Yep. Crossfit varies widely by the specific gym you go to. It can be amazing and it can be terrible. You can also participate in the cult-y parts as little or as much as you want to.
Things I love about crossfit: the varied exercise, feeling more capable/able to do whatever I ask my body to do, building well-rounded muscles helped a lot with some of my joint pain from childhood sports injuries, the supportive nature of group classes, the hands-on coaching, the possibility of modifying every exercise to fit your individual needs/fitness levels.
Things I don't love about crossfit: the cult-y part, Crossfit HQ is (my personal opinion) a bunch of dudebro assholes who are going to get an athlete killed, the inconsistency between different gyms
My first Crossfit experience I lucked out to find an AMAZING gym. I stuck with them for 2.5 years and loved them. Things they did right (in my opinion) * have a 3 week long intro class for new people to let you adjust slowly/introduce you to movements - classes limited to 6 people * keep a clean gym (and were otherwise highly professional in running classes) * have an incredibly professional coaching staff that was always improving - evaluating/helping each other, getting more certifications/professional development, occasionally hiring coaches that fit skill gaps in what they had * kept classes small (max of 12 athletes per coach) * made sure athletes were properly warmed up for a particular class's workout (i.e.: warmup specific to that day's workout, not just a generic warm-your-muscles), always incorporated well-planned skill development * constant communication with gym members about the theory behind why they are planning workouts who they are and other available skill development * never tried to cram too much into a class * emphasized proper form/pacing above all else (it wasn't "how much can you do how fast" but "how much can you do how fast provided your first priority is safety and proper form" - a good coach will stop you mid-workout to correct you, have you drop weight, etc) * created an atmosphere where everyone felt supported and welcome regardless of ability and fitness level
I've moved a bunch since then and I'm now on crossfit gym #5 - none of them have ever been as good as the first one. Some of them were deal breakers for me - unprofessional coaching, dirty facilities, unsafe practices, encouraging people to push super hard without worrying about form and thus risking injury.
You can absolutely start crossfit at any fitness level (provided you don't have a medical issue that would make it bad) and you can absolutely modify any and all of the movements around any injury issues (a good crossfit gym will have coaches who work with you on that). A gym that has beginner classes, like you mentioned, to me is a good sign. But it things feel wrong - if they are urging you to lift heavy before you have the skill or push too far past your comfort zone, don't be afraid to say it's not right for you - the majority of people will never compete in crossfit and there is no need for them to treat it as anything beyond a generalized fitness program. I do crossfit so I can function better in my daily life, if it huts me than it failed its purpose.
Also - go in with NO ego. It will kick your ass, you will feel slow and it'll suck to have people running laps around you if you let it get to your head. I go in and pace myself to what works for me and tell myself that if I feel like I got a good workout, that's what matters - and who cares what others did.
no subject
Things I love about crossfit: the varied exercise, feeling more capable/able to do whatever I ask my body to do, building well-rounded muscles helped a lot with some of my joint pain from childhood sports injuries, the supportive nature of group classes, the hands-on coaching, the possibility of modifying every exercise to fit your individual needs/fitness levels.
Things I don't love about crossfit: the cult-y part, Crossfit HQ is (my personal opinion) a bunch of dudebro assholes who are going to get an athlete killed, the inconsistency between different gyms
My first Crossfit experience I lucked out to find an AMAZING gym. I stuck with them for 2.5 years and loved them. Things they did right (in my opinion)
* have a 3 week long intro class for new people to let you adjust slowly/introduce you to movements - classes limited to 6 people
* keep a clean gym (and were otherwise highly professional in running classes)
* have an incredibly professional coaching staff that was always improving - evaluating/helping each other, getting more certifications/professional development, occasionally hiring coaches that fit skill gaps in what they had
* kept classes small (max of 12 athletes per coach)
* made sure athletes were properly warmed up for a particular class's workout (i.e.: warmup specific to that day's workout, not just a generic warm-your-muscles), always incorporated well-planned skill development
* constant communication with gym members about the theory behind why they are planning workouts who they are and other available skill development
* never tried to cram too much into a class
* emphasized proper form/pacing above all else (it wasn't "how much can you do how fast" but "how much can you do how fast provided your first priority is safety and proper form" - a good coach will stop you mid-workout to correct you, have you drop weight, etc)
* created an atmosphere where everyone felt supported and welcome regardless of ability and fitness level
I've moved a bunch since then and I'm now on crossfit gym #5 - none of them have ever been as good as the first one. Some of them were deal breakers for me - unprofessional coaching, dirty facilities, unsafe practices, encouraging people to push super hard without worrying about form and thus risking injury.
You can absolutely start crossfit at any fitness level (provided you don't have a medical issue that would make it bad) and you can absolutely modify any and all of the movements around any injury issues (a good crossfit gym will have coaches who work with you on that). A gym that has beginner classes, like you mentioned, to me is a good sign. But it things feel wrong - if they are urging you to lift heavy before you have the skill or push too far past your comfort zone, don't be afraid to say it's not right for you - the majority of people will never compete in crossfit and there is no need for them to treat it as anything beyond a generalized fitness program. I do crossfit so I can function better in my daily life, if it huts me than it failed its purpose.
Also - go in with NO ego. It will kick your ass, you will feel slow and it'll suck to have people running laps around you if you let it get to your head. I go in and pace myself to what works for me and tell myself that if I feel like I got a good workout, that's what matters - and who cares what others did.
Happy to answer any questions!