starting crossfit on tuesday

[Ron Burgundy]

anyone here do crossfit? my onramp session starts this tuesday. it's six sessions and i'm pretty excited. what can i expect?

[Raht]

You should expect to lift more weight than you can handle with bad form.

Image snip; infracted.

[Deleted]

You should expect to lift more weight than you can handle with bad form.

Oh the hate.

Expect to be exhausted for a few days if you're not in shape already. Also make sure you do keep correct form always.

[Flay-]

Raht is probably a fatty. I've been crossfitting for 6 months now. Went from 192 to 161. My body fat % dropped from about 15% to 6%. When you enter into crossfit you get what you put into it; workout hard and eat clean.

[bdecker12]

Onramps are generally pretty basic at most gyms. You'll learn the basic movements, you won't be doing workouts Rx'ed for a while unless you have lifting experience or bad coaches. They should be focusing on form first always. Have fun with it, and like flay says, you get out of it what you put into it. Eating clean will help a ton with body recomposition.

[Raht]

Raht is probably a fatty. I've been crossfitting for 6 months now. Went from 192 to 161. My body fat % dropped from about 15% to 6%. When you enter into crossfit you get what you put into it; workout hard and eat clean.

Scuse me? CrossFit is literally just paying extra to do ineffective exercises, often with bad form. You would be better off with a barbell, some weights, a good diet, and a normal exercise routine.

Kipping pull-ups and too-heavy snatches don't have magical muscle building properties.

[Deleted]

Scuse me? CrossFit is literally just paying extra to do ineffective exercises, often with bad form. You would be better off with a barbell, some weights, a good diet, and a normal exercise routine.

Kipping pull-ups and too-heavy snatches don't have magical muscle building properties.

I've been doing Crossfit for about 9 months and it's not cost me anything. What's "ineffective" about any of the exercises? If you want to get massive then yeah, it's ineffective but I have no time for body-building anyway..

Most people with half a brain don't just buy in to everything Crossfit. "I AM NOW DOING CROSSFIT I AM NOT ALLOWED TO DO STRICT PULLUPS N E MORE DERP"

Crossfit is just circuit training with barbells and gymnastic principles applied, branded. If it costs you more than a regular gym membership you're doing it wrong. It's getting fat people thin, inactive people active and building a sense of community that implies you can get fit and make friends whilst busting your arse in a gym.

I don't attend a Crossfit box, I use my gym at work but meatheads scoffing at crossfit whilst doing their generic "MON = CHEST" get rightfully ridiculed here.

[Projali]

While I agree with a lot of the criticisms from T-Nation towards Crossfit cultists (the puke clown thing has to stop), I am always a fan of any method to get people to embrace compound lifting as long as they learn proper form.

Like with a lot of huge fitness brands, there's good things and bad things. I personally don't enjoy that style of training but it says something about the good eggs when guys like Mark Rippetoe and Jim Wendler are willing to do seminars at Crossfit gyms.

To OP, don't be afraid to check into your instructor/coach's credentials. Crossfit boxes, as well as Joe Schmo gyms, have a HUGE variation in the quality of coaching offered. You can be "Crossfit" certified just from a weekend class. Make sure the people you're handing your money to are giving you a quality product (as with anything).

[Flay-]

To OP, don't be afraid to check into your instructor/coach's credentials. Crossfit boxes, as well as Joe Schmo gyms, have a HUGE variation in the quality of coaching offered. You can be "Crossfit" certified just from a weekend class. Make sure the people you're handing your money to are giving you a quality product (as with anything).

A good way to do this is to go to crossfit.com and look up their affiliates.

[Bonercoaster]

Crossfit is a bad program. Whether your goal is to get fit, lose weight, improve athletic performance etc.... There are always MUCH better programs than Crossfit. All these Crossfitters talk about being all around fit, and the most complete athletes, when in reality unless you were in bad shape before crossfit, the athletic improvement you see will be minimal at best. You're much better off doing a strength program with some power movements added in (cleans, weighted squat jumps etc) 3x week with HIIT cardio, and speed and plyometrics 2 days a week instead of doing crossfit.

[Deleted]

Crossfit is a bad program. Whether your goal is to get fit, lose weight, improve athletic performance etc.... There are always MUCH better programs than Crossfit. All these Crossfitters talk about being all around fit, and the most complete athletes, when in reality unless you were in bad shape before crossfit, the athletic improvement you see will be minimal at best. You're much better off doing a strength program with some power movements added in (cleans, weighted squat jumps etc) 3x week with HIIT cardio, and speed and plyometrics 2 days a week instead of doing crossfit.

Next time someone comes up to me and asks me how to get fit I'll just say:

"Do a strength program with power moves, 3 sessions of HIIT and plyometrics" and take a pic of their reaction.

[Flay-]

Man Reqq, that made me laugh. kudos.

[Souma]

Raht is probably a fatty. I've been crossfitting for 6 months now. Went from 192 to 161. My body fat % dropped from about 15% to 6%. When you enter into crossfit you get what you put into it; workout hard and eat clean.

Way to get personal right away there, and 6% bodyfat? that's really really quite low, how tall are you?

[Flay-]

Way to get personal right away there, and 6% bodyfat? that's really really quite low, how tall are you?

I'm 5'9. Theoretically measuring bfp due to height/weight ratio isn't that great. I don't want to have to spend the money on some institution to give me the correct number; i'm really just rounding down.

[Projali]

I'm 5'9. Theoretically measuring bfp due to height/weight ratio isn't that great. I don't want to have to spend the money on some institution to give me the correct number; i'm really just rounding down.

You're aware that 6% is pretty much what an onstage bodybuilder is at right?

[Strah]

Oh, the infamous "crosshit".

As someone has already stated - there are much better things you can do if you're a beginner - such as Starting Strength or Stronglifts.

[sockzz]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh1nV3s4ioU

/thread

[Souma]

You're aware that 6% is pretty much what an onstage bodybuilder is at right?

Yeah this exactly.

[Lockstatus]

6% is something like for reference. You can only healthily sustain 6% for a few days with a strict diet and is the aim for competition bodybuilders. Should probably round UP for guessing bodyfat levels and then add some since everyone always overestimates their %.

As for crossfit, I've never tried it and am basing everything off of what I've heard and what little I've seen. I would probably never do it since they don't focus (correct me if I'm wrong!) on lifting heavy and seem to incorporate more circuit training and general fitness exercises rather than loading up the bar. I do have a problem though with all the kipping in the vids I've seen where everyone is doing their 50 muscle ups etc... Seems rather unproductive and dangerous to kip and swing like that. Though if it's getting you off the couch, can't really complain.

[nycter]

Starting off with crossfit is a very good beginning. Depending on how you or your coach writes your programming you might need to add something different to your workout. 6-8% bodyfat isn't bodybuilder levels. 3-5% is more of their range along with olympic endurance/sprinting athletes. Kipping is a more functional movement than a strict pullup but you need both. Strict is for muscle strength, kipping is coordination. Are therer bad coaches in crossfit? ya. All of them? no do your research and follow common sense. eat right workout often and supplement when neccesary and yes you can achieve a decent bf and be fit.