Crossfit?

[dspyrido]

Several fit friends signed up to cross fit a year ago. They love it. Love the team dynamics, ego drive, coach pushing the box and the results they get. After 6 months several of them started visiting the chiro or other medical practitioner more often than before. I think they see it as a part of the process...

[jim]

I've met a few crossfitters and I was not able to have a 'normal' conversation with any of them. It was honestly like speaking to religious cult members - and they seemed a tad too desperate for my liking to try and 'convert' me.

I've never tried it myself. I can see how you'd get a decent workout from some of what they do, but high rep Olympic style lifting under time pressure doesn't seem like an especially sensible thing to do to my way of thinking.

[leifeng]

Several fit friends signed up to cross fit a year ago. They love it. Love the team dynamics, ego drive, coach pushing the box and the results they get. After 6 months several of them started visiting the chiro or other medical practitioner more often than before. I think they see it as a part of the process...

MMA clubs(especially the BJJ department), cross fit, ... are the best places to meet new patients. The next group would be dancers but it's not as easy to prey on them

[wayne hansen]

Obligatory

Now if we could just get this guy on our site

[gimpster]

I've never tried it myself. I can see how you'd get a decent workout from some of what they do, but high rep Olympic style lifting under time pressure doesn't seem like an especially sensible thing to do to my way of thinking.

When I first read of doing high rep Olympic lifting like this I was shocked. No one who does Olympic lifting advocates this. It's dangerous as hell. These aren't lifts you want to get sloppy on. The fact this is acceptable practice nowadays is just insane. There is only group that benefits from these sorts of practices - orthopedic surgeons.

And if you think it builds bodies, take a look at it's inventor - the guy looks like a derelict dredged from skid row.

https://www.google.com/search?q=founder ... 24&bih=629

[Rabbit]

The whole reason I ask is due to my interest in the kelly starrett material which seems to be a focus, an absolute focus on injury free practice, while getting more mobility and strength. What's not to like?
So, general consensus is that this is unusual aand at most 'boxes' you will be pushed in an unsafe way?

[akihiko_t]

Crossfit tends to be polarizing, but just like anything else, there's good and bad gyms. Considering how many new gyms are popping up every week, at least in my area, I would consider the chances of running into someone as detailed as Kelly, very, very, small. If you like his material, might as well sign up on his website or grab his books.

[Bhassler]

I like Rippetoe's stuff, but it really doesn't work for me (that's not a critique, not everything will work for everyone). I highly recommend reading Intervention by Dan John. I actually recommend anything and everything by Dan John, but if you're going to pick one then I'd say read Intervention (or buy the DVD series). It provides a nice context for how to think about training by a proven coach and competitor who's had success in both arenas over multiple decades. Read Dan John, read Rippetoe, read Pavel, read Bill Starr (and other guys from that era), read the Weightlifting coaches, read articles from Strongman competitors, read Pilates, read Kelly Starrett, then figure out how to train based on the principles that make sense to you and feedback from your body. Ultimately, it's all very individual. Take the time to learn how to train yourself instead of chasing gurus or fads or the latest pop-science.

Regarding Starrett specifically, I don't really agree with his assumptions about what constitutes good movement and really don't even like his coaching style, but he presents a lot of nice tools to work with. When I say I don't like his stuff I mean that it doesn't work for me or people I've trained, but there are also some for whom it's been life changing (in a good way).

[Andy_S]

Crossfit seems like a excellent combo of strength and cardio, with some agility thrown in for good measure. And the guys I know who do it swear by it and are in good-to-excellent shape. I have stayed away from it because:
(1) It is all group exercise, done at group pace. OTOH, my entire regimen is by and for me, not a group.
(2) Yes, they are a bit cultish - they all hang out together
(3) Overpriced. AFAIK, crossfit started off as a website with a daily workout - ie you could do it yourself rather than joining a gym and doing it.

When I am away from home/gym, I do freeletics. Excellent "do anywhere" workouts that you do at your own pace.

[NoSword]

Andy:

I too am a bit of a "lone wolf" when it come to exercise (Brooks Kubik calls us "Dinosaurs"). I think that's pretty common amongst IMA practitioners. What my interaction with Crossfitters has made me appreciate is that there are certain ways one can push oneself in a group that are simply different from the way you can push oneself alone. Not better, not worse, just different. I've come to appreciate why others (especially those with a different personality type than my own) might prefer a group setting, even if I usually do not.

As a lone wolf, I have found it very helpful in my own practice to drop in periodically to others' classes for regular 'movement challenges.' Even if you don't stick with a given routine long enough to get a training effect, it can really wake up your body and feed back into your solo training.

AK

[Jianhua]

[Rabbit]

Jesus!

[wayne hansen]

Lovely legs
Like to check out the knees in 10 years time

[Peacedog]

xxxxxxxxxx

[wayne hansen]

If you train like that you will be too busy with your knee surgery to catch her