Brutal Workout, yet fun

[Irulan]

I have been thinking of doing Crossfit. So you really notice a big difference riding. Hmmm I am a beginner road rider. May I ask specifically what the benefits are you see from doing this re riding your bike?
Thanks

"Crossfit" is just one trademarked brand of high intensity, multidimensional physical fitness program. There's lots of good stuff out there. Most gyms offer some version of this. The thing about Crossfit is that it appears that the quality of the training really varies from super supportive to super competitive. I do pretty much the same thing, minus the super competitive focus to push for more and bigger, at my gym which is a physical therapy facility. They call it "functional fitness".

here is TE discussion on Crossfit

Benefits - better core, better all over body strength, less prone to injury, more flexibility... and that's just for starters.

Here' what we did in Functional Fitness today
Russian single leg goblet squats
dumbell row/punch
clock lunges @5 o clock
cord squat/chops
slider mountain climbers
row/kickback
stability walkout w/knee tuck
stability ball triple thread ( pelvic lift w/knee tuck)
single leg medicine ball slams
med ball toe touches
med ball v-up with press
push up with shoulder touch (pushup, touch one hand to opposite shoulder, then reverse)
20 of everything ( that's each side, not total.)
then 2 minutes of quadmill.
And THEN after two rounds of that, 20 each of pike, alternate leg pikes, boxer crunches, superman and one min of front and side planks. WHEW.

[Catrin]

Yep, that sounds like what they call "metabolic training" at my gym - similar kind of stuff. After a really hard workout like we had on Thursday, he moderated things quite a bit today. He doesn't do this often but it is fun. We went outside and "played games" but it was quite the workout that featured lots of different things with dynamax balls, a bit of running, pushups, etc. Back to our usual this Thursday. It was nice to be outside, especially since the big broiler in the sky will be kicking in...

[Catrin]

We were introduced to "slosh pipes" at our 6am class yesterday morning. These are simply PVC pipes that are filled with water, and of course come in different sizes/weights. We did squats, lunges, and something he called "Good Mornings" with them while holding them in our arms. The instability of the water certainly added a new dimension to those exercises.

[thekarens]

Great workout! I'm taking notes to try this out. I'm always looking for a new workout to keep things interesting and fresh. Since I started working out in January I still can't do a full pushup. I'm working on it though!

[Wahine]

I love these kinds of workouts. It is very similar to what I do in my strength and conditioning class. I consider my class a functional fitness class focused on injury prevention.

I'm taking some notes from this thread. I've gotten some new ideas from you ladies. Thanks.

One of my new favorite exercises is a version of side plank but instead of supporting yourself with your bottom leg, you support yourself with the top leg on a bench and the bottom leg is held up off the ground but under the bench. I keep the bench under a bent knee rather than a straight leg to make it a bit easier and much more knee friendly.

[Crankin]

Wahine, what do you think of a class that has people running (sprints or up to 2-4 minutes) holding hand weights?
When I was a fitness instructor, this would have been a huge no-no. What's the point? I can keep up with the real runners, but I use lighter weights than what she is telling us (2 lbs. vs. 5). I am so tempted to drop the weights next time. Thankfully, she's subbing for the regular person and i make a point not to take her regular classes.

[Irulan]

Here's one of our workouts, just for grins.

[Wahine]

Wahine, what do you think of a class that has people running (sprints or up to 2-4 minutes) holding hand weights?
When I was a fitness instructor, this would have been a huge no-no. What's the point? I can keep up with the real runners, but I use lighter weights than what she is telling us (2 lbs. vs. 5). I am so tempted to drop the weights next time. Thankfully, she's subbing for the regular person and i make a point not to take her regular classes.

I'm generally not a fan of holding weights while running. Running with extra weight can be helpful, but it's best if the weight is on the torso in the form of a vest. Holding hand weights, or having weights on the ankles puts the weight on the end of a long lever arm which increases torque forces at the joints quite a lot. But keep in mind that I'm kinda old school.

[kiwi rider]

WOW...sounds like a great workout! Good for you!