Crossfit

[Invicta]

Originally Posted by James Bond

Christian Thibaudeau.

Crossfit is exercise for people with ADD.

I respond with ** Penn
http://experiencelifemag.com/blogs/survival-of-the-fittest/files/2008/03/**-penn-mat-2.jpg
and the hundreds of warfighters using Crossfit. I'm sorry but if we're going to choose an exercise protocol only on the basis of who is using what methods, I'm going with the Force Recon Marines.

T-nation and Christian Thibaudeau are excellent resources, and I used them extensively when I powerlifted, and I got big (not cut b/c my diet sucked but hey that's life). I also gassed out quickly and was severly lacking in the speed department.

There is no "magic protocol" that will allow everyone to bench 400, sprint a mile in 4 minutes, be as flexible as an olympic gymnast, and have killer abs like a CK underwear model. Strong men lift MASSIVE loads and aren't cut at all, same with Olympic lifters. Bodybuilders are muscle bound and have zero flexibility, marathoners have stamina but no strength, it goes on and on. I would venture that the reason most people fail at achieving their body image goals are becuase they have only the goal to "look like daniel craig/the guys from 300". Well if you want to look like a Spartan then eat only 1800 clean calories a day and pay Mark Twight to scream at you for 6 hours a day.

Me, I'd rather be like Josh Everett. He's 5'11", weighs 186lbs and can C&J 330lbs.

The fact is that your training protocol is only 20% of your appearence, 80% of it is diet. Until your diet is zeroed in 100% you will never look as good as you could.

 

[wiscogooner]

Originally Posted by Invicta

The fact is that your training protocol is only 20% of your appearence, 80% of it is diet. Until your diet is zeroed in 100% you will never look as good as you could.

+1 million

 

[Grayland]

Any of those 4 exercises in the Greg Everett video is quite a feat. Doing all 4 of them is damn impressive. BTW, he runs a 5K in about 19 minutes. Not bad for a guy as strong as him.

I've done Crossfit for about 5 years. I've done it long enough that I don't always do the posted WOD, but I develop my own workouts. If you want to workout to get laid, it probably isn't the best approach. If you want to be able to use your body, it's good stuff. The CF forum is a mess filled with kool aid drinkers, but that shouldn't diminish the results. Throw up your studies and your pictures of Greg Glassman all you want; that **** works!

 

[javyn]

Crossfit, P90x, Rippetoe, whatever....it all works. It's a matter of finding the one you enjoy doing the most that you will get the best results from.

Crossfit definitely seems like kool aid drinkers, but hey, I never heard of tabata sets before I looked into Crossfit and it seems like a great idea. I'm going to get with my gf and start doing tabata burpees now.

 

[globetrotter]

how often do you crossfit guys do crossfit?

 

[TeeKay]

lol...just helped treat a Crossfit trainer with rhabdo a couple weeks ago.

 

[Jr Mouse]



lol...just helped treat a Crossfit trainer with rhabdo a couple weeks ago.

Is that a real danger from Crossfit style workouts for most people? I have heard it before, but it's hard to find any real info about the risks online.

 

[TeeKay]



Is that a real danger from Crossfit style workouts for most people? I have heard it before, but it's hard to find any real info about the risks online.

Any type of super intense workout when you're not properly conditioned can cause rhabdo. This crossfit trainer was injured for several months and then went right back into her normal CF routine without building back into it. It bought her a week in the hospital.

Most beginners in CF don't have the willpower to push themselves to the point where it will happen. The real problem is the former athletes who go in and bust their asses and end up with it.

 

[Mark it 8]



how often do you crossfit guys do crossfit?

I try to work out 5-6 days a week. Usually more like five. I do Crossfit WODs 3x and powerlifting routines 2x or 3x. On powerlifting days I also do a striking/conditioning session. If you look at the average Crossfit person (not those people in the games-they do not get that way doing 1 regular WOD a day), you see that lots of them who are very good at Crossfit aren't very strong. They have the muscle endurance, cardio, and body weight to strength ratios to do **** fast without stopping, but can't really put up much weight. I want to keep/build strength, but also trim down and gain more endurance, so this regimen seems to work pretty well for me. I do take periods off if I begin to feel overtrained and I don't always go all out on WODs. Proper form and avoiding injury are more important to me than fast times.

I deadlift> 400 and strict press about 170, although my squat definitely needs work. I'm not that strong compared to other posters here, but I'm definitely stronger than most guys in my CF gym. At 40 yrs old, I'm not doing too bad.

Crossfit isn't some amazing new revelation as they would like you to believe, but I think it's fun and it keeps me motivated to get to the gym. At the end of the day, that's what is most important.

Kinda went overboard on response to question. Just thought I would kick in my 2 cents to the general topic.

 

[Oli2012]

Crossfit is a waste of money. For a month's membership you could buy starting strength, practical programming and 5/3/1 and get to a 400/300/500 total in a quarter of the time/quarter of the effort.

 

[TeeKay]



Crossfit is a waste of money. For a month's membership you could buy starting strength, practical programming and 5/3/1 and get to a 400/300/500 total in a quarter of the time/quarter of the effort. 

Because every man on earth wants a 400/300/500 total.

 

[globetrotter]



I try to work out 5-6 days a week. Usually more like five. I do Crossfit WODs 3x and powerlifting routines 2x or 3x. On powerlifting days I also do a striking/conditioning session. If you look at the average Crossfit person (not those people in the games-they do not get that way doing 1 regular WOD a day), you see that lots of them who are very good at Crossfit aren't very strong. They have the muscle endurance, cardio, and body weight to strength ratios to do **** fast without stopping, but can't really put up much weight. I want to keep/build strength, but also trim down and gain more endurance, so this regimen seems to work pretty well for me. I do take periods off if I begin to feel overtrained and I don't always go all out on WODs. Proper form and avoiding injury are more important to me than fast times.
I deadlift> 400 and strict press about 170, although my squat definitely needs work. I'm not that strong compared to other posters here, but I'm definitely stronger than most guys in my CF gym. At 40 yrs old, I'm not doing too bad.
Crossfit isn't some amazing new revelation as they would like you to believe, but I think it's fun and it keeps me motivated to get to the gym. At the end of the day, that's what is most important.
Kinda went overboard on response to question. Just thought I would kick in my 2 cents to the general topic.

thanks

 

[Mark it 8]



Crossfit is a waste of money. For a month's membership you could buy starting strength, practical programming and 5/3/1 and get to a 400/300/500 total in a quarter of the time/quarter of the effort. 

Your comment makes no sense. It is also just as specious as some of Glassman's more outrageous claims.

 

[TeeKay]



Your comment makes no sense. It is also just as specious as some of Glassman's more outrageous claims.

Eh, his comment DOES make sense. If your goal is to be strong in the gym, Crossfit is just about the most inefficient way to do it.

 

[Jr Mouse]

While I have been a proponent of Crossfit on this board, I am starting to develop mixed feelings about the whole thing. Been a member for a year and a half and can honestly say I have not developed the results I would like. Don't get me wrong, I am in OK shape. Just not getting to what I would like to be at. I'm also finding myself developing joint and muscle pains including a recurring ankle pain that my Doctor said is likely the early stages of tendonitis. I average about 4 work outs a week, and would like to increase the frequency but these pains have held me back.

Part of the problem is that the coaches are really not trained in any type of injury prevention. They know the routines and how to help you develop the right form, but that's about it. A level one coach only has to do a two day course to get certified by Crossfit. This leads to many not really knowing much, running workouts that are complex and injury prone. My gym has some great coaches, but it does rub me wrong when some of them are not able to provide any productive answers when I try to speak with them about the problems I have been having.

I can't speak for others, but simple observation over the time I have been at this gym has allowed me to come to some conclusions. A lot of out of shape people join and quickly drop a decent amount fo weight. They find themselves stronger and faster. It gets addicting and they are hooked. The problem is most seem to plateau after 6 months to a year. I honestly have not seen anyone really "transform" there body. We do have a fair amount of guys and women who are in fantastic shape, but they were already ahead of the game when they joined. The workouts are hard on your body and it seems like the people who excel the most at them are those who already had an athletic background.

Right now I am working on some strategies to minimize these issues and improve my diet, but if I don't start seeing better results soon I may try something else. The membership cost feels too high for the results I have seen.