What are the MYTHS of CrossFit???
CrossFit makes you BULKY...yeah right!
There is a lot of chatter about CrossFit in Sioux Falls.
We have covered quite a few of the the myths of CrossFit. Here are some of my favorites…
–Too expensive: Click HERE for that one.
-“I have to get in shape, before I start CrossFit“: Click HERE for that one.
-“I have NO TIME to workout“: Click HERE
-“I’m gonna get bulky doing CrossFit“: Click HERE
What are some of the myths you have heard?
And more importantly, what is your response to them?
What were the thoughts you had about CrossFit before you joined?
How have they changed?
cfsiouxfalls.com 
September 22, 2010 at 4:23 pm
My favorite: It is a cult…
Hands down I love this myth. It keeps the weirdos out that is for sure. I met a guy who is a wrestler at my Alma mater and wrestles with a person from cross fit and was all up in arms about how that person has improved but won’t stop talking about CrossFit and how CrossFit is amazing etc. That person has resigned themselves to believing that CF is a cult and they will never step foot in one. “I’d rather work out alone anyway…” I call your BS!
Anywho-Cult or no cult- I’ll Drink the koolaid
September 22, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Here’s one: “I’ve heard CrossFit is really hard!?”
It is only as hard as you make it. You scale your workout to your ability. 1 year and 3 months ago I was at a, we will call it “summer bash”, at the Nelson house (you all remember…the one where Chris Mello ended up in the ER because he broke his foot), well anyways to my point, my buddy (you all know him) Garrett Strating told me “AHoff you have to join CrossFit because you will love it!!!” and my excuse was “Garrett it’s too hard for me!!!”, but Garrett assured me that it would only be as hard as I pushed my own body. All I ever heard him talking about was CrossFit (and we were both previous gym rats at another gym here in town. So finally fast foward to April 2010 when I was feeling blah and bored with my own workouts at the other gym, I called Garrett and said “Garrett, I’m really in need of a change of working out!!! What do I do?” He told me: “I’m going to give you 3 days to give Chris a call @ CrossFit and if you don’t call him he has your number and will be calling you to make you come try it!!!” So on day 2 I went to THE BOX and watched one of the WODS @ 9:30am and thought to myself “HOLY GEEZ HOW IN THE WORLD WILL I EVER BE ABLE TO DO OR COMPARE TO ANY OF THESE PEOPLE…I CAN’T DO THAT STUFF”, but I joined anyways knowing Garrett doesn’t lie when it comes to things that work for a person when working out. I even remember the 1st time he had me do BURPEES @ the other gym in one of the circuit classes and I hated them!!! I joined CrossFit April 20th, 2010, did my 1st WOD that day and will never turn back to a “regular” gym. Here I am starting my 6th month @ the box and loving those darn BURPEES I once despised!!! Thanks Garrett for making me join the best (as some people that haven’t joined/or dont know about CrossFit call it) CULT IN THE WORLD!!! I admit there are some things that are still hard after 5 full months, but that’s where it leads me to know what I have to work on in order to SUCCEED!!! THANK YOU EVERYBODY for pushing me to the limit!!! CrossFit is HARD, but after a WOD if i’m not about to CRY or PUKE then I know I didn’t work HARD enough that day!!!
September 22, 2010 at 5:35 pm
“i feel like everyone will be watching me” : S that was always me. unfortunatly that is what has been the result of the “traditional” gym. I HATED gyms cause NO one came up to just say a friendly hi and I didn’t want to try anything new or different cause I didn’t want to look funny or stupid to all the people watching me. I was super nervous to try crossfit but after reading all the positive things and hearing them I really wanted to give it a try. the first time I walked into the box everyone there was super friendly. it was like i’d know them all for a long time. then when the wod started I quickly realized everyone was in their own world and I needed to get my butt going an do the same. that day I learned that if you have energy to worry about what others are thinking about you while you work out or worse yet energy to judge someone while you workout, your not really getting a workout. we are not a cult but a family of support for better health.
September 22, 2010 at 9:29 pm
The Myth I hear is ” I already go to a Gym”. The Fact is you pay some place you hardly ever go to, and when you do go you dont work out for very long or that hard and see no results. You work out alone and may do things incorrectly. SO why dont you go somewhere you can work out with other people and see some results. Then I flex.
September 23, 2010 at 2:59 pm
The thing I hear the most, which may not really be a myth, is that people who do crossfit are obsessed. My question back to them, “is it really a bad thing to be obsessed about being healthy and taking care of the body that God gave you?” (of course that normally shuts them up) Yes, I think people can take things to an extreme, but I would rather be obsessed with crossfit than going to the bar, watching tv or eating burgers and fries. Everyone has something they love (and maybe are obsessed with), I’m glad mine is crossfit!!
I also hear that crossfit takes up all my time – really??? There are 168 hours in a week and if I go to the gym part time then really I’m only at the gym for 3 to 4 hours a week (2% of my time). Crossfit does not take up all my time!
September 24, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Oh I would love expanding on the above on this one. In fact, I may be a myth professional…why, because I once was on the outside looking in thinking “wtf is wrong with these people”…so with that, here we go. (some of these discussed above).
1. Crossfit is a Cult – by definition, for some people, “Yes, Crossfit is a cult.” But, “cult” by definition is NOT a bad thing. I will not “webster dictionary” you here, but there was this dude in Waco, TX named David who some time ago had a compound full of killer kool-aid and as a result of this dude, “cult” has taken on what seems only negative meaning. Inside Crossfit, you have some people solely there to workout, get a solid sweat in, i.e. “the gym alternative”. Then you have the more serious people – which form the “cult”. For these people, Crossfit is not just a workout, but part of a lifestyle. They experience life gains that others just can not believe are possible. There performance in health and nutrition excels but they excel in life also. They credit much of this to Crossfit and what they do to make themselves better. AND GET THIS…they tell you about it because they want you to get the exact same gains, experience the highs, excel in competition, better your life. AND they want you to start now. I live with one of these people..and I can see how it happens.
Point here – people that Crossfit tell you about Crossfit because they want you to make yourself better. They are passionate, not a crazy cult.
2. Crossfitters Cheat on Exercises (i.e. have no form) – FYI, that “cheating” is called kipping and if you are going to 100 reps of something, kipping (or some weird form of trying it) becomes essential. Cheat on your form on the other lifts and exercises and you had best have a good Chiropractor and an Orthopedic Surgeon as your neighbor (lucky me) as you will be so mangled in 2 weeks that a trip to Slumberland will feel better than a jaunt to the box. So, if you come to Crossfit you need to take your form seriously or you may as well just rejoin your old gym and bench press, curl and elliptical.
I will tell you this though about “cheating” at CF… put that little Rx on a board workout next to your name and you sure as heck better know your simple math and counting skills are fine tuned. That stuff is competitive and when you take someone else’s position you had best be dang sure you did the time, reps, or requirements it entailed. Beat someone out fair and square you may be a bro-hug. Cheat here and your integrity is gone.
Point here – Crossfitters don’t cheat. They like it too much to lose it all carelessly.
3. Crossfit is not for Me – You may be right, but how do you know? I have said this before and I believe it…if you go to Crossfit for 4 months and do not start seeing significant changes for the better in your life, try harder or quit immediately. Do not just mettle around (unless Crossfit is just a social outlet for you, then stay along). If you bust your tail, truly bust your tail here and are not gaining, something is just not right. You need to re-evaluate your goals. In the end, it comes down to “How bad do I want it?” What is “it” anyway. “It” can be many things – beach body, better nutrition, healthy lifestyle, lean figure, get in-shape, better sex, friendship, conversation, run a marathon, do a triathlon, connect with someone special, no sure but I need to try something, curious about Crossfit, training for physical job, training for sports, trying to age slower, anything can be “it”.
Point here – Crossfit may not be for you, but I challenge you to see for yourself firsthand versus looking from the outside never trying. Take a 4-month trial course 😉
Disclaimer – I used to think Crossfit was ridiculous, unsafe, extreme, a cult in a negative aspect and flat out not for me, ever, never, ever. Then I committed. It has been 5 months. I can’t quit now because I know how hard it is to come that first time, the first 9 times, those first 24 times. And when that day comes that I stop Crossfitting, I will always be grateful for the gains I experienced and friends I made during this time I committed. This testimonial is not a paid endorsement, now get after “it” 😉