I have never done it, nor would I. I know a guy that has done it, and all he did was get really skinny. I know a few girls that have done it.. and if you are a girl and want a huge neck, huge back, huge lats, with no t***, no ass and tiny legs, then go for it.
It depends. Do you want to do it to look good or do you want to do it to be a badass well rounded athlete? Crossfit will get you into the best shape of your life and your body will be in balance, you will be strong, and you will have no weaknesses. If you want to look pretty with your shirt off then bodybuilding combined with cardio would be better for you.
So if you're a girl you gain muscle and if you're a guy you lose muscle? It depends on your focus, but some of the muscular feats crossfitters do are really impressive. I have a friend who joined and does a bunch of power cleans and overhead squats; he lost weight and he gained muscle. The popularizing of round based HIIT workouts are very efficient for most physical activities. There is a sort of group-think brain wash that goes on though. Good for your health, but then you might get caught in the wave and do something like go vegan, give up carbs or run a marathon just because everyone else in your crossfit class does it.
I have a really good friend who does it religiously. He also does thai boxing and other stuff as well so it is hard to say what is helping him most. I know it is overpriced and relies on a lot of kettle bells, pull-ups, ropes, dead lifts and short workouts. If you need to be pushed to get in shape, should be good. Otherwise, join a gym and save the money. You can look online and find crossfit workouts I hear and just do them at home or wherever. Pull-ups are one of my weaknesses, so I do not have any desire to do crossfit. It gets you small and an overall better athlete though. Doesn't really gain a lot of muscle though it seems.
I know some people in my part of town that are doing cross-fit combined with the Paleo-diet and are seeing the type of results you're referencing. Key in all of it though is maintaining a good diet in combination with sustained exercise.
It depends. If you're a novice, I wouldn't recommend it. Unless the instructor is really good. Most of them are just weekend warrior or ex-military types who don't really know anything about exercise science. So, choose carefully. It can be very rewarding in the right situation, though.
I work with someone who is a crossfit trainer and runs his own gym. He has been doing this for about 10+ years. He was doing crossfit before it had a name for it. If you are interested I can get him to talk to you about it. It's better than talking to internet trolls about it. His gym is in Deer Park but he knows crossfit trainers all over the country.
I just can't imagine doing major lifts in some crazy fashion like that. I have a ruptured disc in my lower back and I have been more careful about squats/deadlifts etc.
Yes you are exactly right. I probably should have included this part you posted in my post: There is a sort of group-think brain wash that goes on though. Good for your health, but then you might get caught in the wave and do something like go vegan, give up carbs or run a marathon just because everyone else in your crossfit class does it. Because that is what I was referring too. He didn't lose weight because he wasn't working out, but because they all get caught up in the NO CARB part of it. Then you just turn into a toothpick. The girl I knew just concentrated on dead lift (I have no idea why) but it completely ruined her body. She was already skinny as is and now she has a man build and looks really top heavy. I suppose if you do it right and spread out your workouts (not just focus on weights or cardio but do all of it) it is likely a good thing to do, but I have heard from people it is a very "Cult" type atmosphere. Which is why I would never do it.
the cult atmosphere is played more as a joke. of course some people are just crazy and would approach anything that way. saturdays are free go to any CF and try it. is kind of expensive but you can do the workouts on your own. follow the main site programming. there are bad trainers out there just like any other gym.
It seems to me that the people I've known that have done it do not lose any weight. They might get stronger, but they still have their bellies...and that's with the crazy diets included. For me personally, I don't like to get yelled at in any situation. It doesn't motivate me. All it does is make me want to remove the loudness.
I know several cross-fitters that get injured. Mostly the non-former-athletes. If I was doing Crossfit and got hurt I'd look at it as you live, you learn, you improve, but yeah, sane people have genuine reason to stay away.
That's a bunch of baloney. Crossfitters aren't automatically great basketball, football, or baseball players. They're not even great sprinters. So, they can only guarantee you'll be a bad ass crossfitter, not a bad ass athlete. If you're a couch potato, then just about anything active will "get you in the best shape of your life". There are coaches who are bad. There are coaches, who are good, but can't keep an eye on so many people per class. The result is bad form for a lot of people. That wil NOT get you in balance. Crossfit will train you to do their exercises well. You'll have a solid cardio system, but you'll definitely still have weaknesses. If you want to lose weight, improve fitness/health, and look better, then crossfit will work, but so will a lot of different other things. I dont recommend it for muscle building because they change the workouts too much to really shock muscles into growing. Most of the bigger crossfitters do traditional lifting on the side. Don't buy into the hype that it's the greatest thing ever. That's just the culture they sell. They challenge you to do crossfit, and if you can't keep up, then it must be because they're so bad ass and you're not, so you have to try it, right? Wrong. Body is good at what it trains for. Of course you won't be good at it the first time. Neither would Lebron James. I'd recommend picking a location with good coaches and smaller classes, if you do decide to go for it.
My impression was that crossfit did so many different types of exercises that it provided a more well rounded workout than what you could get by lifting weights and running.
What type of person doesn't have any desire to work on their weaknesses? This is what crossfit is about.
That's right. It's functional strength and hits every functional muscle. There is no bench press or bicep curls in any way shape or form in a crossfit workout. It's all pullups, deadlifts, squats, overhead squats, burpees, wall walks, etc etc etc.... It's all functional stuff.
I did crossfit for 2.5 years. Pros: a. It's fun b. a lot of group camraderie c. great exercise Cons: a. Like people have said, injuries are a huge part. You are doing extremely advanced exercises and most coaches don't teach you the greatest of form, or will push you to overexert yourself, or the classes are too big for them to watch out for your form. b. You'll get what you put into it. Other words, you're not going to be Brad Pitt, or Hope Solo unless you change more than just your workout. c. $$$ - but it's not that bad That sums up my experience.
