Who here does CrossFit daily?

if you are, how is it working for you?

it has worked great

im pretty sure crossfit works fantastically

but you have to be extremely dedicated and have access to a facility that has the equipment they recommend

I have done crossfit daily for two months only missing one WOD and can tell you it's amazing for building a strong core and dropping fat. That said, I do cardio still 4-5 days a week on top of CF and my diet has been very good during this same time period.

In week 1 I was doing a max set of 8 pullups (had gotten out of shape for a while). Now I do sets of 12, one days workout was 120 each pullups/dips....took me 35 mins but I got them all done. Tons of leg/core work, interval training, Olympic lifts...I'm actually addicted to it at this point...it's like crack. I get up and am excited to push myself to my limits!

Regarding equipment: You can do 90% or more of the workouts with a pullup bar, Olympic bar and weights, medicine ball, and somewhere to do runs.

My recommendation: if you are the kind of person that seeks challenge and diversity in your training then CF is for you.

Regarding equipment

CrossFit can be good or bad depending on your goals. If your goals are endurance, it is good. If they are strength or size, it is bad.

If your goals are endurance, it is good. If they (your goals) are strength or size, it is bad.


Wrong wrong and wrong.

Crossfit is the most ideal workout I've ever seen for building strength. It's non-stop Olympic lifts, pullups, squats, deadlifts, short interval training (sprints). Almost all of the workouts are 20 minutes or less...some days the entire workout is 6 x 1 rep max of front squat or bench.

You have obvioiusly never done or looked into Crossfit...

If you're talking about "Crossfit Endurance", that's a whole different ballgame. But Welcome to CrossFit: Forging Elite Fitness (http://www.crossfit.com) then you couldn't be more wrong.

A few recent Crossfit workouts:

Yesterday was a 10k Run, they do these about once a month or so...that is the only "endurance" thing we've done...

Tuesday 090728

With a continuously running clock do one 135 pound Clean and Jerk the first minute, two 135 pound Clean and Jerks the second minute, three 135 pound Clean and Jerks the third minute... continuing as long as you are able.

Use as many sets each minute as needed.

"Cindy"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

OR

"Mary"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Handstand Push-ups
10 One legged squats, alternating
15 Pull-ups

"Lynne"

Five rounds for max reps of:
Body weight bench press
Pull-ups

Post reps for both exercises in all rounds.

By posting what you just did, you have just shown that you have absolutely no idea what "strength training" is. What you just described to me is "muscular endurance" which is very different from "strength" which is different from "power".

If we're playing semantics, you didn't call it "muscular endurance" you called it "endurance" which is quite different. I made no mention of "power" or "strength" training (by any definition). I plainly stated (which I stand by) that Crossfit is 100% the best program I have seen for developing overall strength...call it what you want.

YOU SAID:
CrossFit can be good or bad depending on your goals. If your goals are endurance, it is good. If they are strength or size, it is bad.

I said:
Crossfit is the most ideal workout I've ever seen for building strength.

If your goal is size, I would say do something else (EDIT: Though size is relative to DIET so one could increase muscle mass while doing Crossfit if that was the goal). If your goal is to develop overall strength...Crossfit is the best program I have seen.

Where are you confused in my position on Crossfit?

If your goal is size, I would say do something else (EDIT: Though size is relative to DIET so one could increase muscle mass while doing Crossfit if that was the goal). If your goal is to develop overall strength...Crossfit is the best program I have seen.

Where are you confused in my position on Crossfit?

Size is based on your training program (yes, as well as diet, but every program has diet requirements so it isn't worth mentioning). CrossFit is not a hypertrophy program.

Saying that CrossFit is the best program to build "overall strength" is misleading, because it is not the best program to build overall strength. The best program to build overall strength would be a strength training program: Rippetoe 5x5, Westside, 5/3/1, etc. CrossFit is a muscular endurance program. It may make weightlifting novices stronger, but anything will make a novice stronger; however, you will hit a wall very quickly.

If you define strength as the ability to do work for a long time then yes CrossFit is a good idea; but if you define strength as the ability to lift heavy weights regardless of time, then no, it is not good. Strength by definition is independent of time. CrossFit also has absolutely no sort of progressive overload or rep scheme that is characteristic of a strength training program.

Just because you are performing exercises that are present in strength and power programs does not mean you are actually doing a strength or power program. The rep schemes and volumes involved are extremely important. Every WOD seems to be "Lift [fixed set of weight] for [fixed set of reps] for [fixed set of sets]" and has no customization for anyone? If it were "Lift 75% of your 1RM max for 5 reps, followed by 85% of your 1RM max for 5 reps, followed by 90% of your 1RM for 3 reps" then it would be different.

CrossFit is an endurance program by every measurable standard. If you want to get strong, do something else. I am not faulting anyone if their goal is not to get strong. Some people want to get big, some people want to get strong, some people want stamina and there are different things for all of these but do not call it something that it is not.

You just keep adding things to your argument that are irrelevant (I never said anything about Crossfit being hypertrophy program but to make it look like you were right about something you added it in...). At this point we aren't going to agree...and in fact, many experts would have this same argument so I'll leave it at this (my original point):

I stand by the statement that Crossfit is the best program for increasing overall strength that I have seen, regardless of your level of training (novice or otherwise).

Crossfit is strength, endurance and power training all in one...which is why it works. There are rep schemes of 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1, 5 x 3 x 1, 10 x 8, x 6, 21 x 18 x 15, etc. etc etc. It encompasses all of those things you mentioned over the course of each month or so.

The proof is in the pudding...if you're so skeptical try it for yourself for 8 weeks, then go back to your normal routine. I would guarantee that you are stronger in all of your lifts than you were prior to Crossfit.

I stand by the statement that Crossfit is the best program for increasing overall strength that I have seen, regardless of your level of training (novice or otherwise).

Crossfit is strength, endurance and power training all in one...which is why it works. There are rep schemes of 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1, 5 x 3 x 1, 10 x 8, x 6, 21 x 18 x 15, etc. etc etc. It encompasses all of those things you mentioned over the course of each month or so.


Yes exactly. There is no periodization or progressive overload here. This is just a random smattering of shit. Strength training is a regimented and planned thing. Intermediate and advanced strength athletes need to plan their workouts around these ideas weeks in advance.

If CrossFit is the best program for improving strength, why do no (zero) strength athletes use it? Not a single powerlifter uses CrossFit to increase their numbers on any major lift. This is because CrossFit will not do this.

I will agree with you 100% that CrossFit is good for people who want to play sports or martial arts or whatever the fuck requires you do to aerobic activity but as soon as you get into anaerobic activity it is shit. I don't know if you are just trying to be difficult with your wording, but it is not a STRENGTH program at all. It will not make you STRONGER using the definition of strong. It will make you be able to do shit for a long time. That is not strength, that is something different. Please tell me whether or not you agree that it will make you be able to play a sport and not lift heavy weights off of the ground. Because if you disagree with this then you have a gross conceptual error regarding any kind of training and I would like to suggest some reading for you. Starting Strength and Practical Programming for Strength Training by Mark Rippetoe would be a good start.

I have been with the program since Oct. 07 and love it. It's been the best program I've followed to date.

The workouts are as hard as you make them. It takes a good month or 2 to really get into the feel of it.

Also they do these movements at pace without rest so be careful to know you limits and not break form or you pretty much are asking for injury.

edit.

As far as strength goes I'd have to agree that it isn't the best program for developing raw strength and we don't want it to be either. When you become to strong in one area of fitness you lose in other areas and Crossfit looks for the all around balance of fitness. So yeah Zwitter you're correct it isn't the best for raw strength.