Boxing vs Crossfit?

[Jr Mouse]

In regards to the Crossfit games, many of the people who compete in them were already fairly athletic before they started the training. I think it would be a better discussion to center it around the more average person looking to get into shape who enters these types of programs.

 

[Pennglock]



In regards to the Crossfit games, many of the people who compete in them were already fairly athletic before they started the training. I think it would be a better discussion to center it around the more average person looking to get into shape who enters these types of programs.

Exactly. The training of the people who do well in their games hardly even resembles "crossfit."

 

[Grayland]



Exactly. The training of the people who do well in their games hardly even resembles "crossfit."

How about a couple of examples? Say, the top 3 men and women at the last Crossfit games. What type of training did they do?

 

[Grayland]



In regards to the Crossfit games, many of the people who compete in them were already fairly athletic before they started the training. I think it would be a better discussion to center it around the more average person looking to get into shape who enters these types of programs.

I would agree that the Crossfit Games attracts fairly athletic people to begin with, but those at the highest level in any sport (powerlifting, O-lifting, track and field, bodybuiding, etc.) had some natural abilities/traits to begin with. Do you think world-class sprinters were slow when they started? Was the World's Strongest Man (those competitions on ESPN) naturally weak when he began. No, he was a strong bastard from day 1.

 

[joshuadowen]

I won't argue with this - my question is whether a sane person can keep up with crossfit for 20 years. there are people at my boxing gym who have been boxing 30-40 years, how many people do some of the fad excersizes that bloomed in the 70's, and I am not sure that crossfit isn't going to go the same way. but that is my feeling, I just don't find it as interesting as boxing, some people do.

A few points you've made here:

1. The fact that you don't find Crossfit interesting is totally reasonable, and a very important point for anyone looking to get into working out. As the saying goes, the most effective training program is the one you actually stick to. If you don't enjoy something, you'll never stick with it, and you'll never see long-term results. That being said, this is a very subjective criteria. The fact that you don't find the Crossfit style of training interesting means it isn't for you, but it's hard to apply that to anyone else.

2. In spite of the rep Crossfit gets for being all about high-intensity-make-you-puke workouts, one of the core beliefs of the program is that it be sustainable over a lifetime. In fact, this is the point that gets stressed at coaching certifications more than any other. The loudest Crossfitters may be 25 year old frat-boy douches, but the program is designed to be inclusive, even for the de-conditioned and the elderly. This comes out of an understanding that functional movements (squats, deadlifts, presses), if performed with consistently good form, should almost never lead to injury, and out of a belief in infinite scaleability. The result is that you can run a 65 year-old grandmother through what is essentially the same workout as a 20 year-old college athlete. Will the intensity level be the same? Of course not, but the goal is only to maximize relative intensity in a safe, consistent manner. This in contrast to things like distance running - the most popular form of exercise in America - which injures something like a third of all participants annually.

3. I do want to second (third?) the comments about finding a good gym with quality coaching. As with anything, the coach matters more than the program. I've had the good fortune to workout at two of the best coached Crossfit gyms in the US, and have dropped into some pretty bad ones. Well-coached gyms focus on mechanics, then consistency, then intensity. They routinely hold athletes back from muscling through a workout with bad form. They run the classes like... well... classes, with actual teaching. In contrast, "bro" gyms with poor coaching focus almost exclusively on intensity, on increasing weights and decreasing times, and do very little teaching. They encourage athletes to push themselves beyond the point of safety, and as a result see a lot of preventable injuries.

One thing to think about when signing up for any program like this, whether it be Crossfit of boxing. Are you just looking for a space to workout on your own, or are you looking for coaching? If you want coaching, understand that having a coach is about having accountability. Sometimes your coach will tell you things you don't want to hear ("no more weight on the bar until you fix your back position," for instance.) This is a good thing. It keeps you safe and gets you stronger. Your coach is not your cheerleader.

 

[suited]

Both serve their purpose. The people you tend to find at crossfit gyms will be far more annoying - although I haven't been around many boxing gyms. It is totally dependent on your goals. If you want to get big, neither is ideal. If you want to condition yourself while staying in great shape, either will do. Don't get me wrong, you can build muscle doing either one, but there's a reason that body builders aren't crossfitters or boxers. I used to train at a crossfit-style gym and loved it, but I ended up putting a power cage in my home along with a concept 2, and it's much more convenient - but what I learned at that gym was valuable in terms of modifying my home training techniques.

I put on a significant amount of muscle at this gym - but it's important to note that I was not partaking in traditional crossfit workouts.

 

[HgaleK]

Boxing, boxing, boxing, boxing, and more boxing. It'll give you a level of confidence in the way that you carry yourself that crossfit won't, as well as a badass workout.

 

[Arthur PE]

a third option, martial arts (I like traditonal JKA Shotokan Karate-do, only because it is what I was introduced to by a great teacher)
cardio, breath control
strength
flexibility
balance
coordination
ambidexterity, we train the weak or off side 10-20% more than our strong side
mental control, managing stress/fear/duress

forget about the combat aspect or the mental/lifestyle type of thing, it can be a total exercise program, and a modern form/school was developed as such by a PhD in physical conditioning and sanctioned by the ministry of education as 'PT', heavily based on sport science (back in the 30' before that term was fashionable)

it can be adapted as you age, adjust the pace and area of concentration, say kata vs kumite\or for physical handicaps
but you have got to find the right sensei, it is key, not some gung-ho crazy person
I've seen some 70 year old men who were built like they were 30

this guy is over 50

http://shotokankarate-magpie.blogspot.com/2009/10/karate-as-exercise.html

 

[jeduhu]

Wow...I read above someone say "Crossfit will only get you in shape for two months it's not as well rounded as other workouts" I had to join to reply to this. I just shook my head when I saw this. However. I find CrossFit more of a Man's sport than a woman's. No offense. I know some great gals that do CrossFit, but they develop big muscles for gals. The ones I know are into that.

I've been doing Crossfit for two years. I'm 40. I can out run. Out lift and have more endurance than I had in high school and I was quite a good athlete even then. I also box and do Krav Maga. All three provide excellent programs for getting in shape. But seriously, if you are just looking to be in shape. There isn't a better gym than a CrossFit gym. They don't call it The Sport of Fitness for nothing. Anyone who says different has not truly tried it. I will say, though, not all gyms are equal. I've been to several. Shop around. You'll know the one when you find it.

I also have done yoga, pilates, Olympic lifting, track, boot-camps, bbj, and if you check me out on Facebook. You'll see me under the Spartan. It was Crossfit that did that. 6 percent body fat. I was 20 percent when I started.

Right now. I'm doing two hours a day 5 times a week of SpeedX (look it up) followed by Krav Maga. That is a tough combo. But I still think Crossfit as a workout is tougher and takes less time.

Ha. Just realized how old this thread is. SMH.

Just remember on important rule. Abs are made in the kitchen.

 

[jeduhu]

Um. I would never do the Crossfit games. Yet I am more cut and ripped than most I see in those games. You guys are funny.

 

[firesale209]

Just remember on important rule. Abs are made in the kitchen.

Correction. Abs are made in the kitchen and on the treadmill. HIIT all the way.

 

[JLibourel]



Ever see a tubby boxer? 

lefty

How about "Two-Ton" Tony Galento, a noted heavyweight from the 1930s and early '40s? A brutal brawler, he managed to deck Joe Louis a couple of times before Louis kayoed him in the fourth to keep his crown in their fight.

 

[tennisguru]



How about a couple of examples? Say, the top 3 men and women at the last Crossfit games. What type of training did they do?

Rich Froning in well known to have "trained" using more traditional fitness mechanisms - powerlifting, bodybuilding etc.

Crossfit is not "training" it is "exercise" - training involves working towards a specific goal and has defined outcomes for the work done. Crossfit involves randomly throwing together exercises on a daily whim You can probably guess I am not a fan - although I give them credit for their marketing prowess and getting people off their sofa's and into the gym.

 

[Reggs]

Came across this pic from 1913. It's brutal. The blood in the colorized version is a little exaggerated, and here is the origanal: http://i.imgur.com/FaGaaEI.jpg

Colored pic and article:
http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/boxing-in-1913/

The short man looks like his nose was almost ripped off his face. I bet sports back then were extra brutal because of the unsophisticated safety gear and the unadvanced medical practices. I bet the men who participated back then had to be kind of messed up to want to do that. Like their father probably beat the **** out of them growing up and antagonized them so they grew up and went to extreme resorts to express their masculinity. Or maybe they were closeted homosexuals. I just can't understand witnessing brutality like you see in this pic then signing up to start boxing for fun.

And look at that joker with the fan. That's just goofy. Like you're going to be covered in blood with your nose almost ripped off and someone is going to walk up and start waving a lady's fan in your face to make you feel better. That's probably all they had too. I don't think scientists had invented ice yet in 1913.

 

[Gruff]

Came across this pic from 1913. It's brutal. The blood in the colorized version is a little exaggerated, and here is the origanal: http://i.imgur.com/FaGaaEI.jpg

Colored pic and article:
http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/boxing-in-1913/

The short man looks like his nose was almost ripped off his face. I bet sports back then were extra brutal because of the unsophisticated safety gear and the unadvanced medical practices. I bet the men who participated back then had to be kind of messed up to want to do that. Like their father probably beat the **** out of them growing up and antagonized them so they grew up and went to extreme resorts to express their masculinity. Or maybe they were closeted homosexuals. I just can't understand witnessing brutality like you see in this pic then signing up to start boxing for fun.

And look at that joker with the fan. That's just goofy. Like you're going to be covered in blood with your nose almost ripped off and someone is going to walk up and start waving a lady's fan in your face to make you feel better. That's probably all they had too. I don't think scientists had invented ice yet in 1913.

The boxers in that picture are particularly bloodied because the gloves of 1913 were less technologically advanced than those of today. The construction was very different, with less padding and structure, meaning participants got hurt a lot more.

In addition, the rules and attitude have changed over the years. In 1913 it was thought permissible to let fighters get that injured during the course of a match. Today, one bad cut over the eye can be cause for a TKO.

If you want a real kick, google "hard himantes." Boxing as a sport originated in ancient Greece and fighters there used to protect to their knuckles by wrapping strips of rawhide around their hands. They called these "himantes" and they were essentially bareknuckle.

And yes, they had ice in 1913.