Crossfit...dont get it...

[rob_s]

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.

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.

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?

[theblackknight]

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.

this gym http://crossfitwilmington.com/ won't even give you open gym priviledges till 6 months from start.

[tgace]

I admit to being a "pick and choose" CrossFit dabbler. I like to use some of the simpler WOD's like Cindy or the "named workouts" that don't include "O" lifts . I'm fairly experienced with deadlifts so I will do some of the WOD's that include them. I find them great to do in a yearly cycle (mostly in the summer months).

[J-Dub]

Rob i'm glad you brought up crossfit gyms. What people pay to go to crossfit gyms blows my mind, i've heard some insane numbers ($150-$200 per month) I cant help but laugh, since people do these workouts out of their garage.

The main problem i have with crossfit is it goes against what EVERY fitness organization puts into print. NSCA or NASM both state (based on research) that if you want to get THE MOST out of your training, seperation is needed.

Now i'm not saying you wont get stronger combining cardio w/ resistance training, you will. But if you want to get the most out of your training, you need to be doing one or the other.

Take this gem from their website:
Monday 110131
For time:
225 pound Deadlift, 21 reps
400 meter Run
225 pound Deadlift, 18 reps
400 meter Run
225 pound Deadlift, 15 reps
400 meter Run
225 pound Deadlift, 12 reps
400 meter Run

REALLY? Thats a balanced workout?....REALLY? Oh and your doing it for time....deadlift is a lift that i really dont rush through. (plus, that would honestly take me maybe 10-15mins to do)

I looked back through about a weeks time and there seems to be no thought put into the workouts, mulitple times you're working the same muscle groups back to back. Not smart in my opinion. To grow you need rest.

Now dont get me wrong, if the only reason you workout is to do good on a pt test, this might be the workout for you. But if you are going for health, muscle balance, strength, size, cardiovascular health.....i dont see crossfit as a smart move.

And about the "burst energy". Any workout can be tailored to work the anaerobic system or aerobic system...or both. High intensity type training is becoming more popular due to the discovery that high intensity anaerobic training can actually increase the aerobic system and it doesnt take as much time. Which is where crossfit comes in..

[jasonhgross]

The problem I have with crossfit is that muscle building takes palce at the fringe, when you are really pushing yourself and the muscles to their limit, but just short of it. The kind of concentration needed to do this does not combine well with speed or complex asymetric movements. The traditional types of movements (most of them) work and are safe when done with proper form. Proper form is difficult to achieve when done at crossfit speed, and when done with muscle building intensity and weight, downright dangerous.

But its ok, most crossfitters arent lifting at their limit, they are just doing cardio with weights in their hands, not controlling the weight, and working asymetrically. So its a good workout anyway right? Until you consider injuries. All the rules about weight bearing exercise I have heard require controlled symetrical movements. Most of the kettlebell and crossfit exercisers I see at my gyms dont controll the weight and most of their lifts are working asymetrically; IE not the way the body intended. So they may or may not be getting a good workout, but I think they would be better off if they thought long-term so they can continue to work out without inducing injury, or setting the stage for long-term problems. I think if they seperated, lifted 3 times a week, cardio the other days and/or as a warm up, they would be stronger, in good cardio shape, and likely be free from injury.

BTW, my gym has a large crossfit contingent, only two of the people I see doing it look like they are in good shape, and they actually work AT the gym fulltime. A third guy I have seen doing crossfit in there for 2 years solid, all week long and doing it very hardcore (looking). He still looks skinny and only slightly more muscular. Recently, he just started working on heavier weights, but not part of his crossfit routine, guess what, he needed to use the smith machine because he can't handle the weight in overhead presses he thought he could. So much for "I bet the crossfit guys are more fit than lifters".


For the record, I do deadlifts, I do reps at 225 or 235, but I would never do them at the above speed. Its an exercise you should do in a controlled fashion, and never all out (uness you are into powerlifting I suppose). I always hold one back on those.

[rob_s]

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.

Yes, it deviates from the "norm" of the established fitness community. No, it's not for everyone. Yes, when applied incorrectly you can get hurt. But so what? and what is it about this one particular "brand" that gets people so wound up about it? Is it the fact that they've managed to gain a pretty rabid following in a pretty short time, and there's some amount of professional jealousy? I don't believe for a second that there's any kind of altruistic motivations on the part of the detractors.

It's something different. For some people it's what gets them to the gym where they might not otherwise be. People are responsible for their own body and their own injuries, and it's not like anyone at Crossfit is holding a gun to anyone's head saying "do this, this way, at this speed, or die". As mentioned above there are gyms that won't even allow you unsupervised access for the first three-six months (and often this is the reason for the higher cost right out of the gate. Think LA Fitness or Gold's does that? Hell no. It's "thanks for your $50, hope not to see you next month, now go see if you can tear a hamstring on our medieval torture devices."

[rob_s]

A third guy I have seen doing crossfit in there for 2 years solid, all week long and doing it very hardcore (looking). He still looks skinny and only slightly more muscular. Recently, he just started working on heavier weights, but not part of his crossfit routine, guess what, he needed to use the smith machine because he can't handle the weight in overhead presses he thought he could. So much for "I bet the crossfit guys are more fit than lifters".

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.

[.45fmjoe]

We did crossfit in my police academy, two times a week for 10 months. I lost weight, became faster and more agile, and stronger all around. I don't want to be a body builder, nor do I care about running a 10k on my iffy knee. I want to be in the middle, strong and agile enough to do my job and save my life if I have to.

[Cylinder Head]

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.

[WillBrink]

Yep i dont get the whole crossfit craze. I have a degree in Sports/Fitness so i know a little about what i'm talking about when it comes to exercise prescription/programs.

I still cant understand why anyone would want to short change themselves by doing crossfit. Why wouldnt you want to have a resistance program and a cardiovascular program (done seperately in order to get the most out of each program). To me it does not make any sense to combine the two, into one 20 min workout.

Honestly i believe its a fad more than anything (same goes for kettlebells, which i hate).

The ONLY upside to a crossfit workout is if you are strapped for time. Other than that, i dont get it.

p.s. hopefully this doesnt get me banned, since apparently "crossfitters" get pissed and ban people when it isnt celebrated.

If interested, my take on CF with a link to an extensive review on CF:

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About CrossFit