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My trainer has been around and done a lot of stuff. He is certified in just about everything and keeps current by going to seminars. He is awesome. He kicks my ass. Every trainer at my gym is pretty great. Its a privately owned place and every trainer is really on the ball. A lot of them are competitors in their various sports. And they look the part.
Yeah, that's a good thing. We can be good at reading books, but can we utilize the information?
As an avid CrossFitter for nearly 4 years now, I can tell you this.....leave that gym and never go back. What you experienced is one aspect of CF that I find wrong.....it's too easy to get certified and then you have gym owners like the one you experienced.
that being said, CF in general is not dangerous if properly instructed. It's also not just for people that are already in good shape. At our CF gym, our members have a very wide range of age and what their fitness background was before CF. Just recently we had a kid complete his senior project(he was doing a project on diet/exercise because he wanted to lose weight). In 5 months at CF, with no prior fitness knowledge or experience, he's lost 56 pounds and looks great. I said that to this: it's because our gym owner took the time to properly instruct him and start him out right. Just because you had one bad experience doesnt mean the whole model is bad.
As far as rhabdo, I know it's a real thing, but I wonder what some people do to get it. In addition to CF, Ive spent a few months on and off doing SealFit(a more intense CF experience created by a former Seal Captain) and have pushed my body to the limits(so much that on a few occasions, I laid on the floor for 20 solid minutes to recover) and have never gotten rhabdo. Rhabdo is experienced by people who stupidly push their bodies way past their limit.
...My fitness level was never evaluated, being my first day they didn't care if I was going to injure myself doing the workout or not, all they cared about was getting the workout done...no matter what the cost, seemed like that was the attitude...to persevere and finish no matter what....
They didn't have you do the standard "diagnostic" workout? That's not a good sign for that gym.
Of course they're going to push you to finish - that's part of the reason you do a group workout instead of you just working out on your own. They push you further than you want to go. That's where the improvement is found. You're never as tired as you *think* you are.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ducviloxi
You cannot just ask someone who has never done resistance training to do 80 squats, 60 situps, 40 pushups, 20 pullups, 10 boxjumps and this is after running 1.5 kilometers nonstop. This routine REQUIRES one to be extremely fit to complete so it's not a program to GAIN extreme fitness.
Wrong. Well, mostly wrong. You certainly can push yourself to complete failure, but the idea is to break the reps up into sets that are workable FOR YOU. I can't do 80 squats unbroken, either. I can probably do 2 sets of 40, though. Or 40, 30, 10. Or.... You get the idea.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ducviloxi
You see, I didn't know what exactly Crossfit was until I was in the session, and once I was in the session I was put under intense pressure to continue till the end within the timeframe that others in my group were doing it, these other people were friends of mine who were more overweight than me but managed to finish the workout with much more success than me - afterwards they told me that they had done strength training before which explains it.
Again, motivation is a perception. You may have interpreted it as "intense pressure" whereas someone else would see it as encouragement. The bottom line is YOU are pushing YOURSELF. Do you think they're going to beat you or kick you out of the gym for not finishing at the same time as everyone else?
Sounds like you might need to look around for a different (better?) gym.
I think a big problem is in your first statement of the quote above. You didn't know what to expect going in and were shocked to see what the reality was.
Whether it is "right" for you is something only you can decide. Personally, I would never make a decision on a new activity after only trying it once.
I just finished my first Crossfit class a day ago. I found the workout extremely intense and I barely was able to get it completed. I haven't worked out in a few years and was out of shape (I'm not too overweight though..5'6, 145ish).
Initially I did great but the reps are what killed me as I didn't have the endurance so it quickly went downhill the longer I went right upto the point that I totally shocked my body into failure and could not continue.
Yet, the trainers pushed me and told me to finish...just a little more etc. Is this even safe? I read on the web that one can get kidney failure by broken down muscle in the bloodstream...this is scaring me!
After the workout I was so spent I could not even drive back, was just sitting in my car in a daze for about 10 mins and was even feeling sick.
I have the 2nd Crossfit session today...my body is still very sore from day before yesterday and I am wondering if I should just continue and see what I can do or should I just call it quits?
I'm thinking I will just do cardio and light weight training in my gym at my own pace so I can gradually ease into it rather than this shock and awe Crossfit method which may be unsafe...
For the record, I am not anti-Crossfit. I'm simply critical of some of the methods, protocols, and super-fast certifications. I trained at a box in the DC area years ago and met some great people in the process. Today, I am focused on boxing and no longer involed in CF.
The sentiment that seems to prevail in the CF community that if you question of criticize a method(s) or Glassman, you are a "hater". That's utter B#$s#t in it's finest form. If you are the leader of CF, why aren't you in shape yourself? What happened to leading by example?
Now, no fitness program is "safe" when performed improperly and/or going beyond the point of failure and fatigue, be it CF, P90x, etc. You are training for fitness and long-term well being. Why turn it into a sadistic beat-down? Training until you puke in a bucket or barely walk isn't proving anything and it's not beneficial. What's the point. In reality, can this really be deemed getting fit? I think not.
The instructors at this particular box, while possibly not out to intentionally kill you, should not have allowed you to continue. The problem with many boxes is that ego tends to get in the way of good judgement, thus resulting in injury and burnout. Additionally, the "one size fits all" model, well, in effect doesn't fit all.
To touch on what Tomdonohue mentioned, Olympic lifts, being very technical in nature, take years to master and in reality, doing high reps of these without instruction and sloppy form (kipping pullups) in order to "beat" a time or your fellow crossfitters is pure insanity. Using an Olympic lift for endurance building is not the best route.
I'm personally not going to get behind the wheel of a Ferrari without the proper instruction and guidance. If I do, it is a guaranteed disaster for me and the car. The same with Oly lifts, gymnastic moves AND kettlebells. In order to be effective and safe, you can't just jump into these cold without the risk of serious injury.
Granted, not all boxes follow the same template and have tailored their programs to suit beginners. In other words, you won't be thrown to the sharks your first time out as you were.
I would personally allow yourself time to heal, then either look for another box or do CF or another fitness program on your own, tailored to your fitness level.
I still respect the basic concept and philosophy, as it has gotten people off of the couch and together in the last 10+ years, possibly moreso than any other program.
No disrespect intended to any Crossfitters here, just being real and my.02
...Now, no fitness program is "safe" when performed improperly and/or going beyond the point of failure and fatigue, be it CF, P90x, etc. You are training for fitness and long-term well being. Why turn it into a sadistic beat-down? Training until you puke in a bucket or barely walk isn't proving anything and it's not beneficial. What's the point. In reality, can this really be deemed getting fit? I think not.
Agreed and this is one of my big gripes with the CrossFit community as a whole. Bottom line - know YOUR body, push yourself, but STAND UP for yourself if necessary.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gil3
The instructors at this particular box, while possibly not out to intentionally kill you, should not have allowed you to continue. The problem with many boxes is that ego tends to get in the way of good judgement, thus resulting in injury and burnout. Additionally, the "one size fits all" model, well, in effect doesn't fit all.
One-size-fits-all *can* apply, some coaches and athletes just misuse it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gil3
To touch on what Tomdonohue mentioned, Olympic lifts, being very technical in nature, take years to master and in reality, doing high reps of these without instruction and sloppy form (kipping pullups) in order to "beat" a time or your fellow crossfitters is pure insanity.
Agreed, to a point. You can have "bad" (read: non-optimal) form and still have it be "safe" form.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gil3
Using an Olympic lift for endurance building is not the best route.
A direct quote from Glenn Pendlay on a YouTube video of one of his atheletes (Spencer Moorman) doing "Grace" at 303lbs: ...way before crossfit existed, myself and other coaches did things like lifts on the minute, or say 80% of your max as many times as possible in 10 minutes...
So, doing Oly lifts in an endurance setting is not, in and of itself, dangerous or bad.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gil3
I'm personally not going to get behind the wheel of a Ferrari without the proper instruction and guidance. If I do, it is a guaranteed disaster for me and the car. The same with Oly lifts, gymnastic moves AND kettlebells. In order to be effective and safe, you can't just jump into these cold without the risk of serious injury.
Agreed.
[quote=Gil3;24342364Granted, not all boxes follow the same template and have tailored their programs to suit beginners. In other words, you won't be thrown to the sharks your first time out as you were.
I would personally allow yourself time to heal, then either look for another box or do CF or another fitness program on your own, tailored to your fitness level.[/quote]
Absolutely with you on the above. CrossFit isn't necessarrily for everyone.
[quote=Gil3;24342364I still respect the basic concept and philosophy, as it has gotten people off of the couch and together in the last 10+ years, possibly moreso than any other program.[/quote]
Yep. Also, how many people are doing Oly lifting of some sort now that would NEVER have done it otherwise? Lots.
Gil brings up good points about Crossfit and its community. I like the workouts, I like the training philosophy and I especially like the sense of community. None of the fitness classes that my gym offers caters towards my demands, and it's nice that you can actually meet people who are serious about lifting.
Unfortunately, one of the contributing factors that led me to not join a Crossfit box was, in a large part, because I didn't like the over-zealousness that a lot of people in the CF community have. I don't like the elitist attitude, and I certainly don't like the "us versus them" mentality that a lot of them seem to have, especially towards big-box gyms or other fitness programs. As Gil said, any person who comes across with even the slightest criticism of Crossfit or especially Glassman gets sharply rebuked, called a "hater" or basically told that they couldn't handle it. Some of the Glassman worship is just bad. On that note, I also hate the whole "Your workout is our warmup" cliche. For some people, it is, but what's wrong with that? Not everyone wants to, or needs to have as intense of a workout as a WOD, yet for some they need to establish that sense of superiority over other fitness programs.
Every Crossfit gym I visited had as one of their rules "check your ego at the door." Sorry, but I believe that checking your ego is very easy; either your first workouts will check your ego for you, or someone else will. What nobody mentions, however, is what to do with that ego that you leave at the door once you leave the gym. I think the CF Community needs to do a better job at promoting humility towards other programs that are suited for other people. Don't check your ego at the door only to throw it at everyone else once you leave.
I once saw a post on the CF forum that had a member state that he didn't want CrossFit to move away from an elite subniche into some more mainstream because he didn't want their standards to be dumbed down. I find that to a fallacy. CF can become mainstream while maintaining a high standard. It's the whole elitist "we are better and more fit than you" attitude that needs to change. It's fine to have pride in your workout program, but there's a difference between having pride and having a superiority complex.
As a postscript, one of the most laughable things I read came from the CrossFit journal entitled "When Murph Met Cindy." Basically, it was an article about crossfitters who date one another (including this girl who left her golfer boyfriend for someone who competed in the national games,) and near the end of the article there was this dude who claimed that he could make his girlfriend orgasm 5 times in one night, eight if he hasn't seen her in awhile, thanks to CrossFit. First of all, only someone who is a complete tool would brag about something like that, especially to a national audience. Secondly, I think it's utter BS. Working out does release endorphins for better sex, but making someone orgasm 5 times a night? Sounds like complete crap.
Last edited by Gatsby1925; 05-17-2012 at 02:57 PM..
Reason: Adding something I read on the Crossfit Journal
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