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Crossfit
Hi any polers out there do crossfit? am thinking about starting it as a complimentry excercise to pole. I don’t really much about it except that it can be for all fitness levels and can be a hardcore workout. Am having a complimentry session soon.
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14 Replies
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The biggest thing to look for is a Crossfit studio that stresses form as well as number of reps. There are MANY bad studios out there that sacrifice form for max reps and poeple end up injured. There are good and bad studies done on the effectiveness of it.
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Look for trainers that have certifications In Olympic lifting. I wouldn’t go to someone who just has CrossFit cert. TONS of possibility for serious injury!
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(I will clarify– I think in all types of instruction that its important to me that the teacher realize that continuing to educate themself, and be the best instructor possible, is important. That is one of the main things that I look for in any teacher. So while a cert doesn’t make you a better teacher, I find with CrossFit especially, the instructor who will keep you safe is one who knows proper form, and you can’t truly learn proper Olympic lifting form for snatches, cleans, etc in a single CrossFit cert. it takes people years to be able to do them properly and a good instructor will take the time to educate themself on that!
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I would be careful with crossfit….. it can be a really good workout.. you will probably get stronger…. but you are also at a greater risk of injury doing very dificult lifts without proper spotting
You also need to becareful with the competitive side of crossfit…. you are pushed to complete every workout even if you are getting fatiqued and your form has gone to crap
A thought on the type of instructors they have……. my bf has been approached multiple times to be a coach because he is genetically gifted when it comes to exercise and sports.. haha….. but what are his qualifications? He’s a math teacher…. he just needs to pay $1000 and take a weekend course and he all of a sudden with know how to spot everyone.. how to develop a workout.. how to correct an exercise.. and so on
Also…. look up rhabdomyolysis….. crossfit has been known to induce this and also take pride in it
I’m sure there are good gyms out there…. I haven’t been convinced though
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Thankyou for your input guys, i will take it into account when i go for my free session, it seems there is more negativity about it though.
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Do you guys know anyone who has certifications in Olympic lifting like Amy mentioned? I’ve been having difficulties finding a good trainer because I don’t trust the ones introduced at gyms after watching how people injured themselves
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I agree it's difficult to find right person/place. I've been to ones that, even as a beginner with fitness, can tell it probably wasn't the right person because I could tell they weren't concerned with correct form, etc. Recently I found a fitness training place with an excellent trainer. It's his own fitness place and is the only trainer so I always know what I'm going to get.
He is big on correct form, mixes up workouts, etc. He also emphasizes proper eating habits to go along with workouts, and he cares about each person's goals and results. Even in a large group workout, it feels as if you have a personal trainer. I also take privates with him that are KICK-BUTT. He does a lot of things that are part of cross fit, but tailors workout for your own goals. He doesn't focus on competition or anything.
He doesn't focus on heavy weight lifting, we use free weights once in a while up to 10 lbs for women depending on level. Anyway I could go on and on and on, but like other said, be careful and make sure where you go is a compliment to pole and not the hard core competition focus like cross fit.
Oh, years ago I took a power flex weight class and for me, I got pretty strong. BUT when I found pole I couldn't do a thing becasue the strength and moves were very different, I was shocked because I felt I was strong. The bootcamp fitness I do now is helping my strength because it's a very well rounded workout that focus on strength building and endurance in all areas/forms.
Let us know how your complimentary session goes.
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Thats really interesting that you found you struggled with pole after the classes, were you still poling as well? Obviously i plan to, i am not really interested in the weight lifting aspect, just regaining a good level of fitness again.
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@Ly……. what are you looking to do as far as training? The Olympic Weighting Cert is only for Olympic lifts. Crossfit is based around olympic lifts which are very difficult and take a good period of time to do correctly. The problem is most crossfit coaches do not have much experience or proper training. So finding a gym with a certified coach is important.
As far as personal training……. to be eligible for a personal training certification you much be 18 and have a hs diploma/GED………. So if you have someone who passed their test but does not continue to educate themselves then they arent going to be very good.
As far as things to look for……. trainers with college degrees (exercise science, kinesiology, atheltic training) NASM PES…. NASM CES…… NSCA CSCS…… Those certs are probably the top as far as education and injury prevention……… NASCM CES literally in a cert in correcting exercise form
And obviously references…. if you are looking for a new gym or a personal trainer talk to the people that go there or clients……. If a trainer can't give you any good references that that's probably a red flag…. also what type of clients? are they sedentary elderly people or are they younger active athletes?
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Ky Kieu Le – there is a place called Smash Gyms (http://www.smashgyms.com/about.php) that looks very interesting between Santa Clara and Sunnyvale (although it looks like they are not a "lifting" gym). Look for the gym where the professional bodybuilders work out and there is where you will typically find the good trainers.
I yelped Bodybuilders in Santa Clara and came up with this: http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=bodybuilding&find_loc=San+Jose%2C+CA#find_loc=santa+clara,+CA
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I have been doing pole and Crossfit for the past year. Though the workouts (WODs) are meant to be competitive, I've never hurt myself during them. If I need to drop weight or modify the exercise, I do and no one cares. The trainers at my gym will actually force people to drop or modify if they notice the form is off. I think it's a great compliment to pole and probably the reason that I am able to climb the pole in pencil. Also, the shoulder muscles I built up in Crossfit made shoulder mounting and dismounting pretty easy with no bruising or pain. I recommend you test out the gym for a month to make sure you like their style. And make sure that you add in some yoga so that you don't lose mobility and flexibility as you build muscle.
As a funny aside, I also belong to a Crossfit forum and I've had similar discussions with Crossfit girls about whether they should try pole. Obviously, I'm a huge fan of both!!
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I read this earlier, but am just now able to post…. https://www.studioveena.com/users/view/4f31ef71-9818-4848-a90c-2a4f0ac37250 , I was so happy to see your comment. i have only been doing Crossfit since August, but since I have started I have had a huge increase in strength and endurance. i have done P90X, bootcamps, etc, however Crossfit has been the best change in lifestlye for me and my family. Yes, family! We do it together! Our coach is awesome. Anytime you work out he is strict on form and will correct you, but also pushes you to do your best. He is always going to workshops and learning more and more, to help us improve even more. He also focuses on our nutrition, which has made the biggest difference. Just because you are eating healthy food does not mean you are doing it properly, as I found out!
Doing Crossfit has allowed me to doing many moves that I was not able to do before. I plan on entering a pole competition in June and my Crossfit coach is actually using his time to cross-train me…. for free, only so he can help me reach my goals!
Also, it is not about a workout. Most Crossfits are small and the members become family. I see them 5 days a week and we all celebrate the holidays together and other events. I enjoy the workout and the bonding! It's nice to go and compete with a friend, have their support on a tough WOD and give it right back!!
Give it a try, every Crossfit box is different. I hope the one you go it like ours and that you love it as much as we do!
Good LuCk!!
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Ly Kieu Le, look for someone with a certification from USAW for olympic lifting. I doubt you can find a lot of good coaching for the olympic lifts in crossfit gyms since most people serious about the lifts would never do them in high rep circuits like Crossfit does. That ingraines bad form.
Of course they do have (or had^^) some good coaches there who know what they're talking about, like Mike Burgener or Greg Everett. But the normal crossfit trainer?
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I found the combination of pole and crossfit too jarring on my body. I couldn't recover enough from one to do the other. I'm pretty strong and found myself pushing myself at pole. The next day I'd have my crossfit instructor, who was my friend, telling me that I could do things that I really couldn't or became too fatigued to do because I was recovering from the previous days' inversions.
I've found Kinesis to be a better complement to pole. It's strength building and provides a low-impact cardio workout.
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