In the gym

[no edge]

Power lifting for strength is great and I find it to be necessary for me. Constantly varied... that's Crossfit - with lots of lifting and bodyweight training. That stuff is the simple way to go and the results are phenomenal. Match what you do in the workout with diet and take your clothes off in front of the mirror.

 

[Jed Peters]

Power lifting for strength is great and I find it to be necessary for me. Constantly varied... that's Crossfit - with lots of lifting and bodyweight training. That stuff is the simple way to go and the results are phenomenal. Match what you do in the workout with diet and take your clothes off in front of the mirror.

DIET being the biggest thing in any fitness program.

With leg 1.0 (2016ish), I was 215, and still looked like a flabby fat guy.

With leg 2.0 (present day) I'm sub 200, and sub 10% body fat.

Also, crossfit style training is the best for a sport like skiing (other than skiing itself) or even living comfortably as a human being on the daily, hands down. I've tried it all....and functional fitness training is far and away the best general preparedness training one can do.

 

[Monique]

I tend to think that the quality of the trainer/instructor/coach counts for more than a registered trademark attached to - literally - ten thousand gyms. ( https://www.laweekly.com/arts/the-story-of-how-crossfit-went-from-zero-to-10-000-locations-5005604 )

Dollars to donuts there are a few outstanding Crossfit gyms, and many crappy ones.

 

[Seldomski]

I have had a similar experience to @Jed Peters -- I've been doing crossfit for the last 8 years with amazing results - providing real benefit in skiing and general fitness level. I didn't start it specifically for skiing, but because I was bored with my routine.

Yes, there are some bad crossfit boxes. It comes down to the quality of the people running the place. The gym I go to now split off from a crossfit box. They dropped the crossfit label for a few years. They did workouts with crossfit type movements, but not the named workouts. They also had different style of programming that didn't match what you saw at most boxes. The workouts were a bit more routine and more cardio heavy (i.e. there weren't days where you just did a benchmark workout for <8 minutes).

The gym recently paid to get the crossfit name/licensing again, and they are making a lot more money now without really changing much in what they were doing. The brand really does attract more people.

My point is, yeah, there are crappy crossfit gyms and trainers, but don't let the bad experiences dissuade you from trying it again. And on the contrary, some really good trainers are adopting/buying the label just to get more people to google them and walk through that door.

You do need to be mindful though to protect yourself from injury. Risk of injury is very real in those crossfit workouts, especially with the competitive atmosphere. It's not for everyone. You need to ask yourself every day if it is really worth 'beating' someone in the workout and risking injury while doing so? Ego can cause real harm. I've seen a lot of people drop out from injuries, essentially all of them from overwork for the hyper-competitive type people. Gotta pace yourself! Plan for the long haul.

 

[trailtrimmer]

I tend to think that the quality of the trainer/instructor/coach counts for more than a registered trademark attached to - literally - ten thousand gyms. ( https://www.laweekly.com/arts/the-story-of-how-crossfit-went-from-zero-to-10-000-locations-5005604 )

Dollars to donuts there are a few outstanding Crossfit gyms, and many crappy ones.

That's why I liked my kettelbell instructor. He was a nazi on form and corrected your movements to be sure you were being safe on your joints and body. Too much of the crossfit regimen is hard enough on the body, not doing it correctly and you pay a higher price. Bells are all about smooth, non jerkey movements, done right it's way safer.

 

[Monique]

You do need to be mindful though to protect yourself from injury. Risk of injury is very real in those crossfit workouts, especially with the competitive atmosphere. It's not for everyone. You need to ask yourself every day if it is really worth 'beating' someone in the workout and risking injury while doing so? Ego can cause real harm. I've seen a lot of people drop out from injuries, essentially all of them from overwork for the hyper-competitive type people. Gotta pace yourself! Plan for the long haul.

You remind me of another reason I haven't pursued Crossfit (aside from cult-y things like calling gyms "boxes" ;-) ). I am super competitive. My coach is big on "Take it easy. Rest more. Work smarter, not harder." He tells me to back off when I need it. When I've worked with the sort of coach/instructor/trainer who is always pushing, I WILL get hurt. Hell, I've aggravated issues in YOGA classes because the instructor is all "see if you can stretch a little more." Even though I know better. I totally know better. Which is why I'm so picky about the yoga instructors whose classes I'll take.

That's why I liked my kettelbell instructor. He was a nazi on form and corrected your movements to be sure you were being safe on your joints and body. Too much of the crossfit regimen is hard enough on the body, not doing it correctly and you pay a higher price. Bells are all about smooth, non jerkey movements, done right it's way safer.

I can't speak to the relative safety. I do know that when I was rehabbing from my ACL - I asked the PT if I could do KB swings. He was hesitant because so many people have poor form. But thanks to my trainer, my swing form is impeccable I was cleared for it.

 

[Seldomski]

You remind me of another reason I haven't pursued Crossfit (aside from cult-y things like calling gyms "boxes" ;-) )

True there are definitely unique words for crossfit "stuff", but the terminology exists because it's simply faster to communicate concisely with those words once you learn them. Some things, including the way the typical crossfit gym/box is laid out, are/were unique to crossfit. Calling it a box is just shorthand for 'crossfit gym,' which is very different from what most think a gym looks like. Though I guess given how old crossfit is and how many more are aware of it now, this is less true...

Calling a crossfit gym a 'box' implies a bunch of things in one small word. I don't think having specialized terminology is uncommon...

The cult thing .. yeah... it just happens because people who do crossfit are generally fanatics about fitness, and will begin speaking passionately in tongues (box, wod, amrap, etc) when assembled in groups.

 

[Monique]

The cult thing .. yeah... it just happens because people who do crossfit are generally fanatics about fitness, and will begin speaking passionately in tongues (box, wod, amrap, etc) when assembled in groups.

Also true about tri'ers, paleo dieters, er ... *gulp* ... skiers ...

My non-skier boyfriend joined me at a party with some skier friends. I realized just how jargon-y and obsessive it gets!

 

[no edge]

I respect your thoughts on Crossfit and I know it isn't perfect but what they accomplish is quite amazing. One of the big benefits is group training. You get in the middle of a Wod and the vib takes you. Working with a trainer from what I have seen is slow paced compared to Crossfit. "They say we don't do Cardio", Wods tend to be high intensity and that type of training is not often seen elsewhere and with trainers. Its a whole new meaning for the word intensity. It's all done on the clock and recorded. At the end of the Wod most of the athletes are on the ground. Many trainers don't like that. But it is very challenging. Seeing people coming out of the earlier session and you ask "how was it... it sucked" - !!! here we go. Nobody turns around.

Strength features tend to happen before the Wod. "work up to a three rep max" or a one rep max... bench, front and back squat and deadlift. Maybe max strict pull-ups or handstand pushups. In the boxes where I have trained, the lifting instruction has be exceptional. That is not always the case.

You have to pick a good box with great coaching and great athletes.

In my opinion, Crossfit is among the very best for skiing. Working diet in a group setting is helpful. When I was training at Crossfit, it was Paleo.

Check out a good box. You should see the way they train. Awesome. But not perfect.

 

[no edge]

I find that I have more issues with the soleus muscles than the gastrocs so I do this stretch more than anything else for the calves.

Infamous String Dusters!

Are you a coach at a Crossfit?

Do you like joint mobility warm-ups

 

[Monique]

One of the big benefits is group training. You get in the middle of a Wod and the vib takes you.

Right. That's exactly the problem for me. I am highly prone to ignoring small pains - I tend to push through them until they are too bad to ignore. Group training exacerbates this tendency. I'm sure that for other people, the extra motivation is great. For me, it would be a problem. I would do exercises that I know I shouldn't. Believe me - been there, done that. I do it enough on my own.

 

[coskigirl]

No, I'm not a crossfit coach. Not sure what you mean by joint mobility warm-ups.

 

[no edge]

No, I'm not a crossfit coach. Not sure what you mean by joint mobility warm-ups.

Joint mobility as in hip mobility, or knee mobility or ankle, shoulder and neck mobility - typically part of the warm-up.

 

[no edge]

Right. That's exactly the problem for me. I am highly prone to ignoring small pains - I tend to push through them until they are too bad to ignore. Group training exacerbates this tendency. I'm sure that for other people, the extra motivation is great. For me, it would be a problem. I would do exercises that I know I shouldn't. Believe me - been there, done that. I do it enough on my own.

I have seen that.

 

[coskigirl]

Joint mobility as in hip mobility, or knee mobility or ankle, shoulder and neck mobility - typically part of the warm-up.

Yeah, I get that but I’m not sure what you mean by the actual moves you do. Having never stepped foot into a CrossFit gym I’m not familiar with the lingo. Since I generally do cardio before lifting that acts as my warm up.

 

[no edge]

Yeah, I get that but I’m not sure what you mean by the actual moves you do. Having never stepped foot into a CrossFit gym I’m not familiar with the lingo. Since I generally do cardio before lifting that acts as my warm up.

Joint mobilityIt's helpful to me in that I have arthritis

Examples: hands just above knees, bent, simple circular motion one way then reverse. Hands encourage range of motion. Then for hips... weight on one leg - forward backward swinging action, move to crossing in front then in back. (this one really helps me and I do it before I go up the hill). There's bunch of others. Wrists and neck, etc.

Crossfit doesn't do cardio, in theory. Lifting tends to be limited as in one lift maybe two after a warm-up. Running is often part of the WOD - "workout of the day". So there is cardio, with more intensity. A WOD tends to have three or four elements, one blending into the next. Something like (kettle bells, push-ups, 200 yd fast run) x 5 maybe 10. Or (Wall ball, pull-ups - kipping, run 400) x 5. Or (5 deadlifts, 10 front squats and 12 burpees) x 8. All done on the clock.

I just made those up as examples. The WOD is for conditioning. There are standards and they remain the same most of the time. They are often named after women which is somewhat odd. The most famous is Fran: 21,15,9 pull-ups (kipping) plus thrusters (front squat to overhead with 95# for men). That time is kept world wide. It's killer.

One thing that I was surprised by is the strength gained by doing only one strength feature per day. I found strength gains throughout the body with the serious lifting.

Crossfit puts the hammer down!

 

[Monique]

They are often named after women which is somewhat odd.

I'd say "refreshing," ... assuming they're named after women getting after it.

 

[no edge]

I don't mind, but spouse doesn't like it.

****By the way, I need to come clean! I have not been a member of Crossfit for a few years. My posts make me sound like a super hero in the box. I have fallen into disrepair... fatigue, muscle soreness, stroke and other stuff. Not being able to train is taking a toll on my skiing. No back to back days and even worse than that. My skiing is still pretty good, but it's always a very short day.

Hope to get back to the box someday.
_________

 

[Monique]

I don't mind, but spouse doesn't like it.

****By the way, I need to come clean! I have not been a member of Crossfit for a few years. My posts make me sound like a super hero in the box. I have fallen into disrepair... fatigue, muscle soreness, stroke and other stuff. Not being able to train is taking a toll on my skiing. No back to back days and even worse than that. My skiing is still pretty good, but it's always a very short day.

Hope to get back to the box someday.
_________

Oh, yeah, you're the worst ;-)

I'm back on the gym horse after yet another long absence. I'm trying to look at it as a journey, not a destination. The latest is a hip issue. Arrrgh. But I do what doesn't hurt, try to keep myself from doing things that do hurt, and trust the process. Another nice thing about not doing group classes is that it's very easy to modify the workout. But I don't have the buddy system to get me into the gym in the first place. Fortunately I have a s.o. who's very much into lifting and very consistent, so talking to him keeps me motivated.

 

[Dwight]

For the Drs. that say you are to old to lift.