Is your local cross fit gym doing ok?

[firerescuefin]

Originally Posted by Dead Man

FIFY

But not competitively. And that's the problem with crossfit: they have tried to make themselves out to be some kind of sport or something. Just going to the gym- you know, training- is likely to result in torn connective tissue.

I do calisthenics as part of my morning routine, for "functional fitness." I slowly, calmly do three sets each of pushups, pullups, crunches, and weighted squats... I don't throw weights around my house, I don't go against the clock, I don't use momentum and dynamic movement to get through reps - I will never understand that retardation.

Definitely don't need to pay someone to bark at you to try harder to injure yourself to maintain "functional fitness."

To be honest...you get what is broken to the layman (and is broken) about a niche of the Crossfit culture. It's an easy and common criticism that is lobbed daily from the cheap seats......but you pretty clearly don't get what Crossfit/ and the idea of high level "functional fitness" (I'm quoting it because you did) is.

Stressing systems and maintaining functional movement in the real world , often under duress/situations that are outside of the norm goes far beyond sets/reps/weight and a few crossfit like exercises....and is light years past dudes in a Box yelling at each other, faking and kipping their way to a new WOD best time.

I'd recommend "Becoming a Supple Leopard" by Dr. Kelly Starrett and read the first half of the book (Second is about mobilization...super valuable).

Truthfully, you should buy it (not being a smart@ss), and come back to the conversation.

[benb]

I didn't mention it before (and BTW I think the local Crossfit Gym near me is doing fine) but the main reason I'm actually skeptical of Crossfit in the long term is that it's a commercial money making activity, a brand, a trademark, a franchise operation intended to make a few people wealthy, etc..

Most sports and fitness activities that are around for the long run don't require a tithe to a guru's business operation and don't have a cult of personality around a certain person/organization dictating everything. Cycling is way commercialized but most of the big guys can vaporize tomorrow and it's not going to stop much. Pro Tour, USA Cycling, UCI, USADA, WADA, etc.. could all disappear and the sport could stay quite healthy.

The only other thing is the sport seems to have some major issues up at the elite level with drug use and the competitions treating the athletes like crap. (See Criticism of how the Crossfit games are run by the Crossfit elites.)

I keep wondering when their is going to be some kind of big schism.

I am still tempted to try it for a while if I take a break from cycling. The local gym is < 1 mile from my office, the gym in my office park that I have a free membership to has kind of become sucky because they lopped off 50% of the space to make room for a boutique spin class setup that is terrible. Those spin classes are as expensive as Crossfit and certainly don't provide nearly as much value.

Interestingly said local gym is already offering half the workouts with non crossfit branding with the non-branded workouts being less expensive.

I'm super skinny/fast right now, I've put in a ton of miles but I get the whole thing with functional fitness. I can maybe do 25-30 pushups right now but I'll probably super sore the next day. I did 2 pull-ups yesterday at the park playing with my son but then again I've always been super weak at those. Cycling beats me up and makes me feel weaker in lots of ways and for lots of things other than cycling. Fitness that makes you feel like an animal doing yard work or other manual labor is appealing.

[fiamme red]

I have no idea how well my local CrossFit gym is doing. But I just looked it up and they charge $229 per month for a base membership, so it's definitely not cheap.

[shovelhd]

Ironman is definitely a trademark, although they have competitors.

[slidey]

Dafaaqq!!

Originally Posted by 54ny77

It's tight. Really tight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozoTzkCeO-A

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by gasman

Do you know how to tell if someone is into cross fit ?





Don't worry, they'll tell you.

Funny..'rides a fixie', 'is a vegan', 'races tri's', probably others.

[John H.]

We have lots of crossfit gyms in my area- I am guessing at least six in a 2 mile square area. We also have Crossfit-ish gyms (not trademarked).

I don't know how well they are all doing, but some are doing well.

Here are some of my observations on Crossfit.
1.) You can get injured- but the better Crossfit gyms pay more attention to technique and the athletes also sharpshoot each other with regard to technique.
2.) The Crossift phenomena has spilled over into mainstream gyms.
Many more people coming to my old school, straight up, non-fancy gym.
More women working out- way more.
More people doing Crossift-ish type work at the gym. Kettle bell work, supersets of the Crossfit variety, etc..
More people using the squat rack and doing deadlifts than ever before.

How can any of this be a bad thing?

Also- Crossift will certify anyone and they will grant a franchise right across the street from an existing Crossift gym.
On the surface this might seem shallow, but Crossfit makes money either way and the strong gyms will survive.

[John H.]

Another thought-
Crossfit might be too hard and too varied for those who have specific bike related fitness goals.
Too many varied and compound movements- can leave you tired and sore for any performance specific riding.
But for someone who just needs to increase activity and get some muscle going- it could be a great thing.
Like I said, depends on your age and your goals.

[benb]

Originally Posted by John H.

Another thought-
Crossfit might be too hard and too varied for those who have specific bike related fitness goals.
Too many varied and compound movements- can leave you tired and sore for any performance specific riding.
But for someone who just needs to increase activity and get some muscle going- it could be a great thing.
Like I said, depends on your age and your goals.

I feel like this is pretty much true of weightlifting in general.

There is almost no way to do squats and deadlifts seriously and then ride your bike the next couple days unless you just do recovery rides. When recommended bike training inevitably seems to be "ride every day, 1-2 days a week easy", it's pretty hard to combine biking with much else seriously.

I can do unweighted squats, lunges, pushups, core exercises, etc.. and be OK on the bike but not much else. I haven't done much if any weight lifting this spring.. it'd be interesting to get back to it and watch what happens to power #s and how long it takes to recover.

[alexsteinker]

Originally Posted by benb

I feel like this is pretty much true of weightlifting in general.

There is almost no way to do squats and deadlifts seriously and then ride your bike the next couple days unless you just do recovery rides. When recommended bike training inevitably seems to be "ride every day, 1-2 days a week easy", it's pretty hard to combine biking with much else seriously.

I can do unweighted squats, lunges, pushups, core exercises, etc.. and be OK on the bike but not much else. I haven't done much if any weight lifting this spring.. it'd be interesting to get back to it and watch what happens to power #s and how long it takes to recover.

I agree and disagree with this. It's very similar to Basemiles and Interval training. You have to have a base with squats and deadlifts. I did squats and deadlifts 3X a week with a Metcon style work out in addition to rollers and tempo riding. Obviously if you're squatting and deadlifting you aren't hitting 90-95% of max every single time out. Its something you will work up to. They go hand and hand with me.

Doing multiple sets with quick reps at 60% of max with a fairly high heart rate has been extremely effective for me. Makes me feel awesome afterwards. Every time i touch a barbell i'm starting off with Air Squats, Bare Barbell and 10 pound increments every single time.

There are so many "crossfit Wods" that really just focus on repetitions and little to no weight. Jump Ropes and box jumps will tear you apart! What you see on TV and in the Crossfit Games is competition. It certainly isnt going on daily in any gym. No coach would recommend that level from any casual member.

[RFC]

Originally Posted by slidey

Dafaaqq!!

It's the 80's pornstar hair.

[benb]

Originally Posted by alexsteinker

I agree and disagree with this. It's very similar to Basemiles and Interval training. You have to have a base with squats and deadlifts. I did squats and deadlifts 3X a week with a Metcon style work out in addition to rollers and tempo riding. Obviously if you're squatting and deadlifting you aren't hitting 90-95% of max every single time out. Its something you will work up to. They go hand and hand with me.

Doing multiple sets with quick reps at 60% of max with a fairly high heart rate has been extremely effective for me. Makes me feel awesome afterwards. Every time i touch a barbell i'm starting off with Air Squats, Bare Barbell and 10 pound increments every single time.

I totally agree about having a "base" with squats.. there are certain muscles (back of the leg really for me) that have to get back their flexibility & strength after not doing weighted squats for a while. Those kill me until I've "built a base".

But I would have to reduce the poundages so much to seriously still be bicycling. You can say you can do it, but are you going to say you can win a race while squatting that week with anything but super low percentages of your 1RM? You're hitting the most important muscles for cycling really hard.

I don't disagree you HAVE to do the squats, I feel they help me a ton but I can't really do them at certain times of a bike training plan and no plan seems to require them far into the season. It was rough this winter as the gym was closed for construction pretty much the entire window I had for it.

[fiamme red]

Originally Posted by John H.

More people using the squat rack and doing deadlifts than ever before.

How can any of this be a bad thing?

I actually wish that fewer people used the squat rack. When I come into the gym for a leg workout, I often have to wait 30 minutes or longer until the squat rack is free (there's only one squat rack).

[Louis]

Originally Posted by fiamme red

I actually wish that fewer people used the squat rack. When I come into the gym for a leg workout, I often have to wait 30 minutes or longer until the squat rack is free (there's only one squat rack).

Add a few more rim weights and you can use this instead:

[Tickdoc]

late to the party, and I don't really have a dog in this fight, but I found this article interesting.

Especially the fight against soda makers part:
and I love a coke after a hard ride :~)
http://www.newsweek.com/crossfit-fou...onsters-462363