Crossfit for beginners?
January 23, 2006 5:49 AM Subscribe
Does anyone here participate in Crossfit? Is it an accessible program? How long did it take you to get up to speed? How do you find it generally?
I'm thinking of joining a local Crossfit club rather than take it on at home. They say it's okay for beginners to join and I aready do a fairly standard weights-cardio 3 or 4 times a week routine but workouts like the January 22nd one (they don't seem to have permalinks) really make me wonder if this is for the likes of me or for a more elite type of gymgoer.
I'm thinking of joining a local Crossfit club rather than take it on at home. They say it's okay for beginners to join and I aready do a fairly standard weights-cardio 3 or 4 times a week routine but workouts like the January 22nd one (they don't seem to have permalinks) really make me wonder if this is for the likes of me or for a more elite type of gymgoer.
My ex-Marine father does the Crossfit stuff at home, by himself. He seems to like it, but the one time I worked out with him, it completely sucked. It was some crazy workout with a ton of pull-ups and vertical push-ups, and I couldn't move my arms normally for about a week afterwards.
posted by Espy Gillespie at 8:29 AM on January 23, 2006
posted by Espy Gillespie at 8:29 AM on January 23, 2006
I know a couple that does it. They are in amazing shape. The woman has absolutely the fittest best looking body I have ever seen.
posted by konolia at 9:39 AM on January 23, 2006
posted by konolia at 9:39 AM on January 23, 2006
Response by poster: Thanks for the comments, gang. As an update, and in case anyone else finds this post some day, I went along to the Crossfit club last night. The coach guy was very approachable and enthusiastic and ran me through a sample workout. It is indeed, as driveler said, intense - short supersets mixing cardio, weights (they seem to like olympic lifts), bodyweight exercises, gymnastics. But as to my "elite" concern you can set your own standards - in other words if the program calls for 20 pull-ups, and you can't manage that, it is encouraged to do them assisted or break that up into 3, or 6, or whatever amount of sets.
The routine I did last night was fixed reps and was timed. It seems that other workouts have a set time and are done for reps - the idea being that you can track the same workout and see how you progress. I haven't heard much about their nutrition guidance yet, but that will come.
Anyway, I have decided to start going a couple of times a week, mix it up with my regular workouts and see how it goes.
posted by jamesonandwater at 10:27 AM on January 25, 2006
The routine I did last night was fixed reps and was timed. It seems that other workouts have a set time and are done for reps - the idea being that you can track the same workout and see how you progress. I haven't heard much about their nutrition guidance yet, but that will come.
Anyway, I have decided to start going a couple of times a week, mix it up with my regular workouts and see how it goes.
posted by jamesonandwater at 10:27 AM on January 25, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
A lot of their workouts are based on what sounds really hardcore as opposed to properly conducted research based on tested fitness protocols. The workouts also extrapolate a great deal from protocols like Tabata intervals and apply them to things like squats and pullups, where their effectiveness really hasn't been tested.
In the final analysis, do the people I know that do CrossFit have more strength or endurance than people who rely on traditional workouts? No. But it's still a good workout. The most important thing is trying a variety of training routines and sticking with what your body responds to best.
Finally, take it easy at first. See this NY Times article about people that have been hospitalized by CrossFit.
posted by driveler at 6:25 AM on January 23, 2006 [2 favorites]