Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Weigookin74]

A new crossfit place opened in my town and I was wondering what it's all about? Anyone into it or do it? Probably really expensive here though? Also, I've read a lot of folks have injured themselves.

[wishfullthinkng]

crossfit is a ridiculous fad that will lead anyone not familiar with how their body works to get injured and/or have an accidental shart while attempting some of their ludicrous "WOD's". if anyone tells you that a kipping pull up is better than a standard pull up then they are out of their minds.

if you are a competitive athlete who is very familiar with kinesiology then crossfit is "okay" but the gym would still be even better. if you are an exercise beginner you should stay as far away from crossfit as possible and learn how to properly train in a gym with a trainer. then stay at that gym and forget crossfit ever existed.

[nicwr2002]

Crossfit is really good if you want to try something different. The people that hurt themselves are people who don't pay attention to safety or their body's warning signals. The others get hurt by overzealous trainers who think everybody has the same body and can do things exactly like the others.

Just make sure you find a trainer who knows what they are doing and just didn't get one of those fly by night certifications.

[rainman3277]

Do crossfit. Don't be a crossfitter. If you don't know the difference, you already are one.

[pjstarbuck]

Crossfit gyms can vary wildly in the quality of training and the individual trainer's knowledge. Crossfit gets a bad reputation due to the relative ease one can become a level 1 trainer (weekend class + theory test. that's it - no previous personal training experience required).

If you get a good "box," the trainer(s) will know not just how to properly perform/demonstrate each exercise, but also how to teach you to perform it properly and safely - always emphasizing proper form over speed or weight. Good trainers won't push you to do too much weight for too many reps, and will STOP you if you're doing it wrong. Good trainers will also know how to scale down a workout of the day (WOD) for you if it's too difficult/ too much weight/too many reps. If the trainers aren't doing those things, run away fast.

Also, good trainers know about foam rolling, mobility work & sports massage, to help you recover from workouts and avoid injury. If the trainer isn't teaching you how to do those things every day, before & after every workout, run away fast.

This doesn't apply just to crossfit, it applies to any personal trainer - if they aren't doing those things, they are not doing their job properly.

The unique problem with doing crossfit in Korea is the language barrier - if the trainer has no English ability, it doesn't matter how good they are, you won't understand what they want you to do, and they won't understand if something is too difficult, or if you're in pain, what specifically hurts. If they are bilingual, try it out and look for those things I mentioned above, and use your best judgment about whether you want to continue.

Fair disclosure, I have done Crossfit for more than a year, and I do enjoy it. That said, I recognize its weaknesses, especially doing Olympic lifts for high reps in a limited amount of time - just stupid. Yet, it will get you in shape and if you're the type who tends to quit workout programs because they get boring or stale, crossfit might be something you enjoy more since it's different every day.

[Captain Corea]

I think any sport has a risk to reward ratio. And that varies a lot with experience, fitness level, and body inclinations.

I've never tried crossfit, and it looks dangerous as hell to me. But I could see how others would dig it.

[wishfullthinkng]

another huge problem with crossfit is that it totally ignores the negative motion of exercises which are just as important as the positive motion. if you want to build muscle and power efficiently you will focus on stability and a slow negative motion which crossfit actually encourages you NOT to do, even with the best crossfit "trainers" out there. their spastic high speed nonsense will only eventually lead to improper form and training, and has a extremely high chance of injury.

if someone gets bored by training then they can easily change their gym routine without having to compete against other manic crazies on who can do a thousand clean and jerks faster than the next crazy.

[Kepler]

I've heard it's similar to army basic training. It's okay if you're 18 and your body can take a beating.

"A total of 132 responses were collected with 97 (73.5%) having sustained an injury during CrossFit training. A total of 186 injuries were reported with 9 (7.0%) requiring surgical intervention."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24276294

"My concerns about CrossFit:

"1. Injury prone – Highly technical moves, climbing ropes to the ceiling and other extreme exercises seem like highly inefficient ways to target muscles. When I watch the promo videos for CrossFit, all I can think about is survivorship bias. The ones that succeed are those that didn’t injury themselves or those with superior recovery skills.

"2. Momentum is Not Strength – Doing something fast may feel great and provide a wonderful sense of accomplishment, but when you flip weights or hold things in lock out position, you are taking tension off the targeted muscle. Your joints take the beating. But you’ll be 20 forever, so who cares?

"3. Beat Your Body Into Shape Mentality – I know this exists everywhere, be it CrossFit, spin or Zumba. This idea that we need to run ourselves to complete exhaustion via extreme volume or extreme movements in order to become more fit is dead wrong. You should work with your body not against it. Do what it takes to trigger results and no more. Dr. Doug McGuff uses the elevator button analogy. Once you’ve hit the button, wait for the elevator. Don’t keep pressing the button. That body you beat up in your 20s and 30s is the same body you’ll have when you get older. Treat it well.

"4. The Commercialization of Extreme – This is the main thing that most turns me off about CrossFit. Every few years another extreme fitness program surfaces. P90X anyone? The promise of turning your lumpy weak body into an Olympic athlete with some extreme program sure sounds appealing. Sadly, they all have high failure rates. Some people will succeed doing any program and then falsely credit whatever program they did instead of superior genetics, youth or a good diet."
http://criticalmas.com/2011/03/understand-crossfit/

[Weigookin74]

Ok, seems most of you think to stay away. I never knew much about working out. I just exercised in the past with general exercises and weights. I do a lot of biking at certain times of the year. I walk a lot in winter and do some short mountain hikes when it's cooler out. I used a book by Bill Phillips as a guide to do certain types of exercises. Not sure what some of you work out pros use or know to use. I found I had to learn to use more free weights here as the gyms here are more basic than the ones I used in the west years ago. Admitidly, I have gotten out of shape somewhat over the past year and a half and it's starting to show. lol. So I need to get back into it, I guess.