I have been hearing more and more about crossfit lately... Have a few friend who has amazing results... But what exactly is it? Has anybody tried it that's had WLS? If so what's it like & what kind of results did you see?

Here is crossfit info:

http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/what-crossfit.html

I definitely recommend crossfit for anyone looking to challenge themselves. I know some people feel it is "cult-ish" but I do like it. Most all "boxes" (crossfit gyms) will allow you to attend a session at no cost. I HIGHLY recommend this and going to more than one box to find the right fit. Also, look on groupon for fabulous deals for crossfit. $30 for 10 sessions, etc.

I went to 5 different boxes before I found the one that was a good fit for me and what I was looking for in a coach and gym.

Form is key. If you're doing it wrong, your body will not benefit.

The difference in the body in appearance will surprise you.

Go ahead, be amazed with what you can do.

Here is a video from Reebok that defines Cross fit in a very practical manner:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NoFlNa6B9fo

It still motivates me today after being an active cross fit guy for almost a year now.

I enjoy Cross fit not only as an incredible rewarding workout experience, but also as a community of friends to grow with. You will get to know your Cross fit buddies quite well as you grow together. It is quite different from the typical gym experience and is more like working out with your squad (military, fire fighting, police, etc) or with your sport team (football, soccer, baseball, etc). You will feel a real sense of belonging after a while with the people you work out with. Everyone will come from different backgrounds and have different levels of athleticism and experience, but they are are there doing the same workout together. Those that finish earlier will cheer on and motivate those that are still finishing. Any workout can be scaled to whatever your current stare of fitness is at.

Here is a video from Reebok that defines Cross fit in a very practical manner:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NoFlNa6B9fo

It still motivates me today after being an active cross fit guy for almost a year now.

I enjoy Cross fit not only as an incredible rewarding workout experience, but also as a community of friends to grow with. You will get to know your Cross fit buddies quite well as you grow together. It is quite different from the typical gym experience and is more like working out with your squad (military, fire fighting, police, etc) or with your sport team (football, soccer, baseball, etc). You will feel a real sense of belonging after a while with the people you work out with. Everyone will come from different backgrounds and have different levels of athleticism and experience, but they are are there doing the same workout together. Those that finish earlier will cheer on and motivate those that are still finishing. Any workout can be scaled to whatever your current stare of fitness is at.

My son's barber was telling me about cross fit...I wanna try it real soon. I'll use it for toning and my Zumba for cardio.

My son's barber was telling me about cross fit...I wanna try it real soon. I'll use it for toning and my Zumba for cardio.

Cross fit definitely has cardio, but they call it metabolic conditioning. It is a bit like HIIT in that it really trains and pushes your cardio response in terms of stamina and endurance. The metabolic conditioning (or met cons) workouts tend to be short. Most workouts are between 10-20 minutes, but some are even shorter (a good Fran workout time may be 4 minutes or a Tabata style workout might be 8 minutes) and some are longer ( average filthy 50 time would be about 30 minutes, I do it in about 23 minutes). The length of a met con workout, if the workout is for time, depends on how fast you are which translates into how fit you are while paying close attention to good form and movement for a set of core competences.

Each workout tests the following list of core competences:

Metabolic Conditioning - builds capacity in each of three metabolic pathways, beginning with aerobic, then lactic acid, and then phosphocreatine pathways.

Gymnastics - establishes functional capacity for body control and range of motion.

Weightlifting and throwing - develop ability to control external objects and produce power.

Sport - applies fitness in competitive atmosphere with more randomized movements and skill mastery.

There is always room to improve any one of these areas no matter where you are at in your fitness journey.

That is amazing!! Thanks for the info!! I called around in my hometown and the crossfit gyms (boxes) here are $70 +. I don't think I can afford that in my budget but I am really wanting to try it. I will admit, it does scare me a little, but I am stuck at 179 pounds and I know for a fact that crossfit will tone by body so I will lose inches & be toned. I want to be ripped like jeans lol

Edited December 24, 201312 yr by spw83

70 per month? That is not too bad considering average cost is considerably higher. My dues, for example, are 150 a month. You get essentially a PT when working out.

That is amazing!! Thanks for the info!! I called around in my hometown and the crossfit gyms (boxes) here are $70 +. I don't think I can afford that in my budget but I am really wanting to try it. I will admit, it does scare me a little, but I am stuck at 179 pounds and I know for a fact that crossfit will tone by body so I will lose inches & be toned. I want to be ripped like jeans lol

Hey look on.Groupon and see if any places in your area are located on there. :-)

So you basically get a personal trainer every time? That is not bad then considering I paid $100 for 2 sessions with a trainer a few years ago. I think I may give it a try, just found out a good friend of mine that I grew up with owns a crossfit gym. She is in amazing shape!!! If I pair crossfit with healthy eating I should be amazed!!

And I will definitely check groupons!!!

I actually do have one more question though.. Is Crossfit comparable to insanity or p90x as in intensity & results? How quickly do you have visible results? I know it's different for men than woman but I am just really curious. Thank you

You can also look into whether or not your gym offers punchcards. Mine does; 10 sessions for $120. This is nice because if I have a really busy week and can only make it twice, I pay $20.

Like Fiddleman, my box (gym) offers unlimited sessions for $150 a month. My goal is to get to the point where that would be cost effective. Really, that is once you're going 3 times per week regularly.

There are three or four trained coaches at our gym, and usually at least two of them are there at any given time. For someone like me who is still a relative newbie, I get plenty of one-on-one attention and correction. My coaches know about the WLS, and have been working with me since I went back three weeks ago to make sure I'm not lifting too much too soon, but that I'm still challenging myself. I didn't go yesterday because I knew I'd be completely modifying the workout into something else. I went to the Y and swam instead.

In the past, I have run a marathon, worked with a personal trainer, and done a number of different high school/college type sports. (College= clubs, not varsity at all) I can honestly say these are the most thorough workouts I have ever experienced. I started going at basically the same time I started the WLS process, and had about 8 weeks under my belt before surgery. It just occurred to me that I am wearing a size now that I last wore when I weighed 10 pounds less, so there must have been some other body changes that I don't have perspective on just yet. I know that even at my high weight over the summer I began to have some muscle definition in my upper arms, and that my abs were in pretty good shape around the time of surgery. I had no difficulty moving around, even in the few days after surgery, because those muscles were helping me.

I'm not the right person to ask about body transformation otherwise, but I'm still new to the whole thing, relatively speaking. I do believe that in 6 months CrossFit + WLS + swimming will give me a different body than I ever had, even when I weighed a lot less.

I actually do have one more question though.. Is Crossfit comparable to insanity or p90x as in intensity & results? How quickly do you have visible results? I know it's different for men than woman but I am just really curious. Thank you

Cross fit is different from pdx90 and insanity because they (the pdx90 and insanity) are more about conditioning where your body gets really conditioned to a set of workouts and exercises. This is what I have been told at one point by a cross fit coach when asking the same question several months ago. Cross fit is different in that it is designed to prepare the athlete for the unknown and unknowable. I know it sounds a bit mysterious, but basically cross fit prepares the athlete in a general manner for a dozen or so set of core competencies described in my post above. It takes a long time (years) for the average athlete to get "good" at cross fit where they can compete and do well. I am still learning skills daily and trying to improve skill where I have a chance of competing, even at the regional level. Maybe it will happen this summer (2014), but probably next summer (2015). There is always room to get better at it as the months and years roll by. It is a long term commitment. However, if you are after a ripped or toned body, one should get a desired physique after a few months of doing the daily workouts ( and taking at least 2 days rest a week). It is hard. I am just starting to Rx the workouts as prescribed with good times. My box has a competitor program that is to prepare athletes for competition. It is a 2-3 hour daily commitment and much more advanced. As for standard cross fit workouts, you have to be mentally prepared to keep going when your stamina and endurance runs out. Every part of your body is screaming "stop", but it is at this point where you elevate a core competency. It is also where you make tremendous physical returns. You want to put close to 100% effort into each workout. For these reasons, I think cross fit will produce better results than insanity and pdx90 long term, but that is just an opinion. It is a lively debate if you Google the comparisons people give.

Edited December 24, 201312 yr by Fiddleman

But the difference is the people. I walked into this gym at my highest weight, ever, and not having been doing any kind of real fitness program for years. I knew I was "home" almost right away. I can't compete with the best athletes in the gym, but it's not about competition with them. My only job is to improve myself. Most things are still kind of ridiculously hard for me, but the philosophy that the coaches should have is that they could have your 90 year old grandmother doing a modification on the exercise of the day.

Just got a note on FB from the coaches that they're doing a "surprise" opening at 12, free to all, for just an hour. We were supposed to be closed today and tomorrow. I bet 20 people show up, and we have a small gym to begin with. It's that kind of a place.

But the difference is the people. I walked into this gym at my highest weight, ever, and not having been doing any kind of real fitness program for years. I knew I was "home" almost right away. I can't compete with the best athletes in the gym, but it's not about competition with them. My only job is to improve myself. Most things are still kind of ridiculously hard for me, but the philosophy that the coaches should have is that they could have your 90 year old grandmother doing a modification on the exercise of the day.

Just got a note on FB from the coaches that they're doing a "surprise" opening at 12, free to all, for just an hour. We were supposed to be closed today and tomorrow. I bet 20 people show up, and we have a small gym to begin with. It's that kind of a place.

Yes, it is the people! I have made a lot of friends at cross fit because you see these people day after day and you are all in it together, sweating, screaming, gnashing teeth, even bleeding in some cases. Yes, I have gotten my fair amount of scrapes from power cleans, snatches, ripping your hands from a massive amount of pull ups or t2b or even falling after a failed box jump. Fortunately, you have your team cheering you on to get back up. It also helps to have endorphins flowing to mask any pain.

Edited December 24, 201312 yr by Fiddleman

Shoot I'm nervous about this crossfit training but I'm definitely up for the challenge and excited as well. :-)

Shoot I'm nervous about this crossfit training but I'm definitely up for the challenge and excited as well. :-)

It is all good. The coaches will ease you into it. Number one rule is not to compare yourself to others as there will always be stronger, faster or weaker, slower folks. It is about your progression and goals. However, I do admit I look up to a lot of athletes at my box, super impressed by what they can do. I make it a point to learn from others where I can and always remember that today is a day to improve in some way. Not every day will be a good day and some days you have to force rest onto yourself to avoid overtraining or rest because you feel broken. You listen to your body and do the best you can.