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Any crossfitters on here? I would love to hear about your experiences...

I lubs mah Yoga, but I think I need something a little more intense too.

Any and all opinions welcome!

BNG

My niece is into Crossfit. I feel it is extreme. I am a person who doesn't care for extremes, but I know many do. My niece does everything in extremes.

My niece comes home with blisters on her hands from workouts. My niece comes home with black and blue marks on her body from her workouts. IDK, but I feel your workouts shouldn't injure you.

But Russell Berger, a spokesperson for CrossFit, told BuzzFeed he disagrees. “In a country consumed by a deadly obesity and health epidemic, I really don’t have much tolerance for claims of the dangers of ‘over-exercising,’” he said. “As for exercising without watching form, obviously it is better to train with optimal technique, but the benefit of training functional movements even with poor technique dramatically outweighs the risk associated with avoiding them for fear of injury via incompetence.”

This was said after Kevin Ogar was paralyzed from the waist down by a failed "snatch" in a competition. Kevin was a coach for Crossfit.

The trainers/coaches at Crossfit aren't necessarily certified and licensed to be trainers and coaches. Many haven't been to school, just a few days training by Crossfit and a test by them to pass. Crossfit is very expensive, too. I believe my niece pays $150.00 a month.

I go to a fitness studio that does crossfit-esque workouts. Here's what I'll say: everything that SMS said about the trainers and the potential for lack of accreditation is very true. If you are interested in Crossfit, you need to make sure the trainer is 100% qualified to be a personal trainer.

That said, it is brutally effective at both shredding fat and building muscle. The workouts are crazy intense, and you will have hand-blisters and callouses from the weights, as well as the occasional bruise, because they train with medicine balls (throwing them and whatnot) and accidents can happen if you literally take your eye off the ball or become fatigued. Keep your nails short and trimmed, as I've lost parts of my fingernails catching and throwing medicine balls.

All of my cousins do it, at a "box" ran by a friend of theirs.

Then one day my cousin's sister in law red about rhabdomyolysis (a plague amongst cross fitters). She posted the article on Facebook. The "box" owner downplayed it, told everyone it was nothing to worry about. The SIL quit anyways.

Well, then the box owner had to shut down the gym for a few weeks. She was very secretive. Turns out, her husband, the co-owner, had gotten "rhabdo", while SHE was training him.

I would look into it. It's know for pushing people to, and sometimes past, the limits of the human body.

Here is the article:

https://medium.com/health-fitness-1/97bcce70356d

I've done both workouts at a crossfit and also a kettlebell gym. The kettlebell workouts, which involve portions of crossfit, and are very challenging as well, but I don't think it's quite as intense. You, of course, can push yourself to the level you are comfortable, but it seems easier to knock it down a notch if you need to. So maybe that's the difference? It's easier to control the intensity? Or maybe that varies by gym/box?

However, I also know many people who have had strong results from crossfit. So, I guess it's an each to their own thing.

[This message edited by persevere at 7:26 PM, February 9th (Sunday)]

I do an extreme fitness class with my daughter five days a week. I am in very good shape, three marathons and three triathlons under my belt, but this class kicks my butt! I know I'm old but still...,

She is a former D1 athlete and she says it's just like her preconditioning workouts for the season. It's that hard!

I do worry sbout injury but it had led me to think that when I workout by myself, I don't push hard enough.

I'm going down to three days a week next session.

I like it but it is an hour of hell every day.

My instructor is anal about proper form.

Have not seen many injuries

[This message edited by rachelc at 7:47 PM, February 9th (Sunday)]

Thanks guys! I think I am going to try it. There is a crossfit place with a very good reputation in my town, and they apparently respect the limits of the individual members. I will let you know how it goes.

I am scared. A little. Okay, a lot.

Definitely check out the "box" (or gym). To be "certified" as a crossfit "trainer" only takes a 1 weekend course for the first level, I believe. It is 2 days, 8 hours each. So this means an accountant (for example) that goes to a crossfit gym and has never had any formal training can become certified to teach crossfit after 2 classes that are 8 hours long. Injuries are not only acceptable to your average crossfitter but a badge of honor. Puking during/after makes it a "good" workout. The gym my STBXSIL goes to - someone literally died in the gym during a workout. He had as of yet undiagnosed medical problems, but his Dr (also a crossfitter) cleared him to participate and he stroked out in the gym.

I do know there are people who crossfit and it works for them. But I also know there are lots of people that it doesn't work for, so just be careful.

^^^^^^^^^^This, all of this.^^^^^^^^^^Very concerning to me. ^^^^^^^^^^^

Sore muscles is one thing, but injuries are something else. Yes, my niece laughs when I comment on her injuries and condescendingly lets me know I just don't "get" the Crossfitters. Yeah, I don't, and that is fine with me.

I do Crossfit- I have been on a break due to an injury- not related to CrossFit but my own clumsy self.

It is intense. BUT only as much as you make it. I think you just have to have a strong sense of self and know your limits. The gym I go to supports training at your level, adjusting the WOD (work out of the day) to your level of fitness and a sense of community.

All that said- IF you are highly competetive you can get sucked in to a loop or pattern of trying to push limits or Rx the workout even if it is beyond your capabilities.

The bruising, tearing, calluses are generally a result of the fact that part of CF is lifting and they can be avoided with lifting gloves. I did tear here and there while trying to get pull ups but no more so than when I did gymnastics all through HS....

Also, each Box- gym- are unique. Find one where you feel good about the trainers and the group. My box has more of an older crowd so there is no "props" given for puking or injury. Quite the opposite. There are lots of porps for beating your personal records and making progress.

Just my two cents.

sunandmoon

I lubs mah Yoga

If you love Yoga, have you tried pilates?

Crossfit is the devil in many circles. If you are only looking for 'a little more intense' it may be more then you are looking for.

I'm a level one CrossFit certified trainer. I trained at CrossFit for several years before I attended a certification course and then "apprenticed" at the box where I coached. While coaching, I also attended kettlebell cert courses, other CrossFit cert courses, and olympic lifting cert course. That's common with CrossFit coaches building their skill sets.

The level one certification course (the one commonly criticized) doesn't teach you CrossFit or how to coach per se, it's a global introduction into the methodology and provides a basic grounding in how to evaluate each movement. The assumption is you are doing CrossFit before you attend and that you'll continue to work with other coaches at your own location.

In so far as bad coaches and training facilities, they are everywhere, not just with CrossFit. What you won't see at a Crossfit gym is your coach talking on his cell phone or just standing there watching you while you barely break a sweat like you do at traditional gyms. What you will see is a coach paying attention, and in fact everyone there paying attention to you. Hence the high price, your gym fee is actually paying for an entire service, your membership isn't subsidized by non-attendees like at traditional gyms.

CrossFit gyms have personalities too. You not only will find varities of expertise and training experience and training philosophies, you'll find different "atmospheres". Most CrossFit gyms will let you do drop in workouts to check out that very thing. Before I became a coach, there were definitely locations that I checked out that I found to be unwelcoming or unacceptable for a variety of reasons - not necessarily relating to experience of the coaches.

I really enjoy CrossFit. But if it isn't for you then it isn't. There's no need to demonize people who do like it or assume that media hype over rhabdo or a freak injury means it's any more dangerous than any other sport. Because essentially, if you're anti-CrossFit, then your anti-gymnastics, anti-powerlifting, anti-olympic lifting, anti-running etc. That's damning an awful lot of sports.

Like with anything though, you get out what you put in and ymmv.

I didn't demonize anyone. I stated I don't care for extremes up front. I know some do enjoy that, and that is fine. Certainly wasn't demonizing my niece. I worry about her. Sorry, it isn't attractive to have black and blue marks on your legs and calloused/blistered hands. But, she is proud of it.

I do have a problem with coaches/trainers without the qualifications to be coaching/training.

Brave,

Have you tried any of the Beachbody routines (P90X, P90X3, Insanity, etc)? I'm not a gym person and really enjoy them. The Yoga is pretty tough .

I didn't demonize anyone. I stated I don't care for extremes up front. I know some do enjoy that, and that is fine. Certainly wasn't demonizing my niece. I worry about her. Sorry, it isn't attractive to have black and blue marks on your legs and calloused/blistered hands. But, she is proud of it.

I do think it is this kind of response that cayc had when CF is questioned that stokes the fires on "CrossFit is a cult or CrossFit is extreme" I cannot name another type of "workout" or "fitness class" that needs to "explain" or "justify" their methods. I do agree that the whole Rhabdo thing is overstated BUT also aknowledge that a woman in my box did end up with Rhabdo- it was b/c she tried to combine her CF workouts with a fairly intesne Tri training schedule.

I have a few friends who do CF and I knew "pre-CF" 90% have a very healthy approach to the CF workout and philosophy. The other 10% I would put in the fanatical- we are right and everyone else is wrong category. It's tough but a lot of that is their personality plus spending 5-6 in the Box with others who support that message.....

sunandmoon

[This message edited by sunandmoon at 2:18 PM, February 10th (Monday)]

If you're looking for something with intensity that won't kill you, look into the Les Mills’ classes.

http://w3.lesmills.com/global/en/

I take BODYATTACK 3x's a week which is a high intensity cross training class that combines athletic and sports like moves with strength, core conditioning and agility exercises. I burn almost 700 calories an hour in the class. I take CX WORX 2x’s a week (core and conditioning – half hour class) and occasionally throw in a BODYPUMP class (one-hour barbell class for strength and conditioning set to music) on Sundays.

The Y that I belong to purposely has these scheduled every other day to prevent people from overdoing it. I’ve taken them for over a year and they are amazing classes that have left me feeling more fit than I have in years.

AJ's MOM

We have couple friends that run a "box". They are very good at it. His degree is in physical training/fitness and he puts a lot of thought into clients. They both look amazing. They do eat Paleo but understand we don't.

At their crossfit, a plan is created for the individual and everyone works at their own level. I am unable to jump up onto a 30" box or push over a giant tire. And clients who are rehabbing something are given different directives.

Hopefully, most places tweak things to enable individual improvement and not injury.