So one day you probably see yourself in the mirror (I did this infact) and notice how bad you look. Maybe some manboobs here, love handles there, turkey neck and so on. Seeing all of this has motivated you to get off your lazy butt and hit the gym. Getting in shape is actually a tricky business, since there are a lot of traps that newcomers fall into, and get demotivated and off you go back to your original lifestyle. Because getting into shape is actually pretty tricky, you might think well let's give this CrossFit a try since they are literally everywhere and popular (for the wrong reason) as hell. However I advise you to stay away from CrossFit as there are better routines that will give you better results.
CrossFit is dangerous CrossFit focuses a lot of on high reps in a certain time limit. However this often produces dangerous and unintended results. First of all I believe weight training should never be about time because proper form is the most important aspect of weight training. Proper form is efficient, because all the muscles that the exercise is targeting is being worked and used, and it's safe. Safety always comes first and proper form is a key aspect of safety. Many CrossFit instructors just don't know or don't care about the correct form or there are just too many people for the instructors to watch so there are always people that perform exercises with the incorrect form.
A good example is the dead lift. To perform a dead lift you must keep your back straight at all times to engage your back muscles, which is a muscle group that the exercise targets, and to prevent injuries to your back while doing the exercise. When the dead lift is performed correctly, it's a wonderful exercise that involves the whole body and it's great for building functional strength. Infact it strengthens your back and teaches you one of the most important lessons, which is how to lift things with a straight back and using your whole body so you don't injure yourself.
Does this look like a straight back? Infact you can herniate your spinal discs which can be really painful and put you out of action for weeks.
Also my personal favorite....
Notice the hyperextended backs, note by hyperextending your back you can herniate your spinal disc whic can be really fucking painful. Also compare that to a proper power clean. (Note those plates are not full 45 lb plates, CrossFit make 10 lb weights full size plates and the barbell is not a standard 45 lb barbell as well.)
Infact there are many CrossFitters that injure themselves all the time and CAN NOT WAIT TO GO BACK TO INJURE THEMSELVES AGAIN. Honestly a lot of Injuries can be prevented if the correct form is used. Weight training is a fun activity and it should not be filled with injuries.
CrossFit is inefficient When people are placed under a time restraint, they tend not to complete the full range of motion of the exercise because it's easier and faster. This again goes back to efficiency, since proper form ensures the full range of motion is performed thus hitting all the muscles that the exercise is targetted. I see people all the time with huge triceps but no chest now what causes this problem? Well when they bench press, they do not allow the bar to drop to their chest, instead they only bend their arms 90 degrees or even 45 degress, this is not even half of the range of motion! As a result their chest is severely under developed. Remember full range of motion is efficient and safe. Being safe means you won't have to spend time to heal injuries and allow more gym time!
CrossFit doesn't really do anything... First take a look at this: Now ask yourself, which power lifter, olympic lifter, or body builder do CrossFit to build muscles. Honestly that image is far from the truth.
Now let's go by example shall we?
After years of CrossFit, they can't even squat anywhere close to double their body weight? Putting on muscle (bulking) and cutting fat (cutting) takes a lot of hard work and dedication. The way CrossFit trains you just won't let you do that. Also personal example, I've been hitting the gym for about 3 months and I can already squat 245 lb and I weigh 180 lb, and keep in mind I've been on a maintenance/cut diet and I just recently started bulking.
Edit:
Progression vs. Scaling One thing I forgot to mention actually is that CrossFit doesn't really have a beginners program. When someone is new to weight training, you can not load up a barbell and tell them to go dead lift it. What CrossFit do is they give a stick and tell you to dead lift that. That's called scaling since you are making them do the exercise with low or no weights. You simply just don't do that because it's dangerous in the long run because different muscle groups may not develope evenly or it just fails to develope any core (body) strength, and not to mention the dead lift is a difficult lift to perform by itself. What you should do is pick exercises that is easy and can improve your balance and core strength progressively then you say alright I'm strong enough to dead lift! Mark Rippetoe, the author of the tried and proven starting strength routine, and a former power lifter, doesn't make newbies squat or dead lift right away, because he knows a lot of people lack the core strength to do it. What he does is put newbies on the leg press, or have them do back exentions to build that core strength which is required to dead lift.
*Since I'm writing this telling you not to do CrossFit, I'll also write a guide/blog about how to actually train efficiently, and safely, and also more fun as well. Anyways you can ask me anything weight training related and I'll do my best to answer them.*
Nice post. I had to stop watching that second video like 30 seconds in...those girls look like they are going to drop the fucking weights straight onto their heads.
Oh my god that's disgusting looking at those videos.
I go to gym five days a week at my university gym - and the instructors/personal trainers there are so anal about form that they actually go around and help people not doing things right - no matter how small.
I've been doing gym for almost 3 years now, been bulking for two since I was just a bit skinny (not skinny but ya). Now I'm cutting since I have a really, really good size now. I was actually thinking about doing CrossFit - just at home or at the gym on my own accord - but reading what you wrote and a few other reviews from body builders (probs not the best source of info for CrossFit LOL).
Looks like I'll be staying with my usual HIIT training for cardio/cutting. T_T
On August 16 2012 13:01 Bigtony wrote: Nice post. I had to stop watching that second video like 30 seconds in...those girls look like they are going to drop the fucking weights straight onto their heads.
Rofl I watched the first two girls in the second video and had to stop watching. I couldn't bare watching it LOL. So bad! How can you record that and have the audacity to put it on youtube is beyond me.
Oh goodness, thank you so much for this. My stepmom goes daily, and is always begging me to go with. I went once, and completely hated it. I felt so rushed to get things done, because good balls I'm not going to let my step mom beat me through the routine. After the workout, I was dizzy, light-headed and felt like I was going to die. But I thought I was just out of shape.
The thanks comes, though, because I've been thinking about doing it daily anyway. Looking forward to your next blog, should be helpful.
The problem isn't that Crossfit is bad at all, your not supposed to hype up all this weight and stuff. You start out with simple PVC pipe and learn the form, then start out by perfecting the form with just the bar, then gradually add your weight. I made very fast gains while utilizing crossfit by doing the workouts correctly (Kip pullups went from 7 in a row, to 45 in a row, <3 months, dead hang pullups went from 5 to 31 in same time) Also my deadlift went from 210 to 400 in 3 months, I can jump on a 4 foot box consistantly without hurting myself (not too much), I can run 2 miles in 10 minutes (improved from 1254), also my clean and jerk went from 135 to 210 quite easily, snatch exact same, thruster got up to 220. These are not 1RM either, im talking what I use to consistantly do the workouts... It is like anything else, you have to take your time and learn the basics of each lift and what it does. People are idiots and program these insane workouts that will in reality fuck you up. Just follow a basic online WOD be it the actual crossfit wod or the brandx cf wod that is scaled to what level you are at.
I think Crossfitters have convinced themselves that since they are being 'functional' instead of 'bodybuilding' they can somehow not adhere to basic weightlifting protocol.
They also seem to have lost sight of the fact that exercise is not about performing an action but, rather, stimulating the body. You see this in exercises like 'muscle ups' where the whole emphasis is on getting your chin over the bar regardless of how you get there.
I hear there are good crossfit gyms and then alot of terrible ones. I just find it funny how people can take Glassman or whatever his name is, seriously. Crossfit is basically circuit training, but I mean if I'm going to do a strength and conditioning program, I"m going to a proper one, and not Crossfit. Isn't Rippetoe involved in founding Crossfit? I'm surprised they let these trainers teach bad form under Rippetoe's supervision.
Zumba and pilates are popular here. Cross-fit looks retarded, and I don't think we have it here. I think zumba is retarded, but I won't tell the people who like zumba.
Pilates looks retarded too, but it's better on my joints imo, and a good workout too.
Okay. To get things clear so you understand where I come from: I do crossfit and have done so for 1 year 3 times a week. I'm not a fanatic that think crossfit is special or the best thing, but I still have to disagree.
The gym I go to very rarely have weight lifting when doing something timed. Weight lifting are usually 5x5 or something similar in your own pace. Furthermore they care a lot about form. If you don't do it right they correct it and tell you to take of weight. They advocate full range motion in every exercise (also during timed).
I'm not saying that this happens in every crossfit gym with every trainer just as I'm annoyed that you saying that crossfit is shit across the board.
You seem to focus a lot on the weight lifted and if you want to lift heavy stuff you should train lifting heavy stuff. I've improved my own 1RM by quite a bit, but with only 3xweek and not focusing on weight I haven't gained as much as I could. But I have improved in other areas like flexibility, cardio and coordination aswell during this time. What I like about crossfit is the varity of the workout. Its almost never the same that we do and that keeps me highly motivated. Thats the biggest factor for why I do crossfit is that it motivate me to come back and train more. If lifting weights or doing zumba is motivating for you then you should do that and not listening to people who advocate one type of workout over another.
It's just wrong to say that crossfit is bad. Period. Lifting weights without proper form is bad - but that have nothing to do with Crossfit. Not doing full range emotion is bad. Again nothing to do with crossfit.
On August 16 2012 17:15 Dirkzor wrote: Okay. To get things clear so you understand where I come from: I do crossfit and have done so for 1 year 3 times a week. I'm not a fanatic that think crossfit is special or the best thing, but I still have to disagree.
The gym I go to very rarely have weight lifting when doing something timed. Weight lifting are usually 5x5 or something similar in your own pace. Furthermore they care a lot about form. If you don't do it right they correct it and tell you to take of weight. They advocate full range motion in every exercise (also during timed).
I'm not saying that this happens in every crossfit gym with every trainer just as I'm annoyed that you saying that crossfit is shit across the board.
You seem to focus a lot on the weight lifted and if you want to lift heavy stuff you should train lifting heavy stuff. I've improved my own 1RM by quite a bit, but with only 3xweek and not focusing on weight I haven't gained as much as I could. But I have improved in other areas like flexibility, cardio and coordination aswell during this time. What I like about crossfit is the varity of the workout. Its almost never the same that we do and that keeps me highly motivated. Thats the biggest factor for why I do crossfit is that it motivate me to come back and train more. If lifting weights or doing zumba is motivating for you then you should do that and not listening to people who advocate one type of workout over another.
It's just wrong to say that crossfit is bad. Period. Lifting weights without proper form is bad - but that have nothing to do with Crossfit. Not doing full range emotion is bad. Again nothing to do with crossfit.
Actually you're right I know some gyms that just use the name to get more members, but they completely abandon the really dumb training regiments that CrossFit uses and goes with more of a standard functional strength training routine such as strong lift 5x5 which is the routine I still use somewhat although heavily modified. However from what I've been looking online, those kind of gyms are really hard to find and seriously consider yourself lucky that you found a gym like that.
Basically standard CrossFit sucks because conventional circuit training is safer and better for muscle hypertrophy, and it's seriously pretty dangerous, and Olympic style lifts are not meant to be done with infinite reps or against the clock in rushed manner. Also kipping pullups, they're dumb and bad. Don't do them.
My gym have its own WOD calender. They don't use the official WOD from the crossfit HQ. I don't really understand what you mean by standard crossfit being bad? Crossfit is just a mix of different kinds of training: Weight lifting, gymnastic, aerobic, yoga etc..
About kipping. I have no clue what its supposed to do. I've heard its just to incoporate cardio in the pull ups? Seen the jumping Pull ups? I usually don't do kipping because my shoulder strenght aren't good enough to hold me when i come down from the kip.
Mainly the timed stuff and infinite rep Olympic liffs; like I said earlier Olympic lifts are NOT MEANT TO BE DONE WITH INIFINTE REPS OR TIMED. Honestly I still think the progression vs. scaling is still a major issue because a lot of people just lack the strength to even jump into your average WOD routine. They even say their routines are meant to push even the fittest people to their limits, now think about your average person trying to get into shape.
Dear god.... I just got done doing new heavier weights on my deadlifts 2 days ago and I still feel sore. I spent the next few days going over and over in my mind how well my form was since I don't want to look like an idiot newbie at the gym.
These Crossfit people seriously just don't give a fuck about form at all do they? That girl doing the deadlift was not using her ass at all... That back is going to snap one day, what the fuck is she so happy about. I just hope that people don't think I'm doing Crossfit when I'm practicing to get my form right with a weightless oly bar....
I completely agree, I have a few friends into crossfit and they keep trying to get me to do it, but there is no way in hell. I'm pretty serious when it comes to form in weight lifting, my motto is what is the fucking point if your gonna do it wrong, and that is all that crossfit is!
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