Crossfit and MMA...so what's the verdict?

[CauseImbetta]

Literature and opinions seem mixed.

I want to start crossfit on Monday to help my MMA game and get me more jacked.

Is this the right approach? How can it NOT help?? What does Firas Zahabi say about it? I know he is against 1 max reps because it taxes the CNS (Central Nervous System). But that is not all crossfit is about. Bj Penn does it and created fight gone bad! http://athletics.wikia.com/wiki/Fight_Gone_Bad

Lets look at the pros and cons:

PRO:

1. Raw Strength – Crossfit involves lifting heavy weight usually at low reps.

2. Anaerobic Endurance – Do to the intense and relatively short exercise duration in Crossfit, your body has to work in its anaerobic zone.

3. Muscular Endurance – Like with anaerobic endurance, the Crossfit athlete is required to perform high repetitions of athletic exercises making the heart work hard in order to get oxygen to those muscles to produce energy and remove lactic acid.

4. Mental Determination – Workouts often involve completing seemingly impossible repetitions of an exercise.

http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=84202

CON:

1. Heavy load on the central nervous system (CNS).

2. Must stop crossfit a few weeks before a fight.

3. Expensive.

Thoughts???

 

[LatFlare]

You misspelled #jakt

 

[Noodles03]

Tomorrow is my first day of Crossfit. I'm kind of nervous knowing that the girls there will be warming up with the same amount of weight that I used to max out with.

CauseImbetta, another option is to check out Joel Jamieson's book on conditioning for MMA.

 

[CauseImbetta]

Tomorrow is my first day of Crossfit. I'm kind of nervous knowing that the girls there will be warming up with the same amount of weight that I used to max out with.

CauseImbetta, another option is to check out Joel Jamieson's book on conditioning for MMA.

Will do. Let me know how your first day goes. Apparently CrossFit is comprised of 50% female and 50% male.

Ill let you know how mine goes on monday!

 

[Universal Kombat]

Will do. Let me know how your first day goes. Apparently CrossFit is comprised of 50% female and 50% male.

Ill let you know how mine goes on monday!

Cross fit... heh

 

[PUO3]

Crossfit is not the most effective means of training. For anything.

 

[belph]

Crossfit is not the most effective means of training. For anything.

Pretty much this. There are worse ways to go about things, but its far from best.

 

[Kiwi Tricker]

Pretty much this. There are worse ways to go about things, but its far from best.

Even for CrossFit itself.

 

[Noodles03]

Will do. Let me know how your first day goes. Apparently CrossFit is comprised of 50% female and 50% male.

Ill let you know how mine goes on monday!

My experience with Crossfit was very enjoyable and hard at the same time. The coaches are extremely nice and so were the members which made it a nice friendly environment. However I do recommend to go easy with some of there olympic style lifting since they are a complex movement and can be a liability issue once fatigue sets in by doing high repetition. But overall, I really enjoyed it.

 

[belph]

Even for CrossFit itself.

Which is hilarious.

 

[Genghiz]

No progressive maximal strength, plus no aerobic base building. It's pretty much just work capacity training all the time. Which is self limiting if you don't periodically go back and boost maximal strength and aerobic capacity.

Crossfit knows this too, which is why they have crossfit "football" and crossfit "endurance".

By itself it's just GPP, which isn't bad for the average dude looking to get a little fitter. But it'll only take you so far.

 

[DrBdan]

There are plenty of links in the FAQ

Q: What/who is crossfit?

A: CrossFit are at least somewhere along the right path. They generally focus on compound lifts (squats, deads, oly lifts etc) but are often criticized for their lack of planned progression and their frequent use of Olympic lifts for high reps which can lead to form breakdown. They follow a different workout each day and tend to focus more on conditioning than on max strength. While they are better than the vast majority of machine based, cookie cutter routines, we believe that there are better ways to train. To learn more go to Welcome to CrossFit: Forging Elite Fitness

Here is a good review of Crossfit:

A Review of Crossfit - The Sweat Pit

Here are a few threads discussing CrossFit:

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/crossfit-experiences-1037443/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/why-do-people-hate-crossfit-but-love-ross-973780/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/cross-fit-764628/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/truth-about-crossfit-904215/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/your-reasons-hating-loving-crossfit-1996511/

Q: What do you think of P90x? Why the hate for P90x? What about RushFit? Insanity? <insert latest DVD workout fad>?

A: If your goal is simply to get moving and become more active they are fine. If you have specific training goals (get stronger, faster, more powerful etc) there are better ways to do that which have already been discussed in this FAQ.

This topic has been done to death. See below for previous threads...

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/whats-your-thoughts-p90x-1290729/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/p90x-1124716/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/p90x-yoga-kenpo-1167614/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/p90x-pros-cons-1174380/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/p90x-muay-thai-training-988937/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/what-your-thoughts-p90x-977870/
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/muscle-confusion-real-992967/

This article discusses why programs like CrossFit and P90X shouldn't be used by serious athletes: Adaptation: Period, Persistence, and Prioritization

The last link that I made bigger is a good one to read.

If MMA is your focus then that means you have limited time to spend on general S&C. So accordingly you should make the most of that time by training in the most efficient ways and CrossFit is not that. You can get stronger, better conditioned, more flexible etc from CrossFit but you can do it faster and more effectively with programs that are designed for those specific qualities.

 

[Noodles03]

I also wanted to mentioned based on my observation during my first day at a Crossfit gym is that one there major flaws that I witnessed is that many of the crossfitters would sacrifice a bit of their form in order to complete their workout quicker in order to be in first place. Unfortunately I felled into this trap since I didn't wanted to get beaten by an older soccer mom.

 

[CauseImbetta]

I also wanted to mentioned based on my observation during my first day at a Crossfit gym is that one there major flaws that I witnessed is that many of the crossfitters would sacrifice a bit of their form in order to complete their workout quicker in order to be in first place. Unfortunately I felled into this trap since I didn't wanted to get beaten by an older soccer mom.

Ha....good point. My battle is with myself so at first i will not race with others. Actuality i already have good form (bodybuilder) so I'm not too worried. It may be easier for a bodybuilder to transition. i am very excited. So bored of my old gym. Thanks for sharing your impressions, I'll let you know mine on monday. Will you continue or quit? Maybe give it a month and see?

 

[Noodles03]

Thanks for sharing your impressions, I'll let you know mine on monday. Will you continue or quit? Maybe give it a month and see?

No problem and I'm looking forward to hear your first day experience at Crossfit. I was able to get an awesome deal for 2 months, however afterwards I'll quit since the regular monthly payments is a tad bit expensive which is over $150.

 

[tdluxon]

Literature and opinions seem mixed.

I want to start crossfit on Monday to help my MMA game and get me more jacked.

Is this the right approach? How can it NOT help?? What does Firas Zahabi say about it? I know he is against 1 max reps because it taxes the CNS (Central Nervous System). But that is not all crossfit is about. Bj Penn does it and created fight gone bad! http://athletics.wikia.com/wiki/Fight_Gone_Bad

Lets look at the pros and cons:

PRO:

1. Raw Strength – Crossfit involves lifting heavy weight usually at low reps.

2. Anaerobic Endurance – Do to the intense and relatively short exercise duration in Crossfit, your body has to work in its anaerobic zone.

3. Muscular Endurance – Like with anaerobic endurance, the Crossfit athlete is required to perform high repetitions of athletic exercises making the heart work hard in order to get oxygen to those muscles to produce energy and remove lactic acid.

4. Mental Determination – Workouts often involve completing seemingly impossible repetitions of an exercise.

http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=84202

CON:

1. Heavy load on the central nervous system (CNS).

2. Must stop crossfit a few weeks before a fight.

3. Expensive.

Thoughts???

Thing is I think it would be hard to train both at the same time and still give your body enough recovery time. But if you scheduled it right it would probably be good

 

[CauseImbetta]

No problem and I'm looking forward to hear your first day experience at Crossfit. I was able to get an awesome deal for 2 months, however afterwards I'll quit since the regular monthly payments is a tad bit expensive which is over $150.

Ok, I just got back from my first trial!! I am pumped! They let me jump right into a regular workout routine. Warmup: 3 sets of chinups x15 and pushups x15 back to back. Then 5 sets of front squats at 70% 1max rep for 10 reps. Then the crossfit workout, a little complicated but awesome: 5 sets of military press, deadlifts and kettle swings all timed (under 10 min). Wow!! I am still pumped. Here are my impressions, the pros and cons and conclusion:

PRO:
1. It's NO JOKE! They kick your lazy ass. I got so used to my daily bodybuilding routine, I got bored. I plateaued after 3 years. I don't push myself when I am alone. They bring out this primordial aggression I missed for so long. I miss being a caveman. Motivation is incredible. They help each other. They put on some man-tunes like Rage Against The Machine and get out the heavy ass iron. At the end I looked haggard like Private Pyle after a long run. Endurance will be though the roof.
2. Great way to meet people, really nice people. Plus hot girls, dayam.
3. Guidance. The coach took the time to teach me the form on every movement. Though I have been doing bodybuilding, I learned a lot about mass-building Olympic lifts and how to do them PROPERLY. Youtube doesn't cut it. If you can't do Olympic lifts or know about the basic 5x5 strength routine you are not serious about training.
4. Coach said i will not lose any of my muscle as this was a huge concern for me. I spent 3 years in the gym doing hypertrophy exercises. I wanted to compete on a stage. At my age it's hard now and I don't want to take PEDs (steroids). Coach said I will sustain my muscle, get better endurance and become stronger. My endurance is shit. Good news is I can also do bodybuilding hypertrophy training on other days since it's a psychological crutch. I cant let bodybuilding go for some reason. I will up my caloric intake, take creatine and I hope to be a more chiseled monster. I want to look like Rich Froning the Crossft Champ. I didn't sign up to look like Pee wee Herman.
Like my idol CT Fletcher once said (google him): how come you know everything about training, the name of every macronutrient and muscle fiber but you still look like a goddamn scarecrow?
5. This totally complements anything. I want do it with mma, my judo sessions, bodybuilding, gain overall strength and endurance.
It is no joke. I am quite sure I can pass the guard of a pencil neck that never lifted anything in their life.

CON:
1. The price. $155 per month. It's all supply and demand. They can make it expensive because guys like me thrive of the competition and adrenaline. They know if you get hooked, you cant stop. Crossfit is addictive. I am still totally pumped from that session I just had.
2. Are Olympic lifts really made for high reps? Sure, if you get hurt its your own fault in this sport, don't push too hard if you shouldn't be. It take smarts not to be a dumbass and avoid jumping it at 100% with moves you don't even know.

Conclusion:
1. If you can afford it, do it. It won't hurt you, it can make you stronger. If it bleeds we can kill it. Wait..wrong quote.
2. If you bad mouth CrossFit without ever trying it you can't be taken seriously. In my books you are a pussy. Just try it for free once.
3. MMA gyms are training with CrossFit style exercises anyway during conditioning sessions. Might as well succumb to the real deal. 4. I think if you can squeeze in realCrossFitt with your othter training you have an advantage.
4. If you don't want to get injured, you wont. Go at your pace.
5. I will be joining. I expect to bring down my body fat to 6%, gain some strength and over all fitness. I can't wait till I spar with some buddies in a few months from now!

Thanks for reading.

 

[TheeFaulted]

You must be trolling.

 

[selfcritical]

Crossfit is not the most effective means of training. For anything.

Including winning the games. Unless you have a very broad definition of crossfit (which HQ seems to have). Good preparation for the Games would probably be a decent place to start, but you'd simply be removing....basically all of the skills work and benchmark WODs.

 

[TheeFaulted]

I want to look like Rich Froning the Crossft Champ. I didn't sign up to look like Pee wee Herman.

You're not going to look like Rich Froning by doing Crossfit. Rich Froning doesn't even Crossfit, he just competes in Crossfit.