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Quitting Crossfit, Considering home gym build or something else.


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2018 Jun 12, 8:37am   6,287 views  20 comments

by joshuatrio   ➕follow (4)   💰tip   ignore  

I joined a local Crossfit gym about 8 months ago. Been going 5-6 days a week ever since. Originally, it was a lot of fun, but lately I've become sick of the workouts - plus the women look like dudes.

For the record, I'm in great shape, and often complete the workouts in the top 3 in our class. Not some fatty, who his complaining about being sore. The only good thing that has come out of CF was that I got my six pack back at the ripe age of 36. Other than that, I have lost mass in my arms/chest/glutes etc..

Don't get me wrong, the rope climbs and Olympic lifts are fun, and not something you find in most gyms.... however, the programming isn't always that challenging, or it's over the top stupid. As in, one day, you'll work for 8 minutes and then go home - and I'm left thinking, where is the workout? Other times, it's an hour of sheer misery, where they'll program movements together that make no sense - or you'll have already worked shoulders 4 days in a row, and they add it into workout #5. Everyone is left looking at each other like, what the hell? We're doing thrusters again? Or rowing again? Additionally, trying to string together 30 power cleans x3 rounds (and other complex movements at high weight) is pretty stupid as bodies fatigue. There is ALWAYS someone who is injured at every class, and no one goes to the Dr. as if injuries are a normal everyday occurrence.

I'm considering going back to my regular gym routine, but maybe adding a few HIT workouts during the week.

Suggestions welcome.

I generally like a good 1-1.5 hour workout each day. About an hour of heavy weights, and 20-30 minutes of cardio. I'm considering going back to an LA Fitness or 24 Hour /YMCA type gym, but I've been considering building my own gym in my garage, with some of the crossfit gear (med ball, box jump, jump ropes) to incorporate some of the HIT stuff.

What do you guys do? And what keeps you interested/motivated?

Original post: http://patrick.net/post/1311784/2017-11-08-just-started-crossfit-review

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1   Goran_K   2018 Jun 12, 9:55am  

Josh, I'm going to give you the best health tip I know.

My story: I was 50 pounds overweight (yes I was a fat ass), about 6-7 years ago. I was trying to jog 2 miles, do 1 hour workouts, and while I felt good, I wasn't dropping weight. My secret was "IF", intermittent fasting.

I started only eating between 8am and noon, and never outside of that time interval. Within 2 months, I had lost 25 pounds. Was I eating healthy? Somewhat, but I was still eating junk food a lot, even desserts but as long as I kept to my 4 hour eating interval, the weight kept dropping off. Then I kept shrinking my interval until it was only 1 hour (11am - noon), and I even gave up meals on Sunday, just drinking water, or just eating one piece of naan bread.

In total I dropped 55 pounds until I decided I was getting too skinny (my wife said I felt too boney to hug). The past 6 years I have not had any problems with weight, have tons of energy, and never feel bloated or tired. I'm an older guy now, but I can run 5 miles no problem, and my joints never feel sore. I do wish I had more muscle tone, but that's just me not doing enough free weight workouts.

Human beings were not meant to eat 3 square meals a day. Hunter gathering societies only ate 1 meal a day, or sometimes 1 meal every other day. 3 square meals a day and the food pyramid were invented by the food industry.
2   Goran_K   2018 Jun 12, 10:03am  

APOCALYPSEFUCKisShostikovitch says
Does anyone swim anymore?



I do, but only leisurely.
3   MisdemeanorRebel   2018 Jun 12, 10:13am  

Crossfire is a great way to get injured. 4x45 minute hiit instead

One thing I never understood was the big hurry. Any weight training should be minimum 3 second moves. I see crossfitters jerking weights like crazy at light speed. Both less effective while greatly injurious
4   Shaman   2018 Jun 12, 10:14am  

Best weight loss technique I’ve found so far: stop drinking alcohol. Lost 15 pounds without trying in the last 45 days, from 215 to 200.
5   joshuatrio   2018 Jun 12, 10:26am  

Aphroman says
5-6 days a week of 1-1.5 hours is overkill imo.


I disagree... It takes me at least an hour to get through 5-6 chest exercises doing 5x5's or 4x10's. Leg days can be even longer. I really enjoy a good workout, especially when I walk out of the gym feeling beat.

Crossfit on the other hand, I walk out feeling wired and anxious when done. Not relaxed.

Aphroman says
I got stronger once I stopped working out so frequently and instead focused on healthful eating


I find consistent/hard workouts, with proper diet go hand in hand.
6   joshuatrio   2018 Jun 12, 10:29am  

Goran_K says

I started only eating between 8am and noon, and never outside of that time interval. Within 2 months, I had lost 25 pounds. Was I eating healthy? Somewhat, but I was still eating junk food a lot, even desserts but as long as I kept to my 4 hour eating interval, the weight kept dropping off. Then I kept shrinking my interval until it was only 1 hour (11am - noon), and I even gave up meals on Sunday, just drinking water, or just eating one piece of naan bread.

In total I dropped 55 pounds until I decided I was getting too skinny (my wife said I felt too boney to hug). The past 6 years I have not had any problems with weight, have tons of energy, and never feel bloated or tired. I'm an older guy now, but I can run 5 miles no problem, and my joints never feel sore. I do wish I had more muscle tone, but that's just me not doing enough free weight workouts.


Weight isn't an issue for me. I'd like to pack a few additional pounds of muscle, but am otherwise very happy with how I look. Diet wise, I don't eat anything processed. Since cutting out gluten/dairy my energy levels are through the roof and I don't deal with inflammation/tendinitis like I used to.

I'll drink maybe a glass of wine every other day.
7   joshuatrio   2018 Jun 12, 10:34am  

Thinking about building a gym in my garage around one of these folding squat racks. I find that I can build most of what I need for right around $1,000. There's a ton of used fitness gear on craigslist as well.

8   joshuatrio   2018 Jun 12, 11:08am  

Aphroman says
Sugar is THE Gateway Drug. If you can detox from sugar, you quickly realize that you only need to eat when you’re hungry.


For once we agree on something. I gave up sugar years ago.

Aphroman says
A lot of the same idiots who vote/support Republicans literally poison themselves and their children with candy, soda and breads/cereal/pasta. The same people and mindset that have us trapped in drug prohibition and the worst healthcare system imaginable


And then you blow it and turn this into a political thread - which it's not.

I see both dem's and republicans feeding their families processed junk. Both when I lived in CA, and now in GA. Processed food crosses party lines.
9   mell   2018 Jun 12, 11:45am  

Pasta actually has a low GI and esp. when you cook it al dente is a pretty healthy meal with other fresh ingredients, such as fresh tomatoes, basil, spinach, tuna or anchovies, serranos, capers etc. It is part of the mediterranean diet. Good bread is ok too, but the stuff that sells as bread and (premaid) pasta here in the US is not.
10   NuttBoxer   2018 Jun 12, 12:12pm  

When I was in college I used to workout twice a week, everything except legs(always had naturally big legs), about 2-3 hours each time. Some guy who was huge hipped me to 10x10 sets, with 1-2 minutes of rest in between. I'm a tall skinny dude, but got pretty ripped on that routine. Afterwards, would play basketball a lot of times, helped me keep my coordination. Now days I go for surfing or hiking.

For someone with your knowledge, I'd say home gym is the way to go, unless you need other people around to motivate you.
11   NuttBoxer   2018 Jun 12, 12:16pm  

mell says
Pasta actually has a low GI and esp. when you cook it al dente


It is a carb though, and carbs always break down to glucose. Recently started lowering carbs, and increasing fats. I'm not keto by any means, but was definitely out of balance with the amount of carbs I was ingesting. Still working on the no added sugar, that one is a beast since almost everything, even organic food, tends to have some form of added sugar.
12   Hircus   2018 Jun 12, 12:31pm  

I prefer going to a gym over home workouts.

I built a really nice home gym (for weightlifting) a long time ago, but found that I'm more motivated and get better workouts when I goto a gym.
13   mell   2018 Jun 12, 12:32pm  

NuttBoxer says
mell says
Pasta actually has a low GI and esp. when you cook it al dente


It is a carb though, and carbs always break down to glucose. Recently started lowering carbs, and increasing fats. I'm not keto by any means, but was definitely out of balance with the amount of carbs I was ingesting. Still working on the no added sugar, that one is a beast since almost everything, even organic food, tends to have some form of added sugar.


It also depends on how much you work out - if you deplete your glycogen stores every day you can theoretically eat as much carb as you want but only major athletes work out that much. If you go with 0-75% of the daily recommendation of total carb intake (which is still at the too high bar of 300g) and work out moderately you should be fine. I usually intake between 100-150g, sometimes I go lower for a while, like 50g or less (keto). But who knows science is always changing..
14   Philistine   2018 Jun 12, 2:49pm  

I just finished a 30 day ketogenic diet with IF. Worst I ever felt in my life. First week I got sick with what felt like a cold and bronchitis. Second week felt like a hangover--and I was not even a big carbs/sugar eater before going keto. Weeks 3 and 4 I just had zero energy and would sleep 10 hours a day. I didn't struggle with hunger, at least. I was down to one meal a day, sticking to my macros, and eating tons of leafy greens to maintain nutrients. In the end, I lost the 15 lbs I needed to lose (back to my old college weight now and reduced a pant size), toned up a bit, and most important the flab almost all melted away.

I coupled this with 3 mile walks, 5 days a week, and 2x HIIT. I don't know how anybody could do HIIT more than 2-3 times a week; if you do it right, it should knock you on your ass. I was sore on the days in between.

I'm back to moderate carbs, and will do sugary dessert type things on the weekend. Mon-Thur I do one meal a day, so intermittent intermittent fasting, shitty pun intended. I didn't mind the keto diet for the first couple weeks, but the food gets boring very quickly, and eating 10 cups a day of spinach has me turned off of leafy greens for a while. My favorite is the poseurs who do keto and overdose on calories and eat all kinds of trash food because Fat and Protein, m'kay, as if just cutting carbs and sugar is going to guarantee that infinite hot dogs and cheese are superfoods or something.
15   NDrLoR   2018 Jun 12, 3:06pm  

Philistine says
I just finished a 30 day ketogenic diet with IF
I have a philosophy about food--if it tastes good, eat it.
16   Shaman   2018 Jun 12, 7:16pm  

Trump is no model for fitness or nutrition. Probably the only reason he’s still healthyish is that he doesn’t smoke or drink. Those two habits grind a lot of years off your life.

I get a fair bit of exercise on the job, and we have a weight room I use now and then. Eating a lot of fruit and veg as well as protein keeps me fairly lean, especially since I gave up the sauce.

Relaxing at the moment in my hot tub, watching the sun go down. Life is good!
17   Patrick   2018 Jun 12, 7:27pm  

joshuatrio says
What do you guys do? And what keeps you interested/motivated?


I was really into trail running with my wife in a local running club about 4 years ago, but tapered off. Did a lot of races like Table Rock in Marin and sometimes really enjoyed them, but other times not. I still do a 7 mile run each weekend just to maintain a bit of endurance. Sometimes also do 3 miles one evening a week after work.

Also did pullups twice a day for a few years, 10 forehand and 10 backhand in the morning, and the the same 20 in the evening. But lately I don't care so much, and basically just do the running.
18   mmmarvel   2018 Jun 13, 6:57am  

NuttBoxer says
It is a carb though, and carbs always break down to glucose. Recently started lowering carbs, and increasing fats. I'm not keto by any means, but was definitely out of balance with the amount of carbs I was ingesting. Still working on the no added sugar, that one is a beast since almost everything, even organic food, tends to have some form of added sugar.


And I am full blown keto. Best way to avoid sugar (added or otherwise) cook your own food, then know exactly what's in it. As for this thread of workouts - my suggestion would be variety. I do a week or two of 5X5 stronglifts, then I do a week of targeted exercises with emphasis on arms (biceps, triceps), then a week where I focus (do extra and varied exercises) for abs. This from someone soon to hit 65 years old.
19   mmmarvel   2018 Jun 13, 7:02am  

Hircus says
but found that I'm more motivated and get better workouts when I goto a gym.


The gym I go to (one of them, it's LA Fitness) has some women who are absolute 10's and there are several of them - love to go just for the sights; while I'm there I workout too :). By the same token one of the other LA Fitness locations that I occasionally go to ... you're lucky to find a 7 with most in the 3 to 5 range, it's almost depressing. Motivates me to get in and get out.
20   rocketjoe79   2018 Jun 13, 8:10am  

Anyone using a Total Gym? I just had Rotator cuff surgery, just finished my PT and was thinking about one to continue rehab. I'm 60.

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