Anyone doing CrossFit?

wonderwoman234
wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I went to a CrossFit gym this afternoon to speak with a guy about training me in weight lifting. He wants me to try CrossFit instead.

I have built up a decent fitness base in the past 6 weeks and I'm a former runner and have been active most of my adult life, so getting back into shape has felt good so far. I guess I'm kind of intimidated by CrossFit because I'm afraid I will either be unable to keep up or will get injured/die from a heart attack! I am doing 30-60 minutes of cardio with a heart rate of around 155-170 so it's not like I'm a total wimp, just a bit timid about something that seems pretty intense.

Any insights, thoughts, experiences with CrossFit?

Replies

  • DirrtyH
    DirrtyH Posts: 664 Member
    You won't die. The great thing about crossfit is that it's "scaleable" - anyone can do it. You just do the weight/reps/intensity that you can handle and build up from there. It's not as intimidating as it seems, I promise.
  • SavageAbbey
    SavageAbbey Posts: 79
    I want to try this too. It seems there are a lot of gyms doing this.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    i used to be a crossfitter but then i got priced out of my box (it went up from $60 to $200 a month)

    what i liked : the social aspect pf the workout reminded me a lot of the team workouts from when i played sports. if you are a jock, a former jock or have jockish tendencies then you'll love this part.
    - i also liked that there's just a bit of competitiveness about it. you are working out to beat your time or maybe someone else's time. like i said, i'm a former athlete so i dont have issues with competition or being razzed by any any *kitten* talk that happens afterwards (i give as well as i receive)
    - also loved that if you were the last person doing something, there would be people cheering you on to get through it so even if you wanted to give up there's no way you would with so many people there to cheer
    - the men... HOT

    what i didnt like
    - the price
    - sometimes the WOD were a bit too random like they were just pulled out of a hat. this is something to be careful of especially if you plan on going 6 days a week. i remember once my box had heavy squats on one day then heavy deadlifts the next. ummm excuse me?!
    - given the randomness of the workouts and the shortness i sometimes felt that i needed to go to the gym to do extra work and that i didnt get a good workout
    - the price
    - the paleo police. i eventually had to tell the owner of my old box to stfu about trying to push paleo on me.
    - the instructors can be really lax on form and will overlook a lot. there were a few people who were new to lifting who got injured while attempting to lioft too much weight with bad form. although i understand not wanting to nit pick someone at the start about form it's also important to remember that and not have them start with too much weight


    what i've pretty much decided to do is to steal a few WOD from my box (they post it on their website) and do it myself at my fabulous gym that's way cheaper, has a pool and sauna and is less than half the $200 price. alas, the men arent as hot :sad:
  • Flab2Fab27
    Flab2Fab27 Posts: 461 Member
    Try it. There's a good chance you'll like it and if not, oh well.
  • wonderwoman234
    wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
    The good news is the place I'd be going requires all noobs to do an "on ramping" program of 6 sessions with a trainer to teach you the moves, work on form, etc. So I would not be thrown to the wolves.

    Hot men...... (said the way Homer Simpson says "donuts").....
  • ashlando
    ashlando Posts: 125 Member
    Definitely give it a shot. I was really intimidated by CrossFit at first and was scared to go to my first class, but I am so happy that I did! I am 6 months in and 30 lbs down! Granted, a lot of the weight loss was due to diet, but I couldn't have done it without CrossFit. I hate to sound cliche, but it changed my life for the better.

    A good box will require Foundations of between 4-6 classes to introduce CrossFit and olympic lifting. Good coaches can make or break it though. Good coaches will be watching your form throughout the class, giving you helpful tips. If the coach stands at one end of the room just yelling at you guys, that's not a good coach at all! They should be walking around, checking out everyone's form and encouraging you.

    CrossFit taught me to push myself and to know where my limits are. I found that they are much further than I thought! It's also trackable so you can literally see and feel your progress from week to week. When you see how far you can push yourself and what you are actually capable of, it not only feels great, but it gives you a boost of confidence!

    I hope you have a great experience with CrossFit!
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    You should try to find a strength and conditioning coach. They would've provided the service you asked for instead of trying to sell you something you didn't want.
  • wonderwoman234
    wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
    Okay, so my first "on ramp" for CrossFit is on Monday.

    I am nervous as hell! I don't want to get injured! I am also excited.....hope it's fun!
  • WakkoW
    WakkoW Posts: 567 Member


    what i didnt like
    - the price
    - sometimes the WOD were a bit too random like they were just pulled out of a hat. this is something to be careful of especially if you plan on going 6 days a week. i remember once my box had heavy squats on one day then heavy deadlifts the next. ummm excuse me?!
    - given the randomness of the workouts and the shortness i sometimes felt that i needed to go to the gym to do extra work and that i didnt get a good workout
    - the price


    I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt like they needed a workout after the WOD. I came to the conclusion that some WODs need to be done multiple times. Don't get me wrong, while doing them I felt like I was going to die; however, after a few minutes rest I would be wondering what was next.

    I don't care for the randomness either. Some workouts I really enjoyed, others I was perplexed by.

    Overall, too expensive if you only enjoy some of the workouts.
  • toiletski
    toiletski Posts: 126 Member
    - given the randomness of the workouts and the shortness i sometimes felt that i needed to go to the gym to do extra work and that i didnt get a good workout

    This is what I don't like. I used to go religiously for a year but I didn't feel like I was burning enough calories and I didn't have an extra hour to go do another workout. You work fast and hard for a good 10-15 minutes maybe and you'll sweat a bunch, but the rest of the time you're working on technique and not really putting that much work in. I kept my membership but I'm not going back until I get my weight down some more.

    ETA: And even though I got a boost of confidence knowing I was capable of deadlifting 225# and felt like a total badazzz, I never really looked forward to the WODs. I lost a bunch of my weight boxing because I always looked forward to it.
  • rejectuf
    rejectuf Posts: 487 Member
    Do the coaches at the gym you're going to have any certifications outside of the CrossFit L1 certification? How long have they been lifting and doing CrossFit? Those are questions that should be asked. CrossFit certification is incredibly lax. You want someone who is very experienced in complex lifts and ideally has certifications beyond the CrossFit L1.

    Some good signs: When you have difficulty doing an exercise, not only do they not push you to add weight but give you supplemental mobility drills/exercises to help prepare your body to do the lift properly. They stress form over weight or WOD completion.

    Take it slow. Don't think that just because someone else is throwing around huge amounts of weight you need to as well. Start light and build up only as far as your form remains perfect. Be a nerd about lifting and movement. Look up youtube videos on lifting form, use foam rollers and lacrosse balls to get mobility. Take care of yourself and CrossFit can be incredibly fun and rewarding.

    I will echo what other people are saying regarding the need for supplemental exercise. The idea that showing up and doing a WOD is going to maximize your progress is false. Eventually, you will want to stick around after class or show up early so you can do a few lifts on your own. This is what's going to help you break through plateaus.
  • ljandiernp
    ljandiernp Posts: 1
    Hi, I have been cross-fitting for about 15 months. I just had a good discussion with the several coach-owners at my box about a number of the points raised by the poster who talked about what she liked/disliked about her box. I agree that although the workouts can be intense I often feel like I am not getting enough of an aerobic workout. I am much stronger than when I started but not a lot slimmer. I was frustrated with my lack of weight loss despite working with a nutritionist over the same time period. (you should know that I will be 55 this spring, I am post-menopausal and that I am professionally very knowledgeable about diet). The result of this discussion is the recommendation that I keep the heaviness of my weight lifting lower and complete my reps faster in order to make my workouts more aerobic. I have just begun this in my last two workouts, so I don't know how this is going to work out yet. I had also started the "couch to 5k" running program in November and December but had to stop due to the snow flying. As soon as the weather turns I'll get back to it because I definitely feel after the last 15 months that I will need a mix of workouts, not just cross fit to meet my weight loss goals at this stage in my life. I do love cross fit though, for many of the reasons others have stated, including the encouragement of others cheering me on when I am the last one finishing a WOD (workout of the day) and the sheer fun of flipping tires, trying to do headstand push-ups, and climbing a rope. I have also fixed a knee problem with a LOT of squats, LOL! So I encourage you to try cross-fit, it can be a lot of fun and you will be stronger for it.

    My question for the other cross-fitters, how do you log your workouts here? I have a feeling that my 18 minute workout today plus the 15 minute warm-up burned more calories than the 40-some calories that the components added up to when logged. Any suggestions? Larie
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Have fun paying $125+ a month which from what I've seen is on the low side when it comes to Crossfit gyms. Most that I've seen are around $200 a month. Oh and don't forget to post your workouts every day on your facebook page, your twitter account, instagram, and any other social media you can find, that's a very important part of it.
  • cmmallia
    cmmallia Posts: 2 Member
    This post is pretty spot on. http://nextlevelcf.com/2014/02/19/2-trends-that-will-kill-crossfit/
    I visited a couple different places and feel like a chose a great gym in my area (probably the best). I love it and don't mind the cost at all. The rates vary from about $130/month for 2x/wk-180/month for unlimited visits/week. I feel it is a much better deal and more effective than personal training. From my experience, personal training sessions run about $40-60/session, with the lower cost only available when buying 20+ sessions at a time. If you decide to try CrossFit, go watch a couple classes at that gym and look for trainers focus on form/technique and not pushing people to do something beyond their skillset.

    This was a post from our gym:
    "No, not all CrossFits are the same. There's different programming, staff education, and individual member attention. You ultimately get what you pay for. A cheap gym with crappy programming will give you the short term workout high. But with little attention to the big picture, poorly thought programming will lead way to overuse injuries and burnout within a year.

    You may ask why we don't charge less. Our staff and programming are better than most. No one in Austin does it like us, I can guarantee it. We compete on quality of service, not price. We are not a commodity."
  • NitroRoo
    NitroRoo Posts: 5
    To the OP: Congrats on signing up. I did my first WOD 7 months ago, have lost over 30 lbs and love it. I was way waaay out of shape when I started. I think being worried about being injured is healthy - to a degree. You always want to put your form first and never do anything you aren't comfortable with. Like others have already said, you can scale any exercise to something that works for you. A good box with good coaches will do that for you. I love the atmosphere where I go and it keeps me coming back for more. I don't have the personality type to go into a regular gym and kill myself by myself. But stick me in my CF box with all my friends and I'm bringing my A game. I love it.
  • craigheon
    craigheon Posts: 167 Member
    I've been doing Crossfit since Dec 31st, 2013. I've lost 15 lbs so far, and I feel a ton better than I did before working out there. My particular box has a bunch of great coaches. ALL of them are very attentive to every single person that walks through that door. They never push us beyond what they know we should be doing. They are always encouraging as well. Don't feel intimidated by it. I think you'll find once you get going, the people you see everyday will become your biggest supporters. The camaraderie I've experienced in the short amount of time I've been doing it has been awesome! Don't worry about the "other guy/girl", worry about YOU. It's all about what YOU can do, and besting your records and times. I do daily WOD's where the girls are lifting more weights than me. Does it bother me? Nope, because I know I'm doing what I can do, and I'm maintaining the right form to get the job done correctly, and safely. Eventually I'll work my way up in weight, but for now, it's all about mechanics and learning the proper way to do things.

    Good luck!
  • Quackledorf
    Quackledorf Posts: 12 Member
    don't let the intimidation get in the way. The box (gym) should have a beginners course to teach you the basic moves; and then you'll go into the big kid pool and it's awesome. Don't worry about how you do in comparison, because everyone has to start somewhere, and you'll catch up. I always bring in the rear at my gym, but I'm ok with it because it beats being on a couch or on an elliptical where I won't challenge myself. I'm also ok with it, because while I'm coming in last, I'm getting stronger and increasing my weight sets, so it evens out. Do it, you'll love it! You make some good friendships too and people will support you throughout the workout.

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