crossfit ...... good idea?
mhollencamp102012
Posts: 165 Member
So I bought a groupon for 10 beginners classes in crossfit. I am scared, but determined to do this. I've seen video of people over 300 lbs doing it, and all though I am over weight, technically I am about 40 lbs over the high end of what I should be, I am certain that if I go in there I can do it...maybe not well...but I can do it. My question is this.....is it worth it for losing weight? I know it will make me healthier, but will I be happy with the results? Has anyone ( im sure there are many who have) seen great results with crossfit?
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Nothing to worry about, if it is a good crossfit gym they will accomidate you just fine. As far as weight loss, you can not out workout a poor diet. "Eat to perform" is a crossfit motto. You have to eat correctly or you may not loose much weight. You can not eat too little and not too much. Crossfit can incears your appetite because of the workouts. You will get in shape and stronger but tats for sure. Good luck!!0
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Hi mhollen again!
^^ steve nailed it. you can work on and articulate (and adjust) your goals with the coaches. Different people will have different goals, so their great results may differ from yours.
wrt weight loss, mobility improvement, strength and conditioning improvement: yes. There are five or six at our gym that come to mind. and they've kept it off basically for the better part of a few years now.
and of course you can do it. scale lighter than what you think. work on good form. and put in some effort! you'll find that everybody will be so pumped by your effort that you will actually inspire them! your successes will be shared/celebrated by your group! person A may just have nailed a 500lb DL, and you got your first strict pullup. both get huge cheers in our gym (with the first strict pullup getting more, probably, since that's a huge milestone and reflects a helluva lot of good things)
join the xfit page over in the communities. log your stories. have bad days with lifting. have good days. and have fun all the while! it's worth it!0 -
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agreed, guitar - that pretty much goes for anything in the world of fitness. you see the bambi kneed squatter following everything else in the diagrams perfectly, etc. that is a bummer of a situation. the usual recommendation is to look around. there are good, white-light lifting vids for the OLY lifts...
my thing that I don't do is kipping, their KB swings, and snatches beyond maybe a double or a triple.0 -
My Aunt loved it. She just modified if she couldn't do something. She tries different workouts. Crossfit reminds me of circuit training.0
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^^ tis to a degree. lots of gyms have a strength component where you're basically doing a 5/3/1 program for the big three lifts, too. but yeah - that's the idea. circuits / barbell complexes. it's fun. but you really do have to be careful not to put your self on a one-way trip to the ORTHO0
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Thanks everyone....my class starts this Friday night...been doing A LOT of research and seeing the different modifications for beginners....also been looking at the paleo diet they suggest...biggest thing I will have to change or thing I will have the harvest time changing is my coffee creamer (of all the things lol) but I know I can do this....4 months until 40 yrs old I don't want to be 40 and then 50wishing I would have done something sooner....oh....and I have quit smoking as well....can't do cross fit if I can't breath lol0
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Even with a good coach, IMO it's not the best choice for a beginner with a lot of weight to lose. Olympic lifting is VERY technical and has a lot of mobility demands which the majority of people don't have. And that doesn't matter how good your coach is, if your joints are not able to achieve the correct ROM then no amount of cues or coaching is going to help that.
I would pick something that you can determine the pace of so that you can ease into it. Doing something like C25K in conjuction with stronglifts would be my recommendation (or some other form of cardio that you enjoy and will continue to do
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I started crossfit late Febuary. I LOVE it. Yes you must have good a box. I love my box because they stress form above weight which means you must have good form before you can add weight. A good box will put through an on ramp or beginner class before you start so they know where you are at on basic moves. You will probably not touch a bar for 2-4 weeks, but will use a pvc pipe to perfect form. I have gained strength these past several months, but above that crossfit has given me confidence! What happens at the box has been invaluable to my emotional and mental health. We have a small box and I completely trust all the trainers! I also run about 3.5 miles a few times a week and lifting on my own, but this past summer although I only lost 5lbs I lost a whole size.0
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I tried several crossfit gyms. Some had better programming than others.
None of them had great programming.
>> Watch out for places that have high rep technical moves.
Such as 30 reps of power cleans, or 20 reps of snatch.
>> Watch out for places that do a lot of exhausting cardio (met con as they call it) BEFORE attempting technical or dangerous moves.
For example, having you do endless "wall-ball" before box jumps or any olympic lifting.
>> Watch out for places that hit the same muscle groups hard every single day without appropriate rest. Twice a week is good. Three times a week is OK if one day is light.
If I could find a crossfit gym that hit the major lifts often enough to be really beneficial, did the technical stuff as low reps while FRESH, then pushed all the metcon stuff to the end (easier/safer exercises last) then I'd sign up. I'd suggest you consider the same.
I also wouldn't go to a box where the trainers haven't had at least several years of coaching olympic lifting. Some guy who just went to his weekend crossfit course and paid the license fee to use the name is not sufficient.0 -
There is an MFP group called Crossfit Love if you'd like to ask more questions of people who do Crossfit.
I'm not paleo. Our box has is very split on it. 0 -
How do you feel about drinking the kool-aid
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a little naïve here....whats kool-aid ( I know what real kool-aid is, but I am sure that's not what u mean lol)0
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Chris....what do you consider a lot of weight to lose? I am 5 9 and have about 40 to lose to have an "healthy BMI" part of me thinks that's a *kitten* ton of weight, another part of me sees people who have lost 60, 70 100 lbs...or more. I have done the cardio, and counting calories, and I've come to a complete halt...down 20 lbs this time....I am so bored with it...and losing motivation...cardio has never been a friend of mine, extremely boring. I still get my 2 mile walk in every day at work, ( on break) but I have lost all ambition to do my night time run/walk of 3 miles. I need something more challenging and interactive to keep me going. not only that, I don't just want to lose weight anymore, I want to actually be healthy along with it.0
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mhollencamp102012 wrote: »a little naïve here....whats kool-aid ( I know what real kool-aid is, but I am sure that's not what u mean lol)
I think Meandering is warning you to try and avoid buying into the hype that surrounds all popular programs. The best program for you will be the one that keeps you coming back to the gym. Your fitness isn't a 6 or 12 week program, it's something you will be committed to for life. So be careful not to buy into the hype around whats currently popular, don't "drink the kool-aid". Do what feels right for you and what keeps you coming back for more.
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mhollencamp102012 wrote: »a little naïve here....whats kool-aid ( I know what real kool-aid is, but I am sure that's not what u mean lol)
Crossfit is something that seems to drive extrement. Some love it and will prophesy great gains and no drawbacks, others see it as doom, gloom and despondency. Kelly Montana draws it out with the comment about Paleo diets, which seems to come with the zealots.
I have no real view on crossfit, I'm not a fan of training in groups and as it's unfocussed then it doesn't suit my objectives; running and cycling performance. I can see lots of risk in it, as identified upthread it really depends on the quality of the coaching and as a franchise there don't appear to be good controls around that aspect.
fwiw the coaches at my local Crossfit outfit could do with a bit of effort to lose their gut, so I'm les than convinced about it from that perspective.
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herrspoons wrote: »
It's tricky. Usually word of mouth works.
Good cross fit is one of the quickest ways to get fit. Bad cross fit is one of the quickest ways to get admitted to an orthopaedic ward.
Haha - this! But honestly injury can happen with ANY exercise program. TheReloader had great advice. Personally I was fortunate enough to find an awesome Personal Trainer. He taught me proper form, how to structure workouts, etc. I know what my goals are fitness wise and I do workouts to achieve that.
OP - I lost 40 pounds in the past 2.5 years through eating healthy (on and off with calorie counting) and a dedication to exercise. It DOES seem like a lot of weight! But it is SO doable. Just start moving and refuse to give up. You'll get there.0 -
mhollencamp102012 wrote: »a little naïve here....whats kool-aid ( I know what real kool-aid is, but I am sure that's not what u mean lol)
funny! most probably are too young to remember the genesis of the term
Jonestown, French Guyana 1979 (I think... maybe 78). Reverend Jim Jones had his cult memebers drink cyanide-laced kool ade in a mass suicide. Remember the "Heaven's Gate Cult" with the Hale Bop (spelling?) comet in something like 1997? with the white tennis shoes? they did a mass suicide too.
Jim Jones did it with cyanide laced kool ade. you can imagine the PR nightmare Kool Ade had. (I think this was also when FD&C Red Dye #3 was realized to be toxic... or just relatively shortly after...)
so Kool-ade is a reference to mindless, cult-like following.0 -
herrspoons wrote: »Good idea if you have good coaches who teach strict form and understand individual capacity, really bad idea if you don't.
Yes. This.
My physical therapist LOVES Crossfit because it's paid off all of his bills for his new building a few years earlier than expected.
ETA - in case not clear, there are apparently some horrid "coaches" around here.0 -
Is that like a mix of extreme + excrement?MeanderingMammal wrote: »... extrement. ...
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I love it! Pretty soon you will be posting all of your workouts on Facebook
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GuitarJerry wrote: »herrspoons wrote: »Good idea if you have good coaches who teach strict form and understand individual capacity, really bad idea if you don't.
This is what I hate about Cross Fit. How does anyone know if a coach is good or bad? Especially a beginner?
I don't think that's unique to crossfit though. I've seen the trainers at my gym having people do some really stupid things that could easily lead to injury. It's probably inherently riskier with crossfit because of how WODs are designed, but any sport/workout can cause injury if done incorrectly.0 -
Wronkletoad wrote: »mhollencamp102012 wrote: »a little naïve here....whats kool-aid ( I know what real kool-aid is, but I am sure that's not what u mean lol)
funny! most probably are too young to remember the genesis of the term
Jonestown, French Guyana 1979 (I think... maybe 78). Reverend Jim Jones had his cult memebers drink cyanide-laced kool ade in a mass suicide. Remember the "Heaven's Gate Cult" with the Hale Bop (spelling?) comet in something like 1997? with the white tennis shoes? they did a mass suicide too.
Jim Jones did it with cyanide laced kool ade. you can imagine the PR nightmare Kool Ade had. (I think this was also when FD&C Red Dye #3 was realized to be toxic... or just relatively shortly after...)
so Kool-ade is a reference to mindless, cult-like following.
Except it was actually grape Flavor Aid... 0 -
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GuitarJerry wrote: »herrspoons wrote: »Good idea if you have good coaches who teach strict form and understand individual capacity, really bad idea if you don't.
This is what I hate about Cross Fit. How does anyone know if a coach is good or bad? Especially a beginner?
I don't think that's unique to crossfit though. I've seen the trainers at my gym having people do some really stupid things that could easily lead to injury. It's probably inherently riskier with crossfit because of how WODs are designed, but any sport/workout can cause injury if done incorrectly.
But then you pair that with a "must out rep everyone else" indoctrination system, and things can be dangerous for the uninitiated.
I'm coming around personally, I'm starting to feel that if someone is already an experienced lift, CF can be a good addition to their already existing training.0 -
I think that's kind of where I am.GuitarJerry wrote: »herrspoons wrote: »Good idea if you have good coaches who teach strict form and understand individual capacity, really bad idea if you don't.
This is what I hate about Cross Fit. How does anyone know if a coach is good or bad? Especially a beginner?
I don't think that's unique to crossfit though. I've seen the trainers at my gym having people do some really stupid things that could easily lead to injury. It's probably inherently riskier with crossfit because of how WODs are designed, but any sport/workout can cause injury if done incorrectly.
But then you pair that with a "must out rep everyone else" indoctrination system, and things can be dangerous for the uninitiated.
I'm coming around personally, I'm starting to feel that if someone is already an experienced lift, CF can be a good addition to their already existing training.
It may not be the best idea for the truly uninitiated into exercise because it is hard to know how good a box is. There are clearly excellent coaches who know proper technique, encourage people to push hard but not to the point that form is compromised and knows how to properly scale a WOD for a complete novice. But, as previously stated, it would be hard for a complete novice to know what to look for when trying to identify a good box.
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mhollencamp102012 wrote: »So I bought a groupon for 10 beginners classes in crossfit. I am scared, but determined to do this. I've seen video of people over 300 lbs doing it, and all though I am over weight, technically I am about 40 lbs over the high end of what I should be, I am certain that if I go in there I can do it...maybe not well...but I can do it. My question is this.....is it worth it for losing weight? I know it will make me healthier, but will I be happy with the results? Has anyone ( im sure there are many who have) seen great results with crossfit?
I'm 6'3 and about 285, was at about 330 when I started crossfit a year ago.
I will say this, if you do it and stick with it you will lose weight initially. After that you're going to be adding muscle and the scale won't move much. However, your clothes will fit better, the belly will get smaller, etc.
After the holidays I'm going to focus on my diet and getting that cleaned up. Even with Crossfit you can't outrain eating badly.
Make sure your coaches focus on technique FIRST and help you get that locked down....then you start increasing weight and intensity as your fitness level allows.
Give it a try. If you like it stick with it, if not at least you gave it a shot.
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mhollencamp102012 wrote: »Thanks everyone....my class starts this Friday night...been doing A LOT of research and seeing the different modifications for beginners....also been looking at the paleo diet they suggest...biggest thing I will have to change or thing I will have the harvest time changing is my coffee creamer (of all the things lol) but I know I can do this....4 months until 40 yrs old I don't want to be 40 and then 50wishing I would have done something sooner....oh....and I have quit smoking as well....can't do cross fit if I can't breath lol
If you tolerate dairy well and are only using a few tablespoons, don't worry about it. If you can keep Paleo 80% of the time you'll be fine as long as you aren't housing donuts the other 20%
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I think that's the nut of it too. Try it. Then, love it or slag it. You'll have perspective.bostonwolf wrote: »Give it a try. If you like it stick with it, if not at least you gave it a shot.
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I bought a groupon for Cross fit too. The ones by me have a intro/light/beginners class. I suggest you start there. My first class was a regular one cause the time was convenient. I only went to one then went to the light. Best workouts I have ever had. Listen to your body and do what you can. I started out with a goal of losing 37 lbs. It is really pricey so I don't think I will keep it up after my classes are done but I bought them from 2 separate gyms They modified all kinds of things for the newbies.
My hubby was anti CF and had never been. He had me a little nervous about them. The gyms by me didn't do anything in the new classes that would cause me any injury. You are the only one who can keep you safe and know what you can handle. My regular gym's boot camp class is about comparable to what the CF classes here have me doing.
Good luck. Try it out and have fun!0
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