Considering crossfit!

It all depends on your goals and your coach. For general getting in shape, Crossfit can be really great. Just make sure the coaches are good--that they go through everything with you and at your pace. I used to do body building and then powerlifting, but I've been doing Crossfit for a few years now and definitely prefer it.

I did CF several years ago. Here are some thoughts on my experience:
Pros- fun workouts in a team atmosphere, focus on strength and health (instead of appearance)
Cons- very expensive, a lot of emphasis on Paleo (I'm vegetarian!), I felt pushed beyond my capabilities and had some injuries
I'm sure this is box specific and I know plenty of people that have great experiences, but it wasn't for me.

I'm of the "been there, done that, not for me" group. That being said, I LOVED crossfit when I was doing it. I had a great gym, a great group of people, I really needed the class environment to get me motivated and my coaches were wonderful. The workouts were fun and really helped me get stronger and feel more confident. I stopped due to some knee injuries (not related to CF) that required 5 surgeries in under 2 years. I still can't squat/lunge (even body weight), do any lifts that would put excess pressure on my knee, sprint/run, jump, do anything where there is pressure on my knee from resting on the ground i.e. knee push-ups, etc. It just got to the point where I was scaling/altering EVERYTHING and it just wasn't worth it anymore. I wasn't doing the wods or the lifts that I loved and since I was doing something different than everyone else, I wasn't getting the fun class vibe, either. I couldn't justify the cost and it was just demoralizing. If you're interested in CF, I'd say definitely try it! Don't be afraid to try out every gym in your area and see which one you gel with the most - the other members are as important as the coaches and people are MORE important that a fancy set up.

I say go for it! I'm a powerlifter, but every deload week I drop in at my local box because I need the metcons, and I have a few pals there.

I've been doing CrossFit for 5 years. I started at over 60 pounds overweight. Anything can be scaled to your fitness level and it's honestly been the best decision I've made. My box doesn't push the paleo diet- we have had "food challenges" that you can choose to participate in, or not. I've tried Paleo during a challenge, it's not for me, but it did teach me to be mindful about what I was eating. I've really changed my diet and nutrition to find something that works for me. It also helps me stay motivated being around people with similar goals. I don't always like the work outs, but the social aspect and the strong sense of community and support keeps me going back every day, I look forward to seeing and catching up with friends. I have met some of the best and most genuine people in my life. It's very much an encouraging team environment. Use the CF website to find an affiliate. I dropped in at a few before picking mine. Most offer a free "bootcamp" class to start. Also, good boxes offer an on-ramp class, or boot camp before you get started in CrossFit to familiarize yourself with the movements, lifting barbells, etc. I paid attention to safety, how attentive the coaches were, and how people interacted with me being a visitor and made my decision from there. 5 years later and sometimes I still scale a work out, any work out is as tough as you want it to be.

CrossFit is the best thing I ever did for myself. If you find a good box and good coaches, it will become a second family community.

You can be taught good lifting technique, but it may take months to master it. Personally, I believe getting a gym membership and a session or two to learn technique and practice it to master it first, then once you've got it down, then join a box if that's still what you want to do.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Whatever you do, just know your fitness level, watch your form and you should be fine! Let us know how your session went!

MaryYoungmark wrote: »

Thanks for all the great input! I'm so excited to get started! My first ramp up session is tomorrow!

So how'd it go?

rollerjog wrote: »

whats is cross fit, whats the difference between regular working out and cross fit

In crossfit, you workout in a box

Here's a link about it: https://www.crossfit.com/

Have you ever watched the famous "Nasty Girls" video?
I was telling someone about this the other day.
The Nasty Girls video is a very famous event in the history of Crossfit.
It was filmed back in the day when Crossfit was considered by so many to be kinda fringe and dangerous (Uncle Pukey!) and ineffective (You'll never build muscle that way).
It shows three women doing a workout -- called a WOD in Crossfit lingo -- in which they have to do air squats, muscle ups on gymnast rings, and power cleans. Three rounds for time: 50 air squats, 7 muscle ups, and 10 95-pound hang cleans.
Well, they filmed the workout and they put the video on YouTube. It shows them all racing along, and doing well, and then, towards the end, one of them starts to flag. She is really struggling to get up on top of the rings. Then she starts missing her hang power cleans. She's falling to the ground. The weight is falling on top of her.
And, most important of all, she is so frustrated she is crying. She is falling behind the others in this intense competition and it is killing her. You can see that she is absolutely exhausted. She wants her body to do what she is telling it to and she just cannot. And she is bawling!
But she won't give up.
At the end, she collapses into some guys' arms, sobbing.
Well, you might think that people would see that video, and they would say to themselves: Gawd, that looks painful! Gawd, that looks obsessive! But they didn't. People saw it, women particularly, and they said to themselves: Heck! I wanna do that! I gotta see if I can push myself like that.
New members started pouring into Crossfit gyms.
These women are now revered in the annals of Crossfit.
Here is a link to the video, so you don't have to google 'Nasty girls video,' which can be a dicey proposition if you don't know what you are looking for....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0nPnElcqgU
PS Word of warning. Turn down the volume on your computer. The musical accompaniment is not to everyone's taste.

I love, love, love CrossFit. I don't like some things about the corporation and leaders, but I'll set that aside. I have never in my life been someone who would consider myself an athlete, and I do now. I'm faster, stronger, and more confident at 37 than I ever was in my twenties. I run way faster than when I ran five times a week. I love how my body looks. I take better care of myself. I am excited about learning new skills and improving the ones I have learned. Working out is no longer about losing weight or, an obligation, it's something I am excited about. I have done things this year that I could not do even as a kid- climb a rope, pull-ups, and things I just would have never thought I'd enjoy, like Olympic lifts.

My gym has a great community, and I truly care about the success of the other members. We show up for eachother, cheer eachother on, celebrate eachother's success, whether it's a competition or just a class.

Each gym has a different vibe and so you want to check them out. Some are more competition-elite focused, and may be less fun for beginners. Some have a wide range of people and great communities. Try out some different boxes and find coaches who pay attention to the students. I would recommend looking for coaches who have more extensive training than just CF. And then, take it slow!