CrossFit

StrontiumDog said:
The idea of crossfit appeals to me, but as I am short and lean, I'd rather put in time at gym to gain muscle mass and strength first. If I wanted to enter the Crossfit Open I would not currently cope with the weights that the men have to lift overhead. e.g. lifting 42kg for 10 x overhead squats, etc... IMO, the ideal crossfit height and weight for men is around 5'10" and 75-80kg with the appropriate strength levels to go with that build.

As I can't do anything about getting taller, all I can do is try and get my power to mass ratio off the charts before I have any hope of excelling at crossfit :p

http://games.crossfit.com/workouts/the-open#tabs-1
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Two of our coaches (guy and girl) are a lot shorter than me. Currently I'm around your ideal 5'10" and exactly 80kg, if that gives an idea. So don't let that scare you :)

Also don't forget that you can scale your weights down to suit you. Everything in CrossFit is structured so that it can be scaled up or down for anyone. Hell even now I still wouldn't dare competing at the games as I still struggle at the ladies Rx levels, never mind the guys.

However that said, the best is to follow your own instinct. Else you won't feel like you own the process and quit soon after :)
 
What I meant to say was that it would be a long hard road to becoming competitive or just not embarrassing myself in the Crossfit Open. So definitely would have to go the route of scaled down weights for a long while if i gave it a try.

e.g. Met up with someone I know at the gym the other day. I think he's only stepped foot in there a couple of times this year and is out of shape. I was benching 80% of my body weight for 5 reps and several sets. He walks in and hasn't even warmed up and benches the same for like 10 reps. Granted he weighs 40kg more than me and is about about 10 inches taller! OK, by the end of the workout I was pushing more than him but that is due to conditioning. My point being, genetics is a great thing to have on your side :p With a bit of work he could be a beast.
 
[video=youtube;qnjYyfkcaNI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnjYyfkcaNI[/video]
 
^ :)

You know for a while I also wondered about the kipping pull-up. There is also another technique some prefer that they call butterfly pull-up, but I haven't attempted that yet. Another one is the toes-to-bar kip, my hands get a bit shredded doing this without gloves.
 
I particularly enjoyed the wall balls, shown in this vid ;)

[video=youtube_share;-NxeMsKqsdQ]http://youtu.be/-NxeMsKqsdQ?t=1m46s[/video]
 
Wall balls are the things I dislike the most at Crossfit, but it is one of the best exercises.
 
Deacon101 said:
I've heard crossfit is expensive but can't find info on costs?
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Where are you based. Cost will depend on which 'box' you want to go to. Boxes in remote areas may charge much less, say a few hundred per month. Boxes in more upmarket areas might be say 1.5k for unlimited sessions per month. Drop in rates, paying per session it's maybe around R125 per session.
 
StrontiumDog said:
Where are you based. Cost will depend on which 'box' you want to go to. Boxes in remote areas may charge much less, say a few hundred per month. Boxes in more upmarket areas might be say 1.5k for unlimited sessions per month. Drop in rates, paying per session it's maybe around R125 per session.
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Thanks!
I'm in Benoni, there are a couple around here I can look into....those price really are high though! Is it really worth it?
 
Deacon101 said:
Thanks!
I'm in Benoni, there are a couple around here I can look into....those price really are high though! Is it really worth it?
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It depends on your goals. Also, what is your current fitness level?

edit: IMO, get to a decent fitness level first before trying Crossfit. But something like a group class thing if you struggle to find motivation on your own. So boot camp, things like that. Then when this gets a little boring after a couple of months then look for the next challenge.

Silly paying 1k per month to get somewhat fit when you can pay like R300 instead to get to the same level of fitness. As a beginnner it's not hard to be challenged. CF is very challenging and you will reap the most rewards only when you get really fit, again IMO.
 
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So in Dec, I got myself a personal trainer...ok, he stalked me, and gave me the whole....if you really want develop the physique you want, you need some guidance, motivation...blah,blah blah spiel....anyways, said what the hell....we are now in month two...we doing functional and weight training + conditioning...---holy crap, ****...the first lesson, all I wanted to do is curl up into a ball...and try not to puke....hell that is most of the time during training....thought I was in ok shape, you know...run like three times a week and practice yoga....oh hell no....-he mixes up my training, so you never know what new hell he has in store...48 hours after doing legs, I walk rather gingerly,....I feel stronger, not making a complete ass of myself when doing the pull up bar routine thing...so I guess I am not wasting my money...
 
@yebocan, how often do you train with him? Getting enough recovery time? He sounds good, what does he charge?
 
As with all other exercises, be very careful. Google what happened to Kevin Ogar. What a freak accident. If the heap of plates weren't stacked behind him, nothing would have happened. :eek:
 
StrontiumDog said:
@yebocan, how often do you train with him? Getting enough recovery time? He sounds good, what does he charge?
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Twice a week, with bit of running over the weekend ....Pay R1560 for 8 sessions...Takes about 48 hours for me to really feel the last session, but by next session, a 8 min warm up and I am ready to work the other muscle groups.
 
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Slootvreter said:
As with all other exercises, be very careful. Google what happened to Kevin Ogar. What a freak accident. If the heap of plates weren't stacked behind him, nothing would have happened. :eek:
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http://physiodetective.com/2014/01/...cident-a-freak-accident-not-crossfit-related/
Opinion:
My suspicion is that he had a stress fracture in his back (maybe even bilateral (non-congenital) pars defects?) and it gave way as he was standing the lift up.
Reasoning:
If he was to fail that lift as I have seen many people do before, he would have squatted back down and dropped it behind him or just throw the bar in front.
So i don’t think the bar broke his back, I think he had a pre-existing, possibly undiganosed issue in his back which catastrophically and unpredictably failed as he stood the bar up.
Experienced lifters just don’t fail a lift like that.
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IIRC other reasons i had seen for him getting injured was bad programming by the organisers that would have fatigued him hence creating the perfect storm that led to the freak accident.
 
StrontiumDog said:
http://physiodetective.com/2014/01/...cident-a-freak-accident-not-crossfit-related/


IIRC other reasons i had seen for him getting injured was bad programming by the organisers that would have fatigued him hence creating the perfect storm that led to the freak accident.
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I have read that analysis of what happened, but that was someone defending CrossFit, after reading alot of comments from idiots slamming crossfit for this. There are many videos showing the bar bouncing off the blue bumper plates and hitting him in the lower back before rolling away. Also the way he 'jumped' forward. Either way, it does not matter, it's a freak accident and it's horrifying, but it comes with the territory. Had those plates not been there, the bar would have just rolled backwards. :(
 
True. You want to have a clear space around you when lifting, especially a lift like that. Not plates or some idiot nochalantly walking nearby you as you lift.

On a related note, I don't know if you saw the latest debacle at the OC Throwdown involving hurdles and people falling on their backs when failing the jumps...
 
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