Tell me about CrossFit

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Coleman

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So I've been spending some time over on the CrossFit boards reading up on it and I like the sounds of it. Is it actually effective? The people on the boards seem to say so but I would like some other opinions.

I like the idea of whole body workouts that are varied but I'm not so sure about some things about it. Some of the workouts have you do things like 300 push ups and 200 body weight squats. Things like that just don't seem effective.

I would like to start doing some of the workout of the day's and some of the workouts that are named after females (these workouts are always the same and are used to gauge how you have improved I think).

What do you guys think?
 
To hear the Crossfit folks tell it...it's the greatest. My opinion...it's OK.

My biggest gripe about the whole program is the perpetual "3 on, 1 off" schedule. For a program that is built around variety, why do they have such an inflexible schedule?

I don't like the fact that they are hung up on the Olympic lifts. I like the fact that they utilize the deadlift, but I still think they miss the boat. One of their recent workouts was deadlifts for 7 sets of 7 reps. Do I have to tell you how fucked up that is?

As with all general programs, it will benefit some athletes more than others. If I am an athlete with a strength defecit then Crossfit is about the last thing I want to be doing. Anyone who is serious about training will ascertain their weaknesses given the demands of their sport, and then structure a program to address those weaknesses. Crossfit is a cookie cutter program...everybody does the same workout regardless of who and what they are. Hey, that's great for "GPP junkies", but it doesn't help me if I am looking to be a competitive athlete.
 
They really are just GPP nazis. For people with no goals who only want to stay "in shape" it's ok (not great, not Ideal, not good, just ok). If you want to focus on specific improvement (be it for sport or to attack your own shortcomings) I advise that you look towards other means. They seem to beleive that there is one way to be the most fit and that defines the goal of their workout, when in fact fitness takes on many different forms when pertaining to different sports.

Ross Enamait once told me on something to the effect of "yeah, doing handstand pushups and walking on your hands and gymnastics moves may be difficult, but I'll knock their ass out as soon as they stand in front of me." He wasn't trying to be an asshole, he was saying that their workouts are not even close to ideal for people who have specific goals (be it training for boxing, MMA, grappling, full contact cooking, speed golf, etc.). Each sport, every goal, and each person is different and requires different attention. Somebody looking for a crossfit style routine might do well to get in touch with coach D and pay too much for one of his that is more catered to your needs.
 
Like Dash said, it's a general program. The drawback to anything like that is it's not being tailored to individual needs, sports specificity, equipment, individual mechanics etc.

That being said, it's a good place to go to get ideas for setting up your workout schedule, but I wouldn't just follow their daily workouts if you are training for something specific.
 
oh, and that all said, I use some of their bodyweight workouts (the ones named after women) for GPP.
 
Urban said:
oh, and that all said, I use some of their bodyweight workouts (the ones named after women) for GPP.
Click to expand...

Same here. That Cindy workout is a good general ass kicker. No doubt about it...they have had a positive effect on the S&C community and fitness in general. I especially commend them for their promotion of interval training. Their creative use of the Tabata protocol comes to mind.
 
I have definitely taken some of there ideas and added them as a compliment to my workout especially when i'm going stale and feel like skipping a work-out, just like i have gotten many ideas and new skills here off sherdog. I know they don't have a monopoly on enthusiasm for guerrilla-type work-outs but you got to love that kind of get in shape anywhere, anytime, any conditions attitude. Learning new movements can help see things from a different perspective and increase self knowledge two very important aspects of maritial arts.
 
i used their "fight gone bad" routine for a while. i liked it, but i would never follow their workout of the day. why? doesnt address my personal needs.
 
crossfit has the idea of intensity and low rest right for mma fighters. do a few workouts so you can get the general feel, then make up your own that are more specific to what you want.

heres an example of what i did today-

http://www.mmaathletes.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6915#post6915

i did this one to build some leg endurance, explosiveness in the upper body, and also some "sandbag" type work. hope this gives you an idea of how you can use the crossfit methods to suit you
 
wenispinkle said:
crossfit has the idea of intensity and low rest right for mma fighters. do a few workouts so you can get the general feel, then make up your own that are more specific to what you want.

heres an example of what i did today-

http://www.mmaathletes.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6915#post6915

i did this one to build some leg endurance, explosiveness in the upper body, and also some "sandbag" type work. hope this gives you an idea of how you can use the crossfit methods to suit you
Click to expand...

what are commando pushups? thats a great av, btw.
 
commando pullups. did i write pushups? ill have to go check.

theyre pullups with one hand in front of the other, so your hanging sideways, and your legs would be parallel to the bar if you did an L-sit. then you pullup to the sides of the bar
 
Thanks guys,

I wasn't planning on following the program to a T or anything. I just figured that it would be a good place to start because I'm currently lifting like a body builder would because its the only way I know how and I'm sure anything is better than that for MMA. I'm going to make my own workouts for sure, I just planned on borrowing some of the exercises and such from their site.
 
wenispinkle said:
commando pullups. did i write pushups? ill have to go check.

theyre pullups with one hand in front of the other, so your hanging sideways, and your legs would be parallel to the bar if you did an L-sit. then you pullup to the sides of the bar
Click to expand...


thanks. you did write pullups, i just cant read.
 
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