Why do people who do CrossFit think they have a better workout than others? I’ve seen the way some of them lift and perform standard exercises- it’s not great technique?
Crossfit has been great for the other barbell sports, powerlifting, weightlifting and strongman. It has revitalised interest in those sports and led to people flocking to them in droves. It has introduced barbells to millions of people that otherwise would not have touched them. We who are in those sports are very thankful to Crossfit for that.There are several problems with Crossfit though.They train in far too wide a variety of exercises to master themThey do too much anaerobic endurance training and too little strength trainingThey do exercises like deadlifts, cleans, box jumps and kipping pullups at speed for high reps for time. These exercises are not suitable for this and the injury rate is highTheir programming is essentially random. There is no regular progressive overload and without that progress will be very slowA lot of the coaching in the technical side of lifting is very substandardDon’t take this as me being against Crossfit. On balance, it has done a lot of good and I wish them well. This is meant to be constructive criticism.
What is special about CrossFit?
There’s something about CrossFit…- Community support: the approach builds a community and encourages group support in the midst of a tough workout. - Social community: it is fun, it is not just working out, it is hanging out with friends inside and outside of the gym, and often involves talking shop. I have made a few beautiful friends there and feel so blessed to have met them and to be able to share this common love for CrossFit and its community.- A gamified approach: the act of posting a score creates an awareness of your level of performance at the end of a workout and that of others, gives you a chance to compete against yourself and compare your numbers as they change over time, you become aware of the race against the clock and this adds a time pressure. - Personalisation: You receive personalised scaling and feedback for the price of a group class. Sometimes I even get a personalised pep talk before a wod or a verbal slap on the wrist post-wod for having gone ‘too light’.- Virtuosity: If you are lucky enough, access to quality coaching and their pursuit of virtuosity - Metrics: Focus on metrics that are not based on aesthetics or the superficial, but rather on physical performance (by posting a score: time, number of repetitions or load).- #strongerthanyesterday: At the age of 32 I am the fittest that I have ever been and I am only getter fitter. With new each day, I am the fittest I have ever been. This is what makes CrossFit special to me.Me, doing 15.5, the last one to finish. CrossFit: "The loudest cheers are for the last to finish."
What streches can I do before crossfit?
So, I agree with one of the earlier commentators: stretching preworkout may not be the best time to perform stretches. Best time is after the work out or after a hot shower in front of a book or tv.Pavel Tsatsouline says relaxation allows us to stretch. Stretching (and foam rolling for that matter) activates our nervous system the same way as preparing for sleep… So, not the best way to ramp into a WOD.I recommend light calisthenics. Push ups, Squats, Sit ups, ring rows. Never to failure, but just enough to feel activated. Keep rotating through the movements a few rounds until you’re sweaty. Then you’re ready.
What is a power clean workout in CrossFit?
The power clean is one of the best methods of gaining strength and mass in the gym. It can also be one of the most energy-sucking and humbling movements.Why? Because it involves speed in addition to strength.Power cleans are one of the more explosive movements and technique goes a long way to adding weight and the fluidity of the movement.So if you want to start adding mass and lifting more, check out this 4 TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR POWER CLEANTIP #1 - START IN THE RIGHT POSITIONNo where better to start than by in the right position. How you start the power clean can directly affect the rest of the movement.Some things you will want to remember when getting set up are:Chest upShoulders backBack tightA good way to achieve this position is by ensuring that your elbows are in line with your knees when your arms are fully locked out and gripping the bar.The tension created in your starting position is what will help you transfer more power to the lift during the initial pull.TIP #2 - KEEP THE BAR CLOSE TO YOUR BODYSometimes easier said than done, but keeping the bar close to your body gives you more control over it. If the bar starts traveling away from your body you'll likely find yourself tipping over and losing it.TIP #3 - DON'T FORGET TO HIT THE POWER POSITIONThe power position is when the bar hits you mid thigh, and this is one position that athletes and coaches alike, tend to miss.When done correctly, your chest will begin to open, you will become more vertical and your knees should begin to re-bend so you can transfer the power of the lift into the bar.TIP #4 - CATCH THE BAR IN THE PROPER RACK POSITIONThe final step in achieving a strong, fluid, injury-free power clean is to rack the bar properly. To do this, keep your elbows pointed straight ahead so the bar racks across your deltoids and comes very close to your throat. The actual weight of the bar should be resting on your shoulders.This is one of the least comfortable positions in the power clean movement, but perhaps the most critical in keeping you balanced.Next time you're doing power cleans be sure to keep these four tips in mind. With time and plenty of practice you will see massive gains in your clean and an improvement in your overall strength.
What is the best CrossFit WOD for increasing muscle mass?
It is very difficult to choose the ideal workout for building mass, however you certainly won’t find a perfect one in the CF setting. The main underlying principle of Crossfit programming is intensity over volume. The reason the vast majority of Crossfitters aren’t huge (aside from the pros) is that there’s too much volume (reps per training week or month, lets say) to have a hypertrophic or ‘muscle building’ effect.If you’re looking for a great WOD to build muscle, anything that involves compound movements like anything Troy mentioned would be great. Benching, squatting, deadlifts, the olympic lifts, sandbags, stones, yokes, kettlebells, dumbbells. But just because it’s ‘Crossfit’ doesn’t necessarily mean that it needs to kill you. You should implement all of the implements and exercises I mentioned and then some regularly, and in varying volume and intensity. Some days you should just squat, and squat heavy. Other days you can do a workout like:5 Rounds for Time10 Back Squats at BW from floor400 m runThe variation in volume will help build all portions of your body. While the traditional rep range for muscle growth is probably 8–12 reps maximum per set, any exercise performed at a high enough intensity has been shown to increase muscle density. If you really want to get ‘larger’, try a more traditional approach of circuit training, such as pairing antagonist movements like strict gymnastics or resistance movements together, such as benching and rows, strict pullups and ring dips, etc. One of my favorites to build the upper body and get some skill work in is:(3–6 Rounds)5 Strict Pullups5–10 HSPU (Vary Strict/Kipping)5 Kipping Pullups (Vary Standard/Butterfly)10 Ring Dips (Kipping/Strict)
Have you ever injured yourself doing a CrossFit workout?
I kept hearing about that reputation from local healthcare providers and recently blogged on that topic What's wrong with cross fit | The 10th Man . I reviewed all of the research literature that I could find on injury rates and prevalence, and you know what - most studies reported only around 3 injuries per 1000 hours of participation. That incidence is no more than you would see in activities like competitive weightlifting, running or rugby. A limitation of all of those studies was that they surveyed Crossfit (TM) participants, missing anyone who may have started classes but not continued. I’m not sure how you get to those people, but there could be some interesting data there.As an exercise professional, there are some basis guidelines that I would expect my students to follow when designing and monitoring programmes. From my perspective, Crossfit (TM) overlooks or is unaware of many of these principles. Better screening, starting individuals at an appropriate level of exercise intensity and complexity, and demanding excellent exercise form at all times are a few things that I would suggest.I often pass by extreme conditioning programmes when I'm out running, and I cringe to see so many poorly conditioned individuals performing inappropriate and loaded exercises where they are clearly fatigued and have lost coordination and technique. Look, I think these programmes might be excellent for highly conditioned individuals, and I realise that people report rapid gains in fitness and weight loss and are motivated to exercise in groups like these. However, novice exercisers deserve a more gradual and closely monitored programme than the ones I've observed.
How do i train to build dense strong muscle?
Hey guys, i was wondering if any of you know how to build strong dense muscle. I dont wanna aim to just get big, i really want to work on building the strongest muscle possible... how should i train to achieve this?