What is Crossfit style-training?
In 100 words: “Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.” ~ CrossFit Founder, Greg Glassman
It’s a workout methodology based on constantly-varied high intensity movements that help everyday life. Why it works is because your body never adapts to any one movement thereby keeping the effect of any given day’s workout at maximum – and you never gets bored. The intensity that everyone takes part in ends up galvanizing our supportive community.
I heard being a Crossfitter is like joining a cult.
No, if you have to call it something, call it a tribe. Cults tend to follow blindly to a leader, tribes work together to the group’s benefit. We do tend to be passionate about what we’ve found though because it works so well and so potently for seemingly all body types and walks of life. What makes us different from the normal corporate chain, or “globo”, gym experience is that we develop a community spirit based on encouraging each other to succeed. We support and push each other in our efforts to achieve our goals. There is never any shame in finishing dead last in a work out as you’ve already beaten everyone that decided to stay on the couch that day. We are all in this together and that’s what makes this is so addictive to so many people. Besides, you will be amazed at your new level of fitness and your awesome new body. You may find yourself spouting the virtues of what you found not long after you start as well!
Why are you better than my gym?
The business model for most franchised gyms (we call them “globo-gyms”) is they want you to sign up and never come in. You may get a tour of the gym, or a quick overview of the equipment with a trainer, but, you’re on your own after the first one-hour session. They aren’t there to ensure technique is good when the weight gets heavy or you get tired.
Further, you are as accountable to us as we are to you! We believe in earning your loyalty, that’s why we don’t charge initiation fees. WE WILL EARN YOUR BUSINESS EVERY DAY. If you haven’t come in in a week, we notice. So will the members you’ve grown accustomed to working out with. Expect a call or an email, or even a friendly call out on Facebook, if you haven’t been coming in! Of course, there will ALWAYS be a coach watching form in our classes. This leads to less injuries and the confidence to best your previous efforts. Plus, you can drop the bars and weights on the floor at CF Dynamo. Our floors and weights are made for it!
What is WOD?
The WOD stands for “Workout of the Day.”
What types of movements/exercises will I be doing?
You will first be learning nine foundational functional movements Then you will learn how to perform bodyweight exercise and weight training. We use kettlebells, barbells, bumpers, gymnastic movements, Olympic lifts, bands, sandbags, rings, rowers, medicine balls, dumbbells, and more.
What is the Class Structure like?
Classes are approximately 1 hour. The first 15-20 minutes are dedicated to warm-up time, and mobility work. We then go over the WOD, cover movements and help you scale (if needed). Finally the group WOD is performed (this lasts between 5-25 min depending on the WOD). The remainder of the time is left for cool-down or skill work.
How often should I do the exercise?
We program WODs Monday-Saturday at here and Sunday is a lazy sunday you can do whatever you want. That doesn’t mean you need to work-out 6 days per week! For newcomers, we recommend two days on, followed by one day off. Once you are acclimated to the training we encourage three days on followed by one day off for best results.
How long will it take to see results?
This really depends on how hard YOU are willing to work. Someone that is dedicated and wants results instantly can achieve it fast. If you are willing to change your nutrition and start exercising immediately, then you could achieve results in a few weeks. The average person can start to see physical changes in 4 weeks. Members often get other changes much quicker. They experience more energy throughout the day, better sleep, better focus, and less stress after a few sessions.
Is it good for health, athletic performance, weight loss, or aesthetics?
Being a crossfitter is to aspire a complete regimen that will improve health, athletic performance, body fat loss, and build strength all in one. What ever your goals are, this will help you achieve them faster.
Do I have to be in shape before I can join The Overman Xfit?
No. It will actually be more beneficial if you start this regime without any knowledge of how to exercise. You get to learn the important fundamentals right off the bat. This will allow you to develop a great base. Exercising without coaching can lead to improper form, muscular imbalances, and higher risk for injury.
Who is Xfit for? Is it for athletes only?
It is for EVERYONE! We focus on functional movements. These functional movements are essential human movements that we use everyday. Any movement and any workout can scaled to fit each individuals needs. Bottom line, everyone will benefit from your dedication….even grandma.
How does it improve my athletic performance?
Xfit is perfect for athletes. Our goal is to make you a complete athlete by targeting all 10 general physical skills: Cardio- Respiratory Endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Speed, Power, Coordination, Accuracy, Agility and Balance. Most traditional training methods only target a few of those skills. The most important part is that we use functional movements, Olympic lifts, and gymnastics to propel you to the next level. This will also improve your mental toughness. Our workouts will push you mentally every time, which gives you an advantage over non-CrossFitters. Each training session will feel like a competition; which carries over into your sport. Being able to perform while you hit that mental wall and when fatigue sets in can be trained. Learn how to eat right, get stronger, more explosive, move faster, increase flexibility, and increase mental toughness to become a complete Athlete!
Will I get bulky of being a crossfitter?
This is the biggest fear that most women have when exercising. That is why you mainly see women on the cardio machines in the gym and not in the weight room. Women need to incorporate strength training more than men because they are at higher risk for osteoporosis. Your bones are not going to get stronger by hitting the elliptical everyday.
Also, testosterone is required for a person to develop large muscles. Women have 1/10 the testosterone as men which makes it impossible to develop huge muscles naturally. The huge and buff women you see in body building magazines are taking testosterone injections, eating a diet geared towards “bulking”, and working very differently then we do here at The Overman Xfit. Have no fear of getting bulky, I promise you it won’t happen; just google search a Women crossfitter and take a look.
Our program will help you burn fat and increase lean muscle mass. This results in a lean and “toned” body much like a dancer, an athlete which contains effective muscles and not like a bodybuilder.
I can’t do exercise because I have back problems and/or knee problems.
Many people hurt or tweak their lower backs, knees, shoulders, etc. and are afraid to exercise those areas. The problem with avoiding those previously hurt areas forever is that they never get strengthened. This is disaster waiting to happen. You create muscular imbalances by training other areas of your body and avoiding the problem area. You become stronger everywhere else but at the same time that problem area gets weaker in comparison. This actually increases your chance for that area to be reinjured.
Xfit can actually be used as rehab for injuries. Many people have come to us, unable to Squat (get yourself up from a seated position), Deadlift (picking up your groceries), Press (putting something up on a shelf) Xfit teaches you how to move properly and exercise with correct mechanics, which in turn helps you regain functional capacity.
If you cannot Squat, Deadlift, Press you may need to start considering if independent living is safe for you.
Is it safe?
Xfit is safe when done correctly. In the Basics class we teach you proper mechanics for these functional movements, and continue to review them in the regular group setting, as safety is a priority for us. We first teach you proper mechanics, we drill them consistently then we add the intensity.
Remember, any activity can result in injury. Xfit is safer than most activities because we incorporate movements your body is MEANT to do. When was the last time you saw someone outside of the gym doing a bicep curl? Never, this movement does nothing for you in real life. Now when was the last time you saw someone deadlift in real life? Pretty recently I bet.
The workouts you post are too hard, I could never do that.
Have no fear, 97% of the people at our gym cannot either! The WOD is made to challenge an elite athlete. But that same workout is scaled to YOUR skill level. When you start, you will be doing a modified version of the WOD. We change the load (weights), repetitions, rounds, and distances to fit your abilities. Modifying the WODs will prevent you from over exerting yourself and prevent overwhelming soreness.
What is the difference between doing the workouts on my own or doing them at The Overman Xfit?
The most important part is coaching. Having a knowledgeable coach with you during your WOD will reduce the risk of injury, improve your fitness faster, and fix bad mechanics. You can’t see yourself while you train. This leads to bad form and bad habits. These problems will actually be harder to correct in the future.
You are missing the warm-up, cool down, and fun time. We focus on warm-up, skills and cool-down daily. We also work a lot on mobility and stretching for injury prevention.
A big part of Crossfitter community, family, and camaraderie. Having a good base of positive people around you is the best environment to train in. Not only will you be pushed harder because of the support from everyone, but you will have a great time doing it. Take a look at your chain gym. When you walk in, you will see a bunch of people with Ipods. Everyone is secluded and not interacting with anyone else. This leads to boring workouts that have no intensity (which means ineffective) and eventually pushes people to quit exercising. It is a sad sight to see. But in here, you will see that the energy is high, everyone is encouraging, and everyone really cares about each other.
I’m really fit and would like to skip the Basics Class and come to the Group Workout of the Day (WOD) class, can I do that?
No. There are no drop-ins to the Group WOD classes unless you are an experienced CrossFitter and have tested into our classes. You must successfully test into our Program, attend (2) Foundation Sessions, or test out of Basics fitness before being allowed to take our Group WOD classes.
I’m just visiting Semarang, but I’ve been CrossFitting for so long that I do kipping pullups in my sleep. Can I please come to a Group WOD class?
We welcome experienced CrossFiter’s from all over the world. You must check our class schedule AND email us to come in for a Group WOD class. We cap our classes, so mandatory reservation is necessary. Please print off our waver and bring it with you. Be sure to let your coach know your level of experience with CrossFit-style training, if you have any limitations or are still at a beginner level.
Can I leave comments on the daily blogs if I am not a member?
Definitely! We encourage people to sign up and leave comments. The comments are checked daily. This allows people to ask questions about the WOD or how to scale it. If you have comments or questions feel free to post it up. You can also track your results with the comments. Just record your WOD results and it will be saved.