CrossFit, will it be worth it?

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  • RivenV
    RivenV Posts: 1,667 Member
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    Meh. Then you should have said that CrossFit does not accommodate olympic lifting level strength (although a lot of boxes have olympic lifting as a special class that is included in the unlimited fee).

    Not everyone is lifting heavy to be the best body builder they can be. The level of strength I'm building at CrossFit has been awesome. I can see it in my muscle tone, I can feel in my day to day activities and I'm increasing my 1rm pretty steadily. But, yeah, I guess it's how you want to define strength and how much you want to split hairs.

    I would like to keep this constructive and positive, so work with me here. :) First and foremost, Bodybuilder don't typically lift "heavy" but rather include an incredible amount of volume and body-part splits.

    That's good your strength has been increasing and I never said that you can't build strength in CF. What did you do prior to CF? My point was merely picking the right tool for the right goal. If you think about it from the Optimal standpoint (most bang for your buck) CF is not the right tool for optimal levels of strength improvement. Conversely, Oly or PL is not the ideal tool for endurance or strength-endurance. My GF does Boot Camp which is extremely similar to CF in terms of programming and they even do some weights and olympic lifts in her class. Has she gotten stronger, yes. But if she were to follow a more olympic lifter or powerlifter style of lifting in the same length of time she's been doing BC she would be even stronger than she is now. It's just a matter of goals and something that a few people haven't mentioned, what you enjoy doing. I'm not here to criticize either method, but simply provide insight into what is best for the right fitness goal.

    Ok. I can see that.

    Shhhh....don't say that CrossFit is similar to Bootcamp. Health_Gal will hear you and then kill you in your sleep.
    No she won't--she's too busy sending out mass e-mails to be bothered to leave the house much. :P Plus, statistics show that murdering people in their sleep at night comes with risks that promote injury. I have -very- reliable sources and articles on this, trust me.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Oof, are you what most crossfitters are? If so, I should stick to my boxing gym where I can punch someone when they act like that...

    LOL! If there was a like button I'd be all over this.

    I've got nothing against crossfit, I just find this funny.

    Me either never tried it... but lordy. There are certain ways to present something in a good manner, and in a bad manner.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    Meh. Then you should have said that CrossFit does not accommodate olympic lifting level strength (although a lot of boxes have olympic lifting as a special class that is included in the unlimited fee).

    Not everyone is lifting heavy to be the best body builder they can be. The level of strength I'm building at CrossFit has been awesome. I can see it in my muscle tone, I can feel in my day to day activities and I'm increasing my 1rm pretty steadily. But, yeah, I guess it's how you want to define strength and how much you want to split hairs.

    I would like to keep this constructive and positive, so work with me here. :) First and foremost, Bodybuilder don't typically lift "heavy" but rather include an incredible amount of volume and body-part splits.

    That's good your strength has been increasing and I never said that you can't build strength in CF. What did you do prior to CF? My point was merely picking the right tool for the right goal. If you think about it from the Optimal standpoint (most bang for your buck) CF is not the right tool for optimal levels of strength improvement. Conversely, Oly or PL is not the ideal tool for endurance or strength-endurance. My GF does Boot Camp which is extremely similar to CF in terms of programming and they even do some weights and olympic lifts in her class. Has she gotten stronger, yes. But if she were to follow a more olympic lifter or powerlifter style of lifting in the same length of time she's been doing BC she would be even stronger than she is now. It's just a matter of goals and something that a few people haven't mentioned, what you enjoy doing. I'm not here to criticize either method, but simply provide insight into what is best for the right fitness goal.

    Ok. I can see that.

    Shhhh....don't say that CrossFit is similar to Bootcamp. Health_Gal will hear you and then kill you in your sleep.
    No she won't--she's too busy sending out mass e-mails to be bothered to leave the house much. :P Plus, statistics show that murdering people in their sleep at night comes with risks that promote injury. I have -very- reliable sources and articles on this, trust me.

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • nashai01
    nashai01 Posts: 536 Member
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    BTW, the only mirrors in my gym are over the sinks in the bathrooms. We work when we WOD, not pose. ;-)

    I love this
  • EB4life
    EB4life Posts: 39 Member
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    Agreeing w/ this...I am a novice CF'er and my coaches so far has been watching me closely and helping me scale to my abilities :)
  • EB4life
    EB4life Posts: 39 Member
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    Meant that I was agreeing with this. Forgot the quote the first time around.


    Absolutely love it, and it's worth every penny to me. It is expensive compared to a normal gym, but you aren't just getting access to equipment. You get a certified trainer at every session to help you and cheer you on, and you have someone programming for you, rather than just walking in to a gym and getting on a treadmill for 45 minutes, or trying to figure it out on your own. To the poster who mentioned injury/compromising form, CF is only dangerous to the athlete who doesn't scale to their own limitations, and/or attends a CF box with poor coaches (they are out there - so check the certifications of the coaches at your box first). The community of it is one of the best things about it - even at my heaviest, I have never once felt intimidated walking into a CF class because everyone is so supportive, and wants to encourage each other to be the best they can.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
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    I thought this was an interesting article in-light of this conversation.

    http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/fallacy_of_high_rep_olympic_lifting
  • mantium999
    mantium999 Posts: 1,490 Member
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    I thought this was an interesting article in-light of this conversation.

    http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/fallacy_of_high_rep_olympic_lifting

    Thanks for the link
  • Gwyn1969
    Gwyn1969 Posts: 181 Member
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    Crossfit is not standardized and the programming and culture from gym to gym varies quite a bit. The best ones focus on building a good strength base first, and teach the basic barbell lifts the way Rip (Mark Rippetoe) teaches them. Also be aware that it can be a little like a cult, which means that peer pressure can overcome your own judgement about what you should be doing. Don't join one of those.
  • ascrit
    ascrit Posts: 770 Member
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    CrossFit gyms, like any other type of gym, are only as good as their coaches/trainers/staff. Do your due diligence when looking into a new place to workout.

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