CrossFit

R

Ruthenian

New Member
etothepii had a link to the CrossFit site in the discussion of Tabata workouts -- that site is fascinating.  I don’t know about being spoon-fed a prescribed work-out every day, but their general approach is exactly what I have been aiming for in fitness development:  a high level of overall fitness.  Thus, add plyometrics, aerobic conditioning, stretching, balance, and functional strength work to your basic strength and hypertrophy work-outs.

Anybody have some experience with the CrossFit workouts?  Impressions?

I know that this is a dedicated hypertrophy site, but I gotta say I just don’t get questions like “why do aerobic work at all?”  Big and strong muscles are an important part of the package, but why not aim for excellent physical condition overall?
 
Crossfit is, imho, more or less a giant cult. I think that will rub some people the wrong way.

Some of their ideas are pretty interesting, and some of the people affiliated with the organization (like Mark Rippetoe) are good, very smart people.

But try questioning, for example, the wisdom of high rep oly lifts and watch out for a reaction from the congregation.
 
I'm familiar w/ the workouts, but haven't done them myself. my impression is it's a good method to gain overall fitness, but most people would need a breaking in period- the workouts can be demanding even for trained athletes. I know BJ Penn & possibly Chuck Liddell (both UFC fighters) have done it. oddly enough, both of them often look "soft."
 
I've done some crossfit type training in the past while getting into fighting condition. I used them as a suppliment to my cardio workouts when training for a triathlon. They are good for general fitness but are not big muscle builders. They will however, make one lean, strong, and very fit if the diet is in check.

One time, I accepted a fun challenge from a couple of guys who do crossfit to do burpees, pushups, chinups for 20 minutes. It totally kicked my butt.
 
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(Ruthenian @ Jan. 10 2007,18:57)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I know that this is a dedicated hypertrophy site, but I gotta say I just don’t get questions like “why do aerobic work at all?” Big and strong muscles are an important part of the package, but why not aim for excellent physical condition overall?</div>
I recently came across www.rosstraining.com which has inspired me to look at other areas of physical fitness/condition as well as hypertrophy/strength.

Some of the stuff I think is quite similar to crossfit, the articles are excellent and the forum seems good, I've ordered one of his books but haven't got it yet.

Cheers

Rob
 
Here's a story about Crossfit:Crossfit NY Times. It's an Adobe file (my computer freezes for about a minute while Adobes load). The down side is that if you're not conditioned enough, the aggressive workouts can cause rhabdomyolysis, which is potentially fatal.

The up side is that the overall conditioning is phenomenal. Carrying out those workouts shows a great combination of endurance and strength.

However, every pic I've seen of anybody doing Crossfit is very lean and not too big -- not my current goal!
 
Yeah, as I look over the workouts, I can see that they are unlikely to produce a lot of big muscle.  Funny that they claim othewise, however.

Anyway, many of the workouts are only 20 minutes -- I wonder if you could add them with some adaptations on the weights portion?  Sounds like they take a lot out of you, so you would probably do them well before (hours) HST or on cardio days, etc.

As to Mikeynov's comment, the extensive list of &quot;official lingo&quot; does make it sound pretty cliquish.
 
I think a lot of people post ideas they claim to &quot;gain a lot of muscle&quot;...when in reality, it's that they started as a stick and gained something, and to them it seems like 'a lot of muscle'.
 
This is from their FAQ section. They are way off in their analysis of hypertrophy&quot;

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">1.6. Will I/can I get big doing CrossFit?
If you train the WODs hard, and eat right and get lots of sleep, you will definitely gain lean mass, lose fat, and yes, you can build muscle mass with the crossfit protocol. More specifically, according to Coach,
Here is a hierarchy of training for mass from greater to lesser efficacy:
1. Bodybuilding on steroids
2. CrossFitting on steroids
3. CrossFitting without steroids
4. Bodybuilding without steroids
The bodybuilding model is designed around, requires, steroids for significant hypertrophy.
The neuroendocrine response of bodybuilding protocols is so blunted that without &quot;exogenous hormonal therapy&quot; little happens.
The CrossFit protocol is designed to elicit a substantial neuroendocrine whollop and hence packs an anabolic punch that puts on impressive amounts of muscle though that is not our concern. Strength is.
Natural bodybuilders (the natural ones that are not on steroids) never approach the mass that our ahtletes do. They don't come close.
Those athletes who train for function end up with better form than those who value form over function. This is one of the beautiful ironies of training.

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Stiil if your goal is performance and endurance under pretty extreme physical challenges, repeated body-weight or somewhat higher exercise performance, lean-ness, etc. then Crossfit is a great program.
 
i believe cross-fit has its place and is effective. that place is in the &quot;overall cardio/muscle fitness area.&quot;

if you want to be bigger you need to concentrate on being bigger. same with running, skating swimming etc etc. crossfit will get you in shape but it doesnt appear to stay with any one movement/exer long enough to become proficient at it so low/mod wgt in ever changing exer. (as well as short rest) will always challenge the body but not allow you get bigger with it or much better at it (specific exer that is.).

again, i believe this has its place, its not going to involve much hypertrophy but not everything does. sounds like a nice change from the same gym exer when you know you cant devote yourself to a gaining prog. or perhaps used like tabata is currently used by some. like mikeynov said i think there is some real interesting ideas/people assoc with it but they have gotten a little carried away with some of their claims.
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Natural bodybuilders (the natural ones that are not on steroids) never approach the mass that our ahtletes do. They don't come close.</div>

SHOW ME THE PICTURES!!! Get REAL!
 
Yeah, I know some natural crossfitters. Lean and mean. Muscular in the 130lb Bruce Lee kind of way. Very cut, looks very good, but no size at all. This is one of the ways my little brother keeps fit enough to keep up with the kids he's training. He has to be able to do everything he makes them do. He does very similar stuff to crossfit, but makes up his own stuff instead of being spoon fed a workout every day.
 
<div>
(quadancer @ Jan. 11 2007,17:57)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"> <div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Natural bodybuilders (the natural ones that are not on steroids) never approach the mass that our ahtletes do. They don't come close.</div>

SHOW ME THE PICTURES!!! Get REAL!</div>
LaKeysha_McClenton_2005.jpg


The guy who wrote the above on bodybuilders = dude on the right.

Draw your own conclusions.
 
reading between the lines; crossfitters are a bunch of puking clowns, dressed in spandex (according to the T-shirt and a fat bloke who agrees)
rock.gif
 
I can't tell which of the two has the bigger muscles.

I still find the general concept interesting as a compliment to real weight training, but it obviously doesn't make you big on its own.
 
Okay, let's all do 30 rep clean and presses to failure! OH YEAH!!!

Maybe a nice idea, but taken to an extreme... if I was going for this kind of thing, I would probably just do circuits with a moderate weight and moderate amount of reps, avoiding failure.
 
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