Crossfit?

There's a crossfit group here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/99-crossfit-love

So what is CrossFit, how is it different that what is presented on TV, and why is it better than lifting, cardio and/or body weight routines?

I'm not an expert, but CF is both a national organization with a website and some coach training and a bunch of individual gyms (er, boxes) that are affiliated, but aren't really subject to much oversight.

The commonalities are that they are structured around WODs (workouts of the day) that tend to be an hour and involve warm up, some strength work, and then the WOD part, which involves doing a circuit or some such for a certain period of time, as many rounds as possible (say, for 12 minutes) or doing a certain amount and keeping track of the time. There are ways to adjust the workout or prescribed weights for people who can't manage them (banded pull-ups instead of pull-ups, the infamous kipping pull-ups).

The competitions feature people trying to win (so sacrificing form to speed) and extreme workouts (the stupid numbers of reps and the like). In theory (although some are good and some are not, so someone should be careful), people in an actual CF box should be watched and encouraged to focus on form, and the workouts should be more reasonable (but there are plenty that tend to be too high rep for the type of exercise, IMO, at least on occasion, and that includes some of the more famous named ones that will be done at various times throughout CF).

Other differences will relate to training/newcomer prep (some are really good and have good coaches, some are not), and to other offerings of the box.

I really like my, sigh, I'll just call it a gym (although it's not my primary way of working out), because it does have good coaching and knowledgeable people (I vetted this), and I wanted to learn olympic lifting and it was one good way of doing this. After the intro class, mine has a good olympic program with various 12-week progressions throughout the year and coaches who come to know you, but this isn't really CF. There's also a newer strength-based program/group that is similar for weight lifting.

The WODs are fun and sub well for exercise but not training -- more like a circuit training type class, but with the opportunity to do more barbell stuff. A lot of people enjoy it because it's a pretty fun workout, feels hard, and generally is very friendly/done in a community atmosphere. "Boxes" often have various social activities too -- IME it's different than a gym in that way, and I bet for a lot of people that's really motivating. It's not the best way to actually follow a strength program, for sure, unless your facility has a separate program of this type (many do, I think many people who start CF end up really loving that side of it more than the WODs). And you really do have to be careful because of the quality differences and see if people are being taught properly.

Mycophilia wrote: »

Mark Rippetoe put it best: Crossfit is fine "exercise" but it's not "training".

I prefer regular strength training over crossfit shenanigans.

21st Century, Mycophilia!
My son, 21 years, does Crossfit. He deadlifts over 450 pounds and backsquats above 300 pounds and can clean-and-jerk 185 pounds.
I'm pretty sure Crossfit has been "training" for him. Oh, and by-the-way, he can run and has a pretty awesome vertical leap too -- unlike your bodybuilders!
I have watched those Crossfit competitions too. The thing that strikes me about them is how all the competitors look like super-heroes, with cut abs and big shoulders.

antennachick wrote: »

tufel wrote: »

Mycophilia wrote: »

Mark Rippetoe put it best: Crossfit is fine "exercise" but it's not "training".

I prefer regular strength training over crossfit shenanigans.

21st Century, Mycophilia!
My son, 21 years, does Crossfit. He deadlifts over 450 pounds and backsquats above 300 pounds and can clean-and-jerk 185 pounds.
I'm pretty sure Crossfit has been "training" for him. Oh, and by-the-way, he can run and has a pretty awesome vertical leap too -- unlike your bodybuilders!
I have watched those Crossfit competitions too. The thing that strikes me about them is how all the competitors look like super-heroes, with cut abs and big shoulders.

It depends what your goals are! Crossfit is total body with strength and cardio mixed in. If your goal is to be in great shape and look good do crossfit..if you want to 'bulk' up then lift heavy.

It is what you want and crossfit is good and preparing people to do crossfit. The ideas that constantly varied exercises are what produce high level fitness has been pretty roundly rejected by both established strength and conditioning professionals and by tops Crossfitters. Almost all top lever Crossfitters now work through a periodization cycle developing, strength, then Olympic lifting skill, then cardiovascular capability, and then peaking for an event, like the games. Comparing what is done at most gyms (boxes), or on the website, to what the guys and gals on ESPN do is like..... Saying all bodybuilders can't run because Jay Cutler (former Mr. Olympic) weights over 300 lbs.

manjb8 wrote: »

I have seen many people injured from crossfit

I agree with what all the positive people here have said. I started crossfit last Decmeber, 3 months after having weight loss surgery. The changes in my body shape and strength have been amazing!! I feel better than I ever had post any workout - including months I worked with a trainer. I haven't lost a ton of weight, but I have lost amazing amounts of fat mass and built a ton of muscle. You need to research your coaches and where you want to take classes before you start. Too many upstarts jumping on a bandwagon for money, not for fitness or the actual principals of crossfit. It has been life saving for me. To all of the naysayers - don't talk smack about anything if you haven't actually tried it yourself. Opinions about something you haven't tried are uninformed and do not help people trying to make a decision based on the experiences of others.

tufel wrote: »

Mycophilia wrote: »

Mark Rippetoe put it best: Crossfit is fine "exercise" but it's not "training".

I prefer regular strength training over crossfit shenanigans.

21st Century, Mycophilia!
My son, 21 years, does Crossfit. He deadlifts over 450 pounds and backsquats above 300 pounds and can clean-and-jerk 185 pounds.
I'm pretty sure Crossfit has been "training" for him. Oh, and by-the-way, he can run and has a pretty awesome vertical leap too -- unlike your bodybuilders!
I have watched those Crossfit competitions too. The thing that strikes me about them is how all the competitors look like super-heroes, with cut abs and big shoulders.

Your son probably found a good CF coach to have developed strength. Generally speaking of course, CF does not have good program design for really growing strength; it's more of general physical preparedness, which is not a bad thing by any means. But it's just the difference between strength training and exercise, I'm not knocking it.

Yes, CF athletes are in good-shape but they do train differently. Many of the CF competitors are already accomplished Olympic Lifters or Power Lifters which is where their strength comes from, so there is a difference between what you see in competition versus your local box. Lastly, CF has been hit by PED usage which helps build such physiques. My understanding is that PED testing is still not good and a lot of it slips through. Not that I even have a problem with intelligent PED usage but it does change how one performs while maintaining low body-fat.

tufel wrote: »

Actually, there is no evidence that people who do Crossfit are any more prone to injury than people who do any other form of strenuous activity. And, when people have attempted to collect fair and accurate data on injury rates they have found that the injury rate is about the same as for any type of weight lifting in the gym, and less than for running or any type of active sport. The injury rate found in one of those studies was 3.1 injuries per 1,000 hours of participation. That was no different from the rate for Olympic lifting, powerlifting, and general fitness workouts. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24276294)

That is just one study and if you do a search on "rhabdomyolysis and crossfit" I'm sure you'll find research indicating that there have been incidence of rhabdomyolysis with CrossFit. Bottom-line, all forms of exercise and training need to be intelligently applied.

I started doing Crossfit several months ago and love it. I read an article by Jason Khalipa a month or two ago about why he does Crossfit and one thing he said summed up why I love it so much. Here is what he said and a link to the article if you really are interested in Crossfit. Crossfit haters will be Crossfit haters.

The first is that it puts a timer to your workout so that you can quantify them, and then push yourself against your previous time. This isn’t about doing the same workout every time, but always striving to do the best workout you’ve ever done. The internal competition is a lot more motivating than plugging in your headphones and zoning out.

And the second is the community aspect of it. Having friends cheer you on and push you to succeed is an unbelievably powerful force, and it’s also just flat-out fun. The energy in CrossFit gyms is always unbelievably positive, and in many ways, those vibes can be as beneficial to you as any other aspect of your workout.

theplayerstribune.com/why-i-do-crossfit/

I generally go 5-6 days a week. Prior to that I was working out in the gym 5-6 days a week as well.

As for Crossfit causing injuries... I actually think I've been less prone to get injured since starting CF than when I was lifting on my own. I'm sure that has something to do with going from exercising completely on my own, to exercising with a trainer basically watching everything I do. I thought my form was pretty good on the main Olympic lifts, but I've had to eat some humble pie. Our instructor is very focused on safety, and if he sees you doing something he thinks is dangerous, he'll tell you to take weight off the bar. My most recent (and only) injury from CF came a few weeks ago when I strained my quad while doing overhead plate lunges. I wasn't using heavy weight, lunged forward, and my trailing leg's quad just popped. The funny thing is, I had the same injury earlier this year while working out in the gym on my own (other leg) doing Romanian Split Squats. That's been my only injury since starting.

If you really want to experience Crossfit, reach out to your local gym/box and ask if they have a session you can attend. I know our gym tries to make Saturday's workout more easily scalable than other days.

tufel wrote: »

Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »

tufel wrote: »

Mycophilia wrote: »

Mark Rippetoe put it best: Crossfit is fine "exercise" but it's not "training".

I prefer regular strength training over crossfit shenanigans.

21st Century, Mycophilia!
My son, 21 years, does Crossfit. He deadlifts over 450 pounds and backsquats above 300 pounds and can clean-and-jerk 185 pounds.
I'm pretty sure Crossfit has been "training" for him. Oh, and by-the-way, he can run and has a pretty awesome vertical leap too -- unlike your bodybuilders!
I have watched those Crossfit competitions too. The thing that strikes me about them is how all the competitors look like super-heroes, with cut abs and big shoulders.

Your son probably found a good CF coach to have developed strength. Generally speaking of course, CF does not have good program design for really growing strength; it's more of general physical preparedness, which is not a bad thing by any means. But it's just the difference between strength training and exercise, I'm not knocking it.

Yes, CF athletes are in good-shape but they do train differently. Many of the CF competitors are already accomplished Olympic Lifters or Power Lifters which is where their strength comes from, so there is a difference between what you see in competition versus your local box. Lastly, CF has been hit by PED usage which helps build such physiques. My understanding is that PED testing is still not good and a lot of it slips through. Not that I even have a problem with intelligent PED usage but it does change how one performs while maintaining low body-fat.

Puhleeze, obviously the competitive Crossfitters train a bit differently than the average Crossfitter. But, most sessions at a Crossfit gym include some strength training, with heavy deadlifts or heavy squats or heavy cleans, before the WOD.
And, most people are now aware that there is as much myth as truth in the rigid idea that: you do 3 to 6 reps per set for strength; 8 to 12 reps for bulk; 15 to whatever for cardio.
If that were the case, how do gymnasts get so huge and muscular? And how do sprinters and soccer players get such big legs?
https://www.t-nation.com/training/crossfit-apology

Lose the hate, people. Some folks like to pump iron in a Gold's. Some like the 'Y.' Some people like to ride their bike and some people like to hit a tennis ball. You don't need to put them down for it.

PS There is no evidence that rhabdomyolysis is rampant in Crossfit. This idea that rhabdo was something that Crossfitters flirted with was one that was embraced by the early Crossfitters to be macho and to be irreverent because Crossfit is hard. But they were trying to be cute. Sorry you got fooled. It has happened. Yes. It has happened in football too, and hiking. Should we stop those activities? Would it be better to sit in our chairs day in and day out?

You are taking this out of context and if you've actually READ any of my posts you'll see that I support CF. There is a big difference between a strength training program and a CF WOD, HUGE difference. Generally speaking of course, there are CF Coaches out there that are very good at programming strength but they are in the minority.

And, most people are now aware that there is as much myth as truth in the rigid idea that: you do 3 to 6 reps per set for strength; 8 to 12 reps for bulk; 15 to whatever for cardio.

Not sure where this is coming from, not sure who said it, but you are right and wrong. "Bulking" or muscle hypertrophy is a factor of total training volume. Whether its all via heavy, via light, or a mix it doesn't matter as long as the total volume is enough to induce growth. Working in say a 1 to 5 rep range typically has a Maximal load attached to it and the reps are kept to a minimum. Not always, Power / Dynamic training can occur in this rep range with a very light load. With Maximal loads they require not only a greater degree of type-2 muscle fiber recruitment, but also motor neuron recruitment that you don't get to the same degree with the higher rep-ranges. Because of this intensity, there is a much greater emphasis on strength. Does that mean you can't get strong with a more moderate rep-range and intensity; not at all and you've seen that first-hand. BUT there is a difference and if your son were to change training modalities he would likely see a huge difference in 12 to 24 weeks. Based on what you've said above, I would say that your son has found a box with a good coach that understands how to balance CF with strength training; that's just not the norm.

PS There is no evidence that rhabdomyolysis is rampant in Crossfit. This idea that rhabdo was something that Crossfitters flirted with was one that was embraced by the early Crossfitters to be macho and to be irreverent because Crossfit is hard. But they were trying to be cute. Sorry you got fooled. It has happened. Yes. It has happened in football too, and hiking. Should we stop those activities? Would it be better to sit in our chairs day in and day out?

Again, you're reading our / my comments out-of-context. Nowhere did "rampant" come out of my keyboard. I was just pointing out that contrary to that single study that said there's "no-evidence" of it, there are other studies out there that say it does OCCUR, which is not the same as rampant. It is just misleading to say it doesn't happen/ When looking at Exercise / Nutrition studies, one should never limit themselves to just one study to determine one thing or another.