# Any Crossfitters on the board?



## wa-loaf (Aug 13, 2015)

I started about 6 weeks ago. Feeling stronger than I have in long time and really looking forward to this season. Lots of leg and core work.


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## BackLoafRiver (Aug 15, 2015)

I've been super tempted but fear of injury and cost have kept me away. 

How often are you going? Did you take the intro classes?


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## skiNEwhere (Aug 15, 2015)

I did insanity last summer. It definitely made me stronger but I felt like I strained my ACL....I've heard crossfit can be be just as tough on the joints and ligaments, for that reason I'm somewhat leery.


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## JDMRoma (Aug 16, 2015)

skiNEwhere said:


> I did insanity last summer. It definitely made me stronger but I felt like I strained my ACL....I've heard crossfit can be be just as tough on the joints and ligaments, for that reason I'm somewhat leery.



Insanity is brutal on your knees, not enough warm up / cool down and stretching.  I've got a couple of the 30 minute workouts, T25 and p90x 3 but I'm not ready for them right now. Playing it safe with the original P90x till the start of ski season. Will switch to the shorter workouts in the winter. 


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## dlague (Aug 16, 2015)

We got p90x3 at the start of summer but never really got going with it.   Strainded a ligament in my elbow during the first week.  Been wanting to do something and we are going to do a hybrid of p90x3 stuff and our own routines.  My wife does like regimented exercises.  We also are not morning people and time in the evening is tough.  Excuses, excuses!


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## JDMRoma (Aug 16, 2015)

dlague said:


> We got p90x3 at the start of summer but never really got going with it.   Strainded a ligament in my elbow during the first week.  Been wanting to do something and we are going to do a hybrid of p90x3 stuff and our own routines.  My wife does like regimented exercises.  We also are not morning people and time in the evening is tough.  Excuses, excuses!



I wish I could workout in the morning !
Leaving for work at 3:30am makes it hard !

I'm doing a hybrid of sorts too , most p90x but with other cardio options !
Keeps it interesting !


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## wa-loaf (Aug 17, 2015)

BackLoafRiver said:


> I've been super tempted but fear of injury and cost have kept me away.
> 
> How often are you going? Did you take the intro classes?
> 
> ...



I'm trying to get 4 classes in a week. I started in the summer and my box didn't have enough people for a separate on ramp class. The coach has just been working directly with me making sure I'm using good form and not lifting too much to start. I'm 7 weeks in and just starting to work on finding my max weights.

I've done the beach body stuff and insanity is really hard on the joints. With Crossfit my joints are feeling stronger and more stable. I'll also note that I have a bad shoulder from ski season. There are always alternatives to exercises that might hurt my shoulder.


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## deadheadskier (Aug 17, 2015)

The Crossfit Cult got you too  

j/k


I've thought about it because I've never met anyone who tried it and didn't love it.  I just can't get behind the value proposition.  My Planet Fitness membership costs me $10 a month.  I probably go 3 days a week and do yoga videos on the off days.  So, my out of pocket expense on working out is maybe 50 cents per work out.   Hard to make the leap from there to $15-20 a work out with Crossfit.  I'm sure the group dynamic is fun and motivating.  I'm sure their coaches would get me in much better shape than I'm doing on my own.  I'm sure if I did fewer 12 ounce curls, I'd probably be in better shape as well.  :lol:


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## wa-loaf (Aug 17, 2015)

deadheadskier said:


> The Crossfit Cult got you too
> 
> j/k
> 
> ...



The cost was the biggest hurdle for me ($150 a month, I get in 4 days a week so it's just under $10 a workout). I found a Groupon for the first month and got pulled in. It works for me and I enjoy working out as a group and it keeps me more motivated to go. I haven't really lost any weight in this time, but I do have more definition in my legs and arms and I've moved to the next hole in my belts. So I figure I'm just replacing muscle with fat at the moment. I should quit drinking for a while to really make some progress with weight, but that's probably not going to happen ....

Rather nsfw video


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## deadheadskier (Aug 17, 2015)

That's a good deal.  Most of the time I see prices like 10 sessions for $150.


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## wa-loaf (Aug 17, 2015)

deadheadskier said:


> That's a good deal.  Most of the time I see prices like 10 sessions for $150.



Most places have a monthly fee for unlimited classes, but do offer drop-in rates.


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## drjeff (Aug 17, 2015)

wa-loaf said:


> I should quit drinking for a while to really make some progress with weight, but that's probably not going to happen ....



I've said this to myself probably 100 times!  Usually then followed up with something like "because I am working out a bunch, I can KEEP drinking!" :lol: :beer:


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## ironhippy (Aug 17, 2015)

I did Crossfit from 2006-2009, but it was never my main goal. I was mainly into endurance sports and used Crossfit for strength/conditioning.

Crossfit is very good at forcing people to get into shape quickly. They do this by (generally) making every workout into a competition. That is not sustainable long term and WILL lead to injuries.

When Crossfit is done correctly (with proper build ups and intensity) it very much resembles most proper strength and conditioning programs, it's just easier to follow because of the CULTure of the Crossfit gyms. THERE ARE LOTS OF CROSSFIT GYMS DOING THINGS "RIGHT", but there are probably more that are not.

All that being said, my conditioning workouts are still Crossfit inspired, but they aren't very far away from what I was doing while training for hockey as a kid.

There's all kinds of other stupidity around Crossfit, long sets of Olympic lifting, repeatedly hammering the same muscle groups over and over (you did 100 pullups yesterday, you'll do 100 more today!) that have been proven to directly result in injuries. 
Not to mention they are the only exercise group in the world that has to actively teach each other about rhabdomyolysis because it's a legitimate concern.


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## wa-loaf (Aug 17, 2015)

ironhippy said:


> THERE ARE LOTS OF CROSSFIT GYMS DOING THINGS "RIGHT", but there are probably more that are not.



I think this is the key. Gotta find a place you are comfortable with that will build you up and not just throw you in.


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## gmcunni (Mar 27, 2016)

so was crossfit a good training program for skiing ?


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## Scruffy (Mar 28, 2016)

gmcunni said:


> so was crossfit a good training program for skiing ?



In a word, no. 

x-fit is good at conditioning you for x-fit. You're usually too toast for anything else, unless you really discipline yourself and don't push like the culture pressures you to. I've been x-fitting for 6 years now. I only go 2-3 times a week, usually 2, sometimes 1, or even 0 since I'm out of town a lot. I really have to dump my ego and scale for what I want to accomplish, and not what everyone else is doing, or what the trainers want you to accomplish. x-fit is good for 20 somethings that want to be military buff. If you're in your 40's or up, you're going to have delayed onset muscle soreness on top of delayed onset muscle soreness. This effects your skiing, running, biking, etc..


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## wa-loaf (Mar 28, 2016)

gmcunni said:


> so was crossfit a good training program for skiing ?





Scruffy said:


> In a word, no.
> 
> x-fit is good at conditioning you for x-fit. You're usually too toast for anything else, unless you really discipline yourself and don't push like the culture pressures you to. I've been x-fitting for 6 years now. I only go 2-3 times a week, usually 2, sometimes 1, or even 0 since I'm out of town a lot. I really have to dump my ego and scale for what I want to accomplish, and not what everyone else is doing, or what the trainers want you to accomplish. x-fit is good for 20 somethings that want to be military buff. If you're in your 40's or up, you're going to have delayed onset muscle soreness on top of delayed onset muscle soreness. This effects your skiing, running, biking, etc..



I disagree. I didn't get much skiing in this year, but when I went to Jackson it made a big difference in me being able to ski hard for a lot longer than usual. I'm still going 4-5 times a week, and love the progress and when I can beat the 20 year olds (sometimes). I do keep a mind on if muscles or body parts are getting over worked and then just take an extra day off or scale the workouts. Would I do a killer WOD the day before a big ski trip? No because that's dumb. Over all I'm much fitter than last year and that translates to all sports. I do need to up the cardio now that the weather is getting nicer. Our workouts tend to consist of a strength portion (working squats for example) and then the WOD of the day; these are what really work you, but most are pretty short coming around 10-15 minutes. Adding a couple 30-40 minute runs a week helps me burn the fat off easier.


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## Scruffy (Mar 28, 2016)

wa-loaf said:


> I disagree. I didn't get much skiing in this year, but when I went to Jackson it made a big *difference in me being able to ski hard for a lot longer than usual.* I'm still going 4-5 times a week, and love the progress and when I can beat the 20 year olds (sometimes). I do keep a mind on if muscles or body parts are getting over worked and then just take an extra day off or scale the workouts. Would I do a killer WOD the day before a big ski trip? No because that's dumb. Over all I'm much fitter than last year and that translates to all sports. I do need to up the cardio now that the weather is getting nicer. Our workouts tend to consist of a strength portion (working squats for example) and then the WOD of the day; these are what really work you, but most are pretty short coming around 10-15 minutes. Adding a couple 30-40 minute runs a week helps me burn the fat off easier.




Well, I guess it would also depend on what level of conditioning an individual was before starting x-fit, what other forms of exercise/training they do, how old they are, what their training goals are, etc..

I was already fit, for the sports I trained for, before I started doing x-fit. Sure, my overall conditioning has changed as I work other muscles or the same ones differently. x-fit tends to be more weight training centric, which develops fast twitch muscle fibers that fatique quicker.  My road biking and running has suffered as my muscles changed and my training time concentrated differently.  My ski endurance has not changed much.


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## Scruffy (Sep 16, 2016)

http://www.backcountry.com/explore/...trength-for-alpine-skiing?avad=55963_ac3b532b

I'm still doing crossfit, but I'm working more eccentric workouts in as ski season nears.

Check out the article linked above for a reason why heavily weighted squats are not the best training modality for skiing. 



> My biggest mistake as a strength and conditioning coach occurred the first year I designed a dry land training cycle for local skiers here in Jackson. Skiing is leg-intensive, and so was my program. My athletes did thousands of heavy front squats, back squats, loaded lunges, dead lifts, Bulgarian Split Squats … we hammered the legs. I completed the training sessions myself and we all built stronger legs, as measured by gym numbers. I was super proud of myself.
> _But the mountain isn’t the gym, and she wasn’t impressed._
> I knew I had made a huge programming mistake my first run at the Jackson Hole Ski Resort, opening day, early in December. Halfway down the slope, my legs were dying! I had to stop and rest. I couldn’t believe it. I barely managed to ski half the day, before retreating to the lodge to cry in my hot chocolate.
> _Where had I messed up? Upset athletes and intense research, including calls to the Olympic training center, drove me to the answer._
> My dryland program had focused on _concentric_ leg strength. But alpine skiing demands _eccentric_ leg strength.


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## wa-loaf (Sep 20, 2016)

Scruffy said:


> http://www.backcountry.com/explore/...trength-for-alpine-skiing?avad=55963_ac3b532b
> 
> I'm still doing crossfit, but I'm working more eccentric workouts in as ski season nears.
> 
> Check out the article linked above for a reason why heavily weighted squats are not the best training modality for skiing.



That's a good article. I'll say my crossfit does incorporate a lot of lunges and air squats into the workouts. I'll point this out to my coach though.


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