Crossfit...dont get it...

[jasonhgross]

Just out of curiosity, have you talked to him at all? Do you know what his goals are/were? Not everyone at a gym is there for some superficial "gotta get BIG!" weird testosterone problem. Ever see the guys that do free running? Or fight in MMA in classes below the heavyweights? They are generally not juiced-up looking muscleheads because they have goals BEYOND the gym.

Kind of like shooting. I equate the gym rats that are at the gym to be at the gym to the guy sitting at the bench, month after month, putting one bullet through another at the public range. That is their end-state. Others are interested in a different end goal. They might share the same facility from time to time, but that's a stop along the journey, not the end point.

Yeah, I talked to him a few times. He said he liked the crossfit but felt he wasnt getting the kind of gains he wanted from it so he was experimenting outside of it. I dont think my point above was made fromt he persepective of a gym rat. I am 180lbs and 5'8" Not huge by any stretch with a 44" chest. I am actually trying to loose some fat weight to cut down to 170. I squat reps at 225 and deadlift for reps around 240 depending on the day. My squat routine is 2 warm up sets of 9, 3 work sets at 225x8 to 9, and one "cool down" set for depth with just 195. I bent over row 85lb dumbells (85x3x8) and overhead press 70x3x5. I dont think I am a gym rat, I dont crossfit, and I have a hard time believing I lack in overall body strength. I am also 37 and injury free (except minor stuff) for 3 years. Last year I was running 3 times a week, but compartment syndrome keeps me from doing that now.

[jasonhgross]

Count me as a former CrossFit believer who frayed a miniscus and bulged a disc in my lower back DURING THE SAME WORKOUT. 5 Rounds of Power Cleans + 400m runs.

Without proper supervision and in the tunnel vision of competition, you can absolutely get very hurt doing crossfit. I haven't been able to really work out for almost six months now.

This...

[Kevin P]

J-dub, please don't take this in a negative way as this is not intended towards you in any way. I am just putting this out there. I have family that are in various health and fitness occupations. I can say with certainty that there are Ph'ds and MD's that are in the fitness profession (physical therapist,biochemist, and etc. I am not talking about someone with a degree in kinesiology,i.e a "trainer") that don't have a clue on different fitness topics. There are many studies and research data that is inaccurate. I say that because there is alot of conflicting data and information out there. That is why the health community is in such a disarray. That is another whole topic, but the point I am trying to make is that there is not only one way to do something. We have to learn from other peoples real world success that have gotten repeatable results.

Just because someone does not understand or get a certain program or method, does not make it inadequate or not effective.


First and foremost what is the individuals fitness goals? After you establish your immediate and long term fitness goals you can then decide what approach to take. You would not put a golfer on a strict strength program. (bad example, but you get the point).


I am a CF'r and it has its pros and cons that I can could go in detail about. Most importantly it depends what you are trying to accomplish. People have to learn how to think for themselves and what will benefit them positively or negatively. They have to be honest with themselves and were they want to go


The dislike people have between the different training methods, going both ways is juvenile at best and shows that the individual does not understand that particular training philosophy and what it is designed to do.


People have all sorts of different goals and there are many ways to accomplish these.

Also concerning injury, it can happen. People can get hurt in any type of exercise. Don't blame the program, blame yourself for getting a little too careless.

[dookie1481]

I am not a crossfitter, but I have dabbled in following the WOD from time to time.

I'm curious to know if the critique in the OP is coming from actually trying it for awhile, maybe even joining/attending a crossfit gym, or just looking at the website?

and I haven't seen any real criticism here other than "I don't like it". Yes, some of the exercises require very good form, and in turn often require that you be in pretty good shape to start with. A good Crossfit gym will work with you on this and give you coaching on form and alternates if you're not up to the full bore WOD just yet.

One of the big problems is that the explosion in popularity of CF, plus the fact that all you need to do to get a cert/affiliate is pay, has led to a lot of subpar gyms. http://greyskullarticles.blogspot.co...of-emails.html

And some of the exercises they use are pretty dangerous when form breaks down (which is inevitable as fatigue sets in), such as the O-lifts.

Crossfit, and those types of workouts, make more sense to me than any of the traditional strength/cardio alternating, LA Fitness, type programs. Something else to remember about Crossfit is that if you really follow their program and recomendations you're also participating in some kind of other physical activity. Soccer, football, cycling, whatever. They typically don't advocate for simply showing up to the CF gym for 30 minutes a day on your way home from work. But even if that's all you do, I suspect you're going to get better results, be in better shape, and have a better range of real-world strength than if you spent the same 30 minutes a day at LA Fitness.

That also means you develop the constituent components of fitness to a lesser degree. I don't give a shit what Couch Glassman says, you aren't going to build a 600 lb. deadlift using the CF WODs. If that isn't your goal, fine, but a lot of the stuff coming out of CF HQ is just flat-out bullshit.

Crossfit isn't for everyone, especially those that can't get past what they've been taught. Finding a good gym, with good trainers, seems critical to me to ensure that you don't get hurt, but the people that like it seem to really, really like it. I'm sure that to an extent part of that is the belonging to a subculture thing, but if that gets some fatbody off the sofa and doesn't get him hurt, this is a bad thing how?

It's better to do something than nothing. But getting a fatbody to not be a fatbody requires long-term compliance, and that isn't going to happen if they get hurt: http://board.crossfit.com/forumdisplay.php?f=12

[dookie1481]

The Catholic church didn't much like Martin Luther. The Black Muslims killed Malcolm X when his rhetoric got more peaceful.

I make religious references here because I don't get the way people get worked up about this topic.

Interesting analogy, since many in the fitness community refer to crossfitters as "acolytes" or "cultists."

[DiabhailGadhar]

+1 on Kevin P I think the OP has gotten I little too focused on the negatives of the brand of fitness, which like any sport/workout, when done incorrectly can cause injury and of course someplaces might charge a bit high on their prices. I personally set up a pretty good collection of tool for XFit for under $500. CrossFit for me is really the only way I like to work out. Sitting in a gym having everyone eyeballing you isnt all that much fun compared to getting outside and doing something new and different everyday. For me thats what Xfit provides is something different that gets me away from what the "norm" is doing. In conclusion, as it's starting to seem that you aren't really reading the informaiom here so much as trying to find new and excitig ways to defend you obvious opposition to CrossFit, I have to be in agreeance here with some of the other posters in that even if it only improves a handful of peoples lives and isnt regularly harming others, then isn't it worth it?

[Heartbreaker]

If it gets people into exercise it's a good thing, to some people getting up at 6am and swimming a mile, spending an hour running around a track, or 45mins at the gym is too boring and they may not be able to keep a routine like that for long. Crossfit has a lot of different and interesting stuff that can keep someone entertained, and there's always the aspect of "working out like the military does" (obviously BS but every 28-45 year old Joe Average wants to think he is a SEAL) that attracts a lot of people. I would never do crossfit personally, I think the potential for injury is too high and I have enough activities outside my lifting/cardio routines that are injurious enough as it is. Crossfit gyms are still popping up everywhere in this area, and although that also means an influx of people that go to a few classes and talk your ear off about how hardcore they are, still better than another fat dude complaining about how hot it is/Food Network programming. Any fitness is good fitness these days.

[Chameleox]

A little about me:
31 YO male, fitness is an occupation priority for me. Prior to my current job, I was an NASM certified trainer working for one of the largest gym chains on the east coast.
Recently, I've recently looked at my fitness levels and determined that my current protocol wasn't working. I was primarily using the Joe Weider mindset, but working in whole body sessions, with separate exercises for separate body movements. Muscle growth? Yes. But, I felt that I wasn't fit. My body fat was up, I wasn't comfortable manipulating my body through space, felt that, despite being able to move a lot of weight, I couldn't grapple as well as others, despite 2+ decades of martial arts training- felt gassed, inflexible, etc.
So, I enrolled in a crossfit-like gym. Love it. In 3 weeks, I'm now feeling much more fit than I've felt in years. I can run faster/longer, move and carry my own bodyweight more efficiently, losing weight (less me to move around), etc. I feel that my work capacity has increased. Are these subjective? Yes. Are these different goals and measures of success than NASM, NSCA, and hordes of gym rats use? Yes, but my goals and measurements of success lie beyond the gym.

Without proper supervision and in the tunnel vision of competition, you can absolutely get very hurt doing crossfit. I haven't been able to really work out for almost six months now.

How is this different for Crossfit than other workout philosophies? Squats, running, bench press, and turkish get-ups, spinning class all run a risk of personal injury. Crossfit gyms aren't the only ones handing out injury waiver forms at sign up. You have to learn the moves, properly, under the guidance of a trainer, regardless of your gym, a Crossfit black box or a Bally's.

[Hizzie]

Never tried Crossfit but have used Cardio Strength Training with good results. Nothing wrong with combining cardio sessions and strength training. Nothing wrong with seperating cardio sessions and strength training either. Tomato, tomato, potato, potato.

[Tom Swift]

There are risks for injury in just about anything we do whether it be driving, swimming, skiing, or shooting. Jumping into crossfit without a clue would be like handing a ignorant child a loaded gun with the safety off. Just as we have graduated licensing for teens and cars and not handing them the keys when they turn 16.

I've done a few WOD's and I'm continuing to implement crossfit exercises that I've already been familiar with prior to my learning of CF. As a student I'm in the financial hole, once I'm out of that hole I hope to enroll in a crossfit gym considering the vast number of credible people I've heard swear about it.