Considering crossfit!

MaryYoungmark
MaryYoungmark Posts: 66 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm a 32 yr old woman, pretty overweight. I've lost 40 pounds and have a ways to go. My main goal is to be healthy and strong. I've been doing a lot of cardio and ready to add some strength training into my exercise routine. I've heard pros and cons of crossfit and would love to hear some testimonials from people who love crossfit and maybe some who have been there, done that, and decided it's not for them.
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Replies

  • ocrXfitter
    ocrXfitter Posts: 123 Member
    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.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I've become a big fan of crossfit recently. Even going to take my L1 certification in 2 weeks. You have to try it, that's the only way you will know. It all comes down to the individual box and coaches. Teaching you the proper fundamental skills is paramount, as well as appropriately scaling the work out to your fitness and skill level. Some places are much better at that than others.
  • jnomadica
    jnomadica Posts: 280 Member
    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.
  • RichardHerzog
    RichardHerzog Posts: 4 Member
    I recently started CrossFit, working out at home. Cost is minimal, and the CrossFit Journal has everything you need for detailed workouts with only body weight. You need to motivate yourself is the biggest downside. The cost can be prohibitive if going to a Box, but having a cheering section and a coach may be worth the price for some.
  • DamieBird
    DamieBird Posts: 651 Member
    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.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    I do martial arts (krav maga) for the camaraderie/group/hey we missed you!/WTG! (among many other reasons), but prefer doing my lifting solo. Trying to do reps/speed with heavy weights scares the *kitten* out of me, because I know that my form would suffer to go just a little bit faster. Find a box that heavily emphasizes form or don't do it. One of my best friends LOVES it, and it sounds like they do a good job focusing on safety.
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    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.
  • JoshD8705
    JoshD8705 Posts: 390 Member
    How about instead of crossfit, try Olympic lifting, and take a martial arts class.
  • alissadough84
    alissadough84 Posts: 95 Member
    edited April 2017
    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.
  • kellysmith410
    kellysmith410 Posts: 58 Member
    Do it! I learned so much in Crossfit and was so glad I did it. I'm doing powerlifting now, but wouldn't have started lifting at all if it weren't for crossfit. Make sure you research the box ahead of time and most places will let you drop in for a free class just to check it out before you sign up for the fundamentals/on-ramping course that most of them require.

    Have fun!
  • thieambe
    thieambe Posts: 41 Member
    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.
  • Fflpnari
    Fflpnari Posts: 975 Member
    Try it!!! I have been doing crossfit for over 3 years, and overweight the entire time. 200+ pounds. You can modify everything to your skill level. Know your own limit. Don't try something just because someone else can do it kind of thing.
    Feel free to ask me any questions! I tried it in a groupon and fell in love!!!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,486 Member
    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
    9285851.png
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    MaryYoungmark wrote: »
    some who have been there, done that, and decided it's not for them.

    disclosure: i haven't been there. but i'll chime in anyway as someone who did do two weekend sessions of a circuit class way back at the start of all this, because those are somewhat crossfitty in structure if not in details.

    so my comment is just that it probably matters what kind of person you are. whether you like a 'communal' type atmosphere or a more individualist one; and whether time caps and competition are motivators for you, or more of an irritant.
  • MaryYoungmark
    MaryYoungmark Posts: 66 Member
    Thanks for all the great input! I'm so excited to get started! My first ramp up session is tomorrow!
  • Sara1791
    Sara1791 Posts: 760 Member
    canadianlbs wrote: »
    MaryYoungmark wrote: »
    some who have been there, done that, and decided it's not for them.

    disclosure: i haven't been there. but i'll chime in anyway as someone who did do two weekend sessions of a circuit class way back at the start of all this, because those are somewhat crossfitty in structure if not in details.

    so my comment is just that it probably matters what kind of person you are. whether you like a 'communal' type atmosphere or a more individualist one; and whether time caps and competition are motivators for you, or more of an irritant.
    While I would have thought this to be true before I tried it, it didn't work out that way for me. I'm an introvert and prefer to be alone or with a few close friends most of the time, but I still enjoy the camaraderie in crossfit. Go figure.
  • jennknut
    jennknut Posts: 32 Member
    Whatever you do, just know your fitness level, watch your form and you should be fine! Let us know how your session went!
  • rollerjog
    rollerjog Posts: 154 Member
    whats is cross fit, whats the difference between regular working out and cross fit
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    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?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    I did CF 4ish years ago for a little while. I was interested primarily because I enjoy Oly lifting. I was a bit disapointed because the limited Oly work they did in the WOD were for volume (which I don't particularly agree with) and the actual Oly sessions were separate sessions so I had to choose one or the other. I also didn't like having a set time that I had to be there for a particular class/session...I'm always crunched for time and just need to be able to workout when I can...having an appointed time kinda sucked. It was also really expensive and I'm not big on the whole group thing.

    All in all, I prefer just going to the gym and doing my thing at whatever time that may be and riding my bike.

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