Debating Crossfit...
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crystalsan726
Posts: 795 Member
So recently I got this wild idea that it would be an interesting challenge to try Crossfit. Half of me is saying go for it and the other half is like are you nuts? See I physcially have never been able to do high impact stuff, I have major problems with my wrists and I can't do a lot of moves. I am not sure if there are any modifications that will work for me. Also I have never been brave enough to darken the doors of a gym. I workout at home using YouTube videos and walking. I am still pretty big even though I have lost 30 pounds so I am not sure if Crossfit would be the right fit for me. I have really been wanting to challenge myself and see what my body is really capable of. I figured there would be plenty of people on here who have tried it and I would love to get your thoughts on it. Thanks for your help and time! I appreciate it!
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My Fiancee loves it. Workouts can be modified. For example, my Fiancee bikes instead of running. Does step ups instead of box jumps. The most important thing is finding a gym with good coaches.2
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I love CrossFit! I say give it a try. There are always modifications that can be done. If you have a few gyms in your area, give each of them a try. Each one is different and it can make a big difference.2
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I’ve been doing CrossFit for about 2 1/2 years. I love it and it has really helped me improve my health. I weighed >100 lbs more when I started than I do now.
Couldn’t agree more with the comments above about the specific gym. I was lucky and joined the first one I walked into but I feel they are great. The coaches know I will never be in the Olympics but that I just want to improve my health and sense of well being and they work with me to make that happen. I’ve heard that some gyms are a little more concerned with competition so ask about the specific gyms focus. Also, within the specific gym there are different coaches with slightly different styles. Try to sample this to see who clicks for you and who doesn’t. If you can only go at specific times try to get a sense of the coach at that specific time.
I still scale down most of the workouts. Nearly everyone in my gym has to scale something sometimes and many of us scale down daily. The coaches will help you with movement modifications more suited to your abilities. They try to maintain similar stimulus. So, if for example I have one friend who’s wrists hurt from pushups so she holds dumbells when she does them to remove bend at the wrist, and she either does them to a box or from her knees to lessen the load a little.
The first time I went, there was a guy practicing handstand walks in the parking lot prior to the class. I had to walk past him to get to the door! I couldn’t even do one pushup and almost ran away (and I didn’t run for any reason at that time!!). So glad I didn’t (and by the way he’s a super nice guy and truly supportive of us mortals).
My opinion is that it seems to appeal to you so you should give it a try. Many of the gyms offer a few free classes and/or a reduced price for the first month if that helps make the decision.2 -
If you have major problems with wrist, I wouldn't advice it.
What are you dx'd with or history?3 -
@Onedaywriter and @Cassandraw3 Thanks y'all for your thoughts and advice! I appreciate it!If you have major problems with wrist, I wouldn't advice it.
What are you dx'd with or history?
@Chieflrg -I have 2 different sets of compressed nerves in both wrist on top of my wrists and on the side by my thumb (Dequervains stenosis tendinitis and carpal tunnel)I got a injections in both hands awhile back and they started doing better but I havent been able to do a lot of things I usually do. I stopped sugar and got off another med and they are doing better. I was able to pick up some dumbells for the first time in a long time yesterday. Sadly 8 pounders was as heavy as I could go. I think eventually I will have to have surgery if they get much worse. I miss lifting my dumbells! If I do it now I just have to be very aware of my wrists and know when to stop. I can't do push ups or anything that puts weight on my wrists.
Thanks for your honest opinion I may have to wait on Crossfit until I am able to have surgery.1 -
A good instructor will scale it for you no issues. It can be tough and rewarding. Ultimately the key to long term change of one's self is compliance. The best exersice in the world is no good if you can't stick to it. If you enjoy cross fit and the challenge it gives you, then your more likely to stick to it. Go for it. If you get a bad club in your first go, don't let it out you off. Not all clubs and instructors are great in any field, but there are plenty of great ones out there for you.2
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johnweaver22 wrote: »A good instructor will scale it for you no issues. It can be tough and rewarding. Ultimately the key to long term change of one's self is compliance. The best exersice in the world is no good if you can't stick to it. If you enjoy cross fit and the challenge it gives you, then your more likely to stick to it. Go for it. If you get a bad club in your first go, don't let it out you off. Not all clubs and instructors are great in any field, but there are plenty of great ones out there for you.
@johnweaver22 Thanks for the advice!0 -
It never hurts to try something new. Per everyone else, the right coach can help address the concerns / issues you have with your wrists and modifications. Try it once - if it isn't right, at least you tried! You never know until you try! Better to give it a shot than to sit around wondering "what if"1
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I'm going with @Chieflrg. It can hurt to try something new if you already have injuries. You said you have major problems with your wrists and you can't do alot of moves. There's your answer. Surgery doesn't always fix everything for the rest of your life. That's what you need to think about.2
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If you have major problems with wrist, I wouldn't advice it.
What are you dx'd with or history?
Agree with this...
There is only so much modification you can do with something like CF before you get to the point where you're not really doing the WOD.
Pushing yourself is one thing...pushing yourself while at the same time understanding and acknowledging that you have limitations that may not allow for certain things is another. I can still physically do many things and push myself...but there are also many things I can't do because of previous injuries and diagnosis of medical issues for which said activities would only exacerbate my issues and sideline me for weeks if not months from doing anything at all.1 -
The statement "major issue with wrists" is very concerning to me. If you need wrist surgery already, you probably shouldn't put more pressure, stress, weight, and bending on problematic wrists. You could be setting yourself up for even bigger problems. I'm not super familiar with Crossfit, but have seen enough to know that wrists are integral to the workouts.
I would consult with a PT or other trusted medical professional for suggestions for physical activities that would be more suitable.1 -
andybing11 wrote: »It never hurts to try something new. Per everyone else, the right coach can help address the concerns / issues you have with your wrists and modifications. Try it once - if it isn't right, at least you tried! You never know until you try! Better to give it a shot than to sit around wondering "what if"
Wrong, with conditions described as "major problems" you can indeed hurt yourself. In all about self efficacy but this situation could be highly problematical.
I agree with "the right coach" though we are talking CF where one can obtain a cert in a matter of a few hours on a Saturday. We might not roll the dice on a random coach in this case especially when load management isn't emphasized the majority of times.4 -
OP you’re going to get polarised views on CrossFit, as people either evangelise about how it changed their life, or they’ve seen bad injuries from it so hate it.
Ultimately it’s a hard, fast sport with a real chance of injury if you don’t practice excellent form. It includes oly lifts which need good wrist strength and mobility and, speaking as an oly lifter, I would be incredibly wary about doing it if you have bad wrists. With a good coach it should be doable, but there are bad CrossFit coaches out there in addition to good ones.3 -
I think you should look into PT (physical therapy) first and then try Crossfit. You never mentioned one time going to PT. Quite frankly, there are things that PT know that docs don't. There are many exercises, both with the hand and stretches, that can quickly make carpal tunnel better. I had it pretty bad for a while and using a simple rubber band device throughout the day along with stretching pretty much resolved it. With computers and phones, carpal tunnel is a very common thing. My wife recently had a trigger thumb due to texting so much and just looking at FB on her phone all the time.
Hand surgeons (usually shots are given by surgeons) aren't going to tell you what this article states.
https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/carpal-tunnel/news/20170324/physical-therapy-as-good-as-surgery-for-carpal-tunnel-syndrome-study#11 -
andybing11 wrote: »It never hurts to try something new. Per everyone else, the right coach can help address the concerns / issues you have with your wrists and modifications. Try it once - if it isn't right, at least you tried! You never know until you try! Better to give it a shot than to sit around wondering "what if"
Wrong, with conditions described as "major problems" you can indeed hurt yourself. In all about self efficacy but this situation could be highly problematical.
I agree with "the right coach" though we are talking CF where one can obtain a cert in a matter of a few hours on a Saturday. We might not roll the dice on a random coach in this case especially when load management isn't emphasized the majority of times.
And by try I mean show up. It doesn’t hurt to show up. He knows his body. Sometimes it takes going to see if you can participate or not.
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andybing11 wrote: »andybing11 wrote: »It never hurts to try something new. Per everyone else, the right coach can help address the concerns / issues you have with your wrists and modifications. Try it once - if it isn't right, at least you tried! You never know until you try! Better to give it a shot than to sit around wondering "what if"
Wrong, with conditions described as "major problems" you can indeed hurt yourself. In all about self efficacy but this situation could be highly problematical.
I agree with "the right coach" though we are talking CF where one can obtain a cert in a matter of a few hours on a Saturday. We might not roll the dice on a random coach in this case especially when load management isn't emphasized the majority of times.
And by try I mean show up. It doesn’t hurt to show up. He knows his body. Sometimes it takes going to see if you can participate or not.
I agree except for the comment about major problems.
CF if probably one of the hardest ways to stay fit. Add major problems with the wrist? I feel the cons out weigh the pros.
That comes from a person who fully believes in self efficacy.0 -
andybing11 wrote: »andybing11 wrote: »It never hurts to try something new. Per everyone else, the right coach can help address the concerns / issues you have with your wrists and modifications. Try it once - if it isn't right, at least you tried! You never know until you try! Better to give it a shot than to sit around wondering "what if"
Wrong, with conditions described as "major problems" you can indeed hurt yourself. In all about self efficacy but this situation could be highly problematical.
I agree with "the right coach" though we are talking CF where one can obtain a cert in a matter of a few hours on a Saturday. We might not roll the dice on a random coach in this case especially when load management isn't emphasized the majority of times.
And by try I mean show up. It doesn’t hurt to show up. He knows his body. Sometimes it takes going to see if you can participate or not.
I agree except for the comment about major problems.
CF if probably one of the hardest ways to stay fit. Add major problems with the wrist? I feel the cons out weigh the pros.
That comes from a person who fully believes in self efficacy.
“It never hurts to try something new” is legitimately a common saying. It isn’t meant to be literal. Yes, it COULD hurt but it was meant in a way as “just show up.” Not let me throw 300 lbs on a bar and do snatches. I feel a lot people on here literally just want to argue. I never said anything about major problems.
I saw you arguing with someone else literally in another thread about half squats and this and that. Why so tense bro!? Go do a should shrug.
Also, you do know, you can hide behind a computer just like a CF coach can get a cert in one day. Same goes for personal trainers. They can do the exact same thing.
Go tell the guy with one leg he can’t run a marathon cause he doesn’t have two. Well, guess what!? He did. And he emptied his artificial leg every 3 miles cause it filled with sweat.
Everything can be done in reason. There’s no reason why you should tell someone they CAN’T do something. There are ways to make things work.
Stop taking the air out of people’s wings. I’m not here to argue with people. Times are tough.
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I was referring to the OP's relative comment of having major wrist problems. As I stated earlier, I'm all for self efficacy, but this case we should know more info such as professional diagnosis and training history as ai requested.andybing11 wrote: »andybing11 wrote: »andybing11 wrote: »It never hurts to try something new. Per everyone else, the right coach can help address the concerns / issues you have with your wrists and modifications. Try it once - if it isn't right, at least you tried! You never know until you try! Better to give it a shot than to sit around wondering "what if"
Wrong, with conditions described as "major problems" you can indeed hurt yourself. In all about self efficacy but this situation could be highly problematical.
I agree with "the right coach" though we are talking CF where one can obtain a cert in a matter of a few hours on a Saturday. We might not roll the dice on a random coach in this case especially when load management isn't emphasized the majority of times.
And by try I mean show up. It doesn’t hurt to show up. He knows his body. Sometimes it takes going to see if you can participate or not.
I agree except for the comment about major problems.
CF if probably one of the hardest ways to stay fit. Add major problems with the wrist? I feel the cons out weigh the pros.
That comes from a person who fully believes in self efficacy.
“It never hurts to try something new” is legitimately a common saying. It isn’t meant to be literal. Yes, it COULD hurt but it was meant in a way as “just show up.” Not let me throw 300 lbs on a bar and do snatches. I feel a lot people on here literally just want to argue. I never said anything about major problems.
I saw you arguing with someone else literally in another thread about half squats and this and that. Why so tense bro!? Go do a should shrug.
Also, you do know, you can hide behind a computer just like a CF coach can get a cert in one day. Same goes for personal trainers. They can do the exact same thing.
Go tell the guy with one leg he can’t run a marathon cause he doesn’t have two. Well, guess what!? He did. And he emptied his artificial leg every 3 miles cause it filled with sweat.
Everything can be done in reason. There’s no reason why you should tell someone they CAN’T do something. There are ways to make things work.
Stop taking the air out of people’s wings. I’m not here to argue with people. Times are tough.
Yes somebody stated half squats had no use in another thread and attacked my advice and profession. I provided current evidence that backed up my statement that for certain goals half squats have their place. If you found that offensive, then we can shoulder shrug together I suppose.
As a person who ran two half marathons on back to back days in one weekend after being confined to a wheel chair over 5 months prior and being in treatments/surgeries for about a year as well, I assure you I know how to deal with major joint issues in some compacity. I was in some fashion that guy with one leg you want me to tell he can't. Please don't assume I that I'm not supportive of people with challenges. I train people with partial hands, one leg, cerebral palsy, crippled from RA, people with the OPs condition, etc...if you feel that I'm advising not to try to the masses, you would be mistaken. I'm advising that CF might not be a great first choice with it's history and training style and what we do know about the OP.
Please understand when I give advice, its my opinion based on current evidence or professional experience. You can disagree. I welcome being challenged as I have stated in other threads. We learn from each other and if someone's asks me a question I want to make sure I'm giving the best advice based on science and experiemce.
I'm not arguing to make you feel attacked, I'm trying to state that sometimes people make statements like "It never hurts to try" without considering but what if it does in certain cases. Then we have a thread a month later that I pushed myself too far when they had a red flag to start.
Maybe think of this way.
One otherwise healthy one legged man who had experiencing running wants to run a marathon. He trains for it appropriately. Builds up for it gradually with good load management.
Now we have a one legged man who has major problems with his knee. Are we quick to advice to start running or do we ask what experience he has running and if he was dx'd for his knee. Perhaps suggest a good well established strength program rather than attempting parkour for the first time because he wants a challenge. Suggesting he can show up and stop anytime.
I'm inclined to go the safer route in that specific case.
Hope this page long reply brings some clarity to my answer of current and future replies.
I apologize if you felt aggression.
´*** Editted to add. Your comment on CF coach certs vs personal trainer certs is valid and I agree 100%
Certs are used to get a job in a commercial gym and does not establish you are knowledgable and a good coach. The info needed to obtain a cert is 99% regurgitated garbage and any good coach would tell you that.
I only pointed out CF cert because it was specific to the thread.3 -
I was referring to the OP's relative comment of having major wrist problems. As I stated earlier, I'm all for self efficacy, but this case we should know more info such as professional diagnosis and training history as ai requested.andybing11 wrote: »andybing11 wrote: »andybing11 wrote: »It never hurts to try something new. Per everyone else, the right coach can help address the concerns / issues you have with your wrists and modifications. Try it once - if it isn't right, at least you tried! You never know until you try! Better to give it a shot than to sit around wondering "what if"
Wrong, with conditions described as "major problems" you can indeed hurt yourself. In all about self efficacy but this situation could be highly problematical.
I agree with "the right coach" though we are talking CF where one can obtain a cert in a matter of a few hours on a Saturday. We might not roll the dice on a random coach in this case especially when load management isn't emphasized the majority of times.
And by try I mean show up. It doesn’t hurt to show up. He knows his body. Sometimes it takes going to see if you can participate or not.
I agree except for the comment about major problems.
CF if probably one of the hardest ways to stay fit. Add major problems with the wrist? I feel the cons out weigh the pros.
That comes from a person who fully believes in self efficacy.
“It never hurts to try something new” is legitimately a common saying. It isn’t meant to be literal. Yes, it COULD hurt but it was meant in a way as “just show up.” Not let me throw 300 lbs on a bar and do snatches. I feel a lot people on here literally just want to argue. I never said anything about major problems.
I saw you arguing with someone else literally in another thread about half squats and this and that. Why so tense bro!? Go do a should shrug.
Also, you do know, you can hide behind a computer just like a CF coach can get a cert in one day. Same goes for personal trainers. They can do the exact same thing.
Go tell the guy with one leg he can’t run a marathon cause he doesn’t have two. Well, guess what!? He did. And he emptied his artificial leg every 3 miles cause it filled with sweat.
Everything can be done in reason. There’s no reason why you should tell someone they CAN’T do something. There are ways to make things work.
Stop taking the air out of people’s wings. I’m not here to argue with people. Times are tough.
Yes somebody stated half squats had no use in another thread and attacked my advice and profession. I provided current evidence that backed up my statement that for certain goals half squats have their place. If you found that offensive, then we can shoulder shrug together I suppose.
As a person who ran two half marathons on back to back days in one weekend after being confined to a wheel chair over 5 months prior and being in treatments/surgeries for about a year as well, I assure you I know how to deal with major joint issues in some compacity. I was in some fashion that guy with one leg you want me to tell he can't. Please don't assume I that I'm not supportive of people with challenges. I train people with partial hands, one leg, cerebral palsy, crippled from RA, people with the OPs condition, etc...if you feel that I'm advising not to try to the masses, you would be mistaken. I'm advising that CF might not be a great first choice with it's history and training style and what we do know about the OP.
Please understand when I give advice, its my opinion based on current evidence or professional experience. You can disagree. I welcome being challenged as I have stated in other threads. We learn from each other and if someone's asks me a question I want to make sure I'm giving the best advice based on science and experiemce.
I'm not arguing to make you feel attacked, I'm trying to state that sometimes people make statements like "It never hurts to try" without considering but what if it does in certain cases. Then we have a thread a month later that I pushed myself too far when they had a red flag to start.
Maybe think of this way.
One otherwise healthy one legged man who had experiencing running wants to run a marathon. He trains for it appropriately. Builds up for it gradually with good load management.
Now we have a one legged man who has major problems with his knee. Are we quick to advice to start running or do we ask what experience he has running and if he was dx'd for his knee. Perhaps suggest a good well established strength program rather than attempting parkour for the first time because he wants a challenge. Suggesting he can show up and stop anytime.
I'm inclined to go the safer route in that specific case.
Hope this page long reply brings some clarity to my answer of current and future replies.
I apologize if you felt aggression.
´*** Editted to add. Your comment on CF coach certs vs personal trainer certs is valid and I agree 100%
Certs are used to get a job in a commercial gym and does not establish you are knowledgable and a good coach. The info needed to obtain a cert is 99% regurgitated garbage and any good coach would tell you that.
I only pointed out CF cert because it was specific to the thread.
I've nothing really to add to the original thread other than I agree if you have injuries tread carefully. I have had shoulder surgery so CrossFit is out for me.
But in response to the comments about coaches and trainers getting certified it's that way in every sport....I trained at a very high level for my sport, my entire life and was always told at the club where I taught if I didn't do certain things my students would be given to someone with a higher level of certification. I would laugh because her book smarts would never compare to my real life learned skills and talents.
Chief, you seem to have some life experience behind your learning and teaching. Sadly many don't understand this. Highlight that. You have been there done that and your experience is such and such. But remember not everyone is open to hearing this. I will correct people today and those who know my background are excited to get my help since their coaches tell them my advice is like gold, whereas others question or will even argue. Boggles my mind but this is the way of the world.2
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