I'm done with crossfit for a while.
"but, LN! you love crossfit! You've been preaching it's name ever since you got started in the cult!"
yea- that's the problem with it... it's a cult. Here are my problems with it:
1) They encourage paleo-- which is great, but every body is different. Also? I don't really believe in NOT eating rice and beans- especially since i fucking lived off that shit for 5 months and I ended up losing weight/feeling amazing. Sugar, sure! bread- fine. I get the idea behind it (less carbs,etc) but explain that shit. Don't just say "these are the foods you can/can't eat!" Besides, if you're a gym, you should hire a nutritionist to tell you these things... not just read it on the internet and then spread it as gospel.
which brings me to my 2nd point:
2) it takes 1 weekend class... 1000$... to become a crossfit trainer. That's it. You don't need experience or higher education or insurance (like you do in Oz) but just a class. Sure, the people that do crossfit are enthusiasts... but does that mean they are qualified???
I have been to 38 different CF boxes- and EVERY SINGLE GD ONE has taught me how to lift different. Or... even worse... hasn't taught me anything. I have been really lucky and not hurt myself too badly during my "cf career". I have, however discovered that I've been doing certain things wrong for 2+ years and I have NO rhomboid strength (I've been over-compensating by tweaking a muscle here/there/whatever... and now I have shoulder/nerve issues). Don't get me wrong-- I'm fucking strong. Could I do this 2 years ago? No. Do I regret any of it? No. But the things that have been most useful/enjoyed were body-weight things.
which brings me to #3:
3) Not enough attention goes into body-weight stuff. Here is a list of body-weight exercises I want to learn/get better at:
rope climbs
1-handed handstands (I finally got one... but I want to get it on the other side/get better at it).
L-sits
double-unders
rowing
turkish-getups (this requires a little weight... like 5lbs).
strict pull-ups
hand-stand walks
squats
slam balls (this also requires a weighted ball)
wall balls (requires weighed ball-- different than the slam ball)
splits/flexibility (not emphasized enough, imo.
muscle up/bar muscle up (emphasized too much).
toes to bar
etc....
Here is an example of a WOD that got posted recently on crossfit.com:
load up a bar with 150% your body weight. Traverse a mile. scale as necessary. The bar can't touch the ground. Score is the weight and time.
Do you know fucking ridiculous that is?!? That would mean that I would be carrying 116kg (254lbs) on your back and walking/jogging/whatever a mile... When is this EVER APPLICABLE?!? How do you ensure that you aren't setting up the athletes to have back pain for the rest of their lives? What about ruptured discs from the bar resting on your neck/shoulders for that length of time?
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I had this rude awakening when I was trying to find CF boxes in baltimore that I was going to look at once I got back. It ended up being "oh. I can't train there. Most boxes have 1 main coach that teaches 1 class a week and then the rest of the coaches are CFlvl1. (which is what I have- but I don't think I'm qualified to do anything, let alone teach). If they have extra classes (all Crossfit classes as opposed to school or something... which means that they spent another 1000$ and a weekend learning this stuff) they have olympic lifting stuff. Which is great. I'd rather they have that.... but still--- 1 weekend and 1000$ doesn't make you an expert.
Doing extreme stuff is fine. High intensity stuff is great! "constantly varied" is a great mantra that I totally believe in and I really loved my crossfit journey. If I ever found a coach that I totally trusted/loved (that could teach me everything.....and could guarantee my safety) then I'm all for it. However, in the meantime, I'm really not interested in paying hundreds of dollars a month to get hurt because I'm being taught improperly (not spotted properly) or whatever.
So- what is next?
circus school (gymnastics and aerials-- I also really want to learn how to juggle like a badass)
parkour
break dancing classes.
yoga. (not for any spiritual thing-- but mostly core work).
I want to work on my body-weight exercises before adding more weight. If I do lift stuff- it would be kettle-bells.
If anyone has any suggestions/exercises on how to really tighten up the core/become really flexible let me know.  I'm always looking for new things to try.
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