Crossfit...dont get it...

[dookie1481]

Used to be in the Navy and Marines that if you score in the top designation of the PFT/PRT/PRA/whatever it's called now, they would allow an extra 2% body fat. The idea if you can burn the run and the body-weight exercises than you must but OK. I don't think they do it any longer (this was when I was a corpsman, 2003ish), but it was a step in the right direction of recognizing that BF wasn't the end-all-be-all.

It's so ****ing stupid. There were two guys in my platoon who were pretty big, fat guys who consistently scored 300 PFTs but got harassed about their BF%.

[500grains]

If Crossfit gets guys to exercise, then thumbs up to it.

Also, keep in mind that a bare combination of cardio (running, elliptical) plus physical strengthening (weight lifting or body weight exercises) is not enough. A guy seldom has to just do 10 reps with a weight in a real life situation. Either he does one rep (picks something up to move it), or he does thousands of reps (carrying supplies up a mtn). Weight lifting is good, but by itself it does not prepare the muscles for thousands of reps.

[chuckman]

It's so ****ing stupid. There were two guys in my platoon who were pretty big, fat guys who consistently scored 300 PFTs but got harassed about their BF%.

Agreed. When I was attached to a Marine reserve unit we had a guy, former DI and did time with FAST and ANGLICO, who spent a couple PFT cyles hovering around 23, maybe 24% BF, so they put him on the fat boy program (the "mando commando's"), even though he ran the 3 miles in 19 minutes and change, could do 30 dead-hang pull-ups, and did about 100 crunches. They gave him pure hell. He was a metric crap-load fitter than I was and I was around 16% BF.

[dookie1481]

If Crossfit gets guys to exercise, then thumbs up to it.

Also, keep in mind that a bare combination of cardio (running, elliptical) plus physical strengthening (weight lifting or body weight exercises) is not enough. A guy seldom has to just do 10 reps with a weight in a real life situation. Either he does one rep (picks something up to move it), or he does thousands of reps (carrying supplies up a mtn). Weight lifting is good, but by itself it does not prepare the muscles for thousands of reps.

That's an overly simplistic analysis. Developing strength across one rep range confers benefits on most other ranges as well; increasing how much you lift for 5 reps will increase how much you can lift for 10 reps, as an example.

Also, a certain amount of mechanical stress is necessary for significant hypertrophy. Constantly doing singles will eventually yield no further gains; if it did, powerlifters would just add weight to the bar continually and just do bench press, squat, and deadlift to boost their totals. Higher rep ranges are necessary to add the structural framework (muscle) that your body can then recruit to be stronger.

[500grains]

That's an overly simplistic analysis.

Just trying to get the basics across, not the fine points. Jogging + weightlifting ALONE = misery when doing many types of work in the field.

[bsf]

So, I have read this entire thread, and some of the linked articles, including the one by Shugart. My only response is this: I have no intention of ever kipping a pull up. I have a shoulder that would probably detach that arm from the body, and flog me to death with the attached hand should I ever attempt something like that. On the other hand, I believe proper, deadhang pull ups are an amazing excercize.

[Winter]

I believe that the full on tonic clonic kipping pulls are completely unnecessary but I do think that a slight SLIGHT kick is useful to get a person past their sticking point. Is the same as tying a weight to a pullup bar to break past a plateau if doing military presses. I also think that negative pulls are beneficial as well in strengthening stabilizer muscles.

[bsf]

I am talking about the full-retard kipping. People can do whatever they want. I do not care. Still, it cracks me up when someone says they can do N pull-ups, when in reality they cannot even do half that number of no-kip, dead hang pull ups. This is a bit of a digress though, as kipping pull ups by themselves are not the focus of the OP.

[Winter]

The best is when they use bands and kip freakin hilarious.

[Hobbes]

Wow...lots of misconceptions in this thread.

First, CF isn't for everyone. If you want to run a marathon or be a competetive lifter CF won't get you there. That being said, if you want general all around fitness then CF is the way to go.

Kipping...ok..."full retard" kipping. Immediate giveaway that you don't know what you're talking about. Kipping allows for pullups to be done quickly, and to do more of them. It's a completely different exercise than deadhangs or weighted (both of which are included in Crossfit BTW). Look at it this way...you do squats right? Sometimes you do 5X5 and sometimes you might do 2X10 right? Different stimulis.

Injury...you can get injured doing anything. I know 20+ people who do CF, some were in decent shape to begin with and some were completely sedentary. None have been injured. CF doesn't make up exercises, it uses well established exercises. If you follow basic lifting principles you won't get hurt..keep your back straight. If you hurt youself doing CF, it's because YOU screwed up...don't blame CF. Some people get injured because they jump into without scaling the workouts, they think they're in better shape than they really are and they hurt themselves. That's why you should click on "start here" if you're thinking about starting CF.

Now as far as results. My 3 mile time is faster than it was 11 years ago when I was 18 years old and in USMC basic training. My current PFT score is a 283 and CFT is 300. All I do is Crossfit. I can do 53 kipping pullups in one set (any detractors of kipping pullups are welcome to beat that and call me a pussy if you want) and I can do a pullup with 110-115 pounds on a belt.
I hang out with a LOT of Crossfitters and have yet to see even ONE that has to use a Smith machine for anything.

Like I said at first, CF isn't for everyone but it is probably the best program for all around fitness out there. If you doubt it works, put your money where your mouth is and give it a legit shot for 8 weeks and see what happens, I think you'd be surprised.