Not hijack this thread, but how does CrossFit differ from BodyPump? Pre-pandemic I took BodyPump at the gym. I now own the equipment and stream BodyPump at home (best purchase all pandemic). How is CrossFit different? Is the emphasis on how much you can lift instead of repetition?

Anonymous wrote:I’m a female in my 40s. I’m in decent shape but need to work on getting stronger.

Would CrossFit be a good workout? Or should I get a personal trainer a couple times a week for 30 minutes each?

The latter is more expensive. I don’t do much other than a lot of walking right now, roughly 5-7 miles a day.

Hello, I am a fitness business owner and trainer in Maryland. I would not recommend starting off with crossfit. If you are interested I would find a trainer that can help you learn the lifts in crossfit, which is a lot of Olympic lifts. From there you could transition after a month or so. If you are in Md and interested in working with a trainer, we have a few openings. check us out at https://bit.ly/38K9R6O. Hope that helps.

I hated CrossFit. The workouts were okay but too intense for me to enjoy and I hated the culture. Try it though, lots of people like it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t do cross fit for aesthetic reasons. Google image women of crossfit. If you are ok with that or wanting that look- go for it. But you don’t need to lift that heavy or intensely to simply be heathy and strong. There are ways to exercise and lift to gain muscle (tune) and be strong and maximize bone density without the bulk

I am the person that did CrossFit for 7 years. Only the very best female crossfitters get that strong. Most women just tone up and get muscle tone.

I don't know...I know several women at the gym I go to that do it regularly. The body changes are for sure more bulky. Bigger thighs, bigger arms. And since most are not super athletes, they have the body fat of a normal or even overweight person, plus the added muscle gain. I'm not saying that is a bad thing, but just something to be aware of in case that is not the outcome you are going for.

I have done both. Crossfit is such a significantly better workout. I used a trainer during covid because I couldn’t find an open CrossFit box. With CrossFit you get the work on your form. You get different workouts everyday. You get a community to share your personal records and to encourage you to do your best in each workout. There is a competitive aspect that makes you want to do your best.

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t do cross fit for aesthetic reasons. Google image women of crossfit. If you are ok with that or wanting that look- go for it. But you don’t need to lift that heavy or intensely to simply be heathy and strong. There are ways to exercise and lift to gain muscle (tune) and be strong and maximize bone density without the bulk

I am the person that did CrossFit for 7 years. Only the very best female crossfitters get that strong. Most women just tone up and get muscle tone.

I wouldn’t do cross fit for aesthetic reasons. Google image women of crossfit. If you are ok with that or wanting that look- go for it. But you don’t need to lift that heavy or intensely to simply be heathy and strong. There are ways to exercise and lift to gain muscle (tune) and be strong and maximize bone density without the bulk

Anonymous wrote:Op here, would 30 minutes twice a week with a personal trainer be just as helpful as 2-3 times a week of 1 hour CrossFit?

Yeah, I’d do the 30min twice a week with the personal trainer and add in another two days of working out on my own without the trainer.

Op here, would 30 minutes twice a week with a personal trainer be just as helpful as 2-3 times a week of 1 hour CrossFit?

I started CrossFit at 40 and did it for 7 years. It was awesome. I had never been so fit. Having said that, it is very full on, particularly if you are not used to lifting heavy weights. I’m now 49 and stopped recently mainly because I was getting bored of it.

I’d go along to the intro classes and see if you like it.

Get a personal trainer. Learn fitness you can use forever. There is no need to climb ropes and do kipping upside down pushups. I did crossfit for about a year. Some days I would drive there and the workout out would be 100 wallballs for time - then work on your pullups. UGH. BORING.

Personal trainer. Learn to lift and build an effective program.

I did CrossFit for a bit and while I did get stronger I did not like the variability of the program. The workout and which body parts you hit are variable base on the programing. To really see the benefits of CrossFit you need to go at least 4 days/week.

I much prefer having set upper and lower body days where I can monitor my progressive overload and I know I will deadlift and squat once a week.

Thanks, this is Op.

The CrossFit place has this beginner package that is required if you’ve never done it. 4 sessions with an instructor one on one to learn the basics/form.

I’m not sure which will be more motivating to me, a class like CrossFit or personal training. I guess CrossFit would incorporate more cardio too? Personal training is appealing because I feel like it could me tailored more towards areas of my body that need more attention though.

IMO you should get a personal trainer because a lot of crossfit studios don't teach proper form and someone who is overall inexperienced in lifting etc could easily get injured and end up going backwards instead of forwards.

Crossfit works incredibly well for some people though and maybe you would be one of them! Maybe just one or two sessions with a trainer to prepare for crossfit by learning proper form could be a good middle ground approach.

Doing SOMETHING is better than nothing, almost always!

I’m a female in my 40s. I’m in decent shape but need to work on getting stronger.

Would CrossFit be a good workout? Or should I get a personal trainer a couple times a week for 30 minutes each?

The latter is more expensive. I don’t do much other than a lot of walking right now, roughly 5-7 miles a day.