What about CrossFit?

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by Nachi, Jan 13, 2017.

  1. Van Zandt

    Van Zandt Mr. High Kick

    Nothing wrong with that at all. It's better in fact. Hopefully the coach will be guiding you through how to do the movements correctly.
     
  2. Giovanni

    Giovanni Well-Known Member Supporter

    ok. just wondering. in my experience, the group dynamic is great. although i worry about the competitive aspect of crossfit promoting bad lifting form, which i believe can lead to many injuries. and it's not even necessarily the coaches. one can have great coaches, but because of the team and competitive aspect, i've seen coaches turn a blind eye to poor form.

    instead of crossfit, thought at all about an olympic weightlifting gym? you might get the same group dynamic, but i think with better coaching on proper form.
     
  3. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Oh, I see. To be honest, I know very little about CrossFit at all. I had no idea the competition was a goal for the gyms (if I understand it right). I don't really have much intention there. Anyway, this is a beginner course, so I suppose, the thing they should teach me first should be good form, no? I doubt they would start preparing beginners for competition. I will try now and see. Honestly I wouldn't have much motivation to try, unless I saw the gym, oh no, box(!) was just a short walking distance away :)

    Ehm, I never thought about really going for serious lifting at all, so I didn't look for any clubs and don't have much idea about anything like olympic weightlifting. Though just from the name, that sounds even more competitive, doesn't it? :) And I suppose the fee would not be nice. This CrossFit course is expansive because it is one on one, the other classes one can continue with are well, in a sort of normal range for group trainings in general. I wrote it is expensive because I compared it to our quite cheap karate classes ^^

    I will still look at the olympic weightlifting, thanks! Though my priorities are not to spend much time with anything else when I do karate. So a place being close is nice and I don't care much for a competition, sice I could still make it only once, maybe twice a week. It is quite possible I will find that this CrossFit doesn't fit the criteria, either. On the other hand, I work from home and this is so close that it would be more doable than anything else :)


    Ooops, sorry for the lenghty answer :Angel:
     
  4. Giovanni

    Giovanni Well-Known Member Supporter

    sorry to be clear, it's not crossfit competitions i'm worried about, it's the competitive nature of the team dynamic in a crossfit gym.

    also, you don't have to compete as a weightlifter. but the exercises promote compound and explosive movements. movements which i feel have helped me get explosiveness for bjj.

    go for whatever interests you. i would just be wary about lifting heavy weights with poor form.

    cheers.
     
  5. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    I see, sorry, it seems I misunderstood. I understand now, though :) Thank you very much for the advise, I will try to pay attention to form. I suppose the student's attitude towards corrections and such is also what can prevent bad form? At least to some degree. I will see how it goes after the initial course. If it is nice and I enjoy it, I may continue. If I find lifting weights is fun, but I don't like the atmosphere, I will look into something different and will keep your advise in mind. However, chances are I will find I don't have much time and energy for all that and won't continue regularly. I'll see :)
    Anyway, thank you for the warnings. I will watch out for the stuff you mentioned :)
     
  6. Bozza Bostik

    Bozza Bostik Antichrist on Button Moon

    In Crossfit you often do the day's routine for time. If you look at today's WOD (Workout of the Day)...

    5 rounds for time of:
    Run 800 meters
    75-lb. overhead squats, 25 reps
    75-lb. sumo deadlift high pulls, 25 reps

    ....and you do it as fast as you can. Of course, you can go slower and keep your form in check, but as Gio said, there's a competitive atmosphere in the gym and you're competing against the clock every time these type of WODs turn up. Even though the weight is relatively light, doing overhead squats or deadlifts as fast as you can is potentially a recipe for disaster.
     
  7. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Ok, great..... there's no way I'd survive such a routine - speed or not :D
     
  8. Bozza Bostik

    Bozza Bostik Antichrist on Button Moon

    :)

    They do scaled versions (i.e. easier) though on one of the sites, but I have no idea if they do that in the gyms or it's just for people using the site and training themselves...never been to one.
     
  9. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    It's not as fast as you can, it's for time. Unless the coach is dumb and forces you to (in which case you can always just walk way), there is no reason why you can't just take it easier and tell any detractors to go perform uncouth actions of a vulgar nature :p. If you don't care about the competitive atmosphere but still get goaded into competing, then that's on you :p

    Also WODs are always scaled down to the abilities of the trainees in any box worth the name (sometimes individually, sometimes with a fixed set of scaled parameters), the listed parameters are only ideal ones (what they refer to as 'Rx' or 'prescribed', vs the easier 'scaled' parameters that are lighter/less intense and/or employ easier variants of the exercises).
     
  10. icefield

    icefield Valued Member

    If its a good deal for you personally for it, personally crossfit is wayyyy to over priced for what it is, I can get world class powerlifting training for a fraction of the price of a crossfit gym, and good OL coaching and strongman coaching as well and i think its the same for most people if they look

    Crossfit is like BJJ in that its in vogue and costs an arm and a leg, difference is its harder to find better grappling than you will find in a good BJJ gym, I honestly think most people can find way better coaching than your local crossfit if you look hard enough
     
  11. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    I have to agree. Crossfit box memberships are best when you can get more or less free access to their facilities to do things by yourself that necessitate or at least benefit from a high variety of equipment, or where there are few or no specialist facilities that would allow you to do it elsewhere. For example until relatively recently I did all of my Olympic weightlifting at Crossfit boxes. Additionally, due to the above and due to the presence of weightlifting, kettlebell lifting, etc in the Crossfit material, plus their generally benefiting from specialist training, it's becoming increasingly common for Crossfit places to bring in specialist coaches and trainers, which if they do it generally means both that said specialist training can be procured there (that's how I met my weightlifting coach), and that the local CF coaches will be better prepared to teach said stuff properly in the group classes. That said, WODs are fun, and the group environment can be quite enjoyable if it's the sort of thing you're drawn to, so in cases where price is not an issue (tis an expensive hobby) and if you're not looking for high-performance training there's little reason not to try it out if you're confident the coaches are good (and in this case it would appear that they are, going by the Instagram account).
     
  12. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    From what was said I thought it's like you have given time and given set of reps/distance to run to do. If not, that sounds a little better :D
    Thank you, that is probably the best advice about what to do XD

    Yeah, if they are scaled that would be great. I don't know. If there is a given WOD, is it same for men and women? If so, either the women must be breathing their last breath there or the men have plenty of time and energy to watch how the women suffer :D I suppose....
    I guess that wouldn't be an issue with running, but there should be some kind of difference with the weights, shouldn't there?




    Thank you for the warning. This is hard to say, though. I am sure I would find cheaper places, even cheaper crossfit 'box', but that is only relative. I already don't have much time to spare (like to travel somewhere) and I don't have a public transport card anymore, since I mostly go by car to places I need to go. Which means I would still either need to pay for the transport either via car or pay for every single journey by public transport, which, if I did, no matter what kind of class I'd find, would very likely still be more expensive.
    I'm at a stae now that I am curious about lifting and about the box I have right here, so I will see what it looks like in this beginner course and then decide whether to continue or not.
    I think I would enjoy the group environment. I don't want to go lifting by myself and I don't even know how. I have two friends going to a regular fitness gym often, but on the other side of the city, close to the dojo where I train. Meaning another hour of travels. I don't want that anymore... Going there several times a week for karate and kobudo is enough for now :)

    Well, I wouldn't say price isn't really an issue... I don't want to spend meaninglessly. I'd rather spend for travelling and so. This inicial course is expensive probably because it should be one on one training. Then if I buy 10 classes, one should be for an equivalent of 5,4 UK pounds. There is also an unlimited access for a period of time, but it wouldn't pay off for me.
    If you approved of the coaches, I think it is worth trying. And no, I don't have any competitive ambitions :)
    I was finally able to agree the term of the first lesson. It will be next Wednesday, so I will report back about how it went.
     
  13. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    I just came back from the first trial class.
    The place was nice, awesomely close and only with few people there at this hour. Poeple seemed ok, no polite speech needed as I was told soon. I had a training one on one with a female instructor I spoke to on a phone. She was nice and friendly, we had some time to talk while exercising, too. Those are my impressions outside of actual training.

    She said they do pay attention to good form, which is also the reason for this itroductory course. Health comes first. She also mentioned there's the competitive atmosphere in CrossFit, but it depends on each person whether they go with the flow or exercise for themselves.

    Today we started with a 5 minute rowing (probably?), I went slightly over 1 km on a medium weight. Which was exactly nice to warm up. Then we did some upper body stretching with poles. The instructor commented I have one trapezius bigger than the other, so I only assured her that most of my musles on the right are bigger than on the left...
    We quickly went trough basic bodyweight exercises: push-ups, sit-ups (in a butterly position, though - seemed unusual), squats, burpees and lunges.
    As fir the push-ups she kept reminding me not to bend my back, which I tried, though I know I have this problem. She advised to put the hands further apart than my shoulder width, that might be better for me and it probably was. The burpees were with lying down (instead of a push-up), which I appreciated. My biggest problem was to not put my heels down right away when starting to go up. It may do with my calves being shortened or a bad habit. This problem followed me through most of the exrcises, though.
    We then tried jumping on a box. I was always first explained the technique, then tried a few times. Heel problem again, I struggled to land on heels, too, right away. Then just stepping up and down on the box. After that she gave me a 14 lbs (I think it was in lbs) medicine ball to squat down with and then throw up on a target. Heel problem again, I tended to lean on the tips.
    Then, my nemesis - horizontal bar and pull-ups. I knew this would be bad and it was. They explained I don't need tu pull up from a stationary position but swing my body back and forth and use the force. We practised the swinging, but I couldn't get it right - or rather the practise for it with head only, as my whole body started moving and I lost rhytm. We did that for a while, but I struugled wiht only keeping my grip on the bar. I have a weak grip, I mentioned that before and it was really bad now :D Then she got me a rubber band to help me pull up. I did a bit, but was struggling and hardly going all the way up. She got me a stronger band, but assured me most of the beginners need it. I already know this could be one of my greatest struggles.

    After she gave me jump rope to try skipping. The basic I can do without many problems so we proceeded with a final 8 minut work-out, which didn't sound too bad, but left me breathing very hard. It was: 30x skip the rope, 5 burpees (I hate them), and 8x throw the medicin ball on the target. Repeat. I think in the 8 minutes I managed 3,5 rounds. And wasn't unhappy the end sounded :D
    We stretched a little at the end, the instructor observing and asking if I am hypermobile or what, though I am not sure why.
    We agreed again on next Wednesday and I should be trying some kettlebels and probably also barbell stuff. I am looking forward to that, though I am a bit worried how I'll fare :)

    And to be honest, about the only thing actually hurting after the training were the soles of my feet as I was always reminded to keep the weight or to put the heels down on the floor and keep them there... Not sure, why.

    My impressions are great, though. I am somewhat dissapointed in myself, but that is not surprising. It was a nice start of a day, though. :)
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2017
  14. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    Welcome to the club :D

    Re: heel issue: ask at the box about foam rollers and lacrosse balls, they're a pretty neat tool for mobility and flexibility. The strength training may also help, as oftentimes loading a muscle while it's stretched can help it stay looser in the long term. Do you ever have any issues with it in karate training?

    The pullup swing is called a 'kip' (and in CF it is a more compact version of the gymnastic kipping motion), and while not something you want to force before having developed stable shoulders (chi-ishi work and and a strong back should take care of it, so don't worry too much there), once you get the hang of it it's easier than it might otherwise seem. Simplifying it a bit, your hands and feet go first go back (so your torso will go forwards, and your body will look like this: '(' ), then they go forwards (torso will then go back and you'll look like this: ')' ), and then while your feet are rising you 'kick' them down with straight legs. The downwards kick will make your hips rise, and that makes the pulling with the arms a lot easier since most of your bodyweight is already going up. It's not really useful for muscle development, but is used to increase the amount of work done and expend more energy while involving coordination and such (most of us who are mostly into lifting hate kipping pullups and see them as 'fake', but they're a fun movement to do nevertheless :p). Like so: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlM9xE_w0vs *

    *The 'hollow position' mentioned is this posture: http://crossfitaggieland.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Hollow-Rock-31.jpg
     
  15. matveimediaarts

    matveimediaarts Underappreciated genius

  16. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    It's literally a glorified bootcamp class plus free weights and an impressive marketing machine behind it. It's not going to kill you unless you do stupid stuff (some people do it and have done stupid stuff, but that's on them)
     
  17. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Hmm, I actually gave a foam roller to my dad as a birthday present, but he doesn't seem to use it much, so I may borrow it and see what happens.
    No, in karate I never noticed any touble with it. And I was actually surprised I should always land from a jump onto a heel too. It just doesn't feel natural (when you run, you also primarily use tips, right? That is probably the reason I never did it. The instructor actually asked me if there was something in karate where we use tips, that I am so used to it...

    I can see why you would view them as fake :D I was a bit happy that what they showed me wasn't a classical pull-up (no chance there for me), but something like this. Still. The motion didn't seem too difficult when I watched it, but then I was told to first move only head, then legs then head and legs would follow, which really didn't happen, until I was advised to work with hips a bit. I couldn't hold my grip for too long by that time, though :eek:

    Thanks for the links. From the explanation, I actually did understand the position I should do a bit differently and couldn't do them :eek:
     
  18. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    I think I owe this thread a little update. I finished the beginner course and went to three trial group classes. Usually consisting of warm-up, stretching, middle part (some technical stuff to practise, I'd say) and a final work-out, in those three lessons it was doing either five rounds of something or working out for 14-20 minutes (my case). The work-out seems pretty hellish, although I did get an easier version (lighter weights or easier exercise if the original one was something I couldn't do - like handstand push-ups, toes-to-bar on a horizontal bar or something similarly ridiculous :D). Also both instructors were kind of encourage me either praising I squatted quite a lot or telling me to stop underestimating myself. Either way, I should work to improve :)

    Other than that and of course, being among the last, I think I didn't fall too much behind and I can work on myself. It is kind of good to come home completely exhausted, but although the exercise is good, I need to soert of prepare myself mentally to get every last bit of energy out of me, meaning I am also reluctant to go there first thing in the morning :Angel:. I am now planning to buy 10 entrances and then I'll have to go twice a weak. Even after those three classes I almost could feel like I am improving my strenght/general fitness feeling. It may, most likely, just be my imagination, but as long as I believe it, I think it could easier become a reality :D
    This week I have slight cold, so I am still thinking whether to go to a Friday class or not (last week when I also didn't feel too well, I felt even worse, but on the other hand, if I get a longer break, it may be more difficult to come back.
    Anyway, thank you all for the advises, I may stick to this at least for a while, provided I find the time :)
     
  19. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    So I've been going to CrossFit for a few weeks now. Generally once or twice per week and I am planning to stick with it for a while. Every class makes me ask god why on Earth am I there... but after I take a shower and rest a little, I feel like making myself suffer (getting myself out of my comfort zone) isn't perhaps such a bad idea. And that's how I still stick with the torture :D
    I would be lying if I said I have a really good form in everything, but all three instructors I had classes with so far pay attention to us and correct any mistakes they see. Though they (especially one I had the most classes with) won't let me take it too easy and would advise (or make me) use the weights on the heavier side of the scale.

    The only think I keep wondering about is about me gaining weight (well, I don't know my actual weight now, but I can tell I can hardly fit into my jeans). I read that CrossFit would make you leaner. Like you can gain weight at first, but the weight is in muscles while you lose fat. To be honest, I'd be hard pressed to say like I feel like I've lost any fat at all (and it is not that I have none to lose :D). I don't know if what's making me larger is muscles or fat, I can't tell. But I would hope that I can get slimmer (if there's something I hate, it's shopping for a new pair of jeans :D). I know it's mainly about diet and I don't eat particularly healthy as I love sweets, but I don't think my diet has changed (at least not for the worse) since I started CrossFit. And since I feel intimidated my counting calories, protein intake and that stuff, I though I'd ask you clever people ^^
     
  20. AndrewTheAndroid

    AndrewTheAndroid A hero for fun.

    Save your money. Lifting weights for cardio is dumb. There are plenty of other activities that will promote cardiovascular health a lot better and safer.
     

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