CrossFit and cycling for an older rider

[redir]

Originally Posted by TomP

I used to be a somewhat performance rider and would still like to be. I really do like weight lifting. I’ve been feeling “sluggish” on the bike this early season and last year which has made me look at everything. Got my heart checked, full physical, thyroid, etc. Fortunately health is good. The drop off seemed more than expected from just being a year older.

Then you have fallen into the dark side my friend, come back to the light

[HenryA]

The big thing is to get plenty of rest from all the stressors. In this instance, riding and cross fit. Stress tears down, resting makes you stronger. If you can’t get enough rest you need to stop or dial back the collateral exercise and focus on the main goal of riding. (If thats your main goal). And get enough rest.

[Gummee]

From watching crossfit games, there doesn't seem to be a concentration on good technique/form just speed/max lifts.

...but that's from the outside looking in...

M

[benb]

Originally Posted by Bentley

Getting injured over 60 is something I am working hard to avoid.

Ray

That seems like a valid concern for everyone over about 29 give or take.

I'm 41, I don't feel like I've slowed down much when everything is going OK, but I definitely feel like it already takes longer to heal from an injury.

Getting injured is never good for your fitness... so I'd rather be careful. What's the % benefit of crossfit style training with all it's ballistic movements and emphasis on more/faster vs more careful weight training? What the extra % of risk of injury doing it the crossfit way vs a more traditional way? That's the stuff that goes through my mind, obviously a lot of it is personal.

It's not even really a crossfit thing... I don't do olympic lifts on my own for the same reason and since I typically don't have a reliable spotter available I choose dumbbells or machines vs barbell lifts where the consequences of something going wrong could be more severe. And I'm way more careful about trying to do maximum weights than I was in my 20s. If I get more modest gains in fitness but avoid hurting myself it's a good tradeoff.

Your chance of getting injured goes way up if you don't exercise at all but we all need to do our best to exercise in a way that doesn't get us hurt too.

I feel like this is a perennial thing with cycling for me too.. to often pushing to hard in the short/medium term when slower progress in the long term would give better results.

[Greenpea]

I flat out did Crossfit for 5 years at 2 different boxes. Loved it and then fall 2016 I just ran smack into a burnout that I have never experienced before. It's like my body just wouldn't/couldn't continue with the program. I think a lot of it has to do with the programming and how they were running things at the time but my hips were constantly sore, joints ached and fatigue was immense.

The other problem I ran into is that I was so spent from the WOD that a Saturday afternoon spin seemed really daunting, so my cycling suffered(not that I've ever been good). I rode less those years than at any other point in my life. I think the point is that you gotta find a balance and not get sucked into the 5-6x/wk thing in CrossFit and realize that if you're going to ride as well you might have to throttle back the intensity/weight or significantly up your rest/recovery/calories.

Can I deadlift 500lbs anymore...nope, but I don't get dropped by slow guys anymore either, I'm just one of them.