As a working CPT, I'll try my best to make the whole crossfit thing real simple, although Joe did a pretty good job of summing it up. Cleans, jerks, and other Olympic compound lifts are EXTREMELY technical. When doing them for endurance, you are practically guaranteed to have faults in your form on your last few reps, regardless of your conditioning or experience. This of course leads to injury, and unfortunately the team competitive environment of crossfit (while effective at motivating for some) can be seriously detrimental if it forces you to consistently perform these movements well past form breakdown. Stay safe, stay healthy, and always prioritize "better" lifts (form/technique) over "more" lifts (weight and reps).
That's a really sound insight - I have to concentrate just to do simple Romanian deadlifts with good form over three sets. Completing whole clean and jerks set after set in a competition sounds like a recipe for getting hurt.
It’s an argument more on, in a perfect scenario you can’t over train, it’s things like dehydration, poor nutrition (too few cals) or injury etc that cause the actual symptoms from over training , not the nature or intensity of the training.
I did CrossFit for 2 years. Ended up getting the worst exertion headache of my life doing a WOD that had deadlifts as one of the exercises in a circuit. Couldn't train for 6 months at all. Terrible CNS injury. Listen to your body. I pushed beyond where my better judgment said to stop. Haven't been back in a CrossFit gym since.
CrossFit itself is fun in some way , but that is more of a fun game than a way to build yourself. It is just like sport , you don't train during your sport , you train before your games , and during game is fun time.
I think I overtrained just twice in my life, the first time I thought I was going to die, my heart would not stop beating fast, heavy breathing and headashe
Man, exertion headaches are the WORST! I got one in HS because for whatever reason, our coach had us do 225 squats for a rep max. I didn't breathe properly, almost passed out on the last rep, and when I racked the weight, my head felt like someone drove a nail through my head. I couldn't do anything strenuous for weeks.
Every 4 weeks or so I need 3 full days of rest, because I feel overtrained. After these 3 days my strength has increased. If I do not take the rest, then I feel weaker and weaker.
I dont know im 17 i got to the gym for 7 days a week on fridays and mondays i go twice for 2hr sessions and ive been doing it for 6 months ive only missed about 4 days due to 1 exam and some other things. Just make sure you use creatine and protein shakes after a workout works perfect for me my muscles only ached the first 3 weeks i started but i pushed through that and now im fine
Billy Hewitt Lmao it’s good you train I wanna encourage you to continue but dude you’re 17 you can already run a mile in like 2 minutes you’re supposed to be durable & fit at that age. Give it time man even you will relate with some the older gentlemen in the weight room.
The thing about Ronnie is, it wasn't all the years of heavy lifting that did him in, it was consistently going against doctors orders and hitting the gym immediately after getting out of surgery which is why the screws in his spine kept loosening
Amazing episode joe and CT! Side note, I’d love to see Jason kahlipa on the show. Would be super interesting to hear two eloquent interesting guys talk about Crossfit/fitness. Please make this happen. Much love
@@MrOpticBlade well....no, they don't, body building is built on the foundation of steroids, WSM competitors openly admit to it..... so, no....they don't.
Elysian fielder 1st of all bodybuilding isn’t a sport. WSM has drug testing (supposedly) and bans drug use. Every big sport on the planet is anti doping so it would be stupid for an athlete to say they are not natural because their sport would ban them?
I agree with the Olympic movements being only used for power. Turning a snatch into an endurance exercise will turn your shoulder and hip capsules into ground beef in no time. I played college football and our clean reps never exceeded five reps, but our overall workouts were just as hard as anything else out there. You'd leave the gym swolt af from your neck to your calves. Miss those days.
I did endurance training for 2 years. It is freaking hard. Threw up every session for the first week and a half. This guy makes a point you do have to have recovery, fueling your muscle recovery is extremely important. One thing though that I think it can be bad for you is your joints. When you’re moving fast and hard and getting tired, it’s very easy to not have proper form and hurt yourself. Also some exercises are really hard on shoulders no matter what.
6 reps and 20 reps would give completely different results. Good form is different than rep amount. But point taken. Proper technique and form is what matters.
@@edgardflores4992 any where you're just thrown in. Just use light weights. At least if there's an instructor, they should help. You're lucky to get a trainer at a gym. At least one that consistently helps. (Without spending extra)
Notfor Theclout well from what i’ve experienced, i did crossfit for three months and i definitely became stronger just lifting at the gym it puts too much strain on your body perhaps it’s different for other crossfit gyms maybe mine wasn’t a good one but you are just thrown in there you don’t really get to pace yourself and find out what you yourself need they give everyone the same workout and there’s no way they can check everyone’s form and make sure you’re doing things properly because the classes are big; about 20-30 people a day whereas at the gym you decide i like that better
No such thing. That’s just what weak people tell themselves to justify taking it easy on certain days. Sounds like a bunch of lazy mofos to me. Some of the best actors are the ones that lock themselves in a room and just become consumed by the characters they are playing. Look up Ronaldo’s training routine and how hard he works every day just to stay in top shape. People want to do something bad enough, they should be allowed to do it. They are grown adults. They should just live with the consequences. I myself have had kidney problems as well as irregular heartbeats. Has that stopped me from doing what I love? No, do I understand something could happen to me? Sure. 31 yrs old and the body of a 22 yr old. I don’t care. I use to do it because I had a horrible image of myself but now I do it only because it became normal to do it. Even though it’s rigorous. So yeah, I don’t subscribe to the “normal” way of doing things. We aren’t all the same, we don’t all want the same and we all aren’t genetically the same. So it’s ok if you want to stop. I’m just saying we shouldn’t judge the ones that decide to go beyond.
@@unintentionaleffectiveness4393 31 with the body of a early 20s just shows how easy of a life you've had. Not that it's not such a bad thing. However, there are some of us 31 year olds that are still in shape, but have back and joint issues from some time in an Marine Corps infantry battalion. A shoulder that pops out of socket if you sneeze too hard yet can still military press no problem. ringing in your ears, a shut down gall bladder and stomach issues from too much ibuprofen in service (cause ib800 plus water are the universal cure for everything), etc,. All the while feeling like you're 70 at the end of a typical day.. any real hard charger will tell you you take the opportunity to rest any chance you get. If you're not sleeping or eating well, all the trips to the gym don't mean shit. Life isn't an anime where you can just struggle harder and scream really loud to get to the next level. Every human body works in essentially the same way and if it's not fed the proper nutrients and given the right amount of rest. It will never reach maximum potential. I've had kidney stones and an irregular heartbeat isn't a big deal unless it's pushing the limits of vfib/afib. Talk all the trash you want about "lazy mofos" that take a day and work certain muscle groups in sequenced intervals so as to not over work them. I wouldn't consider the Rock a lazy mofo because he takes a day just like I wouldn't consider some loud mouth wannabe hardass to be the "go to" on any subject other than how burdensome it is to be stupid and egotistical at the same time.
Yes it is they focus on high intensity workouts and exercise at the expense of good form and proper muscle movements for example crossfit "pull ups" are all swinging which in the way they do it is terrible for your rotator cuffs and don't get me started on there deadlift form lol
CrossFit as a daily practice? I do not see a problem. People taking shortcuts and trying to be Rich Froning on day 20 of CrossFit? Yes. That’s a problem.
It is. One of the highest injury rates of all the workout regimes, and it's terrible on your joints. Olympic lifts are not meant to be done lightweight to infinity, but rather heavy with low reps to stimulate explosiveness. The guys who win those Crossfit competitions, including the guy they talk about in this video, don't even do Crossfit most of the year, opting towards more traditional strength and endurance training.
Over training is the combination of lots of training with not enough recovery time. CT's definition is a little different. He agrees with rest and recovery. (1:22)
The problem with crossfit is the competitive nature of it. The main problem is that it largely appeals to people who are new to fitness. Also, a lot of the crossfit trainers are very negligent and don't make sure that their clients have the movements perfected before throwing weight around. Crossfit can be great if done properly but much of the time it isn't. That's what you get though when it takes a weekend to get certified. A Crossfit certification should ONLY be a specialization. If you come across a crossfit trainer with no other actual accredited personal trainer credential I suggest walking the other direction; working with them will most likely hurt you. That's my qualm with crossfit. I have also seen a lot of PTs that have no place of training people but less injuries. My suggestion is to do your homework of proper lifting techniques from a credible source (not Instagram) before getting a trainer. That way you will have an idea if they know what they are talking about or not. If they skip demonstrating proper form they will not serve you well. This psa is to anyone reading it.
I agree with everything Joe said. I've trained for over 20 years and never been injured. I gave CrossFit a try for 12 months and suffered back problems, shoulder problems and knee problems to top it off.
Yeah I watched a few guys doing "CrossFit" with the absolutely worst technique I've ever seen in my life. They teach this bullshit to men and women who have no experience in weightlifting or other activities. Maaaaaybe you can do CrossFit on a "healthy" level ( lmao ) but then you need to know how to to the exercises in the correct way.
I think one thing that gets overlooked with the CrossFit is the importance of a good coach and gym. My biggest concern with it is it's too easy to becoming an instructor and oversee a large group of people who potentially know nothing about these complex movements. I've done lifting for years, CrossFit for a good chunk of time, and dabbled in just olympic lifting. I loved every one of them for different reasons and I don't think CrossFit is as bad as people like to make it out to be, but you're much for liable for irresponsible training/poor form/ego lifting and without a proper and invested coach who is able to make sure you progress at the right speed, it wouldn't take much for things to go south. I've been injured more just lifting than anything else, but I've also spent more time lifting and each time I can look back and remember doing a short warm up. I used to shit on CrossFit because that's what I always heard in the gyms and it was fun, plus I was insecure of how bad my non existent cardio was. After doing it for a while now, I can say I am a fan if it, but my cardio is still so shit that I will always make sure I choose a weight that I am 100% comfortable with because I am going to be a tired mess at the end either way lol. The biggest thrill is farting 10+ times in a class and not knowing if the people know it's you
@@crzxm it's rapper and he isn't talking about the rapper because joe would of said ice T not ice tea, this guy wrote it out so you don't get confused.
I agree. I've always said the same thing about exercises like RDLs, clean n press,etc should be done slowly and focus on "perfecting" form and increase weight to gain strength..not for reps
Really dude. Your speaking the truth. If I did four hour training sessions and workout like they do. I'd have to be on steroids because no way I'm recovering fast enough doing that day after day.
Really loving CrossFit but I was an experienced lifter with strict form before going into it which has really helped. Without that knowledge I could see how detrimental it could be without good form coaching
You must have a lot of money then.. the average person can’t afford 225 a month and I’m not hating on “ most CrossFit “ because I know some are good and a lot are shitty, and most of them teach you bad form but not all, the one I went to none of them were “ certified “ or had a lot of experience and everyone of the trainers were “ pretty boys or girl “ sorry men and woman.. it was kinda of a joke
After many years of gyming, kickboxing, running competitively and never developing any serious injuries, in six months at CrossFit I blew out my back once (deadlifts) and my shoulder twice (muscle ups). Sure, I get that my technique was to blame, but I’d never injured myself before trying CrossFit ..
Been powerlifting for about 4 years now and tried crossfit for a few months about a year ago. Its hard training and it's crazy intense but there are some things about it that didnt work. The kipping pull ups would hurt my shoulder and the way they did cleans hurt my back. Now I know proper form for both but the trainers who do crossfit push you to your limits and your form goes to shit. I think crossfit style workouts are great if u use the right stuff. I'm not gonna deadlift for as many reps as possible and then go right into box jumps I'm gonna hurt myself. They just gotta leave the power lifts and Olympic lifts out of it and it would be an amazing program.
Sorry to hear that. It sounds like the coaches you had weren't the greatest but I was fortunate enough to have coaches that would spend 5 min going over the movement then another 15-20min of getting everyone in class to do it to the best of their ability.
I agree. I use to do Crossfit in a box and hurt myself gradually between 2015-2017. After an auto accident and being away from the gym for a year, I started doing WOD's on my own and modifying workouts that I knew hurt me in the past. Ex instead of kipping pull ups I do regular variations of strict and grips. I also use weights I can manage and not the suggested male or female weight suggested amout. I have had zero injuries, I'm 42 and love how I look. I'm not fit enough for competition but I'm not here for that. I'm here to look good in my shirt and on the beach.
Woman here chiming in, I’ve done martial arts for years and transitioned into weight training to gain some muscle mass and also found CrossFit to be “a little strange” until I tried it, let me tell you, it KICKS MY ASS! There are workouts that I don’t enjoy and I avoid those yet overall it’s a concentrated mix of compound movements and cardio and I have found it to be a great way to trim down during shredding season.
I’m way too lazy to do CrossFit, but more functional training is better. I think many of the negative stories come from people going from limited activity right into CrossFit when it became a fad. Generally, I think some people have a higher risk of it becoming problematic. Rhabdo is a very rare condition, and the percentage of those with a fatal reaction is even more rare. And of those, most are likely crush injuries. Totally a guess on that part but it’s a guess I feel good about.
Absolutely...... I developed sarcoidosis in my 40s as a result of years taxing my body to its limit.. my knees are shot and now I have to follow my body's lead and do what it says...... Too much high intensity too often fucks you long term!
For sure, my performance starts suffering dramatically after about a week with no rest days. Longest I've been without rest is 2 weeks and I started getting dizzy spells and out of breath just walking to the store.
a good indicator that your CNS is suffering even though your muscles aren't is if your grip strength starts failing. Pretty sure athlean x has a video on it. Also you can just tell if you know what i feels like.
That’s very true. I remember in my Sophomore year of High School, I went to the gym about 2 to three times a day on average.... even as a High Schooler with newbie gains, after about a month I was in bed one day, cause I felt so sick from doing all that shit. My body felt like crap, I couldn’t get up without feeling bad. Had a fever, everything. My CNS was dead. So I switched it up to once a day. I definitely saw improvement in health for sure
The world needs more CT Fletcher. How has this dude not been in a million action flicks? Good guy, bad guy, good guy & bad guy, CT vs The Rock, come on Hollyweird, make this shit happen!
In every video I've seen criticizing CF, its always about the over intensity leading to injury. Ive played sports all my life and injuries have always been a part of it. I see competitive lifters with injuries all the time. If you are pushing your body to the limit, you are increasing your risk of injury. Before ever even considering crossfit, I dislocated my knee coming down from a rebound and having someone cut under me, tearing my acl, lcl, pcl, and partially tore my MCL. Im 6'0 and grew to 290 in the years following. I basically stopped activity because I couldnt play sports and globo-gym memberships never worked for me cause I find it incredibly boring and just stop going. CF added that sense of competition and community I always got from sports, so it stuck. Ive been doing for over a year now, im personally down to 240 and honestly can think of maybe 2 members who had injuries keep them out for a month or so. Which is less injury rate than im used to with Football or Basketball.
For me-I always train very hard if I dont crawl out of the gym I'm not happy, with that being said, my body takes so long to recover, and I limit how many days a week I hit it which is bad. Which now through the years I've come to the conclusion that, again, FOR ME, more workouts per year, at a moderate to heavy rate is much more beneficial
I did crossfit for about a year and I have seen many people get hurt doing it. The aspects that I liked most of crossfit was the calisthenics and cardio movements and exercises and those are the only real ones that I continue to use in the gym. When I see people get hurt its because they try to lift too much too fast and their form goes to shit trying beat your last time. I don't lift except for the most basics lifts I learned and never too heavy. If you stick to common sense you should be okay.
As a physics (physical, apparently can’t type) therapist I love CrossFit, it will really help provide lots of shoulder and knee issues for me to treat in the future
Love you Joe!! Keep up the great work. Now, the point: CrossFit saved my life. I would've drank myself to death if the Community hadn't been there for me. Ain't no cult, just me in the box facing down my own demons, other people doing the same thing. I'd be sitting in the bar 7 days a week crying about my divorce, crying about my career. Blaming everyone but me for my problems. All that turned around the day I walked in....However, you can get stupid with it. Keep it sane, go light, keep moving, and it is one of the best fitness programs ever.
Agree. The entire format is great- Difficult workouts that require coordination and technique plus friends to encourage you through the pain. People hate it because it's hard and they can't do it.
@@andrewh7599 how is it great? Did you not listen to joe? They do power movements (speed and technique) for reps (where speed and technique must be sacrificed). Stupid.
I live in Cookeville, TN. And I personally know some of these top crossfit athletes, and they truly are on another level compared to your average Joe crossfitter. Its crazy how fit they are.
Ronnie Cole May not be in the best of health these days but you do know his name as do countless others of fans around the world, if poor health was the price of glory, then I would pay it but let’s face am far too lazy for that 😂😂
@@nickrad6966 you are accomplishing victory in a violent combat scenario with another individual that means to do you harm wtf do you mean "what are you accomplishing"? In cross fit what are you accomplishing that you can't accomplish with safer exercises?
I'm a medic near a marine corps training depot. Rhabdo is one of their biggest issues next to pneumonia. We take so many recruits, particularly after long agility exercises with Rhabdo.
I went to a Crossfit gym for a while. People just have to do workouts slower if they're not feeling so good one day. They let you adjust the excersises to what you want to do. The Crossfit Games however is just a test of who can take more pain.
@Jacob Sirak Yeah they push you to be better but a good crossfit place will tell you to go lighter if your form goes to crap. My HS P.E. coach made us do that if we risked injury
Crossfit gyms push people to start doing Olympic lifts without proper form. They should spend hours on the bar without weights but they push weights on new lifters
"Rhabdomyolysis" is something that Dana Linn Bailey recently went through, after having previously being featured in a CT video together with Kai Greene where she and CT both refuted the idea of over training. Its a very real thing but incredibly hard to actually achieve.
@Brian Jones Im curious how long your recovery took before you were able to get back into your usual training load again? I've been training 11 years and dread the thought of something like that coming along preventing me from doing it.
I haven't done CF in years, but I remember alot of pros back in the day didn't even do CF focused workouts, it was strict Olympic lift/strength training then supplemented it with conditioning exercises. Everyone else was doing max reps for stuff you should only be doing for power.
Crossfits biggest issue is it's risk to reward ration, it's like deadlifting it's fun and if you focus on it it can give you results to a specific set of goals but the chances of injury aren't worth it
