What can you tell me about crossfit?

msarro · July 2013

So, we have a crossfit gym in our area. I know this much about crossfit:

It's intense workouts, with set numbers of reps and moves, and your goal is to get them done as fast as possible with proper form, and then you compete against yourself or others.

I also know that the gym is pretty expensive (150$ a month per person).

I've also BEEN TOLD that it can be kind of like a cult where people try to upsell you on more crossfit related things, and they community will try to separate you from your friends and family to only spend time with "crossfit people." (I promise, that's not intended to be a loaded comment, it is just something several people have told me about crossfit gyms in several places in the US, not just the local one).

So, for those of you who do crossfit, is that average? Is the "separation from other people" thing true? Why is it 10x more expensive than, say, LA Fitness? Is the workout that much better? Do you enjoy it? What is your favorite part? I love the general conditioning aspect of it because it keeps you from focusing on only things you enjoy/are good at.

ca11herAlaska · July 2013

I can tell you that I very much enjoy CrossFit workouts without going to a CF gym. I just can't justify spending that much money. It's very easy to find the workouts online, and there's nothing in there that you can't do with equipment found at a regular gym (except maybe for kettle bells, which mine doesn't have), and many of them require no equipment at all.

I do know some people who are actual members of a CrossFit gym, and while they certainly love to talk about CrossFit I never feel like they're "in a cult".

kdiamond · July 2013

I did Crossfit for a year and a half but I wasn't a Crossfit person. I didn't do Paleo and I didn't wear the gear, I just went and learned about lifting. I am glad I did it, I got a solid lifting building base and now I do everything myself. I'm not sure I would have attempted most of the lifts I do now had I not learned how to do them. I enjoyed it for the most part, my schedule just didn't allow for as much as I wanted to attend and yes, it is expensive. I think mine was $180 a month unlimited.

So to answer your question, you should try it if you're interested, most boxes offer the first class free so you can see what you're getting into. You will be sore the first time. It is also good for people who don't want to think about working out, just want to do it, the workouts are always different and always challenging.

Briko3 · July 2013

Our church offers Crossfit for free. Certified instructors and all the equipment. They also offer Zumba and Kettlebell classes with certified instructors.

TeachTheGirl · July 2013

I enjoy the variety and results of the workouts, but I don't go to a 'CrossFit' certified gym, I go to another which has workouts similar to it and isn't as expensive.

fbmandy55 · July 2013

Some are bad, some are good. My boss goes to one with 3 fantastic instructors but they all push Paleo like crazy. If you don't participate in their paleo meal plan. on of them brings in his surgeon wife to explain why people NEED to do the paleo diet. BTW, she is not a bariatric specialist, just a general surgeon who happens to force her paleo lifestyle on others..

I would like to go from time to time because they are strict on form. Men there often get mad because they have to spend a workout with a bare barbell if their form is bad.

mike_littlerock · July 2013

So, we have a crossfit gym in our area. I know this much about crossfit:

It's intense workouts, with set numbers of reps and moves, and your goal is to get them done as fast as possible with proper form, and then you compete against yourself or others.

I do Olympic Style lifting and when I travel I often visit Crossfit boxes as run of the mill chains (planet fitness/la fitness,etc) are not set up with lifting platforms, etc.. From my own personal experience, in multiple boxes around the country, the only things i disagree with is the part about "with proper form". Are there boxes with good trainers in Crossfit? ABSOLUTELY.. is it by design or by coincidence though. CF has pretty light requirements to own a box and to train people and I have witnessed some total rubbish in terms of form at some boxes. as far as the programming, I have seen some boxes that make their own WOD's instead of using the ones from the corporate site, as the trainers know that the science contraindicates combining things such as squats with jogging around a parking lot. The good thing is the CF has exposed lots of people to Olympic Style Lifting, but bad part is that many people have been injured as a result of improper form/training. My 2 cents.

editorline · July 2013

I do attend a Crossfit gym, and after years of working out with a personal trainer (10+ years) I love it because I was missing the friendships and "competition" with others. I also used to do aerobics classes, which I loved, but I couldn't find a class that incorporated both strength and cardio in one class that I actually enjoyed. I would say that the higher price is worth it for me. I could be paying $40-$50 a session with a personal trainer three times a week, so this is a cheaper option. Our gym's owner is extremely knowledgeable, and he is very strict about using proper form, much like a personal trainer would be. When you pay for the gym, you are paying for the instruction during class and the programming of the workouts. Our gym also utilizes a program called Wodify, which allows you to enter your daily workout and then it tracks your progress. Our gym owner uses this information from all the members to help him find deficiencies in our workout programs. I'm sure not all Crossfit gyms are as good as mine, but I would say to try it at least once.

jdm_taco · July 2013

too expensive
high risk of injury because speed is more important than form

lol at those pullups hahahaha!!!!

songbirdtree · July 2013

Haha the "cult" thing is funny but so far from the truth! I think at the end of the day - if you're trying to eat healthy and workout consistently at CrossFit, you're bound to meet people who share your interest and want to hang out with them. I'd say it's a community with lots of events, activities and friendships more than a cult. If I'm trying to eat fresh clean food and attend CrossFit classes 5-6x per week, I'd rather spend my free time with people who have similar habits because I know my other friends tend to party heavily and eat junk.

As for the workouts and price - yeah, it's expensive, but I've gotten results unlike anything else and I've tried a lot of different programs.

CoachDreesTraining · July 2013

In all honesty, the only people that tell you it's not a cult, are the people that do Crossfit. I worked inside of a Crossfit gym for a few months, and without a doubt there is an elitism element from the trainers, and the members of the gym. If you don't eat paleo and wear Lululemon you're not nearly as "elite" as they are. Perhaps some gym are different, but every Crossfitter I know have been the same.

The moment one of the Crossfit instructor said to me, "I can't believe some of my clients eat carbs before they come in and workout," I knew I had to find a new gym to train out of.

alissadough84 · July 2013

Well, I wouldn't call it a cult it's a community really. You are all going in and doing the same intense work outs together, cheering each other on and some of these people become your friends. Personally, CrossFit has changed my life a lot. No, I don't eat Paleo and it's not pushed on me, neither is Advocare or anything else. I have however started eating more clean (and yes I cheat a lot). I have never felt like anyone was trying to separate me from my friends or family but you do tend to build different relationships with people based on what you have in common. Probably similar to relationships you have built on this site (you know, people who aren't trying to lose weight can't always relate, but it would be the same with any work out. One of my friends loves zumba i don't get it she doesn't get why i like CrossFit, but it doesn't change my relationship with her), just like you would with any relationship or friendship.Yeah there are some people that are very into advocare and yes sometimes I use some of it but it is all my decision and none of it is pushed on me.

My box is $150 for monthly unlimited, but I can't afford that. I go three times a week and am thrilled with my results so far. And this is all I do, CrossFit, eat clean and this site. Nothing extra. In a year I have lost 47 pounds and several inches, I started as a US size 12 and now I am a US size 6.

I do love Crossfit. I had a membership at a gym similar to LA fitness that I hated, my trainer didn't push me I bailed on the gym as often as I could. For me CrossFit challenges me to work out and push myself harder than I normally would. It has given me strength and confidence. Also, if you find the right box the trainers are awesome. They make sure that you have good form when you lift ( I had never lifted before) and make sure that you are doing the work out properly. I think my favorite part is seeing how far I have come over the past year. When I started I couldn't even run a mile, tonight I was able to run the entire mile stuff like that keeps me going back.

Shellster831 · July 2013

And the only people that say it's a cult are the people that don't do it. Really, there are worse things then being a member of a fitness cult, if'in it were one. So what if you only get together with CrossFit people when you socialize, would you rather one always gets together with the same people from the bar or work? Would that be better to sit around and listen to people ***** about their spouse and job? I'd rather hang out with a CrossFit person complimenting and praising a fellow athlete on reaching a new goal, or each person talking about what motivates them offering physical and metal challenges. Just sayin.

jdm_taco · July 2013

The moment one of the Crossfit instructor said to me, "I can't believe some of my clients eat carbs before they come in and workout," I knew I had to find a new gym to train out of.

lol would have laughed in that DA's face

JoRocka · July 2013

I can tell you that I very much enjoy CrossFit workouts without going to a CF gym. I just can't justify spending that much money. It's very easy to find the workouts online, and there's nothing in there that you can't do with equipment found at a regular gym (except maybe for kettle bells, which mine doesn't have), and many of them require no equipment at all.

I do know some people who are actual members of a CrossFit gym, and while they certainly love to talk about CrossFit I never feel like they're "in a cult".

this

crossfit is a name.... and high injury statistics

they do not have a monopoly on burpees, muscle ups, power moves, olympic moves or anything else.

it's just a name- pick a workout and do it.. I do lots of cross fit workouts- but seriously- it's just a name- I'd never pay 250 (or higher in NJ) a month for that. Nope. Not having it.

GiddyupTim · July 2013

My son goes to CrossFit. He loves it, and he wasn't such a great exerciser before. I think he likes the social aspect: That is, it is a class. You do it with other people. You compete. You encourage. You work harder than you would otherwise if you were working out alone.
I have done it and I like the fact that you mix it up. You do some strength training. You do some cardio. Most of the movements you do are functional and require more body control than simple lifts.
As far as the cult aspect and the up-selling part of it, I do not think that is really a big deal. The people that do it are just enthusiastic about what they do. Do some of them start eating like a caveman, because they get into it and want to step up their results? Sure. Do they try to sell you on it? Maybe, if they are jerks. But, I think that is rare.
On the contrary, the philosophy of CrossFit is that you scale everything to what you can, and want, to do. They do not have everyone do the same lifts. They do not have everyone lift the same weights. They scale it. At my son's box, there is a 70-year-old woman who makes fun of the fact that she is "Modification Mary," because they adapt her daily workout so she can do it.
Nobody ostracizes her. Nobody sneers at her. Nobody tells her she ought to quit. Instead, they are proud to have her in their box and they support her.
The monthly cost is a lot. But, it is like having a personal trainer: You will get better results because others are pushing you and helping you.
Do people get hurt? Probably. But, they also say that, like, 30-40 percent of runners get an injury every year. What could be less risky than running? People who do physical things get injured. (People who don't do physical things get bigger health problems and injuries.) I have never seen persuasive figures showing that the rate of injury in CrossFit is unusually high.

iarelarry · July 2013

I know alot of people who do it and they love it. 10/10 of them ALSO have 1 form of injury from it lol.

GiddyupTim · July 2013

C'mon Larry. Please. I am not a Crossfitter, though I have done it. And, in the past two years, I have torn my ACL and I currently have plantar fasciitis so badly I cannot jog any distance.
If people are active, they get aches and pains and injuries.
I lift at the Y. There is a guy with a hernia. There is a guy who had a hip replacement, related to his lifting. And, i don't even know what else.
Show me a persuasive statistic proving that Crossfit results in an unreasonable injury rate relative to other activities.
Please.
Don't just dis it because you do not like it.

CoachDreesTraining · July 2013

And the only people that say it's a cult are the people that don't do it. Really, there are worse things then being a member of a fitness cult, if'in it were one. So what if you only get together with CrossFit people when you socialize, would you rather one always gets together with the same people from the bar or work? Would that be better to sit around and listen to people ***** about their spouse and job? I'd rather hang out with a CrossFit person complimenting and praising a fellow athlete on reaching a new goal, or each person talking about what motivates them offering physical and metal challenges. Just sayin.

This is basically my point...

"Would that be better to sit around and listen to people ***** about their spouse and job? I'd rather hang out with a CrossFit person complimenting and praising a fellow athlete on reaching a new goal, or each person talking about what motivates them offering physical and metal challenges. Just sayin."

Crossfitters are better and more elite than their counterparts.

The encouragement is great, and I understand people socialize with people with similar interests. The issue is with how Crossfitters interact with people that do not kip their pull-ups and eat paleo.

I know many Crossfitters, and I am even friends with some, so I'm talking from experience.

meeper123 · July 2013

Bump

slkehl · July 2013

The nutrition community often laughs at the paleo crazy crossfitters. But it can be a great way to live if it's done right. Paleo is a healthy diet, though not for the caveman reasons it's pushed. And crossfit has great workouts, as long as the instructors are well educated on form and don't push their clients to injury. However, it's not the One True Way like many claim. There are many effective ways to eat and workout where you can be just as healthy and in shape. If you're thinking about doing it, just make sure to do your research...and that you're loaded with the cash money.

What can you tell me about crossfit?

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