CrossFit
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- Hombre_Lobo0
Interval training and high intensity work outs are great, and known to work well.
My main issue with crossfit and what I thought when I first saw it is the injury risk is so high.
If people are doing high intensity big compound weighted movements like clean and press dead lift etc, and their form is anything less than very good, they are gonna get injured very quick.
I see it on a lot of cross fit videos, people trying to break their personal records by getting an extra rep in a time limit, and to do so they rush their movements and sacrifice all their form. It's fucking cringe worthy to watch.
it's not all like that and the instructor is to blame for not hammering home how important technique is. But it isn't an unusual occurrence.
- Hombre_Lobo0
I think keeping high intensity cardio / high intensity body weight workouts and controlled big compound weight lifting separate is an ideal all round solution.
Adding heavy weight to high intensity is very risky if people aren't completely focused.
- Just notice random mail said pretty much exactly this above!
http://farm8.staticf…
:DHombre_Lobo
- Just notice random mail said pretty much exactly this above!
- IRNlun60
I've been doing crossfit for about 5 months now. 2 days a week with 1 day of Olympic lifting. During crossfit we do 30 minutes of weight training then do a WOD. There's some valid criticism, but most of it can be applied to any gym.
Yes, there is a good possibility of getting hurt. Using poor form in any environment will lead to injuries. You can seriously hurt your shoulders for doing a basic bench press. At least if you have the right coaching you'll learn what is good form and be encouraged to maintain it.
It is expensive, but you're also receiving direct coaching so it's pretty much just as expensive as a personal trainer. For the most part, personal trainers in big gyms cannot teach you any olympic and power lifts because it's not allowed in most gym. Clean & Press, Clean & Jerks, and Snatches, are by far the best power and explosiveness building weight training out there.
Check your ego, because if you do try crossfit you will see men and women running faster, and lifting way more than you. You need to take your time with this. People have been dedicated to this for years and it will show. This never gets easier.
Kipping pull-ups are real pull-ups. I don't understand why people get so hung up on a freakin exercise. It's about efficiency and maintaining a strong core. If you're doing it right, you're not swinging more than a few inches. If you want to just do strict pull-ups thats fine, you can still do strict pull-ups.
You don't have to do the recommended weight, every exercise can be scaled to match your level of fitness. Move on to heaver weights when you're ready too.
You're not required to wear goofy ass socks.
- I highly recommend this book... http://www.suppleleo… Great information on form and proper technique.IRNlun6
- randommail0
People like to work out in groups. They like to go to classes. They like to do Zumba and Pilates and Yoga and Aerobics with a bunch of like-minded peers. They like to go to Saturday night dance party workouts for singles who like to sweat and mingle.
These people are wrong. Wrong how? I'll do the talking here, thank you very much. Just wrong. Hardcoreness is not achieved in groups. Hardcoreness is achieved via a journey into the sweating painful depths of yourself. Hardcoreness is achieved alone. Therefore you should work out alone. Do you know who works out in groups? Jerks, mostly.
- skwiotsmith0
I just started cross fit. Still not sure why beyond the fact that I really feel like I'm being pushed, and pushed way more than I would if I ever worked out alone. Four classes in and I'm already seeing results. It's insane (inane?) and stupid, but I know it's also the only way I'm going to get/stay fit.
It's not for everyone. Not even sure if it's for me. But I'm enjoying it thus far...
- fooler0
It seems like every vacant warehouse is turning into a Cross Fit gym.
- kona0
I needed a boost so I joined Title Boxing. It's a mixture of the Insanity workout, hitting the shit out of things, and more Insanity workout. The first 15 minutes are a "warmup" (I almost puked 10 minutes into the first class... stupid warmup). Then 30 solid minutes on a heavy bag mixing 2-3 minute rounds that involve "rests" (jump squats, frog jumps, or any other "hey what the hell we aren't resting at all" type activities), then rounding it out with 15 minutes of core. I made it through my first class and near the end was so beat I couldn't do a single situp during core.
In two weeks I lost 8lbs. I've been mixing in the boxing 2-3x a week with strength training 2-3x a week and overall I'm down 10lbs and have lost 3 inches from my waist.
Turns out what I really needed was for some dude you kick my ass and push me past the plateau I put myself in.
- HijoDMaite0
kona
that is mainly the reason I am doing CrossFit. I need a structured workout with someone yelling at me and motivating me.
- mg330
I think you sort of have to have the right personality to work out in groups. I've always preferred to work out alone; I like workouts to feel meditative and like I'm pushing myself hard for personal gains that I'm proud of. I feel more focused with headphones on and being kind of locked into my routine. When I was really into cycling as a kid, same thing - even in rides and races, I was competing against myself. As an adult, that outlet is jogging since I don't bike long distances anymore (I would really like to get a road bike and start back at it though).
- get a bike man! long distances are calling your name.capn_ron
- TheBlueOne0
Cult.
If you search a bit online, back in the early days there was a bit of rivalry between Crossfit and Gym Jones. GJ being the outfit founded by former alpine soloist Mark Twight, and they train military, climbers, athletes, etc.
One of the Crossfit founders went to one of Twights seminars. One of the exercises was box jumps. Twight told the guy "Jump up onto the box, step off. We'll see how may everyone performs in one minute."
So Crossfit douche decides he'll jump up and then jump off. He does this, Twight says nothing.
Everyone finishes, Crossfit douche says "Well, I did more than everyone else."
"Yeah, but you jumped off. The instructions were to step off after jumping up."
"But I did more, and faster."
"But you're form sucked."
"WHo cares about form, I did more."
"Well, if you're hanging off the side of a mountain, you better make sure you're paying attention to form or you fall and die."
"Yeah, but I did more."
And that is the essence of Crossfit, and why it fails, create injury and is a fucking cult.
- my first class was about thirty minutes on form for squat. i don't think you can successfullyHijoDMaite
- do the exercises without good form.HijoDMaite
- non0
Did it for a while.
Its extremely difficult, but fun, when you have the right trainers.
- kirshar120
@Hijo
That's the funny thing about Crossfit, these days they do teach you really good form on the lifts, yet a lot of the workouts are based around faster times/most reps, which usually leads to a breakdown of form while performing the workouts. That's where the danger lies.@TBO
+1 on throwing out a Gym Jones related anecdote- couple that with Crossfit fostering a highly competitive environment and it becomes a dangerous mix....kirshar12
- hereswhatidid0
So have any of the people bagging on crossfit actually attended a workout? Just curious since the anecdotes you guys are using are completely the opposite of my experience so far and none appear to be any first hand accounts, just the "I knew a guy that did it once" type stuff.
- Yes. I posted above how many friends I have who have hurt themselves. The torn bicep was by far the worst (to look at).kona
- Many a pulled/torn/tweaked shoulders on the rings.kona
- But you haven't actually gone to a crossfit workout yourself?hereswhatidid
- Or verified the guys that were injured aren't just dumbasses that would hurt themselves no matter what they do?hereswhatidid
- Yes, I've gone through 3 classes. All persons who were injured had been training previously for years. All hurt doing crossfit.kona
- during crossfit. It's easy to push yourself way beyond your limits or get hurt while fatigued, using bad form...kona
- during crossfit. especially if you have a shitty instructor.kona
- HijoDMaite0
legs hurt!
I started today with a basics introduction class. Spent some time talking about the history of CrossFit and then moved right in to some squat technique. Front squat, overhead squat, and I forget the third kind. Then we did a 7 minute WOD (Workout Of the Day) that consisted of non-stop sit-ups, overhead squats and 200m sprints.
I am hurting. I haven't squatted properly since my high school football days!
- Awesome! First week my legs hurt so bad I could barely walk. You won't get so sore after a few weeks..IRNlun6
- FYI, always keep your core tight. You'll be sore initially but will payoff big time in the long run.IRNlun6
- roger that. thanks.HijoDMaite
- rosko_picachu0
The main reason folk are losing weight is this paleo diet, they don't eat enough and go doing Olympic lifting that's the danger head on right there.
- MrT0
^ Nice one! Top tip for those aches and pains - magnesium. Nothing fancy, just a decent dose probably 300mg / day. It really really helps...
- I know Glutamine works for lactic acid build up so I'm taking thatHijoDMaite
- yep. magnesium helps relax the muscles as well. good for cramps.sine
- HijoDMaite0
haha a quote from Arnold about training:
“It is as satisfying to me as cumming is. You know — as having sex with a woman and cumming. So can you believe how much I am in heaven? I am, like, getting the feeling of cumming in the gym, I’m getting the feeling of cumming at home, I’m getting the feeling of cumming backstage when I pump up. When I pose out in front of five thousand people, I get the same feeling, so I am cumming day and night”. – Arnold Schwarzenegger
- IRNlun60
@TheBlueOne
If you search a bit deeper you would find that Mark Twight was a Crossfit affiliate for a couple of years before he went off on his own to start Gym Jones so that story sounds like bullshit.
http://www.outsideonline.com/fit…
I'm not here trying to defend Crossfit and say it's the greatest shit in the world. Who gives a fuck. For me there is no other gym in my area that teaches powerlifting, olympic lifting, kettle bell workouts, gymnastics, rowing, etc... and in each of those disciplines you run the risk of getting injured whether you do it in a Crossfit gym or not.
The one thing I miss is some type of martial arts training. Be it boxing, muay thai or BJJ, which I've done in the past but with a missing ACL I can't do many pivot type training without blowing out my knee. Crossfit lets me train in many different disciplines which is more controlled so it works for me.
- kirshar120
I think the cult mentality really came from the early years of Crossfit. Back in the day, I do remember reading some questionable thoughts and opinions from their upper echelon, but I don't think that is so much an issue now. As it grows and becomes more widespread, I think that line of thought is disappearing, of course, as said above, it depends on where you go.
Personally, I would love to give it a shot, it's just too much for me to pay right now. Not when I can pull a workout off any of their affiliate sites on any given day and do it myself in a cheaper gym. By doing that, I do understand I have to police myself as far as form goes, but I've been a stickler for good form lifting my whole life......
