are some really good points here and some rediculous ones. For starters, ignore anyone (on either side of the argument) that makes broad generalisations about crossfit gyms. There is a huge diversity in the quality of CF affiliates, in the 5 years I've been around CF I have seen it grow immensely and new boxes pop up all over the place. Some have all the problems cited here, some have all the positives, most are a mix of both... You need to shop around :)

    The cost is a factor for many, however I don't think its really fair to compare the costs to a regular gym. A fairer comparison would be to other specialised gyms such as a yoga studio or fight/martial arts gym.

    The injury critisim always cracks me up, in all honestly I think the most injury stricken people I know are runners, yet they are often the harshest critics of CF.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    I really think it depends on individual fitness goals. For the average person out there, Crossfit is pretty over the top. You don't need Crossfit to have an average or even above average level of fitness. If you want an extreme level of fitness, Crossfit is a great option. I only took one class to check it out...reminded me a lot of my Marine Corps days and was a bit over the top for where I am and my current goals. Maybe someday, but right now I just don't find it necessary and am happy with my fitness goals as they currently stand. I'm an accountant...I want to be fit, but I'm not chasing down enemy combatants anymore either.

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