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CrossFit

Onedaywriter
Onedaywriter Posts: 324 Member
Love it or hate it? Why
«13

Replies

  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
    uggins311 wrote: »
    made fun of the pull ups (like everyone who hasn't tried a kipping pull up) and then one day I was talked into trying it out.

    I'm still working towards my first unassisted pull up and I have been reading a lot around the subject. I haven't (yet) found anything good said of the kipping pull up. Can you tell me, please?
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    That type of exercise doesn't really seem like it would be a good fit for me. I like being able to train at my own pace and do specific programs that interest me. But some people prefer a group setting where they are pushed. I think it all depends on what works for the individual.
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    I love it, I go every day since joining a Crossfit style gym. A huge draw for me is the social aspect, cheering each other on to overcome personal obstacles and face new goals. For me it is also a positive feature that I have no control over the moves we are doing (other than modding as needed for personal fitness level). Sure I'm not always going to do moves that I like, but it makes me do things I wouldn't otherwise.

    My gym also usually does a monthly challenge of some kind, mostly focused on one type of move set to allow people to focus on personal goals. One month it was planks, increasing time each day. This month it was wall-sits, next month we are doing sit-ups. At the start of the month I did NOT think I would be able to do it at the end (I hate wall-sits!), but I have surprised myself by lasting longer each day.

    The social aspect cannot be stressed enough. We have groups on FB that hold each other accountable for going when we don't feel like it (or wish us well if we aren't up to going). We check on each other outside of gym matters (family health, fun get togethers outside gym, recipe advice, etc). And in the gym we support each other regardless of fitness level. Personally I struggle with arm strength, and one of the regulars I'm friends with went through the stations with me and kept rep pace and cheered me on to finish my sets. I can't describe how much that helped, it kept me out of my head and fears and got me to finish my sets, and I left that night proud of doing more than I thought I could!
  • Fatguy2Fitguy
    Fatguy2Fitguy Posts: 129 Member
    I enjoy the variation, I found it difficult to 'just' workout when I finished sport. Before there was always a reason/plan for it, the variation and improving my skills helps with that. As mentioned the social side is also great. If in doubt, try it out!
  • uggins311
    uggins311 Posts: 2,204 Member
    edited January 2020
    uggins311 wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    That type of exercise doesn't really seem like it would be a good fit for me. I like being able to train at my own pace and do specific programs that interest me. But some people prefer a group setting where they are pushed. I think it all depends on what works for the individual.

    @hesn92 It may seem like people are not goung at their own pace, but trust me they are. Group settings may not be for everyone but if you're at a worthy CrossFit gym, you're going at your own pace. You may not be able to keep up with someone who has been doing it for years, but your intensity is what you need to focus on. And you're working just as hard as them. This is one of the biggest misconceptions of what we do. Everyone has their own goals and we push individuals to achieve their own goals. I wish more people would try it and not make judgements for the outside looking in. But i get it, it has the appearance of being a crazy thing, but it's actually a caring community who wants you to be the best you.

    I think one of the issues that sometimes comes up about CrossFit is that how do you know if you're in a "worthy" gym or not? This is harder if you're new to exercise or just unfamiliar with CrossFit-style activities. This is complicated by many of us receiving messages that exercise has to hurt or be incredibly uncomfortable to be worthwhile -- some people may not realize that these feelings are a signal that adjustments should be made.

    I don't think this problem is exclusive to CrossFit, but the explosion in popularity probably didn't help the ratio of good-to-bad trainers.

    @janejellyroll it is a challenge. Longevity of the gym is a good place to start, how long the members have been there can be an indication as well. If they often post about their placements in a competition and nothing else, then that's probably where their mindset is at. If you try a few gyms, ask people how long they've been there, ask them how the coaches have helped them, ask if they offer some sort of nutrition guidance, ask if they have anyone who has lost a significant amount of weight.

    In the end CrossFit is a workout program, not necessarily the "sport" you see on tv or social media. So if the gum has no real life success stories on changing lives, then most likely it's a gym owned or ran by someone who just wants to workout and has enough money to keep the place a float. Also word of mouth is usually how the better CrossFit gyms acquire new members. If you see ad after ad constantly for a particular CrossFit gym, they're probably in it for the wrong reasons. I run a couple of ads a year andost of my new members have been referred to us by someone who has had success with us.
  • fuzzylop_
    fuzzylop_ Posts: 100 Member
    I know a lot of people who love it, but I'm not personally fond of mixing my conditioning and strength work together. I also like everything to be periodized, which doesn't work so well with crossfit so as good as it may be, I don't think i'm an ideal candidate for crossfit.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    edited January 2020
    uggins311 wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    That type of exercise doesn't really seem like it would be a good fit for me. I like being able to train at my own pace and do specific programs that interest me. But some people prefer a group setting where they are pushed. I think it all depends on what works for the individual.

    @hesn92 It may seem like people are not goung at their own pace, but trust me they are. Group settings may not be for everyone but if you're at a worthy CrossFit gym, you're going at your own pace. You may not be able to keep up with someone who has been doing it for years, but your intensity is what you need to focus on. And you're working just as hard as them. This is one of the biggest misconceptions of what we do. Everyone has their own goals and we push individuals to achieve their own goals. I wish more people would try it and not make judgements for the outside looking in. But i get it, it has the appearance of being a crazy thing, but it's actually a caring community who wants you to be the best you.

    For instance, i have 5 people looking ro lose 100 lbs. I have a few competition level people, i have everything in between. The folks trying to lose 100 lbs are working at their own pace and the competitors are working at their pace. At the end everyone hi 5s eachother and supports one another. Not a single person is treated any differently, and for me at least, i get more satisfaction by helping someone lose 100 lbs over a competitor doing better. In the end it's cool you got 1st place, but losing 100 lb or more is LIFE CHANGING!

    I wasn't trying to pass judgement. That's nice to hear people go at their own pace. You're right I have in my head that everyone is pushed to do exercises, as many as they can within a time-frame. I'm glad to hear that is not always the case.

    However what about the bit where I said I like to do specific programs that interest me? If you go to Crossfit, are you not going and doing the same work out as everyone else?

    Maybe if I was in a different season of life I would be interested in Crossfit but not right now. It would be nice to have that social aspect, but it's also pretty expensive. I'm not willing to fork over that kind of cash.
  • uggins311
    uggins311 Posts: 2,204 Member
    fuzzylop_ wrote: »
    I know a lot of people who love it, but I'm not personally fond of mixing my conditioning and strength work together. I also like everything to be periodized, which doesn't work so well with crossfit so as good as it may be, I don't think i'm an ideal candidate for crossfit.

    CrossFit programming done correctly is periodized. CrossFit programming done poorly is just doing random stuff without any thought or planning behind it. With all of the jokes that we all hear about CrossFit with certain workouts, it's easy to assume that's all it is. We follow a strenght cycle and our cardio is based on the movements in the strength cycle. I understand the cardio and strength combination argument, but again it's the goals of the individual. If you want to be a body builder or power lifter, CrossFit is probably not the best choice, but if you're an everyday person who wants to be healthier, lose weight, fitter, stronger and more capable of doing things then it's a good option. Again it's "what are your goals?".

    Most of my members are just people who want to lose some weight, maintain the weight they're at and have fun while working out. Most of them have either came from Planet Fitness or other CrossFit gyms.
  • uggins311
    uggins311 Posts: 2,204 Member
    hesn92 wrote: »
    uggins311 wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    That type of exercise doesn't really seem like it would be a good fit for me. I like being able to train at my own pace and do specific programs that interest me. But some people prefer a group setting where they are pushed. I think it all depends on what works for the individual.

    @hesn92 It may seem like people are not goung at their own pace, but trust me they are. Group settings may not be for everyone but if you're at a worthy CrossFit gym, you're going at your own pace. You may not be able to keep up with someone who has been doing it for years, but your intensity is what you need to focus on. And you're working just as hard as them. This is one of the biggest misconceptions of what we do. Everyone has their own goals and we push individuals to achieve their own goals. I wish more people would try it and not make judgements for the outside looking in. But i get it, it has the appearance of being a crazy thing, but it's actually a caring community who wants you to be the best you.

    For instance, i have 5 people looking ro lose 100 lbs. I have a few competition level people, i have everything in between. The folks trying to lose 100 lbs are working at their own pace and the competitors are working at their pace. At the end everyone hi 5s eachother and supports one another. Not a single person is treated any differently, and for me at least, i get more satisfaction by helping someone lose 100 lbs over a competitor doing better. In the end it's cool you got 1st place, but losing 100 lb or more is LIFE CHANGING!

    I wasn't trying to pass judgement. That's nice to hear people go at their own pace. You're right I have in my head that everyone is pushed to do exercises, as many as they can within a time-frame. I'm glad to hear that is not always the case.

    However what about the bit where I said I like to do specific programs that interest me? If you go to Crossfit, are you not going and doing the same work out as everyone else?

    Maybe if I was in a different season of life I would be interested in Crossfit but not right now. It would be nice to have that social aspect, but it's also pretty expensive. I'm not willing to fork over that kind of cash.

    Sort of on the same workout thing, but every lift, every bodyweight movements has a level of progressions to meet you where you're at. Yes there are workouts wjere you do as many as you can in 5 minutes or 20 minutes, but of you can't do a push up, we modify to a push up on a box or against the wall. If you can't do a certain lift, we use a different movement to focus on that same muscle group. So the workout may not be identical but focuses on the same muscle groups and has an end goal of progressing to a more advanced movement or lift.

    And yes it is pricey, but you're paying for a designed workout program, and a trainer. If you go to a globo gym, personal trainer is usually more expensive. Plus the Planet Fitness's of the world couldn't care less if you show up or not, the prices are low enough for people to pay a year in full and if you never come back, they don't care. We do. We are small businesses who are independentally owned and operated, so we can't compete with the breaks that big corporation globo gyms are given to "develop" a vacant lot or building.
  • uggins311
    uggins311 Posts: 2,204 Member
    emmies_123 wrote: »
    uggins311 wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    That type of exercise doesn't really seem like it would be a good fit for me. I like being able to train at my own pace and do specific programs that interest me. But some people prefer a group setting where they are pushed. I think it all depends on what works for the individual.

    @hesn92 It may seem like people are not goung at their own pace, but trust me they are. Group settings may not be for everyone but if you're at a worthy CrossFit gym, you're going at your own pace. You may not be able to keep up with someone who has been doing it for years, but your intensity is what you need to focus on. And you're working just as hard as them. This is one of the biggest misconceptions of what we do. Everyone has their own goals and we push individuals to achieve their own goals. I wish more people would try it and not make judgements for the outside looking in. But i get it, it has the appearance of being a crazy thing, but it's actually a caring community who wants you to be the best you.

    For instance, i have 5 people looking ro lose 100 lbs. I have a few competition level people, i have everything in between. The folks trying to lose 100 lbs are working at their own pace and the competitors are working at their pace. At the end everyone hi 5s eachother and supports one another. Not a single person is treated any differently, and for me at least, i get more satisfaction by helping someone lose 100 lbs over a competitor doing better. In the end it's cool you got 1st place, but losing 100 lb or more is LIFE CHANGING!

    To build on the concept of going at own pace:

    A good gym won't pressure you on any aspect. Mine does nutrition advice, but they aren't pushy about it. When I first started going I was not ready, mentally, to change my diet as well as my exercise routine. And the trainers were totally cool with that. Slowly I realized they might be on to something with this whole nutrition thing, and I started asking questions about small changes I could make. The trainers helped me make some adjustments at my own pace (first step was veggies. She asked if I could do 4 servings a day of fruit or veg, saw my face and said "ok how about 1 serving of either"). Now when I go to a trainer meeting (one on one time offered at my gym) they support the changes, ask if I'm ready for something else or if I have a new goal, and advise.

    Same with workouts. The trainers remember everyone and their limits or their goals. They will high five someone doing the lowest mod with the same enthusiasm as someone who is doing the top level mod.

    For anyone considering, I suggest you try it at least once. I never thought I would love it this much, I never thought it would be worth the monthly cost. I also never thought I'd be able to do half the stuff I can do now!

    Thanks for the back up lol. This is what it's about!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I see it as getting a trainer that happens to have a gym and general method to the routines.
    Rather than joining a gym and then getting a trainer you hope will really work on your goals, and really do form and routines right.

    In either case you can get a bad trainer for you. Or a bad trainer for anyone actually.
    We've all heard horror stories.

    You could also join a gym that really won't work towards your goals.
    Perhaps you wanted to start lifting heavy with compound lifts and free weights. And joined Planet Fitness.
    Or need to swimming therapy and joined a lifting gym without a pool.

    So like the other options available - does the CrossFit gym have a trainer/trainers with a decent philosophy that agrees with your goals, and a gym that will support that.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I think it can be a great fit for many people. For me and my goals, it is not at all.