The Official TS Workout & Nutrition Thread
#431
04-01-2011, 12:56 PM
I know what the CF answer is, just wanted your take on it. From my POV if the goal is to be "strong as ****" standard powerlifting (EX: Westside method) will get you stronger. But it certainly won't get you better endurance, and squatting 500+ won't help you drag a fat guy out of a truck. 
CF shines for GPP (general physical preparedness) like you say. I do kinda cringe when I see high rep, medium/high weight deads or oly lifts because you know form is gonna break down and thats when people get hurt. Exhaustion type workouts are ok from time to time to test yourself but they can be detrimental if you're doing them constantly.
Do you end up doing light days to recover between those types of workouts?
CF shines for GPP (general physical preparedness) like you say. I do kinda cringe when I see high rep, medium/high weight deads or oly lifts because you know form is gonna break down and thats when people get hurt. Exhaustion type workouts are ok from time to time to test yourself but they can be detrimental if you're doing them constantly.
Do you end up doing light days to recover between those types of workouts?
Does CF teach proper form and technique? It seems that they just throw average joes into the fold and have them do reps for time. Seems like a recipe for disaster.
#432
04-01-2011, 01:07 PM
I don't know much about cross-fit, but I have a friend that is becoming a fanatic. She had no prior physical activity experience and was slightly overweight. She's lost some weight but, I also cringe when I hear about her routine. I kept thinking to myself that it was only a matter of time before she hurt herself. Sure enough, she recently started complaining of lumbar pain with radiation into her right lower extremity. I hope its not a disc.
Does CF teach proper form and technique? It seems that they just throw average joes into the fold and have them do reps for time. Seems like a recipe for disaster.
Does CF teach proper form and technique? It seems that they just throw average joes into the fold and have them do reps for time. Seems like a recipe for disaster.
#433
04-01-2011, 01:29 PM
Yes, CrossFit preaches form. There are many things that can break down on an individual basis, and form is usually the first. If your friend hurt her back, she likely had too much weight on the bar and was using improper form while trying to hurry through a WOD. Form is preached when you begin doing CrossFit, and you aren't really allowed to use much weight until you have demonstrated proper form again and again. That is on her, not CrossFit. Just saying...
Last edited by SoCal; 04-01-2011 at 01:30 PM.
#434
04-01-2011, 01:52 PM
Good to hear that they stress form. It's also good to hear that you have to prove that your form is good before moving on. However, do the instructors continue to monitor form during these timed sessions down the line, and tell a student to slow down or stop if their form breaks down? Just wondering, not criticizing.
#435
04-01-2011, 02:01 PM
Every training box is different, so I can't answer that with any honesty. I will say that CF is largely on the individual, so you have to know when you are NOT performing proper form and technique, and you will know. Obviously, if someone sees it, they will stop you and correct it, or correct it in motion.
#436
04-01-2011, 03:15 PM
See Big Slacker, that is where I separate my ideas from CF ideas. If it is a heavy (to most people) day and high reps, I won't time myself or who I might be training with, because I agree that form breaks down and you have a propensity to hurt yourself. If I am lifting under 225 or so, I will go for time, because I (personally) feel comfortable yanking weight at the end of a set of exercises with less than ideal form, only because I can do so and not hurt myself. It is when I get into the "heavy" days, where 1 bad rep has put me out for a month,that I really SLOW DOWN and focus on form and technique.
I typically workout 2 on, 1 off, no matter what I lift the day prior. However, I LISTEN HARD to what my body is telling me. Take today for example: I was planning that 21-15-9 with 225# for deads and 135# for OH squats. I was A-tired as f*ck all day, B-very sore from a fast triplet the day prior, and C-just didn't think it would be a goof idea to be chasing a 21 rep dead lift with 225. I didn't do the workout. Simple as that. And when I open my own box/gym one day, and jsut like I do with myself, I will be running warmups prior to the workout. I am very detail oriented and attentive to what is going on around me. If I see someone that I think isn't ready to do the WOD as Rx'd, I will either A-scale their weight down, or B-change some of the exercises in it.
I hope that explains my position better.
I typically workout 2 on, 1 off, no matter what I lift the day prior. However, I LISTEN HARD to what my body is telling me. Take today for example: I was planning that 21-15-9 with 225# for deads and 135# for OH squats. I was A-tired as f*ck all day, B-very sore from a fast triplet the day prior, and C-just didn't think it would be a goof idea to be chasing a 21 rep dead lift with 225. I didn't do the workout. Simple as that. And when I open my own box/gym one day, and jsut like I do with myself, I will be running warmups prior to the workout. I am very detail oriented and attentive to what is going on around me. If I see someone that I think isn't ready to do the WOD as Rx'd, I will either A-scale their weight down, or B-change some of the exercises in it.
I hope that explains my position better.
#437
04-01-2011, 05:28 PM
Very good to hear it. I know that CF doctrine is proper form, but online vids of even advanced folks going for records sometimes shows atrocious form. I understand the reason, when you want to beat a PR you're pushing yourself and form suffers. But this is really the best time to stop regardless of ego.
And warm ups are key.
And warm ups are key.
See Big Slacker, that is where I separate my ideas from CF ideas. If it is a heavy (to most people) day and high reps, I won't time myself or who I might be training with, because I agree that form breaks down and you have a propensity to hurt yourself. If I am lifting under 225 or so, I will go for time, because I (personally) feel comfortable yanking weight at the end of a set of exercises with less than ideal form, only because I can do so and not hurt myself. It is when I get into the "heavy" days, where 1 bad rep has put me out for a month,that I really SLOW DOWN and focus on form and technique.
I typically workout 2 on, 1 off, no matter what I lift the day prior. However, I LISTEN HARD to what my body is telling me. Take today for example: I was planning that 21-15-9 with 225# for deads and 135# for OH squats. I was A-tired as f*ck all day, B-very sore from a fast triplet the day prior, and C-just didn't think it would be a goof idea to be chasing a 21 rep dead lift with 225. I didn't do the workout. Simple as that. And when I open my own box/gym one day, and jsut like I do with myself, I will be running warmups prior to the workout. I am very detail oriented and attentive to what is going on around me. If I see someone that I think isn't ready to do the WOD as Rx'd, I will either A-scale their weight down, or B-change some of the exercises in it.
I hope that explains my position better.
I typically workout 2 on, 1 off, no matter what I lift the day prior. However, I LISTEN HARD to what my body is telling me. Take today for example: I was planning that 21-15-9 with 225# for deads and 135# for OH squats. I was A-tired as f*ck all day, B-very sore from a fast triplet the day prior, and C-just didn't think it would be a goof idea to be chasing a 21 rep dead lift with 225. I didn't do the workout. Simple as that. And when I open my own box/gym one day, and jsut like I do with myself, I will be running warmups prior to the workout. I am very detail oriented and attentive to what is going on around me. If I see someone that I think isn't ready to do the WOD as Rx'd, I will either A-scale their weight down, or B-change some of the exercises in it.
I hope that explains my position better.
#438
04-01-2011, 05:58 PM
I always warm up. Always. And PR's mean nothing to me when it comes to moving weight that could hurt me. I care about keep my intensity high, and pushing myself, but my form will be good and if I get hurt, it will be from a busted lung. 
#439
04-01-2011, 07:09 PM
I like the Crossfit philosophy of “constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement.” It was nothing new to me at the time, but I hopped on board since I had already been training in a similar fashion. Some of the moves I found through Crossfit were new and made a difference in my training.
Injuries are a part of training unfortunately. You don't blame an established driving school or one of their instructors when a student puts it in the wall. As SoCal said, you really have to listen to your body and stay within yourself until you have full confidence that you are can perform the movement correctly when going up in weight.
Injuries are a part of training unfortunately. You don't blame an established driving school or one of their instructors when a student puts it in the wall. As SoCal said, you really have to listen to your body and stay within yourself until you have full confidence that you are can perform the movement correctly when going up in weight.
Last edited by Alex; 04-01-2011 at 07:10 PM.
#440
04-01-2011, 07:17 PM
Different instructors teach different methods, but mine are strict on form. They are very helpful too for when your having a trouble with form. They'll also tear into you if you start to slack on form at the end of a workout.Warm ups, Stretching, and eating well are all needed to get the gains you want.
I don't understand the people that do this! I've learned through sports all my life that without stretching, your going to get hurt sooner or later.
I don't understand the people that do this! I've learned through sports all my life that without stretching, your going to get hurt sooner or later.