Anyone go from a class junkie to heavy lifting?

Jambalady
Jambalady Posts: 155 Member
edited November 25 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm a class junkie. I like the social environment of a class setting and being around other people makes me more competitive. I have tried getting the Starting Strength books and 5x5 app and I can't seem to get myself motivated when I am by myself. I'll do it for a couple of weeks and then I get bored and distracted. Anyone able to get past the class mentality, the need for others to push them, to start weight training on their own? I have not found any heavy lifting type classes near me or that fit my schedule.
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Replies

  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    Crossfit?

    No.


    Compete with yourself. That's what its about. Or sign up for a powerlifting meet if you're struggling that much it'll give you something to work for
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    You can lift as well as go to classes. Maybe finding a lifting buddy will help keep you interested and motivated.
  • CJ_Holmes
    CJ_Holmes Posts: 759 Member
    Don't know where you live, but there are weightlifting gyms that coach starting strength, powerlifting, olympic lifting... you'll progress better with coaching as well as enjoy the class aspect! Some Crossfit gyms do also have separate lifting tracks, but quality will vary greatly depending on the coaches.
  • mdcoug
    mdcoug Posts: 397 Member
    I attend a lifting class at a local gym that focuses more on kids’ sports conditioning, but they also have adult classes. Look around for smaller gyms - they might have something that works for you.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    I did both. I was front and center in step class 4 times a week and did several heavy lifting programs.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    Crossfit?

    No.


    Compete with yourself. That's what its about. Or sign up for a powerlifting meet if you're struggling that much it'll give you something to work for

    Wow, just "No?" Whatever.

    When it has an 18% injury rate. The highest out of all lifting sports. I'm sorry but yes I have to say no.

    Too many cross fit "coaches" are some joe blow from down the street ego took an online course. Followed by having people try to forcibly jerk heavy weights into the air with very little knowledge or understanding of the mechanics involved in the lift.

    Thats my reasoning. I hope it's a bit more informative.

    I think the idea was to be more motivated in a social atmosphere, which CF certainly does. In such cases a good alternative is to find a good hardcore lifting gym for powerlifting or Oly lifting because those tend to be more of a community where lifters encourage and support each other.
  • Okiludy
    Okiludy Posts: 558 Member
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    Crossfit?

    No.


    Compete with yourself. That's what its about. Or sign up for a powerlifting meet if you're struggling that much it'll give you something to work for

    Wow, just "No?" Whatever.

    When it has an 18% injury rate. The highest out of all lifting sports. I'm sorry but yes I have to say no.

    Too many cross fit "coaches" are some joe blow from down the street ego took an online course. Followed by having people try to forcibly jerk heavy weights into the air with very little knowledge or understanding of the mechanics involved in the lift.

    Thats my reasoning. I hope it's a bit more informative.

    Interesting that it also has a lower injury rate than running, swimming, soccer, or any team sport I think.

    The injury rate is far overblown much of the time by people who participate in far more dangerous activities.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited March 2018
    Okiludy wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    Crossfit?

    No.


    Compete with yourself. That's what its about. Or sign up for a powerlifting meet if you're struggling that much it'll give you something to work for

    Wow, just "No?" Whatever.

    When it has an 18% injury rate. The highest out of all lifting sports. I'm sorry but yes I have to say no.

    Too many cross fit "coaches" are some joe blow from down the street ego took an online course. Followed by having people try to forcibly jerk heavy weights into the air with very little knowledge or understanding of the mechanics involved in the lift.

    Thats my reasoning. I hope it's a bit more informative.

    Interesting that it also has a lower injury rate than running, swimming, soccer, or any team sport I think.

    The injury rate is far overblown much of the time by people who participate in far more dangerous activities.

    It's not just the injury rate but severity. Unless you get hit by a car you aren't going to come close to a snatch across the neck for damage!
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    Crossfit?

    No.


    Compete with yourself. That's what its about. Or sign up for a powerlifting meet if you're struggling that much it'll give you something to work for

    Wow, just "No?" Whatever.

    When it has an 18% injury rate. The highest out of all lifting sports. I'm sorry but yes I have to say no.

    Too many cross fit "coaches" are some joe blow from down the street ego took an online course. Followed by having people try to forcibly jerk heavy weights into the air with very little knowledge or understanding of the mechanics involved in the lift.

    Thats my reasoning. I hope it's a bit more informative.

    I think the idea was to be more motivated in a social atmosphere, which CF certainly does. In such cases a good alternative is to find a good hardcore lifting gym for powerlifting or Oly lifting because those tend to be more of a community where lifters encourage and support each other.

    Yes, this was why I suggested it.
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    Crossfit?

    No.


    Compete with yourself. That's what its about. Or sign up for a powerlifting meet if you're struggling that much it'll give you something to work for

    Wow, just "No?" Whatever.

    When it has an 18% injury rate. The highest out of all lifting sports. I'm sorry but yes I have to say no.

    Too many cross fit "coaches" are some joe blow from down the street ego took an online course. Followed by having people try to forcibly jerk heavy weights into the air with very little knowledge or understanding of the mechanics involved in the lift.

    Thats my reasoning. I hope it's a bit more informative.

    I think the idea was to be more motivated in a social atmosphere, which CF certainly does. In such cases a good alternative is to find a good hardcore lifting gym for powerlifting or Oly lifting because those tend to be more of a community where lifters encourage and support each other.

    Very true. That's what I had in mind. I've met a few like minded powerlifters at my gym and its all about drive and encouragement. I only wish there was a dedicated Oly/powerlifting gym in my city
  • spartan_d
    spartan_d Posts: 727 Member
    Most workout classes don't do it for me anymore. At the risk of offending some people, I'll say that most boot camp classes don't have the kind of intensity that I require nowadays. It certainly doesn't help that they're often filled with women who spend more time gabbing with each other than actually working out.

    There are some exceptions. There's a CrossFit-style class that has been really helpful. An Insanity class would probably do me good, but there aren't any that are available to me nowadays. Also, while these aren't classes, I do have occasional group workouts with some like-minded people that help me push hard.
  • Okiludy
    Okiludy Posts: 558 Member
    edited March 2018
    Okiludy wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    Crossfit?

    No.


    Compete with yourself. That's what its about. Or sign up for a powerlifting meet if you're struggling that much it'll give you something to work for

    Wow, just "No?" Whatever.

    When it has an 18% injury rate. The highest out of all lifting sports. I'm sorry but yes I have to say no.

    Too many cross fit "coaches" are some joe blow from down the street ego took an online course. Followed by having people try to forcibly jerk heavy weights into the air with very little knowledge or understanding of the mechanics involved in the lift.

    Thats my reasoning. I hope it's a bit more informative.

    Interesting that it also has a lower injury rate than running, swimming, soccer, or any team sport I think.

    The injury rate is far overblown much of the time by people who participate in far more dangerous activities.

    It's not just the injury rate but severity. Unless you get hit by a car you aren't going to come close to a snatch across the neck for damage!

    You mean like the death rate for marathon runners, football, equestrian, or martial arts?

    Don’t get me wrong I prefer powerlifting but think the angst against CrossFit is not rational when you compare statistics. It’s just not as bad as you may believe when compared to most things people do.
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    Okiludy wrote: »
    Okiludy wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    Crossfit?

    No.


    Compete with yourself. That's what its about. Or sign up for a powerlifting meet if you're struggling that much it'll give you something to work for

    Wow, just "No?" Whatever.

    When it has an 18% injury rate. The highest out of all lifting sports. I'm sorry but yes I have to say no.

    Too many cross fit "coaches" are some joe blow from down the street ego took an online course. Followed by having people try to forcibly jerk heavy weights into the air with very little knowledge or understanding of the mechanics involved in the lift.

    Thats my reasoning. I hope it's a bit more informative.

    Interesting that it also has a lower injury rate than running, swimming, soccer, or any team sport I think.

    The injury rate is far overblown much of the time by people who participate in far more dangerous activities.

    It's not just the injury rate but severity. Unless you get hit by a car you aren't going to come close to a snatch across the neck for damage!

    You mean like the death rate for marathon runners, football, equestrian, or martial arts?

    Don’t get me wrong I prefer powerlifting but think the angst against CrossFit is not rational when you compare statistics. It’s just not as bad as you may believe when compared to most things people do.

    But at least half of those involve hard impact/contact with other people.
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    But i get what you mean. Theres definitely a stigma surrounding it
  • Stew501
    Stew501 Posts: 65 Member
    I think you should do both; I do
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    if you wanna lift heavy , and you like to compete, check out Power Lifting. You can set a goal for a local meet, and then have a reason to push yourself every day. Thats what i do, I used to do classes all the time and had a great time with everyone, but i so much prefer heaving lifting. and maybe you can find or put together a team in your area so you can all train together.
  • tess5036
    tess5036 Posts: 942 Member
    I do both, I do a class most days, and will typically lift 4 - 5 days a week, planning it before or after a class.
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    SonyaCele wrote: »
    if you wanna lift heavy , and you like to compete, check out Power Lifting. You can set a goal for a local meet, and then have a reason to push yourself every day. Thats what i do, I used to do classes all the time and had a great time with everyone, but i so much prefer heaving lifting. and maybe you can find or put together a team in your area so you can all train together.

    That team idea is wicked!
  • Idontcareyoupick
    Idontcareyoupick Posts: 2,854 Member
    What about bodypump? It's a weight lifting class. Give it a try and go from there. Not super heavy though
  • dfp333
    dfp333 Posts: 8 Member
    jessef593 wrote: »
    But i get what you mean. Theres definitely a stigma surrounding it

    They are like a religious cult is really my thing... One that encourages injury and not taking enough recovery time... The science not only doesn't back it up but it proves it wrong in a lot of instances. However it is still better than being a lousy couch potato...
  • Andy__Dane
    Andy__Dane Posts: 46 Member
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    Crossfit?

    No.


    Compete with yourself. That's what its about. Or sign up for a powerlifting meet if you're struggling that much it'll give you something to work for

    Wow, just "No?" Whatever.

    When it has an 18% injury rate. The highest out of all lifting sports. I'm sorry but yes I have to say no.

    Too many cross fit "coaches" are some joe blow from down the street ego took an online course. Followed by having people try to forcibly jerk heavy weights into the air with very little knowledge or understanding of the mechanics involved in the lift.

    Thats my reasoning. I hope it's a bit more informative.

    Surely that's a problem of specific coaches and boxes and not Crossfit in general?

    I hate gyms, struggle to stay motivated. Joined a Crossfit box last May, and our coaches are great. Really hot on making sure you're lifting correctly.

    Can certainly see how you could injure yourself if badly coached, but that's true of most sports and training regimes anyway.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    Andy__Dane wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    Crossfit?

    No.


    Compete with yourself. That's what its about. Or sign up for a powerlifting meet if you're struggling that much it'll give you something to work for

    Wow, just "No?" Whatever.

    When it has an 18% injury rate. The highest out of all lifting sports. I'm sorry but yes I have to say no.

    Too many cross fit "coaches" are some joe blow from down the street ego took an online course. Followed by having people try to forcibly jerk heavy weights into the air with very little knowledge or understanding of the mechanics involved in the lift.

    Thats my reasoning. I hope it's a bit more informative.

    Surely that's a problem of specific coaches and boxes and not Crossfit in general?

    I hate gyms, struggle to stay motivated. Joined a Crossfit box last May, and our coaches are great. Really hot on making sure you're lifting correctly.

    Can certainly see how you could injure yourself if badly coached, but that's true of most sports and training regimes anyway.

    The problem is it's not the exception, it's the norm.

    Sure there are good boxes out there, but it's not worth playing the lottery. It's great if you've got no specific goals and want to play workout lottery 5 or 7 days a week, but I'd rather chase goals than flail about hoping to get somewhere.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    Crossfit?

    No.


    Compete with yourself. That's what its about. Or sign up for a powerlifting meet if you're struggling that much it'll give you something to work for

    Wow, just "No?" Whatever.

    When it has an 18% injury rate. The highest out of all lifting sports. I'm sorry but yes I have to say no.

    Too many cross fit "coaches" are some joe blow from down the street ego took an online course. Followed by having people try to forcibly jerk heavy weights into the air with very little knowledge or understanding of the mechanics involved in the lift.

    Thats my reasoning. I hope it's a bit more informative.

    And you have facts to back this? Running has far and away the highest injury rate of any exercise activity. Drives me nuts that so many people knock CrossFit who have never done, but it's "cool" to knock it so they do.
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    rybo wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    Crossfit?

    No.


    Compete with yourself. That's what its about. Or sign up for a powerlifting meet if you're struggling that much it'll give you something to work for

    Wow, just "No?" Whatever.

    When it has an 18% injury rate. The highest out of all lifting sports. I'm sorry but yes I have to say no.

    Too many cross fit "coaches" are some joe blow from down the street ego took an online course. Followed by having people try to forcibly jerk heavy weights into the air with very little knowledge or understanding of the mechanics involved in the lift.

    Thats my reasoning. I hope it's a bit more informative.

    And you have facts to back this? Running has far and away the highest injury rate of any exercise activity. Drives me nuts that so many people knock CrossFit who have never done, but it's "cool" to knock it so they do.

    I don't remember mentioning running amongst "lifting" sports. But alright. And yeah polls have been done in regards to LIFTING sports. Among them cross fit ranked the highest.

    I never bashed it if you read my post. I did however state that most coaches are some random who got his cross fit coaching certificate online. Along with that, many other posters have backed my claims. If you want to get good at throwing random things around as others have said. Choose cross fit. If you want to achieve goals for strength. Go with powerlifting or Oly lifting. With a proven coach.
  • flowerhouse
    flowerhouse Posts: 140 Member
    edited March 2018
    Me
    I worked with a trainer who taught me how to use weights safely and that I have as much right as the big guys to use the weights section. Previously I would only use the ladies only gym!! Which had limited amount of equipment but then the gym did away with it.. best thing they ever did
    Good luck
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