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The official gym & weightlifting thread! rep #3

#3
I did CrossFit for almost a year - from June 2009 to May 2010. There are some really great things about it, and some negatives as well. The negatives (for me) outweighed the positives, so I stopped.

Pros:
Community - there is a GREAT sense of community in CrossFit gyms. Everyone I met was friendly, and helpful when it came to encouragement during a workout or a given technique. They are also supportive of diet & healthy living.

Exposure to new areas of physical culture - CrossFit is an amalgam of gymnastics, powerlifting, olympic lifting, traditional calisthenics, and running (somewhat). Prior to walking into a CrossFit gym, I had no idea what a "squat" or "deadlift" was, nor how to do them properly.

Competitive drive - most CF workouts are timed, which is a great way to inspire competition. It is also a negative, which I'll get to. While everyone says you are competing against yourself, forcing yourself to get one more repetition than the guy (girl) next to you is a good way to drive improvement.

Variety - Don't worry about doing the same powerlifting or bodybuilding training or running the same path every week - each workout is different. You might do some olympic lifts one day, and then do nothing but run & do pullups the next.

Free information - the main website of CF provides a free workout every day. There is a TON of information available on their website. The more motivated you are to find out - the better you'll do.

Scaling - Most CF workouts can be scaled to your physical fitness / level of ability. There is a LOT of information on how to scale. Doing the workouts as posted can be harmful.

Diet - CF is closely associated with the "paleo diet", which is essentially a low-carb, non-processed food diet. Eating clean + high intensity exercise works. (imagine that...)

Cons:
Specific training goals - for the most part, there aren't any. Part of the allure of CF is that you are prepared for anything, at any time. While your GPP (general physical preparedness) increases, and your lifts might get better overall (or run time, or calisthenics, etc.), they will never be as good as specific training. If you want to be able to lift heavy - train to lift heavy. If you want to run fast - train running. You might be able to put 50lbs on your back squat, but you won't put 200lbs on your back squat. You will, however, become much better at CF.

Workout Programming - ties in with specific training goals. A vast majority of workouts appear random - and they are. Some trainers are better at selecting complementary exercises than others.

Cost - If you join a CF gym, the monthly fees are VERY costly. It is not unusual to spend $100 to 150/month, which typically equates to $10-$12 per session. Not too shabby for small class training, especially when you get a decent amount of personal attention.

Competition - competition is great, however, it leads to "slop" in the movements as people become fatigued. Less than ideal form on any exercise can lead to injury. CF executives have mentioned that 20% slop is okay. I disagree. You might finish first at your local CF gym, but to what end? For me - I want to improve over the long run, not just "win" a 20 minute workout on a Wednesday afternoon.

It is a great program overall, and I recommend trying it out for yourself to investigate the effects. I have very specific training goals (being a competitive power lifter), and CF doesn't really help me towards that.
 
#4
I do, but this is yet another thing where you will get conflicting advice from different sources. Also, some say to "load" it at first, some say that's not necessary. Ive been taking a couple of tsp every morning, including off days.

The last few weeks I'e been taking an additional 2 tsp just before my workouts, but I haven't noticed any difference from the extra servings. I dont think im going to continue that because it makes me a bit nauseous for a while after I take it & that's not something I want while working out. In the past i have taken it after my workouts and that seemed to work fine, but I don't really know if anything more than 2 tsp a day is just being wasted or not.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've noticed a lot of sources saying different things. Some say you need to take it immediately before or after your workout, and some say it doesn't matter when you take it.
 
#6
Good to hear :) To be honest, I haven't noticed too much of a difference yet in either my workouts or my recovery periods. That said, I haven't been taking it for more than about a week and a half, so I'm not too discouraged by my results just yet.
 
#8
jmattbassplaya said:
Good to hear :) To be honest, I haven't noticed too much of a difference yet in either my workouts or my recovery periods. That said, I haven't been taking it for more than about a week and a half, so I'm not too discouraged by my results just yet.
Click to expand...

IIRC, if you don't load up it takes a month or so to take effect, and that was my experience, so you're right for not being discouraged.
 
#9
Mixed bag of results, loading doesn't do any harm, but it isn't recorded as being needed for benefits.

As with nutrients like this, your body only metabolises so much of it, the rest goes to waste.

IME it didn't make a huge difference, just helped with that last rep (but heck, that could also have been a mental thing), but the impact of supplimental creatine also depends on your body chemistry.
 
#11
Chebass88 said:
I did CrossFit for almost a year - from June 2009 to May 2010. There are some really great things about it, and some negatives as well. The negatives (for me) outweighed the positives, so I stopped.

Pros:
Community - there is a GREAT sense of community in CrossFit gyms. Everyone I met was friendly, and helpful when it came to encouragement during a workout or a given technique. They are also supportive of diet & healthy living.

Exposure to new areas of physical culture - CrossFit is an amalgam of gymnastics, powerlifting, olympic lifting, traditional calisthenics, and running (somewhat). Prior to walking into a CrossFit gym, I had no idea what a "squat" or "deadlift" was, nor how to do them properly.

Competitive drive - most CF workouts are timed, which is a great way to inspire competition. It is also a negative, which I'll get to. While everyone says you are competing against yourself, forcing yourself to get one more repetition than the guy (girl) next to you is a good way to drive improvement.

Variety - Don't worry about doing the same powerlifting or bodybuilding training or running the same path every week - each workout is different. You might do some olympic lifts one day, and then do nothing but run & do pullups the next.

Free information - the main website of CF provides a free workout every day. There is a TON of information available on their website. The more motivated you are to find out - the better you'll do.

Scaling - Most CF workouts can be scaled to your physical fitness / level of ability. There is a LOT of information on how to scale. Doing the workouts as posted can be harmful.

Diet - CF is closely associated with the "paleo diet", which is essentially a low-carb, non-processed food diet. Eating clean + high intensity exercise works. (imagine that...)

Cons:
Specific training goals - for the most part, there aren't any. Part of the allure of CF is that you are prepared for anything, at any time. While your GPP (general physical preparedness) increases, and your lifts might get better overall (or run time, or calisthenics, etc.), they will never be as good as specific training. If you want to be able to lift heavy - train to lift heavy. If you want to run fast - train running. You might be able to put 50lbs on your back squat, but you won't put 200lbs on your back squat. You will, however, become much better at CF.

Workout Programming - ties in with specific training goals. A vast majority of workouts appear random - and they are. Some trainers are better at selecting complementary exercises than others.

Cost - If you join a CF gym, the monthly fees are VERY costly. It is not unusual to spend $100 to 150/month, which typically equates to $10-$12 per session. Not too shabby for small class training, especially when you get a decent amount of personal attention.

Competition - competition is great, however, it leads to "slop" in the movements as people become fatigued. Less than ideal form on any exercise can lead to injury. CF executives have mentioned that 20% slop is okay. I disagree. You might finish first at your local CF gym, but to what end? For me - I want to improve over the long run, not just "win" a 20 minute workout on a Wednesday afternoon.

It is a great program overall, and I recommend trying it out for yourself to investigate the effects. I have very specific training goals (being a competitive power lifter), and CF doesn't really help me towards that.
Click to expand...

Holy detailed response! Thanks so much for this!

My goal is basically to improve my overall fitness and particularly core strength and flexibility and to have something intense as a complement to mountain biking. It's appealing because of the group atmosphere, availability of coaching and because the local gym is 1 minute from my office and 3 minutes from my house. I find it difficult to push myself as hard as I should when working out alone at the gym so I'm hoping Crossfit will help.
 
#12
Mark Reccord said:
Holy detailed response! Thanks so much for this!

My goal is basically to improve my overall fitness and particularly core strength and flexibility and to have something intense as a complement to mountain biking. It's appealing because of the group atmosphere, availability of coaching and because the local gym is 1 minute from my office and 3 minutes from my house. I find it difficult to push myself as hard as I should when working out alone at the gym so I'm hoping Crossfit will help.
Click to expand...

There's a small but committed group of Crossfit enthusiasts that workout regularly at my indoor rock climbing gym, which incidently has two power racks (squat racks) and an Olympic lift platform- in addition of course to all the climbing walls.

By the way, that's why I'm enjoying getting into rock climbing and the associated training, for many of the same reasons you are listed, it's just more fun to train and participate in a sport that has a supportive community that gives encouragement, advice, and a little friendly competition.
 
#14
Nothing too much to say these days as studying for finals has been keeping me out of the gym much more than usual. I did max out the leg press and calf raise machine the other day, and I'm getting close to maxing out one of the row machines, too, which is a pretty cool feeling considering where I started and where I am now. I'm also down to between 8-10% body fat, which is the lowest I've ever been. I'm looking to pick up biking this summer for some fun cardio.
 
#16
back at it a week now, the new supplement has added 4.2 lbs of lean body weight since last thursday. My BF% was still the same this morning. It seems I was a bit lacking in that particular "nutrient". I've also changed my lifting style from HIT to the more conventional pyramid scheme. 3-4 exercises per body part, 2-3 sets each. reps 10-15. My joints needed a break from all of the massive weight. I'll train this way for another 4-6 week and probably go back to HIT style.
 
#17
Not to rain on your parade, but it definitely wasn't 4.2lbs of muscle mass - most likely you're retaining extra water weight, which can be caused for any number of reasons.

Let me put it to you this way, unless you're under 21 years of age, or unless you have PERFECT nutrition, the best one can hope to gain in a year is around 15lbs of lean muscle mass. And even then that means that you're one of the few people with AMAZING genetics which will allow you to put on mass easily. Most people can expect to see something more between 8-10lbs in a year.

If you're putting on 1-1.5lbs of muscle a month you're doing well. Anything more than that is something else entirely - unless you're juicing :hiding:
 
#18
I plan on busting out our 10+ year old total gym and cleaning it off to use this summer. I also cleaned off and starting using our 20+ year old exercise bike recently.

Yay for vintage equipment! Heh.. also started doing light strength exercises with elastic bands which work surprisingly well.

Sadly the only way for me to gain any actual weight would be some kind of protein I imagine. It doesn't matter what or how much I eat, no weight gain and working out only gives me definition, not mass. We'll see if I decide to pull the trigger this summer.
 
#19
Sonic_Death said:
I plan on busting out our 10+ year old total gym and cleaning it off to use this summer. I also cleaned off and starting using our 20+ year old exercise bike recently.

Yay for vintage equipment! Heh.. also started doing light strength exercises with elastic bands which work surprisingly well.

Sadly the only way for me to gain any actual weight would be some kind of protein I imagine. It doesn't matter what or how much I eat, no weight gain and working out only gives me definition, not mass. We'll see if I decide to pull the trigger this summer.
Click to expand...

There's a lot that can be said here, but honestly everyone has the potential to put on muscle mass. The thing is, however, is that it takes a LONG time and it takes a lot of dedication both to working out and (more importantly) nutrition. Also, the way your body is structured can matter a lot in whether or not you're going to see results quickly or not.

You need to be working out with heavy weights (while using proper technique) at least 4 times a week, and you also need to be eating properly. This means getting in enough protein in your diet, as well as cutting back on a lot of fatty, sugary, unhealthy foods that do nothing but slow progress, make it harder to see results, and give you the false impression of putting on muscle mass when you're actually just putting on extra fat.
 

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