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Best workout ever devised in my opinion. If all those folks who post here asking about losing weight, getting in shape, lowering blood pressure, etc. would sign up with a Crossfit gym, all of their questions would be answered and they WILL get in shape.
Not a cheapo place like 24 Hr Fitness, but when you think about it, you dont ever want to skimp on your health. About $125 - $150 per month and its a super bargin when you think about how good of shape you'll be in.
Do a search here, there are a few Crossfit threads already.
Fortunately there are so many options out there for all tastes. I am retired from the Army, and have been doing Crossfit regularly since the mid 90s. It has improved almost everything in my daily life. I TRY to eat a quasi-Zone diet most days, and the two together are outstanding (diet and exercise - fancy that).
Of course, I can see how it might not appeal to everyone. Olympic lifts are difficult, and it takes lots of practice to get the movements down (and the range of motion required). I still can't 'pull myself under the bar' in a heavy snatch or heavy clean and jerk.
There are a few things I don't like to do: handstand pushups, walking on hands, double unders, rope climbs, swimming, and rowing (double unders are impossible for tall people with limited experience with a jump rope, and I ain't gonna sit outside all day practicing jumping rope). Some workouts require a broad gamut of equipment at strange venues, which is sometimes difficult to do (not gonna lug my garage gym weights to the HS track or local pool). I find myself subbing many of the exercises requiring rings and ropes; but that is OK. As long as the muscle movement is similar, it is close enough.
Best workout ever devised in my opinion. If all those folks who post here asking about losing weight, getting in shape, lowering blood pressure, etc. would sign up with a Crossfit gym, all of their questions would be answered and they WILL get in shape.
Not a cheapo place like 24 Hr Fitness, but when you think about it, you dont ever want to skimp on your health. About $125 - $150 per month and its a super bargin when you think about how good of shape you'll be in.
Do a search here, there are a few Crossfit threads already.
I have to agree with Lao on this one. I enjoy it more than anything else I've ever tried. Like he said, it's not cheap, but it is well worth it IMO.
Hit up your local affiliate and give it a try - every CrossFit "box" I've ever been to offers the first workout for free. What have you got to lose?
Overhyped. Seems kind of like a cult and the people who do it are weird as all hell.
Is it effective? Yea, but then again any exercise program, even a bad one, is going to provide some results. My issue with Crossfit is there is no rhyme or reason to the work outs. That and the number of reps is ridiculous. I've seen people doing crossfit and ad at first they are fine but after like, rep 13 doing say deadlifts there form takes a dive off a cliff and at that point they are doing more harm than good.
Overhyped. Seems kind of like a cult and the people who do it are weird as all hell.
Is it effective? Yea, but then again any exercise program, even a bad one, is going to provide some results. My issue with Crossfit is there is no rhyme or reason to the work outs. That and the number of reps is ridiculous. I've seen people doing crossfit and ad at first they are fine but after like, rep 13 doing say deadlifts there form takes a dive off a cliff and at that point they are doing more harm than good.
I would have to say that I have seen some of the above play out as true. The cross-fit culture definitely lends itself to a certain obsessive personality that finds self-validation in the tribal nature of the workouts and develops a mob mentality of "us vs. the world". I do not think this, in and of itself, is bad, but I have seen guys and girls become overly obsessed with it to where it borders on exercise-anorexia and dominates their lives. I would also say that 100% of these people I know end up with some sort of injury as a result of poor form and overuse.
I am definitely not anti-crossfit...I know people who found a great way to get in shape and have a very logical approach to it. But there is definitely a contingent of people who go overboard and end up negatively portraying it as a cult, because they treat it as such.
Overhyped. Seems kind of like a cult and the people who do it are weird as all hell.
Is it effective? Yea, but then again any exercise program, even a bad one, is going to provide some results. My issue with Crossfit is there is no rhyme or reason to the work outs. That and the number of reps is ridiculous. I've seen people doing crossfit and ad at first they are fine but after like, rep 13 doing say deadlifts there form takes a dive off a cliff and at that point they are doing more harm than good.
Really? I've participated at 3 different CrossFit gyms in 3 different states and I don't find the membership any more "weird" than any other cross-section of a given population. Care to share some more details?
Sounds like you've been to some/a bad gym. The 3 that I've been to have all been VERY strict about proper form throughout the excercise. Plus, I can tell when I'm rounding my back on DLs, can't you?
Can you elaborate on the "no rhyme or reason to the work outs" claim? I'm not sure what metric you're using to evaluate that.
I think this sums up what I want/expect to achieve from CrossFit better than I could articulate myself:
"While its true that excelling in CrossFit and it's competitions means I will never be considered "elite" in any specific sport, I'm totally OK with that. I deadlift, squat and bench more than I ever have, while running and rowing faster than ever before. And I can do this while weighing 20lbs less than I did when I spent all morning in the weight room.
To me, the goal of CrossFit is to NOT look like a freak. I no longer desire to tip the scale at 250+ lbs. My new goal is to be as strong, fast and versatile as possible while weighing in at 185-195lbs. I don't have delsusions of being the strongest man alive, or breaking a world record in the sprint. I just want to be good at those things and have the skills in my arsenal. Learning new skills keeps you healthy.
I also aim to be a fit and healthy senior citizen. I want to be exercising and taking on new challenges when I'm 70, or even 80 years old. Doesn't it occur to the nay-sayers that we eat Paleo becuase we think its more natural? Of course it wont make us massive tree trunks, that's not the point. We're not trying to fool our DNA here, but simply work with what we've got and live a happy life.
I'm not trying to push one category of my fitness to extreme levels, and if you think CrossFit is dumb because there are other athletes who can do SOME things better than our elite then it is you who is dumb. We aim to compete in the sport of fitness, which we define as being able to do anything and everything life may throw at you, and we don't need to have bulging biceps and a closet full of pharmeceuticals to achieve this.
That said, if you think CF'ers are soft and have no muscle, you've been to the wrong gym. If you don't think we lift enough weights, you've been to the wrong gym. And, if you think we don't do it in a safe, controllable way...you've been to the wrong gym. I'm no expert, and I don't have a degree in fitness, but I do know what I'm doing and where I'm going and it doesn't involve XL t-shirts and a tanning bed.
So yes, drinking mass amounts of protein powder, blowing all your money on supplements, and wasting all your time tracking how many bicep curls you've done will make you strong and huge. But, in my gym we want to be well-rounded and healthy. We want to be muscular in a way that nature intended. The end."
...But there is definitely a contingent of people who go overboard and end up negatively portraying it as a cult, because they treat it as such.
Absolutely agreed, spacelord. However, I could say the same for P90x, disctance running, powerlifting and bodybuilding. No?
I'm obviously a fan of the CrossFit system. For the most part due to the facts that it scales for every level and has a built-in support system of members/coaches that I just haven't found at any other gym.
As I've said in other threads: The best workout routine/methodology for YOU is one that you enjoy, for the simple fact that it will be the one you will stick with over the long haul. CrossFit is that one for me. I'm perfectly OK with it not being that "one" for EVERYBODY.
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