Crossfit

CerebralCortex · 03-03-2014 11:40am

I do Crossfit, and I have really enjoyed it to date.

While it's great for my needs and resources at the moment I think there is a lot of room for improvement in the way Xfit works. However to date I haven't found anything that fits my needs like it.

I love the class orientated and regimented nature of the training, the fact that I'm coached and that everyone in the class is working together (sharing weights, helping each other out). I get to do Oly lifting and HI workouts and my athleticism and strength has gone through the roof.

The downside is there is a lot of social signalling associated with doing it. That is to say a lot of people do it to tick a box (no pun intended) in their life with respect to health and fitness and consequently never really get their value for money. CF affiliates don't care they're a business.

Crossfit is great but not perfect. It provided me a consistent framework for improving my strength and conditioning or at least made me aware of the possibility for such things. At the end of the day though if your not willing to put in the work and lift heavy CF won't help.

EDIT: As for injuries, after doing it for over a year, I don't expect I would have avoided injuries in any intense exertion situations. Maybe the frequency is higher with Crossfit?

LuckyLloyd · 03-03-2014 1:19pm

It's not like people don't get injured playing football or rugby. If you're training hard five days a week while spending ~50 hours at a desk the reality is that injuries are a probability. Working on mobility / flexibility and being mindful of form should cut down the risk but it can't eliminate it entirely.

The issue with Crossfit is moving moderate weights with very bad or unsafe form while being pushed for intensity means that the nature of injuries that can be contracted are potentially more serious along with the heightened risk of getting injured in the first place. And there is a perception that most crossfit boxes / coaches value intensity and speed over form and safety.

Risk : Reward. Playing five a side three times a week carries with it a lower risk level but the potential rewards for your health, fitness and physique are lower too. Ditto using weight machines in a commercial gym, etc.

As always there should be a certain onus on the trainee to research their local crossfit affiliate before ponying up ~€150+ a month.

kevpants · 03-03-2014 5:40pm

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

And there is a perception that most crossfit boxes / coaches value intensity and speed over form and safety.

That's because that's what's pushed by HQ. The point of Crossfit is that it's "brutal" and that no one understands what they do because no one else pushes this hard.

The respectable Crossfit gyms that don't do this are actually going against the gospel according to Glassman, that's why I have consistently criticized Crossfit, because it's madness. It's an inspirational 1980s action hero training montage turned into a sport.

When this is your cornerstone the physical amount of morons who are going to do stupid crap in your name will be immense. The offences against form and safety range from this

to pressed out snatches. Pressing out a Snatch was a MAJOR contributing factor to that Ogar guy never walking again. If he was in a competition where press-outs were verboten he would have bailed, instead he struggled under it because he's allowed to and now his life is in tatters.

That's no slight to the good people who are affiliated because, lets face it, it's the lowest risk route to take if you want to set up your own gym or training business.

I've tried to explain why the examples people give of good practice in Crossfit gyms are meaningless, it's because they're not Crossfitting the right way.

LuckyLloyd · 03-03-2014 6:11pm

kevpants wrote: »

That's no slight to the good people who are affiliated because, lets face it, it's the lowest risk route to take if you want to set up your own gym or training business.

I've tried to explain why the examples people give of good practice in Crossfit gyms are meaningless, it's because they're not Crossfitting the right way.

Seems to me that 'sane' crossfit is really just general S & C with all the retardation removed. And I agree with you as far as that goes as per my first post in this thread.

As for glassmann himself, a recent video on the main site had him give Dan Bailey a workout on the spot:

5 rounds of 20 Ring Dips and 15 heavy thrusters

Poor Bailey hammers away at it as best he can and is quickly reduced to singles on the ring dips. He diplomatically notes to the camera that the 'wod' had "more ring dips than he'd like". As he dies a death 'coach' is in the background smugly cheering him on. Awful stuff.

kevpants · 03-03-2014 7:18pm

Yep but without the brutality they have no product. I wouldn't have as big a problem with it if they didn't include snatches and cleans etc.

Someone made a point once that when you see pressed out snatches, pregnant women snatching, middle aged women doing fat bar continental cleans it demonstrates that the trainers have been completely desensitized to the dangers of these high risk movements. They see them alongside burpees and pushups as something you can just throw yourself into with terrible form, crippled with exhaustion.

dylbert · 03-03-2014 9:28pm

I still think snatches, cleans and brutality have their place, but only if the person has the correct technique and strength to perform the movements.
I'm so glad I'm a member of one of the good gyms you talk of, the ones that don't follow the Crossfit HQ template, I know my safety comes first before anything else. I was training over a year before I was allowed do kipping pull ups because I had to get strong enough at strict pull ups first.
I think how allot of gyms approach the daily WOD is wrong, every day is a test and totally random. The WOD's should be programmed over a month or two with an end goal like one of the named workouts, do Fran training for so many weeks then test Fran, there needs to be structure to the training.
I also think a good Crossfit gym should cater for different people with different goals, some people just want to get fit, lose a bit of weight others might want to compete, do olympic lifting, you cant give everybody the same program and daily WOD.

This is just my opinion based on where I train, the only knowledge I have of other gyms is what I've heard and if what I've heard is true then there's some not so great gyms out there.

dylbert · 03-03-2014 9:40pm

kevpants wrote: »

Pressing out a Snatch was a MAJOR contributing factor to that Ogar guy never walking again. If he was in a competition where press-outs were verboten he would have bailed, instead he struggled under it because he's allowed to and now his life is in tatters.

But he's a top athlete pushing himself to the limit, there's going to be risk at that level in any sport, look at Brandon Lilly's injury.

kevpants · 03-03-2014 10:30pm

dylbert wrote: »

But he's a top athlete pushing himself to the limit, there's going to be risk at that level in any sport, look at Brandon Lilly's injury.

I don't think the "injury's happen" argument holds water. That justifies just about anything. I don't think what he was doing is justifiable as a legitimate sport.

I don't know if you saw the video or if you want to, I don't blame you if you don't, but you may not have seen this version. I won't embed and you only have to see the first few seconds before the injury to see the guy next to Ogar fail to get the bar off the ground and fall on his ar5e. That's the type of fatigue these guys were being asked to lift a 3rm snatch, the most technically difficult way to lift the maximum weight to over your head. Ogar was clearly too tired to bail.

WARNING INJURY

dylbert · 03-03-2014 10:52pm

kevpants wrote: »

I don't think the "injury's happen" argument holds water. That justifies just about anything. I don't think what he was doing is justifiable as a legitimate sport.

I don't know if you saw the video or if you want to, I don't blame you if you don't, but you may not have seen this version. I won't embed and you only have to see the first few seconds before the injury to see the guy next to Ogar fail to get the bar off the ground and fall on his ar5e. That's the type of fatigue these guys were being asked to lift a 3rm snatch, the most technically difficult way to lift the maximum weight to over your head. Ogar was clearly too tired to bail.

WARNING INJURY

I didn't see that version, pretty horrific.

Theresalwaysone · 04-03-2014 12:04am

That was honestly awful to see. I actually stopped myself from watching it a few times and then decided to man up. Wish I hadnt now.

papu · 05-03-2014 2:22pm

Awful to watch , the guy beside him also creases himself..

GymBible · 07-11-2014 12:56pm

When is the right time to transition between both

Alf Veedersane · 07-11-2014 1:00pm

GymBible wrote: »

When is the right time to transition between both

In what sense do you mean 'the right time'?

When would you be ready for it?

cob1 · 07-11-2014 4:13pm

I would say right at the start, that's if you have a good level of strength and mobility, I don't think the typical 1 hour lesson structure of crossfit gyms gives you the necessary time to learn the Olympic lifts fully. some of the gyms offer once or twice Olympic lifting sessions or allow you train outside of the lessons, if the gym you're in doesn't you'll need to seek these out. for the prices most of the gyms charge it should be included.

GymBible · 07-11-2014 4:29pm

Where on here would I find a section on football and weightlifting...

Fantomas9mm · 05-08-2017 2:25pm

Seen that documentary " the fittest on earth" . Interesting viewing, it definitely seems to have its benefits but it does seem to attract a lot of ........well how should I put this ..... "dickheads".

Some of the atlethes featured in the doc were people you would just want to avoid in real life.

That said, I'd recommend checking it out and making your own mind up.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GkRYJp6vVJk

Assets Model · 03-01-2018 1:40pm

It depends on the trainer I think. I did it for a few years and it got me into exercising from zero so that was good but then i moved and joined a different crossfit gym which had dickish coaches and eventually i quit. I use what i learned at a normal gym now so it was worth it I reckon.

Assets Model · 03-01-2018 1:40pm

It depends on the trainer I think. I did it for a few years and it got me into exercising from zero so that was good but then i moved and joined a different crossfit gym which had dickish coaches and eventually i quit. I use what i learned at a normal gym now so it was worth it I reckon.

Bigwin60 · 13-01-2018 8:37pm

Cross fit is the best

harperbd · 22-01-2018 2:04pm

Stillweak wrote: »

Its got some great points and some bad points.

Ignore the coach qualifications. Is hes good, hes good. If hes bad hes bad. Wheather it took him a day course or a 3 year degree course to get ''qualified'' is irrelivant.
The real education doesnt come in a class room or seminar.

The Good

- Its good fun
- gets you fitter and stronger
- the group mentality does make you work harder
- for average people they will do things they never thought they could do
- you will probably make some friends
- it will lead tou you eating better and drinking less

The Bad

- you will talk about crossfit non stop
- you might turn into a paleo geek
- you will probably feel you are a professional athlete. Youre not.
- there is so much cheating in every crossfit gym ( to get better score on white board )
- injuries are likely

The worst

- A lot of people who should be playing real sport are wasting their talent in crossfit and normal gyms

I agree with The Good above.

regards the bad.

- you will talk about crossfit nonstop: I'm sure everyone doing it talks about CF nonstop. I don't post it on my FB. Only when people ask how I lost so much weight and look much better do I say I've been doing CF.

- you might turn into a paleo geek: or might not. None of the people I know who do CF are paleo geeks. I love a bagel for breakfast and enjoy some pizza.

- you will probably feel you are a professional athlete. Youre not.: Fair point, 99.99% sure you're not a professional athlete. However, having spent so long feeling overweight and unable to move so well, it sure feels great to consider myself as even an entry level 'athlete'

- there is so much cheating in every crossfit gym: yeah there's some of that, but it doesn't make any difference to my health and I don't really care. It's simply amusing when you see someone cheating themselves.

- injuries are likely: I don't know if injuries are 'likely' and 'probable' but like playing any sport, injuries are possible. Lack of good health is 'likely' and probable' from not exercising.

Crossfit

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