crossfit.com
It is like the strength and conditioning programs used by professional and olympic athletes, but targeted at general fitness rather than a specific sport. It is based on the best practices for strength and conditioning, and has selected the cream of the crop of the most productive exercises, from those disciplines (like olympic weightlifting, sprinting, gymnastics and rowing) that have produced the most exceptional physical results (peak power output, max VO2, etc.).
I've done it for six months and have had great results. At fifty years old with multiple joint problems, I have experienced significant rehabilitation from the full range of motion functional movements upon which they base the program. I am down twenty pounds of fat and up seven pounds of muscle - looking and moving a lot better. Bottom line: crossfit has been way more effective than the typical gym program of cardio and weight machines.
Cons: There is a learning curve with many new exercises and concepts. It is important to scale the weight and reps down to what is appropriate to your current ability. If you are going to do the program on your own, you'll need the kind of equipment that they use, like a barbell and pull up bar. Otherwise, you can go to a nearby Crossfit gym and get some good coaching as well as the full suite of gear (like kettlebells and rowing machines).
Pros: The program never ends, and you can follow it for free by doing the daily workouts posted on their website (3 days on, one day off).
Even though there is a lot to learn, you'll be glad that you did, because training their way is so much more effective.
You can scale the weight and reps to whatever your fitness level is. The optimumally effective training methods are essentially the same for olympic athletes and the elderly and disabled. They vary in degree rather than kind. Why waste your time with less productive methods?
Check out Crossfit:
crossit.com
I had some friends who were really into Crossfit, and they were in phenomenal shape from it. Honestly, though, I don’t understand it. I go to their website, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to be looking at that gets me going.
Thanks, I’ll check it out.