I think CrossFit can be great! But the lack of appropriate training for the type of activities and volume of such, greatly increases and almost guarantees injury at some point.
CrossFit has been dead to me for years. I am a lifter. I have been for a long time and I rarely get injured. In fact, I only have two injuries in over 30 years of lifting that I remember. One was in high school doing a squat that I should have been doing and the other was a 27 year old man doing CrossFit for the first time. I injured myself doing a 135 pound power clean. I currently power clean 255 and I’m in my 40s. The lack of Proper lifting technique in CrossFit leads to countless injuries.
The order of events may not have mattered that lake was warmer than what is allowed for elite swimmers. That limit is because of another death. Overheat, pass-out , drown
What I disliked the most were people attempting to do crossfit in a commercial gyms. They were dominating multiple pieces of equipment for long periods of time, not allowing other people to use them. It seemed very self-centered to me.
When I see people do that as soon as one gets off a machine I get on it. I don't care if they left their keys and bottle there or not. You go use another machine that means your done with this one
I worked in a gym in Atlanta as a strength coach. We would try to have lifting classes and would have to run off crossfitters all the time. We eventually had to ban any and all crossfit type workouts.
I would argue that your gym needs more equipment then lolol. I’m almost positive there wasn’t a full blown CrossFit class being hosted at your gym. So 1 or 2 ppl using a few pieces of equipment is no different from the person than is using multiple machines at the same time. Not to mention most commercial gyms don’t have all of the equipment found in a box
@@joshuatoe2323 No one should ever be using multiple machines at a time. If you want a gym for you, then stop being a broke loser and build one in your house. Otherwise accept that there is no rule, ethic, moral imperative or tradition that allows one person to take up multiple pieces of equipment when they can only physically use one at a time.
You're wrong. I don't known a single person able to do butterly pull ups (in Crossfit or outside) which isn't also able to do strict pull ups. Crossfit doesn't usually measure peak strength or peak speed: most of the events are testing endurance and work capacity under fatigue. Butterfly pull ups in Crossfit are different from calisthenics the same as volleyball is different that handball and kayaking in C1 is different than canoeing in C1 and paddle surfing races: no one will call a canoer doing "bad form" because uses a single paddle isntead of two or a volleyballer "a bad form" because jumps to hit the ball instead of grabbing it and just throwing it. But yet people keep moking butterflies because "they aren't strict"... Guess what: is not the same sport just because has a guy moving hanging from a bar.
@@Buran01 Doing things the way crossfit does its also good, but like the user above me said, its a matter of complexity + volume + fatigue = snap city. There isnt much we can do about it.
If you knew you were going to stick with CrossFit for at least 18 months those dues would outfit a decent garage gym. That's what I did back in the day. Now I still have a nice garage gym even tho I train differently.
Since COVID the box owner in my area was in a literal war with the property owner who wanted his 5k every month regardless, couldn't get a PPP loan to save his life and his clients were bleeding away. He finally found a new location and things were looking up in 2021. Unfortunately the monthly went up too, like 30%, which kinda priced me out of the box entirely. Would love to get back in but all the box owners locally have drastically increased fees as well.
Ive spent over fourteen thousand dollars in nearly 8 years going to a local box and don't regret a cent. The community and friendships built have become an important part of my quality of life and I never push harder than when I am competing with my buddies in the box. home gym is great but I love the buzz of working out with friends.
Former gymnast and avid weightlifter since 12 yo., gymnastics coach since 16 yo., and occupational therapist. To change up the gym workout monotony and challenge my body, I tried CrossFit from a promo. As the coach was showing me the CrossFit workout exercise techniques, I was telling myself no way am I going to use that technique. Then we got to the handstand pushups, immediately I told him NO. That’s not the way I do them or gymnasts do them. I told him that CrossFit techniques will cause me to have increase injury. I walked out never returned.
I was training in the gym for years and was in a pretty decent shape when I went to try Crossfit for 3 months. I was in pain all the time. Although I still think that the core idea has potential, implementation is something that bothered me. Foremost, constant variation of movement between classes made me sore all the time. Additionally, I find high technical Olympic lifts and gymnastic movements for the general population totally overwhelming. If you combine that with high cost of membership and fixed classes, we come to the conclusion that the whole thing will never significantly take off within the general population. If I can bet, I think that Hyrox will overtake because of its simplicity.
I did crossfit for a short time. I am a heavyset guy with lifting experience, and I went to a box during late 2020 to improve my fitness. The attendees there must have been the most dedicated because they were all leagues ahead of me in in the calisthenics. I could lift and I remembered to focus on my form. However, there were exercises where I was not comfortable, and the instructors would just walk by me without support. I also saw the regulars supporting only other regulars and not supporting other new attendees. I resigned from that box after a few months because of these observations and scheduling issues and have not looked at going to another box.
I'll never understand the hate of butterfly pullups - it's such a satisfying, fun movement and a separator at competitions. Sure we can all do regular pullups but butterfly is way faster! And no, they are not dangerous if done properly and if you are strong enough to do them (one shouldn't attempt them if one can't do at least around 8 strict pullups, in my view)
If you want to get stronger, do strict pullups. If you wanna look like a fish out of water, do those silly butterfly pullups. I will say that CrossFit has changed the way we approach fitness by focusing on compound movements, calisthenics and different forms of cardio. But their approach is stupid. When I became a level 1 coach, the instructors literally said the workout design was similar to just pulling out random exercises from a hopper. I can't think of any coach for any sport doing that. And trying to hang out a high number of Olympic lifts in a short time is insane. Those lifts aren't supposed to be done at high reps. It will break you. That's why people get injured. That's why they get rhabdo. And I bet that the athletes they showcase are not training like your typical CrossFit gym members. Their training is probably more structured, with more rest and recovery. Not just one really intense session, followed by another, followed by another, etc.
read the publications - any contact sport like soccer, football, etc results in way more injuries per training hour. if you want, I'm happy to send you some references.
@@thinussteyn2797every day. Pull-ups every morning. Then bench press, back row, squat later in the day. 20-30 min to fully engage one muscle group. Fantastic results. It would take me 20 min just to drive to the gym. I still go there on occasion because commercial gym has more equipment
Nothing frustrates me more than my friends that do CrossFit who are puzzled as to why they can't lift heavy. I tell them that their form needs to be perfect, and that they are not taking enough time in between sets. Especially with heavy weights, the stance in the Olympic lifts needs to be reset after each rep.
Form doesn't need to be perfect. Not even top (strenght) athletes have perfect form. Does Lasha have perfect form when he does a 250 Kg C&J or did Eddie Hall have it when he deadlifted 500 Kg? No, they didn't. their technique is good enough but not perfect. Chasing perfection is a pipe dream.
I have seen and heard of so many CrossFit injuries, that I have never been interested in CrossFit. I support people getting fit, but not at the cost of sustaining serious injuries.
Being a weightlifter for over 40 years, when I saw CF I almost lost my mind with the terrible form, slinging the weights and the potential for injury. We were always taught form is King. I tried it but it was way to intense for any prolonged time and for 200.00 per person I could and did get a home gym.
technique has gotten a lot better. Have you seen Thuridur Helgadottir or Guy Malheiros snatch? A thing of beauty! and sure i love my (cost-efficient) home gym but it's hard to describe the fun of working out with buddies or the motivation you get when doing eg a marathon row together or a Christmas Throwdown in a team setting.
Lots of fitness systems have come and gone. Do they ever die, though? People still preach Nautilus. People still swear by Mentzer. Not hating on Crossfit at all. I've never been into it because I didn't want to be great at exercising. Calisthenics aren't my cup of tea. I swore after the military, I'd never run or swim again. I just want to lift weights, watch my overall caloric intake, and walk 4 days a week.
its just like atkins, morphs into keto & countless other things People want new things to talk about but don't want things too change. It's a natural human push and pull
@@keithdrummond1003 don’t forget 30-minute-easy-ABS-machines they used to sell on TV all the time. And the most recent was COVID-era magic PELOTON that was both a miracle fitness machines and a great stock investment. It’s was just a dumb overpriced bike, not sure what happened to it after all
I’ve been doing CrossFit for 10 years and have witnessed seven CrossFit gyms close in my area. Many people have quit, and trainers have moved to other fitness centers. I can’t say for certain that CrossFit has made me physically better, but it has taught me a lot about the limits of my body and my ego. Some things look easy, giving us the illusion that we could do them effortlessly. In CrossFit, you will discover your true limit-your own personal boundary.
I did CrossFit for several years. For the most part I really enjoyed it and the results from it. However the last 2 years of it I suffered several injuries back to back to back. And after the last one I just decided to quit it and join a regular Gym. If you can avoid injuries it can be so good. But if you have injuries, it can make it not worth it…If I could ensure no more injuries I would do CrossFit again in a heart!
I was an Olympic weightliftter in the late 90s (and still am). When the Crossfit hype peaked in the early 2000s, I wanted no part in it. You can find great athletes anywhere (F45, Orangetheory, Crossfit, Gold's). But you find the most injured athletes at Crossfit. I appreciate the social facilitation and camaraderie, but the teenage-boylike culture is counterproductive. An uninjured athlete is an athlete that trains consistently; consistent training is what wins medals. Injury prevention is everything, not just for athletes and competitors, but for health across the lifespan. Let's take what's good about Crossfit (intensity, Olympic lifts, healthy competition) and discard the rest. Especially the misguided protein paranoia and other nonsense. I'm glad they'll be winding down, but their impact will be a net positive. Most people now know about Olympic style lifts because of them. That's awesome!
@@rainshadowband3161 Fair question! Paranoid about not getting enough. Some of it's just driven by marketing and diet fads (hard to look at any packaged food without a "this is high in protein" sticker on it). There's also been a perversion of language, relabeling meat and dairy products as "protein" largely driven by the beef lobby and dairy checkoff programs. Coming up as a weightlifter, I even woke up in the middle of the night to drink protein shakes a few times, for fear of not getting enough. But then I tracked everything I ate in the Cronometer app for two years. Even without trying, all those "low protein" foods (with the exception of fruit) like spinach, rice, vegetables, lettuce, nuts, pasta, bread, seeds, and especially legumes, added up to much, *MUCH* more than I needed. Rather than having zero protein, even the low protein foods have a gram or two...and across an entire day of eating, it really does add up. I was confused. So a few years back I read a big meta-analysis on protein synthesis and protein intake in weightlifters. Then I read every single paper included in the meta-analysis. Bottom line: If you have a diverse diet (i.e., not eating bananas only or whatever), and if you're eating sufficient calories, protein is a non-issue. I know that sounds extreme, but track your own foods and see for yourself! I eat almost entirely whole foods, so it was pretty easy for me. But people eating a lot of oil or processed foods, could conceivably get enough calories but not enough protein. It should go without saying, but figured I'd mention that. I don't eat processed foods and I have very little oil in my diet. Do what works for you, but the more whole foods the better. Don't overthink it, and good luck!
After the Covid shutdown, I quickly realized that a year’s worth of XFit membership could buy me an entire setup and I did buy me a whole barbell setup. If the monthly membership was around $50 I’d probably consider going back to a regular box, but at $175? Hell nah. I’ll pass.
As someone riding the crossfit wave pre- 2010. It was fun and great and exciting. But this was during my 20s. Even all of TABATA and HIT coaches started to not teach techniques and safety. Never have i seen such sloppy and dangerous power clean exercises. Now, in my late 30s and with others my age, we are paying the price with injuries.
Once I realized that there was a chiropractor business next to each CF business I saw the trap. BJJ in America has also become over saturated. It was better when no one knew about it.
Did CrossFit for about 12-18 months back in 2018-2019. Now I do 5/3/1 and calisthenics. I’m in way better shape now. The constantly varied stuff isn’t a very good way to get stronger. As Rip says, CrossFit is just about getting abs.
@@NoFate247 I like it, at 42 I just want a simple program that gets me in and out of the gym. I haven't plateaued yet, but I can see the military press plateau on the horizon. I'll just reset and get back to work at that point. 💪
I think the biggest issue is the price. I had two boxes in walking distance in a Midwest city, one was $350 a month, the other was $250 for 2 classes a week. When I can get a power rack for $250 on Amazon, it’s just not worth it. The other problem is the obvious steroid abuse at the top level. A big reason CrossFit grew is because attractive women started doing it. Now those same women get put off by the overly muscular look associated with it. The same thing happened with female bodybuilding. When Rachel McClish was Ms Olympia, it’s popularity with women grew quickly. Then the Ms Olympias started getting huge and women stopped wanting to train like that.
My gym is no longer an affiliate. Price is definitely cheaper. Regarding injury…its a reality in many arenas and definitely in this one. Of course, as an adult, i got injured playing basketball, racquetball, strength training, and even p90x (only after my door frame pullup bar failed). Im sure nobody has gotten injured in gymnastics or bodybuilding. The answer is almost always better form especially under some sort of competitive context. My current biggest threat of injury is metabolic disease and my biggest obstacle is myself and a bag of Doritos. I have an amazing home gym but struggle with motivation. The class set up is what works for me and thats why i think some evolution of CF will prevail or at least i hope so. Its much easier for me to do really hard things longterm when there is a community. So ill keep doing some kipping pullups. I can tell by the comments that many have figured out a better way. Keep it up.
While there is a blame on coaches for injuries, at some point it is the responsibility of the gym-goer to learn to self-regulate - no need to go RX + 100% all the time. Know when they need to rest. Being an affiliate is a status symbol which I do not think holds that much weight as before - there are gyms like yours that do good if not better than even some affiliates themselves - for less. The methodology will continue even if CF HQ bites the dust.
I like these videos where you do an analysis based on data. I recall a similar video you did a while ago that I think was on the home gym industry's trend since covid. Good stuff!
Here’s the deal, CrossFit is a lot like martial arts. Good coaches will teach proper technique and will allow you to scale based on ability. I think the programming is improved. Hell, if I’m looking on lifts. I’ve found that if you do an 2 and a half minute EMOM. Hell, as a young man moving to a new town. It honestly helped my social life
Gym was supposed to be the safest of activities compared to sports. Leaning into form to prevent injury. Trying to gamify the gym was always a terrible idea
When has gyms ever been safe? People have been getting hurt and dying in various sports. That said, yes for gyms and coaches to get people fit while managing risk.
Stop wearing your bodies out youngsters! Just be the right weight and stay fit. Trust me you can wear your joints out and you risk injuries which are often permanent as far as not being the same. I’m a former elite athlete and have many old injuries that didn’t heal perfectly. I get compliments for being trim, well groomed and dressing sharp. Nobody cares what you look like in gym clothes except shallow people. Be the best person and associate only with good people who share your values.
I have seen enough Crossfiters recklessly throwing out Power Clean and Jerk while having complete disregards for neither proper techniques or safety of themselves or others around. It's a very dangerous "sport".
The same can be said for someone in a globo-gym trying to bench press #300 without the adequate strength or safety protocols like having a spotter. Any movement can be dangerous if not done properly. That said, your point on reckless Olympic Weightlifting movement is something valid. There are those who can do it properly, but even some CrossFit coaches do not properly teach it well.
I can see the CrossFit cult members came out in force to defend their methodology. There are safer ways to do hybrid training than trying to do 30 power cleans followed by 10 pullups, 20 bodyweight squats, and a 400 meter sprint to be done X number of times. They pride themselves in their randomness. Which means they throw shit together at the last minute with no real goal for the day's workout. Nevermind that we did max back squats yesterday. We're still doing the box jumps and lunges today because that's what I pulled out of the hopper. Got rhabdo? Great! Here's your achievement badge.
No one was forced to shut down. These gym owners decided to follow totalitarian dictates that no mayor nor governor had the legal authority to enforce.
The work-outs promote injury. The top competitors are all juiced. Can't imagine why it's falling out of favor. Just glad there aren't many of those idiots at my gym.
I tried CrossFit once, I injured my shoulder In the first class, took me like 6 months to recover, I've been training for 10 years the "training" just sucks
I was doing CrossFit for 4 years in two different boxes. First one was really cool, great friends and community. they had additional classes of weightlifting taught by former Olympic athlete, who can snatch 200 kg and gymnastics was also taught by great athlete but from a low tier. And when you aren't doing wods weightlifting class is just boring, I was just doing hang clean with empty bar. Wods were just fun to do. In the second box I was doing mostly private online coaching , because I get a great deal on open gym price and could afford a top10 coach in my country. It was great, there was 30 minutes of real warming, then proper work on training plan and proper cooldown with stretching. It was whole another experience. Now I see that a lot of local gyms have those crossfit equipment, plates, boxes, assault bike and concept rowers. I can visit them at 20 bucks a month and work at my older training plan
Former crossfitter who built my own home gym. My coach was great. After decades of working out I finally learned how to lift from him. I built my own gym after I moved and my Box moved and it became a 30 minute drive.
Crossfitters are like vegetarians. Always having to remind you that they do CrossFit. Also, CrossFit is for people who can’t motivate themselves. Never understood why someone needs to be yelled at for motivation.
@@luxurybuzz3681 actually they yell at you to create stress and is used as part of the breakdown period in boot camp. Yelling typically eases as the recruits shape into soldiers.
Used to go about 10 years ago, loved the format, the unity and it was great fun, but like others have said… it was 4x more expensive than a regular gym.
It needs upgrading. As a Master Competitor, who won at the local scene and competes nationally, it can be a lifestyle to enjoy if you approach it properly. 1) Slowly build up strength and stamina. 2) Give the body time to recover, 3) Stretch and warm up properly, and 4) Supplement and eat right...this is a lifestyle! Benefits: A) Slow down the aging process, B) Life vitality is superior to your peers, C) Extend your physical well bring as you age and D) Enjoying the process and challenges. This can be an efficient exercise routine. Ignore what the younger and elites are doing. Start with your baseline and slowly increase it as your body allows. The investment is in yourself!
$200/month for weekend certified fake coaches to tell you to have seizures while doing pull-ups and use a bunch of stupid lingo. Def mirin’ physique of top competitors though
Using the term WOD always gave me a cringy feel! I'm seeing commercial gyms start to offer crossfit equipment anyway, so unless you run a popular box, you're going to lose a lot of the new business to commercial gyms and the small group fitness gyms that are popping up everywhere.
What drove me away from a CrossFit gym was when I was in the early stages. The work outs were too easy and I didn’t care for the sumo squat which was uncomfortable. At that point, I’d worked out for over 20 years so I knew my body. The male trainers really favored advancing the beginner women to the better classes and I wasn’t getting much out of it so I quit and continued working out like I always had. It was a lot of money to be stuck on a schedule and not be getting a work out.
Greatly enjoy further contents like this video when you give out your takes on various fitness events and topics as well, on top of equipment. Looking forward for more.
Paying over $4K/year in affiliate fees is insane. What value is CrossFit providing other than their name? If you are an established CrossFit gym who doesn't need the CrossFit name to bring in clients, why not just take the CrossFit name off?
affiliates are listed on their webpage where you can search for crossfit gyms in your area. But honestly that's it (sure there is more but nothing that stands out IMO)
The Games motivated me to join as gym nearly 8 years ago. Also, they run the Open - if you are an affiliate, your members don't need to upload videos of their workouts. and you are on the official affiliate map. you also have access to startup tools and CrossFit affiliate programming. but I agree the fee is high
I was about 55 and female when I went to CrossFit .. there were a few others in my demographics and I was encouraged to join , but then pretty much ignored in training sessions or at times humiliated, when/ if I asked for help it was generally not forthcoming .. pretty disillusioned I left after a year ( yep I stuck it out )
My current coach was a trainer since nearly the inception and moved from it in about 2012 for more reasonable training, centered around Olympic lifting, bodybuilding, circuit training and cardio. Less emphasis on time a little more on technique. In circuits you just go through with no rest, still it is exhausting. She said she loved CrossFit in the beginning and believes it focused way too much on sport. Glassman was her original coach and the training was literally personal training and small groups, she said affiliates ended up ruining the model by treating it like a boot camp class, which it is not suited for while combining competing within the class where people who haven’t been training thoroughly or even properly are encouraged to go hate a break neck speed. This is not sustainable and the churn in the affiliates becomes so high that the business is not sustainable. Also with this boot camp model affiliates are forced to turn it literally into an expensive boot camp or decrease the cost and hope to get more people, both of which are ruin them long term. Now she teaches her style of training and makes a good living doing it. Excellent training.
My CrossFit box is doing great. I think the affiliates will be fine. I try to save money by going to a nun affiliate gym and their coaches didn't have any training and my form suffered so now I'm paying additional money to get great training at a good gym. I think headquarters needs to make some adjustments soon for the headquarters side of things to be okay
I've learned the hard way but the blessing is that I've been in a few gyms so I was able to know the difference and back out of the non-affiliate gym that was lacking instruction
I was put off by their kettlebell swing. Swinging up beyond the natural height the kettlebell goes is a recipe for future shoulder injury - a fact confirmed by my kettlebell trainer.
@@NoFate247there are still new affiliates being built. My owner has 3 affiliates and business is booming. I still train at an affiliate and have for 13 years . I’m 66.
some of it was since crossfit became all about reps for time they started using crap form to cheat out reps leading to lots of injuries and burnout. some of it was also the people who did crossfit were kinda douchey and would always hog 4-5 things at once at the commercial gym so they could do their circuits. But i think the big thing was as youtube started getting more and more professionals giving advice and tips, we saw a shift back to general stregnth and hypertophy training which is way more doable for the average person
Used to be a performance athlete in the marine corps and got out of shape once I got out and recently getting back into shape. The biggest con to getting back into crossfit is easily the price point. Also, the set up of most gyms shows you can do those workouts in your garage and or local gym.
The gym in my hometown costs about $40/month + taxes and sign up fee. The equipment there is pretty impressive. A lot of the CrossFit equipment can be found in that gym. I see several people at the gym doing cross fit style workouts. I suspect they don’t need to spend $80-$100/ month anymore for a CrossFit box when they can have access to the same stuff at a cheaper gym
I never joined a CF class but I did Functional training for a year without getting a single injury even though F45 includes some CF workouts into their circuits such as kettlebells and calisthenics. I do attest that some of my colleagues who were in CF were frequently getting injuries that stopped them from attending the gym and many quit after turning 30.
I’ve always wanted to try CrossFit just to improve my technique, but the whole paying, driving, and having a schedule is too much for my life-and you’re talking to a guy that pays to run marathons 😂
I think it’s the end of CrossFit. There are many ways to prevent drowning and the y didn’t do any of it. GPS trackers, inflated life jacket ( co2 cartridges rapidly inflate), tow buoyies like a lifeguard, tracker staff along the perimeter, staggered starts to prevent congestion…. CrossFit , in my opinion, basically set somebody up to die by negligence
Have you ever seen or been in a mass start at a triathlon event? Just recently, 2 swimmers died at a triathlon in Ireland. Accidents can theoretically always be avoided, especially with hindsight.
They even sued another group out of existence for them pointing out the obvious that doing high volume deadlifts and useless olympic lifts causes an inordinate amount of injuries with no real benefit.
I did CrossFit for 6 months. I learned that I was capable of more physical and mental endurance then I ever though possible. The experience taught me to stick with it and just grind through the work out. The most improvement I saw was in the first two months and that the last 4 months I lost ground due to over training. I saw many members of our CrossFit group also overtraining. Pro athletes and Oly athletes structure these strength endurance workouts as the last part of their training cycle. So there is value in these workouts. They just have to be cycled appropriately throughout your training year. One negative was CrossFit programming using Oly lifts, which are for strength development and are very technically demanding, and employing them as endurance exercises. I found that leads to sloppy form, and injuries.
i see my "box" is going a lot away from kipping moves often. and more strict pullups etc. not that it changes for me personally as i dont even do a proper kipping pullup anyway but always stick to strict. my box is just a super great place and the trainters are working out too and are not "pro". a bit worse for noobs but when you have the basics its far more relaxed and feels more like a social version of a commercial gym or calisthenics, which is the biggest weaknesses of either of those, that they often are super asocial. i still do calisthenics at my little homegym, but its so great to have a social place and create relations, while sharing tips and pushing each other. i find that the "conditioning/spinning/hiit" part of crossfit is its greatests strength, becayse that is the hardest to do at home alone, or at the gym. but i am a big promoter of perfect form in the big lifts especially, so its not that crossfit has no future, far from it, it simply has to evolve a bit in those areas, skip most of the kips, and have more standard days in the box that focus on technique for the big lifts, and generally dont do the biggest lifts for super high reps for time, plenty of other strength hybrid exercises with much easier/simpler form to throw into a hiit workout for instance. but always start with the heavy, slow regular weightlifting and then do a hiit/wod
When I was in the Army, they pushed crossfit. I noticed a lot of my soldiers getting injured over time. I refused to continue implementing crossfit into our training due to a lack of technique.
As someone who trains and does it (CrossFit), my honest thoughts on it as a fitness modality and a sport: Pros: 1. While the training ideas are not original, its brilliant combination of them all - which makes it appealing. 2. Revolutionize gym equipment and gyms themselves - we see more gyms use the rigs and have more open space. As you mentioned home gyms have also benefited from the equipment being made for CF 3. Increased interest in barbell and fitness-related sports - Folks who get tired of CrossFit can just go into Weightlifting or Powerlifting. Maybe even Hyrox. 4. Lots of gyms around the world - one can find an affiliate or non-affiliate to train at most places. Cons: 1. Coaches seem to have a dogmatic approach on things like weightlifting movements when specialist coaches in WL can better address it. 2. Class schedules and fees - Yep, expensive and also not very flexible when it comes to workout times. Exception: Open gym times which I will address 3. Workout of the Day - Classes most often do not take into personal fitness needs/goals to account - its usually the same 4. Sport - Grey area in judging movements and also CF HQ itself in a weird spot trying to be a promoter of fitness and sport at the same time. The ones who do well in the sport either are naturally talented athletes with some prior sport experience, or those who take their time to develop well Some other observations 1. Community - CrossFit claims this, but this not unique as it can be found in most regular gyms or other social settings like run clubs lately. 2. Affiliate status - It is a status symbol, and definitely it would be the first thing affiliates do get rid of when things go down to save $$$. There are many gyms who are no longer affiliated or never have that still thrive 3. Open Gym times - Some gyms and coaches do not like this, but its actually the best time for folks to focus, develop skills, build strength, and get better at it. CF should embrace more personalized training since everyone has different fitness goals/needs. 4. There is a lack of uniformity in the standards of CF affiliates - some are great and others not-so. The experience can heavily depend on where you go. Having done CrossFit for years, I have a much better sense now of training and what to do and what not to. Same can't be said for newbies who enter a gym and get very excited and do something that hurts themselves within a short time. Even there are some who have been around and still try to do more than what they can - then complain they are always injured and go to PTs or get surgeries, come back and then repeat the same mistakes. At some point those who try to push too much need to learn themselves when to push and when not to. The same can be said for some globo-gym goer who tries to ego-lift #300 on the bench without any training.
I like it too. 3 times a week for 70 dollar a month. Coaches at my box do know what they are talking about.i am a fysiotherapist myself and check my body and form/technique during wod and let my ego at the door.so go light..and dont get injured.
The price of joining a box, the price of the L1, the risk of injury (even with perfect form), the disconnect between HQ and the community that becomes worse each passing year, the constant stories of resentful athletes describing their experience with the brand, the entire clown show of HQ taking zero accountability with an athlete dying at their event this year. May I go on?
Like any extreme anything, it's usually un sustainable. Once you get the handful of people into it and then many realize that no matter what they do, they'll never be the best, interest wanes. I'm 60, and have seen this time and time again.
read the stats on injuries - way better than you think. And even if the company were to go under (which I agree is a possibility because they don't offer the affiliates enough value), the training methodology and functional fitness competitions are here to stay. Why? Because it is efficient and super fun!
As a partner in one of the largest gyms in the country since 1980, and an NASM certified personal trainer I could have told you that 15 years ago. It made no sense to me to appeal to all fitness types, ages and genders to lift heavy weights or even lite weights going from one exercise to the next very fast within a short time frame. Just watching people no matter how fit or healthy they were I could see impending doom to their muscles, back, neck and knees for years to come. Huge future liability time bomb! The form for most of these participants was horrendous. We haven’t seen anything yet.
CrossFit doomed CrossFit by marketing primarily the athletes and not the average joes, which are a larger percentage of box participants. Not everyone who joins a CrossFit gym wants to be a Games athlete but most tried traditional gyms for weight loss and health but needed a change that actually produced results which CF did.
I found out about Crossfit when Rippetoe was still working with them, haha. I didn't realize crossfit made that much money. Wow. Very informative. Great vid.
Thanks for watching! Yeah crossfit knows how to pull in money, they ballooned up so quickly. It'll be interesting to see if they can slow the ship from sinking
Personally, I tried it out for a month, but promptly quit because of the emphasis on doing 1 more rep than last time in their timed AMAP exercises because it promotes poor technique to get more reps. I've been injury free since (due to bad technique) and got into boxing (ironic because of the Xfit gyms being called a "Box"). Holy mother of God is boxing training a better workout AND you feel like you're actually learning a skill. I don't believe kipping pullups translate into anything outside of getting better at kipping pullups 😂
I was paying almost $200 a month to go to a CrossFit gym after a while of doing it’s seems like a waste of money I just cancel my membership and went back to a regular gym
Agree that technique it's important, that Cf should do more for the affiliates, that good coaches at important and that we athletes sometimes let our egos get in the way of safety. But working out in a class setting or with buddies can be highly motivating. CrossFit as a company may go under but Functional Fitness training and competitions are alive and well in many different variations and the community is vibrant, resilient and full of fun people who support each other on their fitness journey. It got a lot of people off their couches and strength training (not just "safe" cardio!!) it's important for quality of life as we get older (mobility, avoiding osteoporosis etc). Been doing CF for nearly 8 years and still loving it!
Cross fit was an enigma for me even it came out. To an extent; it was my cup of tea taking functional strength into consideration. However, it is truly mean on the shoulders - the pull ups and clean and press.
CrossFit = overrated. Short life span and I've seen too many take on body damage in 20s/early 30s. You want some excitement, raise your right hand, and select a Special Ops Pipeline.
Ah, yes. Gladiator. I recall a bunch of my fellow Underwater Hockey players poolside one evening talking about that movie fresh in the theaters. One lady who saw it whined it was a bit too violent for her tastes., caught her by surprise. The rest of us reasoned that was definitely understandable, given such a misleading title. "Are you not entertained ? ! "
You are playing with fire when you rush exercises to beat a "time" especially exercises like dead lifts and power cleans. And the pull ups my god they aren't even pull ups with the amount of swinging they do. What is the point of that?
I think in one sense, crossfitness will take off to greater heights, But that is not the same as CrossFit TM. Crissfitness leaves the rules up to the individual. Why be a powerlifter,a runner, a triathlete, a swimmer… you can do what you want. Why bother with hard to learn technical stuff? Olympic lifting, double under, handstand walks, none of this is really necessary and if you are not bothered about them, don’t….. Swimming? Ok, but likely adds another expense. Point being that you can get general fitness in ways you like, not dictated externally. Sure there is power in group fitness, but it does not have to conform to what CrossFit TM says. Crossfit was always capitalist cringe, it suited some elements of US conformity, it tried to commodify general fitness, contributed some good ideas, but none of it justifies the price tag.
I do about 1 or 2 crossfit style workouts a week at home but i pick and choose the ones that wont hurt me. Usually light weight or body weight style amraps. Joined a crossfit gym a few years back and immediately got hurt.
Hoover Ball is the way to go for fitness. It is hard to believe that a cross fit competitor, a former water polo player drowned. The Olympic water polo players are considered to be the fittest athletes at the Olympic Games.
Do you think crossfit is dying?
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I think CrossFit can be great! But the lack of appropriate training for the type of activities and volume of such, greatly increases and almost guarantees injury at some point.
CrossFit has been dead to me for years. I am a lifter. I have been for a long time and I rarely get injured. In fact, I only have two injuries in over 30 years of lifting that I remember. One was in high school doing a squat that I should have been doing and the other was a 27 year old man doing CrossFit for the first time. I injured myself doing a 135 pound power clean. I currently power clean 255 and I’m in my 40s. The lack of Proper lifting technique in CrossFit leads to countless injuries.
@@NoFate247 no
The order of events may not have mattered that lake was warmer than what is allowed for elite swimmers. That limit is because of another death. Overheat, pass-out , drown
What I disliked the most were people attempting to do crossfit in a commercial gyms. They were dominating multiple pieces of equipment for long periods of time, not allowing other people to use them. It seemed very self-centered to me.
Yeah that's horrible and rude to other members
When I see people do that as soon as one gets off a machine I get on it. I don't care if they left their keys and bottle there or not. You go use another machine that means your done with this one
I worked in a gym in Atlanta as a strength coach. We would try to have lifting classes and would have to run off crossfitters all the time. We eventually had to ban any and all crossfit type workouts.
I would argue that your gym needs more equipment then lolol. I’m almost positive there wasn’t a full blown CrossFit class being hosted at your gym. So 1 or 2 ppl using a few pieces of equipment is no different from the person than is using multiple machines at the same time. Not to mention most commercial gyms don’t have all of the equipment found in a box
@@joshuatoe2323 No one should ever be using multiple machines at a time. If you want a gym for you, then stop being a broke loser and build one in your house. Otherwise accept that there is no rule, ethic, moral imperative or tradition that allows one person to take up multiple pieces of equipment when they can only physically use one at a time.
I'm a calisthenics athlete and CrossFit doesn't care enough about form for me. My opinion is that you should always care about form and efficiency.
Yeah not caring about form is a huge recipe for snap city
@@NoFate247SNAP CITY😂
You're wrong. I don't known a single person able to do butterly pull ups (in Crossfit or outside) which isn't also able to do strict pull ups. Crossfit doesn't usually measure peak strength or peak speed: most of the events are testing endurance and work capacity under fatigue. Butterfly pull ups in Crossfit are different from calisthenics the same as volleyball is different that handball and kayaking in C1 is different than canoeing in C1 and paddle surfing races: no one will call a canoer doing "bad form" because uses a single paddle isntead of two or a volleyballer "a bad form" because jumps to hit the ball instead of grabbing it and just throwing it. But yet people keep moking butterflies because "they aren't strict"... Guess what: is not the same sport just because has a guy moving hanging from a bar.
How can I get into calisthenics?
@@Buran01 Doing things the way crossfit does its also good, but like the user above me said, its a matter of complexity + volume + fatigue = snap city. There isnt much we can do about it.
Does that mean we'll see a bunch of barbells, racks and bumper plates flooding the second-hand gym equipment market?!
Most likely! Fb market place is a good mine
@@guyincognito1985 they'll probably be snapped up by the regular gyms or institutional gyms. Commercial equipment is usually offered to other gyms
@@davidcohen7881 They may also be picked up by other CrossFit-style gyms that are doing well - or even CrossFitters who decide to make their home gym.
It has been happening over the last 10 years…
It's already been happening for the past few years.
The price of going to a box was the biggest dissuader for me. Even if price weren't an issue, the time efficiency of a home gym will never be beat.
Yeah the price always made me do a double take considering they have less than 1/2 the equipment of any other gym in the town
If you knew you were going to stick with CrossFit for at least 18 months those dues would outfit a decent garage gym. That's what I did back in the day. Now I still have a nice garage gym even tho I train differently.
Since COVID the box owner in my area was in a literal war with the property owner who wanted his 5k every month regardless, couldn't get a PPP loan to save his life and his clients were bleeding away. He finally found a new location and things were looking up in 2021.
Unfortunately the monthly went up too, like 30%, which kinda priced me out of the box entirely. Would love to get back in but all the box owners locally have drastically increased fees as well.
Not to mention consistency. Removing my car from the gym kill chain increased my compliance tenfold.
Ive spent over fourteen thousand dollars in nearly 8 years going to a local box and don't regret a cent. The community and friendships built have become an important part of my quality of life and I never push harder than when I am competing with my buddies in the box. home gym is great but I love the buzz of working out with friends.
Former gymnast and avid weightlifter since 12 yo., gymnastics coach since 16 yo., and occupational therapist. To change up the gym workout monotony and challenge my body, I tried CrossFit from a promo. As the coach was showing me the CrossFit workout exercise techniques, I was telling myself no way am I going to use that technique. Then we got to the handstand pushups, immediately I told him NO. That’s not the way I do them or gymnasts do them. I told him that CrossFit techniques will cause me to have increase injury. I walked out never returned.
Very prudent decision.
Smart
I was training in the gym for years and was in a pretty decent shape when I went to try Crossfit for 3 months. I was in pain all the time. Although I still think that the core idea has potential, implementation is something that bothered me. Foremost, constant variation of movement between classes made me sore all the time. Additionally, I find high technical Olympic lifts and gymnastic movements for the general population totally overwhelming. If you combine that with high cost of membership and fixed classes, we come to the conclusion that the whole thing will never significantly take off within the general population. If I can bet, I think that Hyrox will overtake because of its simplicity.
Side note but aren’t you not meant to do weights until 16?
I'm not being critical. I would just like to know why it's bad for you? I don't want to hurt myself from my workouts.
I did crossfit for a short time. I am a heavyset guy with lifting experience, and I went to a box during late 2020 to improve my fitness. The attendees there must have been the most dedicated because they were all leagues ahead of me in in the calisthenics. I could lift and I remembered to focus on my form. However, there were exercises where I was not comfortable, and the instructors would just walk by me without support. I also saw the regulars supporting only other regulars and not supporting other new attendees. I resigned from that box after a few months because of these observations and scheduling issues and have not looked at going to another box.
The minute I saw that a kipping pull-up was a workout in Crossfit I knew it was doomed.
😂😂😂😂
How do you count pull-ups in Crossfit? zero...zero...zero....zero....zero....
I'll never understand the hate of butterfly pullups - it's such a satisfying, fun movement and a separator at competitions. Sure we can all do regular pullups but butterfly is way faster! And no, they are not dangerous if done properly and if you are strong enough to do them (one shouldn't attempt them if one can't do at least around 8 strict pullups, in my view)
@@BernhardKohliif youre not doing an exercise in strict proper form and slower its dangerous. Learn what shear forces are
If you want to get stronger, do strict pullups. If you wanna look like a fish out of water, do those silly butterfly pullups.
I will say that CrossFit has changed the way we approach fitness by focusing on compound movements, calisthenics and different forms of cardio.
But their approach is stupid. When I became a level 1 coach, the instructors literally said the workout design was similar to just pulling out random exercises from a hopper. I can't think of any coach for any sport doing that. And trying to hang out a high number of Olympic lifts in a short time is insane. Those lifts aren't supposed to be done at high reps. It will break you. That's why people get injured. That's why they get rhabdo.
And I bet that the athletes they showcase are not training like your typical CrossFit gym members. Their training is probably more structured, with more rest and recovery. Not just one really intense session, followed by another, followed by another, etc.
I knew and orthopedic surgeon who said he would write a thank you letter to CrossFit for all the clients it gave him 😂
I believe it!
😳 Dang!
read the publications - any contact sport like soccer, football, etc results in way more injuries per training hour. if you want, I'm happy to send you some references.
@@BernhardKohliwell, working out isn't a sport soooo...
@@BernhardKohliCrossFit isn't a contact sport. What point are you attempting to make?
The pricing was unreal to me. So I bought a nice power rack and built a home gym.
This is the way
And how often do you use your home gym?
This is known@@NoFate247
@@thinussteyn2797every day. Pull-ups every morning. Then bench press, back row, squat later in the day. 20-30 min to fully engage one muscle group. Fantastic results. It would take me 20 min just to drive to the gym. I still go there on occasion because commercial gym has more equipment
Nothing frustrates me more than my friends that do CrossFit who are puzzled as to why they can't lift heavy. I tell them that their form needs to be perfect, and that they are not taking enough time in between sets. Especially with heavy weights, the stance in the Olympic lifts needs to be reset after each rep.
Rushing into exercises especially when exhausted is a bad recipe
Form doesn't need to be perfect. Not even top (strenght) athletes have perfect form. Does Lasha have perfect form when he does a 250 Kg C&J or did Eddie Hall have it when he deadlifted 500 Kg? No, they didn't. their technique is good enough but not perfect. Chasing perfection is a pipe dream.
I have seen and heard of so many CrossFit injuries, that I have never been interested in CrossFit. I support people getting fit, but not at the cost of sustaining serious injuries.
Yeah even the crossfit athletes who are in great shape don't age so well with years of built up injuries :( quite sad
Being a weightlifter for over 40 years, when I saw CF I almost lost my mind with the terrible form, slinging the weights and the potential for injury. We were always taught form is King. I tried it but it was way to intense for any prolonged time and for 200.00 per person I could and did get a home gym.
at $200 a person I def. could build my own home gym quite quickly!
technique has gotten a lot better. Have you seen Thuridur Helgadottir or Guy Malheiros snatch? A thing of beauty! and sure i love my (cost-efficient) home gym but it's hard to describe the fun of working out with buddies or the motivation you get when doing eg a marathon row together or a Christmas Throwdown in a team setting.
Lots of fitness systems have come and gone.
Do they ever die, though?
People still preach Nautilus.
People still swear by Mentzer.
Not hating on Crossfit at all.
I've never been into it because I didn't want to be great at exercising.
Calisthenics aren't my cup of tea. I swore after the military, I'd never run or swim again.
I just want to lift weights, watch my overall caloric intake, and walk 4 days a week.
its just like atkins, morphs into keto & countless other things
People want new things to talk about but don't want things too change.
It's a natural human push and pull
never heard of Nautilus, seems something dead to me
It’s called a fad. New fad is running marathons. Average time 5 hours lol
@DimitriTheBarbarian You know what? Well put.
@@keithdrummond1003 don’t forget 30-minute-easy-ABS-machines they used to sell on TV all the time. And the most recent was COVID-era magic PELOTON that was both a miracle fitness machines and a great stock investment. It’s was just a dumb overpriced bike, not sure what happened to it after all
It's like a frat - I ain't paying for friends.
You and me both
Great Point
CF people aren't friends. It is more like a cult.
I’ve been doing CrossFit for 10 years and have witnessed seven CrossFit gyms close in my area. Many people have quit, and trainers have moved to other fitness centers. I can’t say for certain that CrossFit has made me physically better, but it has taught me a lot about the limits of my body and my ego. Some things look easy, giving us the illusion that we could do them effortlessly. In CrossFit, you will discover your true limit-your own personal boundary.
Do you still go to a crossfit gym?
I did CrossFit for several years. For the most part I really enjoyed it and the results from it. However the last 2 years of it I suffered several injuries back to back to back. And after the last one I just decided to quit it and join a regular Gym. If you can avoid injuries it can be so good. But if you have injuries, it can make it not worth it…If I could ensure no more injuries I would do CrossFit again in a heart!
I was an Olympic weightliftter in the late 90s (and still am). When the Crossfit hype peaked in the early 2000s, I wanted no part in it. You can find great athletes anywhere (F45, Orangetheory, Crossfit, Gold's). But you find the most injured athletes at Crossfit.
I appreciate the social facilitation and camaraderie, but the teenage-boylike culture is counterproductive. An uninjured athlete is an athlete that trains consistently; consistent training is what wins medals. Injury prevention is everything, not just for athletes and competitors, but for health across the lifespan.
Let's take what's good about Crossfit (intensity, Olympic lifts, healthy competition) and discard the rest. Especially the misguided protein paranoia and other nonsense. I'm glad they'll be winding down, but their impact will be a net positive. Most people now know about Olympic style lifts because of them. That's awesome!
Yes I tend to lean towards injury prevention than just selling my soul for a faster time and herniated disc
@@NoFate247 Ha that's a great way to put it!
Protein paranoia? Honest question here, but are they paranoid about ingesting too much protein or something? I'm curious about this
@@rainshadowband3161 Fair question! Paranoid about not getting enough. Some of it's just driven by marketing and diet fads (hard to look at any packaged food without a "this is high in protein" sticker on it). There's also been a perversion of language, relabeling meat and dairy products as "protein" largely driven by the beef lobby and dairy checkoff programs.
Coming up as a weightlifter, I even woke up in the middle of the night to drink protein shakes a few times, for fear of not getting enough.
But then I tracked everything I ate in the Cronometer app for two years. Even without trying, all those "low protein" foods (with the exception of fruit) like spinach, rice, vegetables, lettuce, nuts, pasta, bread, seeds, and especially legumes, added up to much, *MUCH* more than I needed.
Rather than having zero protein, even the low protein foods have a gram or two...and across an entire day of eating, it really does add up. I was confused.
So a few years back I read a big meta-analysis on protein synthesis and protein intake in weightlifters. Then I read every single paper included in the meta-analysis.
Bottom line: If you have a diverse diet (i.e., not eating bananas only or whatever), and if you're eating sufficient calories, protein is a non-issue. I know that sounds extreme, but track your own foods and see for yourself!
I eat almost entirely whole foods, so it was pretty easy for me. But people eating a lot of oil or processed foods, could conceivably get enough calories but not enough protein. It should go without saying, but figured I'd mention that. I don't eat processed foods and I have very little oil in my diet.
Do what works for you, but the more whole foods the better. Don't overthink it, and good luck!
After the Covid shutdown, I quickly realized that a year’s worth of XFit membership could buy me an entire setup and I did buy me a whole barbell setup. If the monthly membership was around $50 I’d probably consider going back to a regular box, but at $175? Hell nah. I’ll pass.
what kills me is it is $175 and you get virtually no amenities
As someone riding the crossfit wave pre- 2010. It was fun and great and exciting. But this was during my 20s. Even all of TABATA and HIT coaches started to not teach techniques and safety. Never have i seen such sloppy and dangerous power clean exercises. Now, in my late 30s and with others my age, we are paying the price with injuries.
yeah some stuff you can rush and get away with but the olympic lifts isn't something I'd want to do when already fatigued or rush through
CrossFit. Where the workout IS the sport and safety and correct form doesn’t matter. My question is why tf was it ever popular?
The movie 300.....that caused people to look into their training
Didn't that actor in 300 die from a heart attack or something?
@troyjohnson462 Gerard butler?
Crossfiters will jump down your throat for saying that, but we all know the truth. High risk of injury for less than stellar results.
@@troyjohnson462 Gerard, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Fassbender (yep he in it), all alive and kicking.
Once I realized that there was a chiropractor business next to each CF business I saw the trap.
BJJ in America has also become over saturated. It was better when no one knew about it.
Did CrossFit for about 12-18 months back in 2018-2019. Now I do 5/3/1 and calisthenics. I’m in way better shape now. The constantly varied stuff isn’t a very good way to get stronger. As Rip says, CrossFit is just about getting abs.
How you liking the 5/3/1? Have you plateaued?
@@NoFate247 I like it, at 42 I just want a simple program that gets me in and out of the gym. I haven't plateaued yet, but I can see the military press plateau on the horizon. I'll just reset and get back to work at that point. 💪
I think the biggest issue is the price. I had two boxes in walking distance in a Midwest city, one was $350 a month, the other was $250 for 2 classes a week. When I can get a power rack for $250 on Amazon, it’s just not worth it.
The other problem is the obvious steroid abuse at the top level. A big reason CrossFit grew is because attractive women started doing it. Now those same women get put off by the overly muscular look associated with it.
The same thing happened with female bodybuilding. When Rachel McClish was Ms Olympia, it’s popularity with women grew quickly. Then the Ms Olympias started getting huge and women stopped wanting to train like that.
Yeah the abuse and lack of testing, especially out of comp testing is a joke.
11:22
It's probably for attracting certain social class into the gym by making the price prohibitive for the majority of people.
My gym is no longer an affiliate. Price is definitely cheaper. Regarding injury…its a reality in many arenas and definitely in this one. Of course, as an adult, i got injured playing basketball, racquetball, strength training, and even p90x (only after my door frame pullup bar failed). Im sure nobody has gotten injured in gymnastics or bodybuilding. The answer is almost always better form especially under some sort of competitive context. My current biggest threat of injury is metabolic disease and my biggest obstacle is myself and a bag of Doritos. I have an amazing home gym but struggle with motivation. The class set up is what works for me and thats why i think some evolution of CF will prevail or at least i hope so. Its much easier for me to do really hard things longterm when there is a community. So ill keep doing some kipping pullups. I can tell by the comments that many have figured out a better way. Keep it up.
Did it lose members when it removed affiliate
While there is a blame on coaches for injuries, at some point it is the responsibility of the gym-goer to learn to self-regulate - no need to go RX + 100% all the time. Know when they need to rest.
Being an affiliate is a status symbol which I do not think holds that much weight as before - there are gyms like yours that do good if not better than even some affiliates themselves - for less. The methodology will continue even if CF HQ bites the dust.
I like these videos where you do an analysis based on data. I recall a similar video you did a while ago that I think was on the home gym industry's trend since covid. Good stuff!
I hope to do more of them. Let me know if you have any good future topics
Here’s the deal, CrossFit is a lot like martial arts. Good coaches will teach proper technique and will allow you to scale based on ability. I think the programming is improved. Hell, if I’m looking on lifts. I’ve found that if you do an 2 and a half minute EMOM. Hell, as a young man moving to a new town. It honestly helped my social life
To add on, I think there’s a rift forming between affiliates and HQ. When CrossFit the organization fucks up. It hurts everyone.
Gym was supposed to be the safest of activities compared to sports. Leaning into form to prevent injury. Trying to gamify the gym was always a terrible idea
Yeah competition when training isn't always a good thing
When has gyms ever been safe? People have been getting hurt and dying in various sports.
That said, yes for gyms and coaches to get people fit while managing risk.
Wtf are you talking about 😂
Stop wearing your bodies out youngsters!
Just be the right weight and stay fit.
Trust me you can wear your joints out and you risk injuries which are often permanent as far as not being the same.
I’m a former elite athlete and have many old injuries that didn’t heal perfectly.
I get compliments for being trim, well groomed and dressing sharp. Nobody cares what you look like in gym clothes except shallow people.
Be the best person and associate only with good people who share your values.
A nail in the Coffin was an avoidable death in this year’s CrossFit Games death.
Absolutely
Fitness trends go through cycles. It seems “functional fitness” and “hybrid athletes” are the latest ones.
So true. Think about how many orange theory gyms there are that might not be around in 5 years.
I have seen enough Crossfiters recklessly throwing out Power Clean and Jerk while having complete disregards for neither proper techniques or safety of themselves or others around. It's a very dangerous "sport".
Yeah people are bound to get hurt
The rate of injury in crossfit is no different than in any other sport or weightlifting modality.
The same can be said for someone in a globo-gym trying to bench press #300 without the adequate strength or safety protocols like having a spotter. Any movement can be dangerous if not done properly.
That said, your point on reckless Olympic Weightlifting movement is something valid. There are those who can do it properly, but even some CrossFit coaches do not properly teach it well.
Get your facts right. Read the publications on training hours and injuries. You might change your mind.
I can see the CrossFit cult members came out in force to defend their methodology.
There are safer ways to do hybrid training than trying to do 30 power cleans followed by 10 pullups, 20 bodyweight squats, and a 400 meter sprint to be done X number of times.
They pride themselves in their randomness. Which means they throw shit together at the last minute with no real goal for the day's workout. Nevermind that we did max back squats yesterday. We're still doing the box jumps and lunges today because that's what I pulled out of the hopper. Got rhabdo? Great! Here's your achievement badge.
No one was forced to shut down. These gym owners decided to follow totalitarian dictates that no mayor nor governor had the legal authority to enforce.
The work-outs promote injury. The top competitors are all juiced. Can't imagine why it's falling out of favor. Just glad there aren't many of those idiots at my gym.
I watched tons of Crossfit content on YT, but the Games as a sporting event were as entertaining as NBA pre-season games.
Agreed! Plus makes me feel fat 😂
I tried CrossFit once, I injured my shoulder In the first class, took me like 6 months to recover, I've been training for 10 years the "training" just sucks
I was doing CrossFit for 4 years in two different boxes. First one was really cool, great friends and community. they had additional classes of weightlifting taught by former Olympic athlete, who can snatch 200 kg and gymnastics was also taught by great athlete but from a low tier. And when you aren't doing wods weightlifting class is just boring, I was just doing hang clean with empty bar.
Wods were just fun to do. In the second box I was doing mostly private online coaching , because I get a great deal on open gym price and could afford a top10 coach in my country. It was great, there was 30 minutes of real warming, then proper work on training plan and proper cooldown with stretching. It was whole another experience. Now I see that a lot of local gyms have those crossfit equipment, plates, boxes, assault bike and concept rowers. I can visit them at 20 bucks a month and work at my older training plan
CrossFit box is way too expensive- being healthy is an investment but it doesn’t have to be that much of a financial burden. Checkin innnnnn.
The whole premise of crossfit is you can do it in the corner of your home gym
Former crossfitter who built my own home gym. My coach was great. After decades of working out I finally learned how to lift from him. I built my own gym after I moved and my Box moved and it became a 30 minute drive.
Crossfitters are like vegetarians. Always having to remind you that they do CrossFit. Also, CrossFit is for people who can’t motivate themselves. Never understood why someone needs to be yelled at for motivation.
underrated comment 🎉
Don’t you mean “vegans?”
Apparently vegans haven’t been doing their job well enough, since you confused them with vegetarians.
Military yells at you for motivation
@@luxurybuzz3681 actually they yell at you to create stress and is used as part of the breakdown period in boot camp. Yelling typically eases as the recruits shape into soldiers.
Used to go about 10 years ago, loved the format, the unity and it was great fun, but like others have said… it was 4x more expensive than a regular gym.
Totally agree
It needs upgrading. As a Master Competitor, who won at the local scene and competes nationally, it can be a lifestyle to enjoy if you approach it properly. 1) Slowly build up strength and stamina. 2) Give the body time to recover, 3) Stretch and warm up properly, and 4) Supplement and eat right...this is a lifestyle! Benefits: A) Slow down the aging process, B) Life vitality is superior to your peers, C) Extend your physical well bring as you age and D) Enjoying the process and challenges. This can be an efficient exercise routine. Ignore what the younger and elites are doing. Start with your baseline and slowly increase it as your body allows. The investment is in yourself!
I feel like Crossfist is for hustle culture and definitely not for slow and mindful living, which nowadays people seek. The hustle is burning out.
Some truth in this
$200/month for weekend certified fake coaches to tell you to have seizures while doing pull-ups and use a bunch of stupid lingo. Def mirin’ physique of top competitors though
@@Hw-xf6gs that's the thing the top competitors aren't really following crossfit programing
@@NoFate247 You mean that Noah dude didn’t naturally build that chiseled physique doing Fran?
THey are all working to peak for the games and their out of competition testing for PEDs is nonexistent.
Using the term WOD always gave me a cringy feel! I'm seeing commercial gyms start to offer crossfit equipment anyway, so unless you run a popular box, you're going to lose a lot of the new business to commercial gyms and the small group fitness gyms that are popping up everywhere.
I’ve been doing strict pull ups until I saw CrossFit pull ups. It made me question myself. Was I doing it all wrong all these years?
What drove me away from a CrossFit gym was when I was in the early stages. The work outs were too easy and I didn’t care for the sumo squat which was uncomfortable. At that point, I’d worked out for over 20 years so I knew my body. The male trainers really favored advancing the beginner women to the better classes and I wasn’t getting much out of it so I quit and continued working out like I always had. It was a lot of money to be stuck on a schedule and not be getting a work out.
Greatly enjoy further contents like this video when you give out your takes on various fitness events and topics as well, on top of equipment. Looking forward for more.
Paying over $4K/year in affiliate fees is insane. What value is CrossFit providing other than their name?
If you are an established CrossFit gym who doesn't need the CrossFit name to bring in clients, why not just take the CrossFit name off?
affiliates are listed on their webpage where you can search for crossfit gyms in your area. But honestly that's it (sure there is more but nothing that stands out IMO)
The Games motivated me to join as gym nearly 8 years ago. Also, they run the Open - if you are an affiliate, your members don't need to upload videos of their workouts. and you are on the official affiliate map. you also have access to startup tools and CrossFit affiliate programming. but I agree the fee is high
I was about 55 and female when I went to CrossFit .. there were a few others in my demographics and I was encouraged to join , but then pretty much ignored in training sessions or at times humiliated, when/ if I asked for help it was generally not forthcoming .. pretty disillusioned I left after a year ( yep I stuck it out )
My current coach was a trainer since nearly the inception and moved from it in about 2012 for more reasonable training, centered around Olympic lifting, bodybuilding, circuit training and cardio. Less emphasis on time a little more on technique. In circuits you just go through with no rest, still it is exhausting. She said she loved CrossFit in the beginning and believes it focused way too much on sport. Glassman was her original coach and the training was literally personal training and small groups, she said affiliates ended up ruining the model by treating it like a boot camp class, which it is not suited for while combining competing within the class where people who haven’t been training thoroughly or even properly are encouraged to go hate a break neck speed. This is not sustainable and the churn in the affiliates becomes so high that the business is not sustainable. Also with this boot camp model affiliates are forced to turn it literally into an expensive boot camp or decrease the cost and hope to get more people, both of which are ruin them long term. Now she teaches her style of training and makes a good living doing it. Excellent training.
I appreciate you giving that insight and def. confirmed what I had believed
@@NoFate247 no problem
My CrossFit box is doing great. I think the affiliates will be fine. I try to save money by going to a nun affiliate gym and their coaches didn't have any training and my form suffered so now I'm paying additional money to get great training at a good gym. I think headquarters needs to make some adjustments soon for the headquarters side of things to be okay
I def. would rather pay more for good coaching!
I've learned the hard way but the blessing is that I've been in a few gyms so I was able to know the difference and back out of the non-affiliate gym that was lacking instruction
I was put off by their kettlebell swing. Swinging up beyond the natural height the kettlebell goes is a recipe for future shoulder injury - a fact confirmed by my kettlebell trainer.
It's not dead. Athletes will still compete.
true I don't think it'll ever die but it certainly isn't growing
@@NoFate247there are still new affiliates being built. My owner has 3 affiliates and business is booming. I still train at an affiliate and have for 13 years . I’m 66.
some of it was since crossfit became all about reps for time they started using crap form to cheat out reps leading to lots of injuries and burnout. some of it was also the people who did crossfit were kinda douchey and would always hog 4-5 things at once at the commercial gym so they could do their circuits. But i think the big thing was as youtube started getting more and more professionals giving advice and tips, we saw a shift back to general stregnth and hypertophy training which is way more doable for the average person
yeah doing crossfit in a commercial gym is a CRIME
Used to be a performance athlete in the marine corps and got out of shape once I got out and recently getting back into shape. The biggest con to getting back into crossfit is easily the price point. Also, the set up of most gyms shows you can do those workouts in your garage and or local gym.
Yeah for little investment you can have a garage bay setup
The gym in my hometown costs about $40/month + taxes and sign up fee. The equipment there is pretty impressive. A lot of the CrossFit equipment can be found in that gym. I see several people at the gym doing cross fit style workouts. I suspect they don’t need to spend $80-$100/ month anymore for a CrossFit box when they can have access to the same stuff at a cheaper gym
Highly agree
I never joined a CF class but I did Functional training for a year without getting a single injury even though F45 includes some CF workouts into their circuits such as kettlebells and calisthenics. I do attest that some of my colleagues who were in CF were frequently getting injuries that stopped them from attending the gym and many quit after turning 30.
Im 51 and I will put my calisthenics and home gym workouts up against crossfit any day. Im im better shape and my joints are healthier.
I’ve always wanted to try CrossFit just to improve my technique, but the whole paying, driving, and having a schedule is too much for my life-and you’re talking to a guy that pays to run marathons 😂
@@philipching exactly....the base principle of crossfit is you can literally do it on your garage
I think it’s the end of CrossFit. There are many ways to prevent drowning and the y didn’t do any of it. GPS trackers, inflated life jacket ( co2 cartridges rapidly inflate), tow buoyies like a lifeguard, tracker staff along the perimeter, staggered starts to prevent congestion…. CrossFit , in my opinion, basically set somebody up to die by negligence
Yeah you hit it right on the head negligence
Have you ever seen or been in a mass start at a triathlon event? Just recently, 2 swimmers died at a triathlon in Ireland. Accidents can theoretically always be avoided, especially with hindsight.
They even sued another group out of existence for them pointing out the obvious that doing high volume deadlifts and useless olympic lifts causes an inordinate amount of injuries with no real benefit.
yeah those high reps can take their toll, especially with poor form
I did CrossFit for 6 months. I learned that I was capable of more physical and mental endurance then I ever though possible. The experience taught me to stick with it and just grind through the work out. The most improvement I saw was in the first two months and that the last 4 months I lost ground due to over training. I saw many members of our CrossFit group also overtraining. Pro athletes and Oly athletes structure these strength endurance workouts as the last part of their training cycle. So there is value in these workouts. They just have to be cycled appropriately throughout your training year. One negative was CrossFit programming using Oly lifts, which are for strength development and are very technically demanding, and employing them as endurance exercises. I found that leads to sloppy form, and injuries.
agreed that how crossfit is programmed is massively important to the success of the system
i see my "box" is going a lot away from kipping moves often. and more strict pullups etc. not that it changes for me personally as i dont even do a proper kipping pullup anyway but always stick to strict. my box is just a super great place and the trainters are working out too and are not "pro". a bit worse for noobs but when you have the basics its far more relaxed and feels more like a social version of a commercial gym or calisthenics, which is the biggest weaknesses of either of those, that they often are super asocial. i still do calisthenics at my little homegym, but its so great to have a social place and create relations, while sharing tips and pushing each other. i find that the "conditioning/spinning/hiit" part of crossfit is its greatests strength, becayse that is the hardest to do at home alone, or at the gym. but i am a big promoter of perfect form in the big lifts especially, so its not that crossfit has no future, far from it, it simply has to evolve a bit in those areas, skip most of the kips, and have more standard days in the box that focus on technique for the big lifts, and generally dont do the biggest lifts for super high reps for time, plenty of other strength hybrid exercises with much easier/simpler form to throw into a hiit workout for instance. but always start with the heavy, slow regular weightlifting and then do a hiit/wod
Ahhh CrossFit, the scientology of the fitness world.
This nails it. Got a good belly laugh out of me when I read it too. 😊
When I was in the Army, they pushed crossfit. I noticed a lot of my soldiers getting injured over time. I refused to continue implementing crossfit into our training due to a lack of technique.
Yeah would think with all the running military would be better suited with starting strength to gain muscle and not need that crossfit system
As someone who trains and does it (CrossFit), my honest thoughts on it as a fitness modality and a sport:
Pros:
1. While the training ideas are not original, its brilliant combination of them all - which makes it appealing.
2. Revolutionize gym equipment and gyms themselves - we see more gyms use the rigs and have more open space. As you mentioned home gyms have also benefited from the equipment being made for CF
3. Increased interest in barbell and fitness-related sports - Folks who get tired of CrossFit can just go into Weightlifting or Powerlifting. Maybe even Hyrox.
4. Lots of gyms around the world - one can find an affiliate or non-affiliate to train at most places.
Cons:
1. Coaches seem to have a dogmatic approach on things like weightlifting movements when specialist coaches in WL can better address it.
2. Class schedules and fees - Yep, expensive and also not very flexible when it comes to workout times. Exception: Open gym times which I will address
3. Workout of the Day - Classes most often do not take into personal fitness needs/goals to account - its usually the same
4. Sport - Grey area in judging movements and also CF HQ itself in a weird spot trying to be a promoter of fitness and sport at the same time. The ones who do well in the sport either are naturally talented athletes with some prior sport experience, or those who take their time to develop well
Some other observations
1. Community - CrossFit claims this, but this not unique as it can be found in most regular gyms or other social settings like run clubs lately.
2. Affiliate status - It is a status symbol, and definitely it would be the first thing affiliates do get rid of when things go down to save $$$. There are many gyms who are no longer affiliated or never have that still thrive
3. Open Gym times - Some gyms and coaches do not like this, but its actually the best time for folks to focus, develop skills, build strength, and get better at it. CF should embrace more personalized training since everyone has different fitness goals/needs.
4. There is a lack of uniformity in the standards of CF affiliates - some are great and others not-so. The experience can heavily depend on where you go.
Having done CrossFit for years, I have a much better sense now of training and what to do and what not to. Same can't be said for newbies who enter a gym and get very excited and do something that hurts themselves within a short time. Even there are some who have been around and still try to do more than what they can - then complain they are always injured and go to PTs or get surgeries, come back and then repeat the same mistakes. At some point those who try to push too much need to learn themselves when to push and when not to. The same can be said for some globo-gym goer who tries to ego-lift #300 on the bench without any training.
all excellent points
@NoFate247 I will add its on CF HQ to make needed changes - or the affiliates will and can go on their own
I enjoyed CrossFit but I was never going to pay the extortionate prices they charged. Not surprised it’s on its way out
I like it too. 3 times a week for 70 dollar a month. Coaches at my box do know what they are talking about.i am a fysiotherapist myself and check my body and form/technique during wod and let my ego at the door.so go light..and dont get injured.
That sounds reasonably priced
@@martijnjetses4410 do you mean that you're a Physical Therapist?
you didnt even spell it right. unreal.
That's the Dutch spelling, the guy is Dutch.
The price of joining a box, the price of the L1, the risk of injury (even with perfect form), the disconnect between HQ and the community that becomes worse each passing year, the constant stories of resentful athletes describing their experience with the brand, the entire clown show of HQ taking zero accountability with an athlete dying at their event this year. May I go on?
that about sums it up
Like any extreme anything, it's usually un sustainable. Once you get the handful of people into it and then many realize that no matter what they do, they'll never be the best, interest wanes. I'm 60, and have seen this time and time again.
Thank goodness, society is realizing that fitness with routine high risk of injury is probably not a good idea.
The injuries were everywhere 😥
read the stats on injuries - way better than you think. And even if the company were to go under (which I agree is a possibility because they don't offer the affiliates enough value), the training methodology and functional fitness competitions are here to stay. Why? Because it is efficient and super fun!
Why with CrossFits history would it even be trusted with a swim in it's event?
No clue
As a partner in one of the largest gyms in the country since 1980, and an NASM certified personal trainer I could have told you that 15 years ago. It made no sense to me to appeal to all fitness types, ages and genders to lift heavy weights or even lite weights going from one exercise to the next very fast within a short time frame. Just watching people no matter how fit or healthy they were I could see impending doom to their muscles, back, neck and knees for years to come. Huge future liability time bomb! The form for most of these participants was horrendous. We haven’t seen anything yet.
Maybe it's because more people can admit now that they didn't enjoy gym class so much that they want it to continue into adulthood?
CrossFit doomed CrossFit by marketing primarily the athletes and not the average joes, which are a larger percentage of box participants.
Not everyone who joins a CrossFit gym wants to be a Games athlete but most tried traditional gyms for weight loss and health but needed a change that actually produced results which CF did.
I found out about Crossfit when Rippetoe was still working with them, haha. I didn't realize crossfit made that much money. Wow. Very informative. Great vid.
Thanks for watching! Yeah crossfit knows how to pull in money, they ballooned up so quickly. It'll be interesting to see if they can slow the ship from sinking
Personally, I tried it out for a month, but promptly quit because of the emphasis on doing 1 more rep than last time in their timed AMAP exercises because it promotes poor technique to get more reps. I've been injury free since (due to bad technique) and got into boxing (ironic because of the Xfit gyms being called a "Box"). Holy mother of God is boxing training a better workout AND you feel like you're actually learning a skill. I don't believe kipping pullups translate into anything outside of getting better at kipping pullups 😂
I was paying almost $200 a month to go to a CrossFit gym after a while of doing it’s seems like a waste of money I just cancel my membership and went back to a regular gym
What's the name of your regular gym and what they make you pay a month
Agree that technique it's important, that Cf should do more for the affiliates, that good coaches at important and that we athletes sometimes let our egos get in the way of safety. But working out in a class setting or with buddies can be highly motivating. CrossFit as a company may go under but Functional Fitness training and competitions are alive and well in many different variations and the community is vibrant, resilient and full of fun people who support each other on their fitness journey. It got a lot of people off their couches and strength training (not just "safe" cardio!!) it's important for quality of life as we get older (mobility, avoiding osteoporosis etc). Been doing CF for nearly 8 years and still loving it!
True functional fitness in team environment won't ever go away
Cross fit was an enigma for me even it came out. To an extent; it was my cup of tea taking functional strength into consideration. However, it is truly mean on the shoulders - the pull ups and clean and press.
Yeah it's a lot on the body to go that high intensity day in and day out.
CrossFit = overrated. Short life span and I've seen too many take on body damage in 20s/early 30s. You want some excitement, raise your right hand, and select a Special Ops Pipeline.
Yeah the offer crossfit athletes are in rough shape no offense
Great video. You could have also brought up the rise of a rival, better run organization like Hyrox It's only hastening the decline of CrossFit
True, video was already a bit too long but you bring up a good point.
Has a social component that’s appealing, but this ended up ruining marriages and lots of affairs.
dang didn't know that side of it
Ah, yes. Gladiator.
I recall a bunch of my fellow Underwater Hockey players poolside one evening talking about that movie fresh in the theaters.
One lady who saw it whined it was a bit too violent for her tastes., caught her by surprise. The rest of us reasoned that was definitely understandable, given such a misleading title.
"Are you not entertained ? ! "
Oldie but a goodie
Am sure. Their joints are now busted worse than if they had taken the time to work on form rather than showmanship.
CrossFit is just a trademark for what we’ve called Circuit Training for 80 years.
Exactly
The gym cost is what made me not get into CrossFit and to be honest I’m glad I didn’t
Yeah how they get away with selling an expensive membership and no equipment
You are playing with fire when you rush exercises to beat a "time" especially exercises like dead lifts and power cleans.
And the pull ups my god they aren't even pull ups with the amount of swinging they do. What is the point of that?
@@quickjab33 yeah bad recipe
I think in one sense, crossfitness will take off to greater heights, But that is not the same as CrossFit TM. Crissfitness leaves the rules up to the individual. Why be a powerlifter,a runner, a triathlete, a swimmer… you can do what you want.
Why bother with hard to learn technical stuff? Olympic lifting, double under, handstand walks, none of this is really necessary and if you are not bothered about them, don’t….. Swimming? Ok, but likely adds another expense. Point being that you can get general fitness in ways you like, not dictated externally.
Sure there is power in group fitness, but it does not have to conform to what CrossFit TM says.
Crossfit was always capitalist cringe, it suited some elements of US conformity, it tried to commodify general fitness, contributed some good ideas, but none of it justifies the price tag.
Absolutely! The juice wasn't worth the squeeze in terms of cost.
CrossFit : cross out the “fit” replace by 💩
😂 tell me how you really feel
There's gonna be a lot of orthopedic surgeons out of work 😂
yeah, I know there have been more than one report of new crossfit gyms opening up and a massive influx to orthopedic doctors
The same reason Zumba is dying, it is an affiliate driven business model. It got over saturated.
hundred percent agree.
I do about 1 or 2 crossfit style workouts a week at home but i pick and choose the ones that wont hurt me. Usually light weight or body weight style amraps. Joined a crossfit gym a few years back and immediately got hurt.
Cross fit individual are like volunteer firefighters. You definitely know what they do.
LOL
Except volunteer firefighters do something useful
@@danconnolly9584 true
The most unsustainable form of exercise!!!
The smart CF gyms are adapting and changing their business model
Everybody lies when they write their reps on the board. Everybody cheats on their form. Tons of people get hurt.
Who had more locations... Crossfit or Subway sandwiches?
@@guyincognito1985 maybe subway but dang it must be close
Dollar General
Hoover Ball is the way to go for fitness.
It is hard to believe that a cross fit competitor, a former water polo player drowned. The Olympic water polo players are considered to be the
fittest athletes at the Olympic Games.
He was one of the strongest swimmers out of all of them
Maybe now the prices for crossfit will go down...😅