Crossfit has come on the workout scene relatively recently, and now that Reebok has fully thrown its support behind it with a series of commercials for their crossfit centered products, even more attention has been brought to this “extreme” routine as of late. Given some of this recent attention, and finding that I’d grown bored with my sometimes effective workout routine, I set out on a quest to find something new. Having heard of crossfit through the grapevine, read articles on it (I’d suggest this one from Men’s Health http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/cult-crossfit ) and being no stranger to group exercise, I determined it was worth a shot. Since thanksgiving I’ve been doing it on a regular basis, and with my 3 months’ experience serving as a caveat, here’s my review of this, not so routine, routine.
The pros:
The great pace and variety of workouts coupled with social support from trainers and fellow crossfiters, leaves you with a feeling of accomplishment at the end of most workouts. That it’s in a group exercise format with set goals and intragroup competition means that there exists a supportive culture which produces the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation needed to succeed.
The cons:
If you’re not familiar with a wide variety of weight lifting techniques, it will take you a while to get off the ground. It’s not unreasonable to think that it might take you a month or two of attending classes to start using heavy weights on some of the exercises, for the simple reason that you can’t use the weights you’re capable of using, until you get the technique down.
If you’re not capable of doing squats or you have a bad back, there’s a lot that you won’t be able to do. At least at the crossfit I go to, some variety of squats seem to take up about ½ the workout.
Not all crossfit locations are created equal. I think I got a pretty good one on the first try, since they seem to have plenty of well qualified staff and helpful interns who emphasize safety, give individual attention and design challenging, but doable, workouts on a daily basis. The horror stories I’ve heard seem to relate to extreme intensities and a lack of concern on the part of the staff, so you may want to keep an eye out for that.
Verdict:
Is it the best workout ever? Yes and no, but mostly yes. If you’re ok with your workout being a social experience, if you want some variety in your routine, and if you want a challenge no matter your level of fitness, then this might be for you.
If you’re more comfortable with a slow-paced, individualized workout involving an elliptical and flat screen tvs, then this is not going to be your jam. Likewise if you’re disciplined enough to do this sort of workout at a normal gym, you can save yourself some $ and create a similarly challenging workout in your own way.
But, if you’re anything like me and get bored easily, find excuses to cut workouts short, and discover that you’re not pushing yourself to your potential, crossfit will likely do you a lot of good.
P. S.
There is likely to be at least one brosef who will a) show up ½ hr before the 1 hr work out to get a couple more sets in, b) enjoy working out half-naked no matter his audience, and c) emit a guttural moan at the completion of a muscle up or similar workout.
Fair warning. Be prepared.
