[jackman]

One of my friends has been doing crossfit at a local crossfit facility for about a year and has gotten in great shape.  He is around my age and has about 6% body fat.  I plan to check it out next week and decide if I should try it.  Have any of you tried Crossfit? 

Thanks

Jack

[persisting1]

I have friends that have been doing it for years and they love it. Their only complaint is that many people will worry about how many reps they're doing in the allotted time and forget about proper lifting techniques. They know many people who have been injured due to this. As they say, "listen to your body".

[WGH]

I do a boot camp type workout every Saturday morning, 1 hour of a varied and intense workout combining strength and agility. If you haven't worked out at this level for a while be prepared to throw up.
Buy a couple of bottles of water with electrolytes to ward off muscle cramps.

I also include a Tuesday and Thursday workout with a trainer, been doing this for almost 3 years and never in my wildest dreams will I reach 6% body fat. I got my Dad's body type.

Go for it. Good luck. And if the trainer isn't correcting you on your form get a new trainer.

Wayne

[jackman]

Thanks guys!  There are two facilities within five miles of my house.   Each has a free hour evaluation session.  I'm going to check out both places and pick the one that is better.  No fees to join and pay as you go.  Will keep you guys posted.

The guy I referenced was in great shape when he joined. He was one l the fastest guys in the bike group.  He quit cycling pretty much to do more crossfit.  He also went through a difficult divorce and exercise helped him deal with the stress.  Honestly, I need some stress relief as well!

Cheers

Jack

[AB]

I kind of consider X Fit a cult.  And I'm not entirely kidding.

I am curious to hear your impressions once you check it out.

[jackman]

AB,

It's funny you say that, I was thinking he same thing.  The guy is a casual acquaintance and I only know him from cycling. He is in love with Crossfit and he goes there five times per week.  The guy got hinsf in great shape and hasn't signed over his bank account to them yet! 

The owner of the place near my house is a former MMA fighter and a good guy, according to my friend.  I'll let you know my thoughts as soon as I visit the place.  I'm looking fir a place I can go to during the winter season.
Cheers

Jack

[AB]

My experience was that the several friends who started it just stopped being cool. They became VERY intense about CrossFit and how "fit" they were. You could cut the elitism with a knife. Pretty soon no one not into CF was as fit as they were and therefore not worth their time.  It was the strangest thing.

Have you seen the CrossFit Competitions on TV? Whoa...

http://youtu.be/CpzLZsawtPY

[jackman]

Whoa!  I had no idea there was a competition.   It's not really a sport but they made it into one. My friend is gung ho and sounds like the people you know.  Those girls in the competition were really fit! 

Maybe a cult that forces me to get in shape would be a positive thing...as long as I can get deprogrammed once I'm fit.

Cheers

J

[AB]

There's no doubt you can get very fit with CrossFit. The combination of classic old school basic exercises and the group/peer driven motivation is ideal. The risk is that the peer pressure can force people to go too far too fast and into injury. It's like techy mtn biking with a group, isn't it - you're forced to try stuff you wouldn't try on your own but then there's a greater chance you'll it eat in the effort. 

[sharpsuxx]

It looks like highschool wrestling practice combined with college morning lifts.  In other words fun torture.  I might want to try that out myself.

[Opus Flatus]

Crossfit is very popular with the military. In my command with CORIVRON it was a daily part of morning PT (2 hour sessions). We called it Combat Fitness but many of the routines were suspiciously like "Cindy" or "Fran". We used 30 lb ammo cans for weight instead of traditional barbells. Like the civilian world, it's devotees can be obsessed with it. It will get you in excellent shape if you use good form and don't get stupid or overzealous about short term goals. This applies especially to middle aged people like myself. I find any kind of muscle confusion routine yields best results over traditional aerobic/weight/callistetics training. The importance of flexiblity is an often overlooked key component of fitness. Lack of flexibility and joint mobility is were most injuries start. Tell those crossfitters that if you truely want to be elite you need to keep your attitude in check.

[WGH]

The importance of flexiblity is an often overlooked key component of fitness.

And don't forget balance. Remember you are getting in shape for life not just for the beach. If you loose your balance and break something when you are old in all likelihood you will be dead soon, it happened to my neighbor.

[jackman]

Now I'm excited to check this out.  There are three places within ten miles of my house. One is only a couple miles away. Will keep you posted. 

[toxteth ogrady]

I've been doing CrossFit for close to two years now. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone ... less and less so for anyone over 40 simply because of the number of injuries I've witnessed. While CF has been an overall positive experience that has transformed my body, I am not fanatical about the program like so many CrossFitters are, and actually have a lot to criticize.

With that said, if you go three times a week and give it your all each time, you will more than likely be in the best shape of your life after 6-12 months ... that is if you don't get injured. I don't know your age, but if you're over the age of 40 I would highly advise you to modify the workouts, particularly any of the wod's(workout of the day) that include high rep olympic lifts. And for the sake of your longevity, do not let any of the knucklehead twenty/thirty-something coaches tell you how much you should be lifting. Forget the clock and concentrate on good form, always good form ... not something CrossFitters are known for.