has anyone ever done this before? I have a few acquaintences that do it and swear by it. it looks like a hard core, fast paced, quick and dirty work out. I am wondering if it would fit into a busy schedule since it's pretty short, if it would compliment a running training program, and just any other general thoughts/comments/experiences anyone has.
I do Crossfit on occasion. DH found it through a friend when he was trying to spice his workouts up and passed a couple of the routines on to me. I forget what their names are and I modified them to match my own abilities, but there are 2 that I do when I'm getting bored with my strength training routine. They both mix some cardio with various bodyweight exercises (push ups, sit ups, squats, etc) and only last 30 minutes.
The day the free milk paid off -- November 11, 2006.
DH does CrossFit and he loves it. He says the workouts themselves are 20 - 30 minutes but you cannot just jump into the workout, you have to warm-up first. DH's class takes about 45 mins to 1 hour. 15 mins of warm-up, 15 mins of instruction learning new techniques and lifts, then the workout. Shorter workouts are 5-10 mins and some can take as long as 20 - 30 mins. He says it is a good idea for the instruction because most people have never done olympic lifting and gymnastic movements before. The longer you do it though the shorter your workouts will be. The biggest thing is to keep in mind that everything can and should be scaled as you start out in terms of weight, duration, reps, etc. Don't be intimidated by the workouts that are listed because it can all be scaled to your fitness level.
With regard to running, many endurance athletes feel that these shorter anaerobic workouts actually increase their ability to run. There are marathon runners and triathletes who have done no other training other than CrossFit and they are improving their times. But if you are running more than like a 10K you may need supplemental running for the skeletal conditioning. DH is not a strong runner at all and just with CrossFit he was able to do a 5K easily without ever running before. They also advocate a style of running that increases speed and efficiency. I've actually tried it and it is a huge difference when running. It's called the POSE method and is supposed to make your running more efficient while reducing the number of injuries through their technique.
But expect to be more sore than you've ever been in your life. It has prime athletes and seasoned CrossFiters puking after a workout. But you will get into amazing shape.
"It's so easy to laugh, it's so easy to hate, it takes guts to be gentle and kind" ~ The Smiths
DS1 6.29.06 ~:~ DS2 10.7.10
I did Crossfit for about 8 months and really liked it. I stopped going primarily because of the cost ($150/month). I'm not the "typical" Crossfit-er because I was never in anything athletic when I was younger, never run more than about 5 minutes at a time (running 5 km is not an unusual workout at Crossfit), and was very out of shape. I was completely out of my comfort zone, but I could see it make drastic changes to my body fast. If you can afford to do it, I would highly recommend it.
crossfit?
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