What happened to those of you that quit CrossFit?

Mark, I kind of have a similar story. I wouldnt say I have put Crossfit totally aside, but im definitely not as into as I was before. I took a boatload away from it, and will continue to embrace the community and help those who are interested, but for me it wasnt the end game. Just a box I checked off in my own evolution.

My story....

I have been doing Crossfit for a lil over 2.5 years now, and Im 34 years old 5'10. I obtained my level 1 certification a while back in early 2012 to further my knowledge a tad more, after somewhat being cultish.

Between discovering Crossfit and Primal eating at the sametime I had one of the typical life changers from just the normal globo in 2009 to where I am now. 1080lb CF Total, sub 4 min Fran, huge improvements in my whole fitness, both mental and physical.

At my peak in the summer of 2011 I was a 5 day a week WOD'r, and hanging out around the 190 area. However, I was always nursing some sort of nagging injury pre-existing condition, was worn the hell out, never felt 100% and was at the mercy of the programming which was good IMOP. I had no problems pushing to the end and giving it that effort that most associate CF work with. Although I had always questioned was it really worth it? I have been injured before, back, femur, knees, elbow, shoulder. I havent had an easy road hahah, so I feel my age, and fitness isnt as easy at it once was. I was never a cult CF'r to the point of not enjoying my own passions in the outdoors. Sometimes I would waste myself so bad at the gym that my passions in the outdoors were hindered. In a bundle, I enjoy my fitness level.

I have always got great satisfaction from heavier lifts, squat, deadlift, press, etc......so around early 2012 I shifted my training to a simple 5x5 lifting program (squat, front squats, deadlift, overhead press, benchpress), and a quick sprint of some sort 3-4 days a week, and max effort 1 rep max once a month on each lift. Everyone once in a while I would mix it up with a 10-12 min amrap with some bodyweight movements, something with alot of intensity. I like to row....its low thread, low impact....and you can combine it with anything.

I have found I feel alot better now, Im not injured or nursing injuries anymore, I enjoy myself alot better outside the gym. I am close to 200lbs now, but my waist remains the same as it when I was when I was about 10lbs lighter at my peak of CF in mid 2011. Im stronger than I ever was doing CF fulltime......... My overall fitness level doing the stuff I love to spend time doing has taken me to new levels of accomplishments, and confidence (downhill mountain biking, snowmobiling etc) that were never previously even imaginable.

In the end, take some stuff you have learned. Crossfit isn't the end all of fitness journey's. Take some CF lessons, and mix it into what you like, but still embrace some of the things you dont. I think its nice to have some sort of goal for yourself also, which alot of people dont have.

Good Luck

I could certainly recommend Scott Sonnon's "Primal Stress". It will explain to you why you are getting repeatedly injured and give you remedies to prevent it happening in the future. Mobility, flexibility and recovery are built in to the program so you don't get tired lethargic and burnt out. The exercise routines are short and dirty utilising bodyweight (it is good to have somewhere for pull ups).

It is certainly very different from you regular BW routine where you just add more reps or stick your feet on a box. Physical well being and pain free movement are at its heart. When you have these nailed then you can concentrate on improving performance.

It's not super cheap but it is definitely worth considering.

I did crossfit by myself in the gym at work for six months or so. Was doing the scaled workouts from the brandx website, which I'd do 3 to 4 times a week, plus martial arts on e or twice a week and was in the best shape of my life.
I only stopped because my gym closed for 3 months, then just never really got back into it. This was back on 2008, I've tried a couple of times but the it feels like it's hanged a little, or maybe I have..

I just started Cross Fit, after a long time of just messing around with weights and bodyweight at home.
I think for some people, just switching up fitness is what works. You got something out of Cross Fit, now move on. Try whatever- Yoga, jogging, regular weight lifting.

I enjoy Cross Fit and have never seen such fit people in my life. :) I hope to be one of them, but when something gets old, it gets old and best to move onto something fresh. The only advice I have is to keep doing something- even if it is just a walk, to keep the time in your schedule.

Mike, Crossfit is pretty much all Cardio Strength Circuits. I just substitute stuff that would hurt me (high rep olympic lifts) with stuff that doesn't (bodyweight, kettlebells, trx, etc...)

[QUOTE=mark2741;972915]Thanks Nick - that sounds like a heck of a routine you have. I never thought about a 'cardio strength' routine. Will have to keep that in mind.

As for my goals - my goal is simply to feel good and look good. That's it. I'm 41yoa - lost 70lbs a couple of years ago via a low-carb approach and have kept it off pretty easily, but with that weight loss came an increase in energy levels and I eventually decided to 'become a fitness nut' : ) Problem is, CrossFit is just not for me. I truly do think it's great, but just not for me. I'm glad I've done it and stuck it out - it got me to a good baseline fitness level and I'm now flexible enough to actually do strength training on my own with proper form (before I couldn't even do a squat correctly due to my lack of flexibility).[/QUOTE]

I liked Crossfit but simply can't afford the fees right now. My partner's job gives him an employee discount program for city facilities passes, and for both our monthly passes it costs about half what it would for one of us to have a CF membership, plus we can use the pools and do the drop-in yoga classes and such as well as the gym facilities (and the facilities at the big sports centre here are excellent with pretty much all the equipment we could want including oly lifting platforms).

I spent this summer doing mostly bodyweight and outdoor stuff as well as working on running. Now with the fall here, we've got passes and I did a lot of research on barbell programming. We're doing 5/3/1 and really enjoying it so far. I realized that one of the things I really loved at my CF gym was the lifting component, and barbells make me happy. I like it now that I can go and lift and give it my all without worrying about being able to survive the WOD after pushing for a new 1RM. I can break my interval stuff off into separate days from my lifting and adjust for how I'm feeling on a given week.

Like you, I had been feeling sore and tired a lot, and I'm realizing now just how much that was affecting me. I hadn't noticed just how much I was pushing. Now I can lift three days a week, throw in some sprint-style workouts, and then just chill out and walk my dog and feel good.

I have to say, though, that I might never have gotten into barbell lifts without joining CF. I've always been interested in them but was too nervous to try them on my own. Now I feel like I've had lots of practice and feel comfortable just walking into the gym and hitting the squat rack without feeling shy or worried about it. I think for a lot of women, CF brings a similar level of empowerment. But I don't know at this point if I'll go back to it or if I'll go as flat-out at it if I do. Right now, I want to lift heavy, and while CF includes some of that, it's not the focus, and so I'm doing the programming that will give me what I really want instead.

I do not workout for enjoyment or because it's fun. I workout because it improves every other aspect of my life including making me a better father and husband. With that said I do enjoy my brief but very intense HIT workouts twice a week and hill sprints once a week. For me that is enough to continue to get stronger and be fit enough to play all day with my daughter without wearing down.
My problem with Crossfit is the way they seem to wear injuries as a badge of honor. I have NEVER had a workout related injury and I lift to failure every lift. Olympic lifts and all of the "explosive" exercise is a sure fire way to get injured.

[QUOTE=jfreaksho;973024]I've never done Crossfit, but I see these kinds of complaints and I always wonder about the advisability of doing intense workouts to failure or near failure that require high levels of technique as well.[/QUOTE]

I worry about this as well. I would like to hang out with other people who understand paleo, but I don't think that Cross-fit is for me. I think it would just injure me or at best leave me always sore, always limping or being unable to turn over in bed or having to lower myself gingerly to the toilet. That's what doing twice weekly body weight plus sprints has left me with. Chronic soreness for most of the week. Sadly, if I want to find a personal trainer to help me, it look like my only choice is cross-fit and decent dietary ideas or stupid dietary ideas and some other exercise that may or may not be helpful.

Honestly the only thing that's ever really given me the weight loss I seek and the sense of health I desire has been hiking. It's too bad I have to sit in an office all day or else I could just hike all day.

If you are worn out all the time you are CLEARLY over training and this is NOT fitness no matter how in shape one may look. Fitness is about not only being fit but also healthy over the long haul.

[QUOTE=Forever Young;974044]If you are worn out all the time you are CLEARLY over training and this is NOT fitness no matter how in shape one may look. Fitness is about not only being fit but also healthy over the long haul.[/QUOTE]

I have to agree. My own experience with Crossfit left me looking better, and at first, I was able to recover enough between WOD's to just be able to nail the next one. But I was a physical wreck any other time. Ultimately much of my middle-aged connective tissue started to fall apart and I was forced to quit.

The one and only reason one should exercise is to create a stimulus that results in a [B]positive[/B] adaptation. Injuries ain't positive.