Looking into starting Crossfit.

[Miller11x]

I've been hearing a lot of things about crossfit especially from people that I work with at the hospital say it's great. I've been doing a lot of research on it online and found a gym right by my house that has a good schedule and is pretty cheap (plus has good reviews on yelp which is rare). But I have some questions for those that have been doing it for awhile as everyone I talk to seems to just be getting into it as well.

Is crossfit meant to be the sole form of excersise? Do you still have to lift and run or can you just rely on crossfit alone to get into good shape?

How many days a week do you do crossfit, especially if you're just starting out?

I got enough questions about dieting for a whole forum but I know enough about it to get me by. Is there any specifics though when doing crossfit or is just watching what you eat, cutting down on the soft drinks and junk food, and making sure you get enough protein still hold true?

[calcava mp]

Please please for the life of your shoulders, do a proper pull up! And lift within your means

[728]

I did crossfit for 1 year. Ease into it and take it easy. I am in above average shape, but it took a toll on my body. It seems like we did heavy squats 2-3 days in a row every week, and the workouts are not organized in a long term manner (i.e. multiple leg days back to back, minimal focus on core, no forearm exercises, taking short cuts on lifts). It is easy to get competitive and forget about form, but remember technique and lift within your means. I went back to lifting and running on my own and my joints are thanking me for it.

But, this is just my own experience. There must be something to it based on its popularity. I have also heard that other crossfit gyms are completely different than the one I attended, so it may vary with each location. Good luck!

[calcava mp]

Like what 728 said, form.. it's huge, you don't wanna be out of work from injuring yourself from some sloppy exercise. Watch one YouTube video of cross fit fails, so if someone is teaching you to do that, you know to leave that gym asap

[AppState]

Watch out for the kool-aid...

[ateamer]

There is a reason why weightlifters (Olympic style lifting) do very low reps, even on warmups. Snatches and cleans are not suited for high reps.

[NORCOCOP]

A Teamer speaks the truth. You are not going to go and tell the gym you opt out of repping out cleans and snatches until your muscles can't function and your frame is left holding the bag. Plenty of snatches being dropped on heads and necks going around. I love the concet of getting people into competitive atmosphere, compound lifts. But I intend on lifting well into my 50's and 60's so am choosy about what lifts I pick to do for all out reps. There is a reason professionals in the olympic lifts do multiple sets of low reps, broken up into several times in a day for some. Can you stand always being behind the next guy who you may be better at the lift than because you refuse to let your form degrade to the point it becomes a danger?

You can always get some lity quacoaching on proper olympic lifting and do the WOD's in a manner that is safe and comfortable for your goals. There are crossfit gyms that offer good coaching and have a good knowledge base. But are you going to know how to gauge that when you speak to them with the experience you have? Because at the end of the day the guy/gal selling services is going to claim they know what they think you want them to be able to do. It is how they provide for their families. Is a car salesman going to tell you he is selling an inferior product at an inflated price?You could put together a good gym for a 1.5/2 years worth of dues at most box gyms.

[Miller11x]

Thanks for the great advice. Definitely some points brought up that I would never have thought of. There's a box close by that I've heard nothing bad about, nice friendly atmosphere. They have free sessions on Saturdays so I'll drop in and see if I like it while keeping in mind what was said here.

[tanksoldier]

Is crossfit meant to be the sole form of excersise?

It CAN be the only workout program you need, but you have to be careful.

As others have said if you push too hard too fast if you go for speed over form, you can injure yourself easily.

If possible find a gym that has an "on ramp" program of a month of more. You'll learn all teh skills and movements you need to be successful with a trainer who is focused on you as a beginner, and not one who has to juggle beginners, intermediates and experts all in one class.

for the life of your shoulders, do a proper pull up!

Question: Wide-arm, diamond, elevated, T, single-leg... which is the "proper" pushup?

Answer: It depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

Butterfly pullups have their purpose BUT you do have to train up to them and prepare your body for the stress.

[calcava mp]

Butterfly pull ups are a no go.

[calcava mp]

Swinging, kipping, using momentum is a cheat for exercise .

[Empire02]

http://www.upfyre.com/sports/5-reasons-stop-wod-ing-crossfit-destroying-body/

Hit the gym, but skip the crossfit.

[judoka]

Before you spend a lot of money on crossfit, I would suggest you take a look at rosstraining.com.
I don't have any real issues with crossfit beyond the price.

[brownj21]

Before you spend a lot of money on crossfit, I would suggest you take a look at rosstraining.com.
I don't have any real issues with crossfit beyond the price.

This should be the first answer for almost every fitness question, in my opinion. All of Ross' books and dvds are LOADED with information and incredibly affordable. I have a STACK of his material in my fitness library, going all the way back to his Underground Guide to Warrior Fitness book and Boxer's Guide to Performance Enhancement book.

[tanksoldier]

Swinging, kipping, using momentum is a cheat for exercise .

...and when your regimen includes both strict and butterfly pullups?

As a clue, if you can't do several strict pullups you won't be able to do a butterfly.

One of the premises of Crossfit is teaching your entire body to work together to accomplish the task.

Strict pullups are an exercise to develop certain muscle groups. Butterfly pullups are an exercise to teach your body how to get up and over an obstacle, using the whole body... not just a limited number of muscles.

If you had to get up and over a wall of chain link fence, would you use your whole body and momentum, or would you do a strict pullup?