Just joined a crossfitt gym to prepare for Sept.

[___DAN___]

If you can't take some friendly teasing about crossfit, I feel no matter how hard you burpee you won't have the mental fortitude to tackle the mountain.

Congrats on the first steps

I'm sorry, you assumed that I wasn't teasing you back. Well I've been backcountry hunting since 2008, maybe its father time that I'm wanting to tackle instead.

First steps of CrossFit? Much appreciated.

 

[___DAN___]

Your going to get all types of bad advice. Most crossfits boxes are the same as far as the people that are in them, regardless of which box you are in. What I mean by this is that you are going to have a small number of people that are at the top of the leaderboard day in and day out. Most of these people have been doing crossfit long enough to have a pretty good understanding of it. Overall, to be at the top of the board you have to be pretty well rounded, strength, cardio, gymnastics, etc....Take the time to talk to the people in your box that has been doing it for awhile and is pretty well rounded in all of these aspects. You will have very strong people that will excel at the strength portions, you will have very gymnastic people that will excel at other portions of the workouts. It can be very individual in which direction a person decides to take crossfit. If you have good coaches, listen to them. If they say you need to scale things, then scale them, drop the ego and try to move well and learn how to move well. Learn how to hold a hollow position, learn to kip, learn to squat deep enough. Master body weight movements, learn how to properly row and a lot of the rest of it will follow. Crossfit is vastly misunderstood, most people that bash it haven't stepped foot into a box long enough to comment on it. At the end of the day experience it for yourself and form you own opinions of it, good or bad.

I agree with you and I've only just started. Do you still crossfit?

 

[___DAN___]

I can definitely tell you're doing crossfit, since you told everyone on Rokslide about it.

I was never a fan of doing Olympic style lifts (where form is important) for time, but I am biased. I tweaked my back when I was a much younger man because a chic's butt distracted me during a PR deadlift.

Oh yea? I guess I understand that. I guess CrossFit isn't for everyone.

 

[___DAN___]

Be careful with your workouts. Crossfit gyms vary drastically, some are good, some are down right dangerous with what they have you doing. Personally i think the weight and reps that each prescribed workout entails is ridiculous, especially the amount of overhead work. If you arent used to that be very careful. The last thing you want is to blow a shoulder out. Just ask my fiance, she had bilateral tears.

Thanks. I will.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

That is my concern, not being prepared. I bought a weighted vest, but now you got me thinking about weighted rucks. I think that is a great idea.

The last time I was in back country elk hunting I was hitting the gym 5 days a week and doing cardio every day. I know you can beat the real thing. Thus so far, CrossFit has me reaching a intensity point that I couldn't get in a traditionally gym on my own. Hopefully I can stay healthy and Injurie free.

As long as drop your ego and only compete with yourself injury is pretty easy to stay away from...Folks let their ego get involved and end up in the deep end and get hurt. There is nothing wrong with scaled workouts. A good box with be a representative of your community so folks younger than you, some folks your age, and some folks older than you. I am 45 if go into a box and it's a bunch 20 somethings trying to kill each I go somewhere else..at my age just not my scene. Some folks want that and that's fine too.

When it comes to weighted rucks skip the all the BS with taped up sandbags, dog food, water or whatever else folks put in their pack..Get the outdoorsman atlas trainer and be done with it...I start the season with 25lb plate and usually I am up to a 45 and a 35 plate by the time I leave for my hunt.

I also recommend working at least one endurance w/o into you weekly schedule..more for the mental aspect than physical.

 

[robtattoo]

I'm not gonna start the crossfit memes, but if someone was to do so, I could be inclined to join in

I mean, if you're just going to under-arm lob it to the plate......

 

[jmez]

I'm also in the something is better than nothing camp. CrossFit is a good way to exercise. I've been doing it, or some form of it for almost 10 years. Zero injuries. Use your head, if it hurts don't do it. I go when it is open gym, not to a dedicated class. I don't do near as many short HIIT workouts as I used to . Longer more sustained stuff now.

 

[PJG]

I agree with you and I've only just started. Do you still crossfit?

Yep, sure do.

 

[___DAN___]

I'm also in the something is better than nothing camp. CrossFit is a good way to exercise. I've been doing it, or some form of it for almost 10 years. Zero injuries. Use your head, if it hurts don't do it. I go when it is open gym, not to a dedicated class. I don't do near as many short HIIT workouts as I used to . Longer more sustained stuff now

Great advice. Thanks

 

[___DAN___]

I mean, if you're just going to under-arm lob it to the plate......
View attachment 413879

 

[robtattoo]

View attachment 413882

Completely accurate!

 

[TSAMP]

I've done crossfit, I'm naturally competitive so I liked that side of it. I also liked the WODs removing any decision making on my end of what to do each day. The gyms are expensive though.

That said I still enjoy making fun of it and prefer to stay in shape by other means now.

 

[Cactus kid]

Thanks. I will take a look.

I recommend you buy and read "Training for the New Alpinism." The book has a pretty good portion devoted to talking about how crossfit/HIIT training in general produce specific physiological changes, but also how those specific changes are not necessarily the ones you're looking for to improve performance in the mountains.

I have recommended this book to many guys hand have used the principals and training plans in the book for the last few years. I used it last year in prep for a dall sheep hunt in alaska. I am currently using it to get in shape for a hunt in Nepal in november.

To summarize they emphasize having a huge aerobic base, which can only be built by hours of low and steady "zone 2" training.

Training too much (or exclusively) in the high zones like cross fit advocates will lead to aerobic deficient . This can make long multi day efforts even more challenging. From my experience I would have to agree.

Cross fit is great for honing the edge, but not building the blade so to speak.

 

[FlyGuy]

I started CrossFit 5 years ago after the mtn kicked my ass. It may not be perfect but I haven’t found anything better. Yeah, you have to find your limits but you also want to push them higher. Striking that balance is the key and you won’t always have it. That’s ok. The amount of injuries in CrossFit is extremely over-rated. There are very, very few in my experience. I’m sure there may be gyms that are careless but they won’t be around long.

CrossFit makes you stronger and fitter and helps you learn skills that translate into all kinds of benefits. But it also gives you a lot of daily experience with being really, really uncomfortable. That’s a huge value for me. It’s just flat out makes you tougher. No a/c in the summer, no heater in the winter. It sucks. But it will make you much more confident in your ability to get up that next ridge and that’s often what kills elk.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[tntrker]

I started Crossfit in early April for the very same reason, to add in a workout besides just rucking and relying on myself at planetfitness. I go every weekday morning at 6am and an occaisional Sat morning. I see improvments in myself which is never a bad thing. I also signed up for a Spartan 10k at the end of July as a kind of goal to reach a goal. I will be doing my 1st archey, 11day elk hunt in Montana and wanted to be my best. My Crossfit seems very humble with ALOT of indivdual support. Just go and compete with yourself if yours is a more competive setting. Good luck this fall!!

 

[___DAN___]

I started Crossfit in early April for the very same reason, to add in a workout besides just rucking and relying on myself at planetfitness. I go every weekday morning at 6am and an occaisional Sat morning. I see improvments in myself which is never a bad thing. I also signed up for a Sparta 10k at the end of July as a kind of goal to reach a goal. I will be doing my 1st archey, 11day elk hunt in Montana and wanted to be my best. My Crossfit seems very humble with ALOT of indivdual support. Just go and compete with yourself if yours is a more competive setting. Good luck this fall!!

GL on the Journey to getting fit. This morning I was dieing!

 

[___DAN___]

I have recommended this book to many guys hand have used the principals and training plans in the book for the last few years. I used it last year in prep for a dall sheep hunt in alaska. I am currently using it to get in shape for a hunt in Nepal in november.

To summarize they emphasize having a huge aerobic base, which can only be built by hours of low and steady "zone 2" training.

Training too much (or exclusively) in the high zones like cross fit advocates will lead to aerobic deficient . This can make long multi day efforts even more challenging. From my experience I would have to agree.

Cross fit is great for honing the edge, but not building the blade so to speak.

I'm trying to keep this simple. I think building strength, muscle, increased stamina, and fat loss are my goals for this fall. So, I guess it boils down to what goals I want right? I feel the HIT anaerobic approach from CrossFit will be most valid for that. Seems like most here with a past experience of CrossFit have added some type of aerobic type work out to help build endurance for those long hikes. I know I'm preaching to choir here, but I'm not disagreeing with you on the approach you have taken. With that said, I have to stay motivated and I cant sit on treadmill for hours.


In CrossFit I'm starting to find out that its much more than just the training, its the fellowship and the relationships that are built. That's the joy I want to have while getting fit for hunting. My post may be a bit misleading, but I'm not stranger to fitness. I was a college athlete and had built a strong foundation throughout the years. I just got lost through the years. I don't want to repeat that again.

 

[FlyGuy]

I'm trying to keep this simple. I think building strength, muscle, increased stamina, and fat loss are my goals for this fall. So, I guess it boils down to what goals I want right? I feel the HIT anaerobic approach from CrossFit will be most valid for that. Seems like most here with a past experience of CrossFit have added some type of aerobic type work out to help build endurance for those long hikes. I know I'm preaching to choir here, but I'm not disagreeing with you on the approach you have taken. With that said, I have to stay motivated and I cant sit on treadmill for hours.


In CrossFit I'm starting to find out that its much more than just the training, its the fellowship and the relationships that are built. That's the joy I want to have while getting fit for hunting. My post may be a bit misleading, but I'm not stranger to fitness. I was a college athlete and had built a strong foundation throughout the years. I just got lost through the years. I don't want to repeat that again.

The fellowship and relationship is a HUGE part of the value of CrossFit. You are exactly right. It makes the journey towards fitness far more enjoyable, and therefore much more likely to continue. I also supplement with zone 2 training runs/walks/pack work as well as kayak and mtn biking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Cactus kid]

I'm trying to keep this simple. I think building strength, muscle, increased stamina, and fat loss are my goals for this fall. So, I guess it boils down to what goals I want right? I feel the HIT anaerobic approach from CrossFit will be most valid for that. Seems like most here with a past experience of CrossFit have added some type of aerobic type work out to help build endurance for those long hikes. I know I'm preaching to choir here, but I'm not disagreeing with you on the approach you have taken. With that said, I have to stay motivated and I cant sit on treadmill for hours.


In CrossFit I'm starting to find out that its much more than just the training, its the fellowship and the relationships that are built. That's the joy I want to have while getting fit for hunting. My post may be a bit misleading, but I'm not stranger to fitness. I was a college athlete and had built a strong foundation throughout the years. I just got lost through the years. I don't want to repeat that again.

The community aspect of cross fit cannot be understated. Give it a shot!

I will admit constantly being on a stair stepper or a slow jog is not fun at all.

 

[Fatcamp]

Me: You going to Crossfit tomorrow?

Wife: If I have time after my doctor's appointment.

Me: You mean your orthopedic surgeon appointment?

Wife: LOL

Our conversation LAST night driving home from dinner. It works for her but I thought it was funny.