Does anyone do Crossfit?

[JasperDamerel]

I'm going for a trial session at the new local box and I'm a bit scared as I am currently fat and very unfit after illness. How tough should I expect it to be? Is it fun once you get into it?

[CMOTDibbler]

My SIL and BIL do it. TBH they have both had lots of injuries from doing it, but they enjoy it.

[ameliaesmith]

I've recently started doing it, I wouldn't worry about not being fit, everything can be scaled back in crossfit. Your trainer will modify the workout for people of different abilities.

I've done lots of different types of exercise over the years and I love crossfit because its always different and its much more social than a usual gym session!

[Kathysclown]

I do it, have been doing it for two years. I was skinny but very very weak and unfit when I started. It can be quite a shock to the system, but everything is 'scaled' so it is manageable, and then you can build up at your own pace.

Don't expect it to be easy - you will be sweaty, red, grubby and exhausted! There is no space for excuses, you have to get on with it and give it your all. But it IS good fun, and you see improvements in strength and fitness really quickly if you do 2 or 3 sessions a week.

Enjoy!!

[FindoGask]

I did it for a few months... Loved it, I just couldn't justify the cost. I went back to my basic gym membership but still use a lot of the principles and techniques I learned - I put together my own workouts now based on a combination of plyometric and bodyweight stuff and heavy weights. It's not quite the same but does me fine.

Whether you'll love it depends on a few things- are you competitive, do you find group exercise more motivating than being on your own, do you mind high-fives... I wouldn't worry about being unfit, in my experience crossfitters are a welcoming and encouraging bunch.

[FindoGask]

I should also say, I've heard that a lot depends on the quality of the trainers at the box, and that this can vary a lot. Crossfitters is priced somewhere between standard gym membership and having your own Pt, so you should expect more personal attention, help and encouragement than you might get in a usual exercise class.

[FindoGask]

Crossfit that should should say!

[KeyserSophie]

What Findogask says is very true, and in addition, all "boxes" are free to interpret and program the concept of Crossfit as they wish, so how "Crossfit" is actually programmed varies hugely. Some boxes basically run circuit classes, albeit with boxes, pull ups and kettlebells, whilst others focus heavily on the olympic lifting moves (bar bell work). Some are focused on "all comers" whilst others are more serious about producing competitors for the Open/Regionals. A few (mine included) manage to combine the two, but I feel this is quite rare.

It's worth trying a few different boxes to see which you like best.

• How big are the classes? Our's are max 15 with 2 instructors.
• Is there enough supervision and technique advice for barbell work or are you just left to get on with it?
• Are scaling options properly explained? i.e. If you cant do a pull up, you can do eccentric work instead or use a band.

[JasperDamerel]

After my original post I signed up for the On Ramp course which I finished last week, and am now in my first week of proper WODs. And I have fallen utterly in love with it.

I am fat and unfit and have to do everything scaled down hugely, and am still the slowest one there, but once I pick myself off the floor after a workout, I can't stop grinning. I have no false pride, so I quite enjoy being the person who everyone else cheers on. What I really like is that everyone works their arse off and ends up red-faced on the floor at the end, and that people respect you for putting in the work even if you aren't very good yet.

Because I'm new, I get loads of attention paid to my form, and the box seems pretty inclusive (although there was a buzz about the Open, and quite a few people competing in Manchester last weekend). Yesterday there was a guy in his sixties who had a bad knee which meant he couldn't do high-impact stuff, so he had alternatives like rowing.

And the box has a dog, so I get to play with a dog, too, which is great as I would love a dog but can't have one.

So it's definitely been a very good thing for me so far, and I'm really glad I went for it.

[FindoGask]

That sounds fab! Great that you've found something you enjoy, I hope it works out for you.

[KeyserSophie]

I'm really glad you enjoyed it. This style of training has really paid off for me, particularly in terms of strength gains, and just being something I'm prepared to stick at.

Be warned:Crossfit has MANY detractors, and to be fair, they're not entirely unjustified because quality varies hugely (just look on You tube for examples of permitted form that beggar belief) but it sounds like your box is a good one.

Open next year? There are scaled options for all the workouts.

[JasperDamerel]

I'm just updating because when I was thinking about starting Crossfit and googled I found so many posts advising fat unfit people to lose weight and get in shape before going to a session. I am still fat (but I can now take off my jeans when they are done up, so not as fat as I was) and still by far the least fit person in the box, but I am in so much better shape than I was.

But the best thing is that gradually, as I get stronger, my niggly little aches and pains are going away. I used to love running but had to stop because I kept getting injured. But I can feel how much more stable I am, and my ankles are so much stronger, and I recently ran 5k and felt absolutely fine the next day, which is something I thought I'd never be able to do again.

So for anyone reading this and thinking of giving it a go, I'd say that it has improved my life immensely, so go for it. It's also really family-friendly, as people just take their kids with them to work-outs.

[TheEarlOfGrey]

I'm really pleased to hear you've had a good experience with it, you hear so many negative things about it on the internet and in rl! I've been doing crossfit for a couple of years and I definitely think it's for everyone as everything is scalable. You quickly find out what you have to work on in terms of form too as long as you have good coaches so I think it's good for improving the way people exercise rather than being dangerous.

Keep at it, I've found my progress has been slow but then suddenly I'll discover that I can do something new that I never thought was possible!