CrossFit

[Myka]

Thanks for the comments guys, although my own comments were really more of a "Hey this is pretty cool!".

Originally Posted by reefermadness

Dang Mindy those are great lifts for someone who is fairly new to power lifting/those lifts. Sounds like a pretty cool gym.

Yeah it is a pretty cool gym! I'm sooo not a gym person, but I really get motivated with the group classes. The gym just moved to a new location before Christmas, now sporting 17,000 square feet!

Originally Posted by sirruckus

the break down of cross fit:

the good:

good for loosing weight, and just increasing your athletic abilities, satisfying those people who think anything is "boring", team atmosphere, new challenges every work out. no other sport has introduced as many people to the barbell as crossfit.

the bad:

not a efficient tool for training (training is the repetition of a similar workout to train something, i.e. increase bench press), the not so good coaches outweigh the good coaches by quite a bit (getting a certificate within a week of going to a seminar doesn't make you a good coach), injuries are quite common - many people go home thinking they did great and they really took it to their back, little do they know - they should be taking a week or two off to let their actual injuries heal. most of the works outs aren't new, but just simply advertised by crossfit.

in the end - if you enjoy it and see results you like, there is nothing wrong with doing cross fit, or any other fad (because crossfit is just that, something else will come along). Just be safe, and do your own studying of what is correct form for exercises that can really hurt you - dead lifts, squats, cleans & jerks etc. (because if most people have just walked off the street with little to no previous training and haven't been reamed out for crappy form multiple times, chances are your coaches aren't looking at form close enough).

I have nothing to compare to the gym I go to, but having said that all the trainers/coaches are weightlifters or competitive Crossfitters that have been lifting for years. They focus VERY MUCH on technique and get people to do slightly different exercises if they are not able to do the movement properly. Also, when we are doing "1 rep max" workouts that are typically done "to failure" we get cut off as soon as our form starts to wane. I've heard every single coach there say many times, "NO UGLY LIFTS!". Also, if you've only been to the gym for a few months they won't even let you do a "1 rep max". Everyday I see coaches telling people that's their last lift, but people know this too, and always agree or stop themselves. Same as if we are doing "Wall Ball" and the prescribed workout is 14/18 lbs (women/men), many people will choose lighter balls.

I went to a Powerlifting competition recently and I saw a couple scary lifts. I don't see that at the gym I go to.

If anyone is interested to see the gym (biggest CrossFit gym in Canada, 5th largest in North America) or the workouts, here's the gym I go to: www.synergystrength.ca