Crossfit...dont get it...

Preparation, Preparedness & Prevention Fitness and Nutrition
1

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.

2

No worries on the ban bro.

I’m not a full time cross fitter, but why train one muscle group at a time, when you rarely use them as such? People train with traditional training basically bc Joe Wieder said so. Ive worked with guys who are superstars in the gym, but can’t jump over a canal or fly thru a o-course.

Im not old or wise, but it seems groups wiill taylor their eating habits and workouts to personal preference and natural ability. People who dont like milk will say" humans wernt made to drink it, we the only animal that drinks another’s milk blah blah" soo these people go with a paleo diet. Same with workouts. Guys who are built like bears and not jaguars will gravitate towards the weight room, while guys who more resemble (or want to) a mens health cover bro, will do muscle ups and smash big tires with sledges.

But to address your post, how is crossfit wrong and what hard evidence do you have?

Since this website is what it is, how is a raid or firefight not both, cardio and resistance?

A lot of people think 5 fingers and the minimalist running craze are a fad simply based of the fact they dont like how the shoes look, but I’ve not found one article written by anybody, professional or joe, that argues against it. On the contrary, many people with B.A.'s and M.D.'s are saying this is how it should have been all along.

3

I don’t subscribe to straight crossfit as i think like anything its tailored for people who are getting off work and want to work out for the least amount of time possible while still seeing results. Although the idea of short times of max effort i do subscribe to using in a program. I have watched many a marathon runner struggle during land warfare drills, or not be able to carry a down man and many a muscle head not be able to keep up on a long patrol if you have to step it out.

I think people should take crossfit as a way to enhance a workout not really be your primary everyday routine. other great programs are SEALfit.com, gym jones, crossfit endurance, crossfit football, the bill star 5x5. all great programs that one can use through a year to keep their muscles from getting in a routine. the main crossfit site is not the bible or the ultimate word of fitness.

4

well said

5

This day and age, anything that helps fat people not be fat gets a thumbs up in my book.

I’m 32, 6’-3" 205lbs, having recently lost about 25lbs. For me a big componet of this was diet. The older I get the more I find diet plays a bigger role. I’d like to loose another 20.

That being said, I also have had much better sucess with circuits. My take is that all these new programs, crossfit et al, just combine circuit training with balance related stuff.

The big thing is not to get complacent with workouts. I see people doing nothing but bench presses and wondering why they never increase.

6

I got back in shape by doing something similar to Crossfit without even knowing what Crossfit was.

I found I lost weight quicker and got more stamina by doing aerobics combined with resistence exercises as a circuit drill.

Personally, I don’t want to be a marathon runner or a meat head, but rather, I was working on toughness and burning off calories as fast as I could.

Just doing my own workout, though, I’ve found I could more than keep up with our local Crossfitters and P90X dudes, when I train with them on occasion.

One thing, though; lots of the Crossfit exercises require perfect form and I view them as too risky.

7

Man i could not agree more with that view right there! Thats actually one of the problems i have with the “program”, its a great way to get hurt if you’re not in great shape already.

I can also agree that the crossfit style would be good as just a portion of a designed program, maybe do crossfit-esque workouts for a week to two just to throw in a little variety.

It seems to me a lot of their workouts (going off of their website) are really fragmented, meaning they only work a small percent of muscle groups…and they kinda jump around without rhyme or reason.

great discussion…

8

I dont know the details as I am not a certified CrossFit trainer…that being said I am an active duty US Marine ( which will also explain my inability to type/spell…:D) and we have recently changed our yearly requirement for physical fitness test. As you may or may not be aware our previous physicat fitness test (PFT) included a 3 mile run, max sit ups in under 2 minutes, and max set of dead hang pull ups. While the old understanding of working separetly for the run (cardio) and the pull ups/sit ups (resistance) would def apply to this our new combat fitness test (CFT) covers both realms at once through out the test, I’d write out what our CFT entails but that is why God created Google… The understanding I have, and again I have no degree, is that in combat we utilize “burst energy” meaning that we are not necessarily doing one or the other but in actuality doing both at the same time and for good reason…ie carrying a downed friend weighing in close to your own body weight under fire requires more burst energy then it would endurance or strength as it requires both…and it requires them right now! I would recommend reading this article to get a better understanding I had a friend/coworker/squid that was a level II instructor and to say that his methods got results would be a vast understatment…CrossFit is certainly not for everyone…even though it could be catered to anyone…ie my wife just gave birth to our first kid on the 3rd and she is starting crossfitmom next week…also as the Gym here on MCAS Yuma offers it and there are more and more people there every day I dont really see this “fad” going away anytime soon as the Marine Corps is adopting its techniques more and more into its doctorine…

http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/CFJ-trial.pdf

Sorry I got so long winded but you should just read and if you disagree then, well its not for you, but try it for more then one session and I’d be willing to bet you’ll become a believer…as reaslistacally it entails both forms of workout more efficiently hince the “short” workouts…those short workouts will be some of the most painful and beneficial 20 min periods of your life…or atleast will be if your trainer is in another branch of service and there is some good old fashoined “Sailor wish I joined the Corps” jealousy mixed in the workout…:smiley:

9

It is my understanding that Crossfit is actually closer to earlier military workouts pre-“side straddle hop” that emphasized more holistic body exercises. If you look at older military videos, you see men doing not just calisthentics, but lots of gymnastics and cross-fit style exercizes. I mean, the shoulder press is called a “military press” for a reason.

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I could agree to that …in that they use to do an exercise based on a repetitive task they did in performance of their duty…and I could see how CrossFit would be doing the same thing…

I mean the trainer I had would cater my workout to which test we were doing. For instace, if it was PFT “season” the workout would generally have a round of 4-800 meter runs, if it was CFT time I was having rounds where I was sprinting 100 meters or dragging some heavy tires. Either workout was designed around my task at hand.

11

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?

12

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

13

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).

14

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…

15

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.

16

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.”

17

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.

18

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.

19

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.

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

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About CrossFit