Cross Fit

[Horton]

I did it 2 winters ago. It was awesome

[RazorRoss3]

On winter number two, I picked up 5 buoys on my average summer 2014 after the first winter of it. Upped my average score straight up the line from 3@-32 to 2@-35. Got a peice of 4 ball once.

[oldjeep]

Tried some crossfit and some P90x, both seemed designed to cause injuries that I never experienced from running, biking or crashing on snow skis at 40MPH.

[pgmoore]

Having tried it, here is my take on cross fit:

 

Cross fit is great if you want to get good at exercise. But it's not specific. It's not going to make you a better runner, or a better, cyclist, or a better waterskier. As a form of exercise, it's great but cross fit isn't specific enough to make you better at any one thing. Heck, even the athletes competing at the highest levels of cross fit competitions don't train by doing cross fit. They train by doing specific training.

 

If you want to win at your sport (whatever that is), cross fit isn't going to make that happen. Specificity is going to make that happen.

 

But if you want a form of exercise to get you off the couch that is not only brutally hard but also a ton of fun, then cross fit fits the bill perfectly!

[lakeaustinskier]

I try to stay fit to reduce injury (I'm 48). Better skiing is a bonus. I use some Cross Fit components along with a heavy dose of yoga and most importantly - knowing your body. Set aside your ego and do what makes sense for you (hey - sounds a lot like trying to get better in the slalom course). I came to this realization after I joined a Cross Fit class that seemed to be designed for 20 somethings and I tore the meniscus in both my knees. Deal with people or techniques that work for you.

[gt2003]

An option is needed for "I workout regularly but don't do crossfit". I train 4 days per week, a combination of weights and cardio. I choose not to do crossfit as I've seen many friends injure themselves either due to improper form or pushing it too far. But hey, if it works for you, do it! Being fit by any means beats the hell outta not being fit at all!

[bishop8950]

My wife is huge into cross fit and it totally changed her skiing. She went from barely getting up 6 times in a row to running lifetime pbs in one year.

 

I really like it and it helped my skiing as well, but I don't go in season due to time

[Razorskier1]

I only do it offseason, and I do it with Jenny LaBaw writing my workouts. I don't need to compete at cross-fit -- I'm trying to become a better skier. Jenny designs workouts with my goals in mind, and it has been terrific in terms of strength, balance, speed, endurance, and durability. I highly recommend Jenny if you are really into training for the sport of skiing. She will create something suited to your needs.

[rayn]

+1 on Jenny Labawesome. Been working with her for 3 years and every year I feel like i am in better shape than the year before. As @Razorskier1‌ says it is not necessary about improved ball count, although it does help, it is about the ability to ski more, be more durable and reduce the injury count. You could argue that it is not cross-fit, but based on cross-fit principals but specialized to you and our sport. BTW: @Razorskier1‌ How did you like your present of 12 days of christmas from Ms. Labaw.

[Razorskier1]

@rayn. Love the 12 days workouts! Did one over Thanksgiving too. New one for Christmas. Plan to do it tomorrow. I do think it makes me a better skier, BTW.

[jhughes]

It's the only workout routine that holds my attention and keeps me coming back. For that alone I love it. If that was the only reason it was good that would be enough for me. I've tried the gym memberships, all the at-home stuff and everything in between. Crossfit took 20 lbs off me and definitely has helped my skiing. During the ski season I only do it if I'm not skiing, e.g. if nobody else can ski that day or the weather is bad. During the winter it's 3x per week. What's annoying about CF is all the CF hater/stigma BS stuff I have to deal with by being associated with it at all. Most if not all of my friends give me sh|t about it on a regular basis.

[Texas6]

+3 on Jenny; used her for a couple of years - and have been revisiting old JLB workouts over the past year but I think its time to bring her back again. I am 41 years old this week, and yes you have to be careful about understanding and listening to your body, when you feel prone to injury or tired. You CAN and WILL likely sustain some kind of injury, minor aches, pains etc from time to time. Its no different than skiing when you are pushing yourself. But I am a better athlete for it, I'm sure of that. And in spite of the aches and tweaks and pains, I've remained injury and tendonitis free for the past 3 seasons, while making meaningful progress against my personal PB's in each of those 3 seasons. I'm a true believer in the CF style workout, keeping your body guessing, and forcing yourself to train in ways you wouldn't normally program yourself to train. I will add that working yourself up to the heavier weight slowly, understanding how to achieve proper form, stretching, and proper programming, go a long way in ensuring you stay injury free.

[Chef23]

I work with Jenny and have been using her for a few years. Unfortunately last year I hurt my shoulder and am slowly getting my mobility back so last year was a wasted year for me skiing and in the gym.

 

The previous summer I ran -35 for the first time ever even if it was a second crack and in practice and my tournament PB increased by 2 bouys to 4@35 which I ran 3 or 4 times in tournaments.

 

Being in better shape definitely helps your skiing.

 

I have to admit that Crossfit boxes scare me a little bit but I have never been to one so it is more reputational than experience.

[The_MS]

I watched it on TV and it almost killed me. Not to sure that any of those movements are good for a M4 skiers back.

[Razorskier1]

@MS. Jenny doesn't put you through that kind of workout. I'm 51 and I do her workouts three times a week. My back is stronger because of it. BTW, I couldn't do a fraction of what those guys do on TV and Jenny doesn't put me thru that stuff. Custom designed to enhance ski if fitness.

[bishop8950]

Any crossfit gym that knows what they are doing will help you scale the workouts to what is good for you. Forget the guys on TV and all the super serious guys in the gym. Do your own thing.

 

Getting a custom program from a pro like jenny is taking it to another level. Very nice.

[MarkTimm]

After starting Crossfit in the off season a few years ago. I went from struggling to run a pass to running 32 off the next summer.

[auskier]

Ive been doing it for a few years, mostly to help my skiing and doing it a LOT prior to my US season trips over the last few years. Now I get sore from crossfit, not from skiing. One thing I noticed particularly was not loosing much in buoy count with some time off. Crossfit kept my agility, strength and balance up, making the time coming back to my average score much quicker.

[Sean]

I've done it a few times and it was a heck of a workout, but I didn't get much out of it and don't see people getting the results I'm looking for. The way I see it is if you're out of shape, or just don't workout much, then crossfit is great for getting you in shape for both cardio and strength at the same time. On the flip side I haven't seen any crossfitters that are the best runners or triathletes, nor have I seen them be the strongest dudes like a powerlifter or strongman. At their best, they're just decent at both.

 

When I tried it I found I was actually getting weaker, but I do lots of other lifting already. If I didn't already lift I would bet I'd get a little stronger crossfitting, but not as strong had I been more strictly weightlifting instead. Cardio has always come naturally to me, so I don't train that, I just focus on things that need work. Since crossfit in essence trains everything, it doesn't cater towards training weak points.

[santangelo]

I know what cross fit is, but have never attended a box to do the workouts. I've been doing high intensity interval/power training for 8 years which are the same principles xFit is based on. Great for burning calories and maintaining/building lean mass.

[BRY]

With @gt2003 An option is needed for "I workout regularly but don't do crossfit". I choose not to do crossfit as I've seen many friends (and other people) injure themselves due to improper form and/or pushing it too far.

The way it was presented to me was WOD is core to CrossFit. If it aint WOD, it aint CrossFit. Going hard on an excercise you probably havent done ever before, particularly Olympic lifting, is a great way to get injured. I love and embrace the idea of high intensity/ interval/ varied workouts. Cross training is great, but not a fan of the brand CrossFit. Much of described above does not seem to be CrossFit.

[xrated]

I heat with wood, that is my crossfit.

[thager]

@xrated I bet you have huge wrists! : )

[xrated]

Tiny.

 

[Freddie Winter]

If someone does crossfit but then doesn't go on endlessly about how they did crossfit and how it's the best thing ever, did they do crossfit at all?

[Razorskier1]

You can injure yourself doing any workout. Injuries in Cross Fit are user error. Don't try to do things you haven't trained for.

[bkreis]

i do a lot of rehab for crossfit folks who are not ready for the lifts they are attempting. personally, i train for structural integrity and mobility.

[santangelo]

In my opinion, Cross Fits greatest strength is its greatest weakness. When you have a team based approach with everyone encouraging each other (peer pressure) AND you measure all your workouts, it becomes very easy to overtrain. If you over reach on every session, injuries will happen as @bkreis mentioned.

 

It's documented in studies that Cross Fit does have a much higher rate of injury than other conditioning/strength sports. I've never heard of the term rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo) until Cross Fit became popular, but now I know people who've had it and they are Cross Fitters.

 

With the explosion of it's popularity, you can't deny it's appeal. Box owners/trainers are advancing their training curriculum to address these issue, so I would expect the incidence of injuries to decline and gain an even greater following.

 

As I mentioned before, I've never done cross fit, but do believe in the principles on which it's built. For Cross Fit or any other strength/fitness approach, moderate with various levels of intensity, listen to your body, and apply the same amount of rigor to your recovery as you do your workouts.

 

[JohnCox]

If it gets someone that needs to exercise off the couch, then great, but I'm not a fan of cross-fit, especially as we get older. I've seen several friends get injured doing things they have no business doing, and I have friends in the health care industry that tell me they see lots of folks with injuries from doing it.

 

I train. Hard. But weight training, and I do include some cardio and some yoga, etc to help me with some flexibility, but my primary training is old fashioned lifting weights...

[bigtex2011]

I want to work out, but for now I am a fatass. I only ski. I usually put up decent scores. I hate winter. Just typing this makes me feel like I'm in a 12 step program.

 

 

[Razorskier1]

You can injure yourself doing any workout. Injuries in Cross Fit are user error. Don't try to do things you haven't trained for.

[JohnCox]

I agree, Jim. My experience has been that more get injured doing things like cross-fit than more conventional exercise. I'd say it has much to do with your trainer, too. People like Jenny Lebaw are absolutely the best in the world, but it's not that hard to become a "certified" trainer in just about anything. As part of my own weight loss and fitness journey (and perhaps OCD), I actually went through and became an ISSA Certified Personal Trainer.....

 

As with anything, just be careful.