Crossfit?


Bini
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I know there's got to be someone on here that has done this. I hadn't heard about it until a friend started talking about setting up the garage to be a crossfit gym. Apparently it is a form of conditioning that is common amongst elite athletes and police officers. The YouTube videos on it don't look too grueling but then again, I'm only a spectator of it, not a participant.

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CF is a surprisingly popular method of getting in shape. It is highly controversial in the fitness community and tends to polarize people who are either in favour or adamantly against it. As a fitness professional I tend to be closer to the latter camp of not agreeing with CF as a system. I will try to put forth the pros and cons in the least biased way I can.

Pros:

  • Over-all good conditioning program
  • Can lead to fast success

Cons:

  • Extremely high injury rate (which = lack of success and long-term set-backs)
  • Emphasis on high-intensity as opposed to proper form = increased risk of injury
  • Use of advanced exercises with steep learning curves is simply thrust upon new recruits again leading to injury.
  • CF is quite expensive compared to other exercise classes/ boot-camps / it is closer to the expense of personal training, but executed much more poorly

So to sum up CF is fine for those who are 18-25 and in fairly good shape and who quickly pick up on exercises and whose bodies can still handle the punishment of grueling exercise with sub-par form and sub-par instruction/supervision. For most others it is a fast track to nasty injuries that will sideline your fitness goals and likely dampen your quality of life. But for those who get away with it, it can produce some pretty impressive body transformations. CF also has a strange cult-like following that advocates following the paleo diet which has some definite drawbacks.

However in fairness to CrossFit they have apparently seen the need to improve the quality of their instruction and have been taking steps to get their act together and hopefully reduce the number of wash-outs (injured and sidelined participants). In closing CF is intense and effective so long as you are not injured by it, which is extremely likely. There are much safer ways to get in shape that can lead to just as impressive results.

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I wondered about injuries. I've been doing Turbo Fire for about 9 weeks now, and it doesn't even include weights or kettle bells or any of that like I've heard CF does. And now I have sore knees all the time. Granted I'm a beginner, but I hate to think what I'd be doing to myself if I was trying to throw barbells above my head and whatnot.

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  • 2 months later...

I've been doing the Fit Test of the Insanity Program (30-minutes everyday) for 12 days. Isn't that crazy? I got the Insanity as a gift and couldn't get past the first video. Hah! So, yeah, I don't think I'll survive Cross-Fit. They have it at the Lifetime Fitness gym.

But, yes, I follow paleo principles. Modified, of course. I'm Filipino... gotta have rice.

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  • 4 months later...

Like any sport, training and exercising Program. The key is to find the right coach and properly understand the concepts.

With all due respect, and its not my intent to argue, debate or contradict. But SpiritDragon comments were way off and uninformed. As my user name suggests I have some affiliation and very firm understanding of the Crossfit program. However, I am also a Marriage and Family Therapist, and Financial Analyst. I am very impressed with Crossfit but am not a fanatic of the program. I see its flaws and its improves each year.

However, SpiritDragon's comments are interesting and very incorrect and almost sounds like it was a random copy and paste from the internet:

"- Extremely high injury rate (which = lack of success and long-term set-backs)

- Emphasis on high-intensity as opposed to proper form = increased risk of injury

- Use of advanced exercises with steep learning curves is simply thrust upon new recruits again leading to injury.

- CF is quite expensive compared to other exercise classes/ boot-camps / it is closer to the expense of personal training, but executed much more poorly"

I have been training and Coaching for over 4 years with ages from 4 to 75, with the largest Crossfit gym in the world. Crossfit - NorCal CrossFit Home Page

Of the the 1000's who have walked through our doors over the years. I can count on one hand the injuries that a client experienced as a result of Crossfit training and this is usually the result of a preexisting condition. I have seen more injuries during one season of my sons soccer team.

"Emphasis on high-intensity as opposed to proper form = increased risk of injury". Now that is just uninformed. I was in Utah for a while training with an actual Olympic lifter and there is a certain frustration from the professional Olympic lifters, in which they feel Crossfitters are misusing the lifts. But he emphasized how impressed he was of our technique and ability to keep proper form during high repetitions. The idea of Crossfitter misusing the movement has also been dispelled as some of the best Olympian's in USA, Russia, China, Mexico have join and begun to train and teach with Crossfitters.

"CF is quite expensive compared to other exercise classes/ boot-camps / it is closer to the expense of personal training, but executed much more poorly". Again, I mean no insult and no personal attack when I say this comment is vastly incorrect and very uninformed.

We train many "personal trainers" who then go back to their private gyms and share with their clients in their boot camps and personal training sessions the things we have taught them. Are there Personal trainer who dislike Crossfit? YES! For their various reasons; infringing on their business, contrary to their narrow view of training, and some feel like its just another fad. But to say its more expensive and executed much more poorly? That is a bold claim. I have observed paid for and trained with personal trainers who on the low end charge 4-6 times the average crossfit fee and who have less resources and insight into proper training. The probability of getting a great training at a better price is much higher with Crossfit.

The point. I don't know if Crossfit is for EVERYONE, but it is adaptable for most everyone. My friend is a P90x coach, we refer clients to each other all the time. Unfortunately to many get intimidated by Crossfits intensity and fear its going to be too hard. That is completely against CF philosophy. CF is customizable and adapted to each individual.

If any of you have specific question about the training I am happy to help.

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With all due respect, and its not my intent to argue, debate or contradict. But SpiritDragon comments were way off and uninformed. As my user name suggests I have some affiliation and very firm understanding of the Crossfit program. However, I am also a Marriage and Family Therapist, and Financial Analyst. I am very impressed with Crossfit but am not a fanatic of the program. I see its flaws and its improves each year.

You are entitled to your view, but these comments are neither way off nor uninformed. I approach this topic with 13 years in the fitness industry teaching a wide variety of classes including martial arts, TRX, Kettlebell, traditional weight classes, spin, and indoor/outdoor boot camps. I have a diploma in the exercise science field and have been personal training clients since 2007. I have specialized in corrective exercise and did a a 135 hour practicum in a physical therapy clinic. While I was there we had multiple crossfit related injuries come through, and more than one of the physiotherapists let me know that it was common to have Crossfit clients walk through their doors, injured and re-injured.

However, SpiritDragon's comments are interesting and very incorrect and almost sounds like it was a random copy and paste from the internet:

"- Extremely high injury rate (which = lack of success and long-term set-backs)

- Emphasis on high-intensity as opposed to proper form = increased risk of injury

- Use of advanced exercises with steep learning curves is simply thrust upon new recruits again leading to injury.

- CF is quite expensive compared to other exercise classes/ boot-camps / it is closer to the expense of personal training, but executed much more poorly"

Suggesting my post appears to be a cut and paste job seems to simply be some kind of cheap tactic to lessen the quality of the post when you lack the position of a solid or valid argument. In this case, I dare say, it does the opposite by affirming that all over the internet exercise professionals are condemning Crossfit.

This real science Crossfit study shows that although Crossfit has benefit for improving body composition and fitness it comes with the very real price of attrition. 9 out of 54 participants were unable to complete the 10 week study due to injury. That is 16% of participants in just over two months. This is substantial injury risk. These injuries were sufficient to make the people leave the study... they were not mere scrapes and bruises. Although no doubt plenty of that happened as well. Injury prevalence is much lower in most sports and way lower in most fitness activities. Crossfit is more of an extreme sport than a health-supporting pass-time.

"Emphasis on high-intensity as opposed to proper form = increased risk of injury". Now that is just uninformed. I was in Utah for a while training with an actual Olympic lifter and there is a certain frustration from the professional Olympic lifters, in which they feel Crossfitters are misusing the lifts. But he emphasized how impressed he was of our technique and ability to keep proper form during high repetitions. The idea of Crossfitter misusing the movement has also been dispelled as some of the best Olympian's in USA, Russia, China, Mexico have join and begun to train and teach with Crossfitters.

Not only is the position of being concerned about proper form and building up as part of a systematic individualized program as opposed to quickly progressing through exercises that take a lot of practice to master and then being thrown into a circuit using them one after another and working to exhaustion not uninformed, it is the way exercise programming is taught by reputable fitness organizations, schools, and certifying bodies. If your assertion is that the Crossfit mantra isn't go hard or go home, than you do indeed run a different form of Crossfit than what I'm talking about. The Crossfitters I have met tend to have atrocious form, but they work themselves into the ground. My brother in law works at an accounting office were one of the partners is also affiliated with Crossfit and promotes it around work. My brother in law confirmed that they teach what they call "the Crossfit slop" which is to say that taking the time to use proper form is compromising intensity. You just do it "close enough" and soldier on to exhaustion while racing the clock.

This brings me to a point you made that I can unequivocally agree with

Like any sport, training and exercising Program. The key is to find the right coach and properly understand the concepts.

Good coaching is paramount, and Crossfit has seen a need to improve and is working as an organization to rectify their weaknesses.

"CF is quite expensive compared to other exercise classes/ boot-camps / it is closer to the expense of personal training, but executed much more poorly". Again, I mean no insult and no personal attack when I say this comment is vastly incorrect and very uninformed.

In my area our local Crossfit has lowered their prices to $127/month for unlimited classes. This is an improvement over the $170 for ten visits it used to be. Even so the other gym's in my area range in price from $33-60/month which also includes unlimited access to exercise classes. Many of them even offer boot-camp classes at no additional fee, or a marginal fee compared to well over a hundred dollars for crossfit. That being said, I will acknowledge that there are other boot camp only venues that also charge similar rates to CF. Personal training also tends to range from about $40-60/hour in my city. Using the average of $50/hour a person can get just shy of three personal training sessions. This would give them 1 session every ten days in a month for the same ball-park as the Crossfit experience. With this one on one mentorship (assuming it is a good trainer)the client will get more value than they will get from participating in a group class... even if they can go more often to the group class. This is a simple fact that one on one attention trumps attention divided up by a group. There is more opportunity for correction and coaching to take into the following work-out. This also serves to make the client more autonomous and able to move forward without continuing to fork over into a perpetual money machine.

We train many "personal trainers" who then go back to their private gyms and share with their clients in their boot camps and personal training sessions the things we have taught them. Are there Personal trainer who dislike Crossfit? YES! For their various reasons; infringing on their business, contrary to their narrow view of training, and some feel like its just another fad. But to say its more expensive and executed much more poorly? That is a bold claim. I have observed paid for and trained with personal trainers who on the low end charge 4-6 times the average crossfit fee and who have less resources and insight into proper training. The probability of getting a great training at a better price is much higher with Crossfit.

A bold claim that many a fitness professionals will stand behind. I have everything to gain from people engaging in Crossfit; because when they get injured they come to people like me. My position is not that of a lone voice in the wilderness, nor is it because I am worried in the least about Crossfit taking away clientele... it is a different niche and that is fine. The primary reason Crossfit gets called out by people like me is because we hate to see people get hurt.

Edit: The link to the study above is only the abstract... as such it does not show the injury details found in the meat of the study. You can read more about Crossfit and the study here:

Why we don't WOD Crossfit Case Study | Spartan Fitness

Edited by SpiritDragon
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I loved crossfit.

BUT

I was a competitive athlete for decades & am ex-military. Crossfit is the only "exactly" thing out there. Exactly being exactly what *I* do & need.

Worst thing ever for my sister.

People have different physiological needs. I can't do Yoga, for example. The 3 times I did yoga I dislocated ribs from my spine, sprained my ankle, and tore my shoulder. (Each time remembering THAT'S why I don't do yoga!)

I have a dance & gymnastics background. Which means I'm SUPER flexible. But dance and gymnastics are motion based, while yoga is standing/sitting/stop-motion. The big deal is that dance and gymnastics stretch CERTAIN tendons and ligaments and muscles, but tighten others. Yoga stretches the inverse. Which means that most dancers & gymnasts can't do yoga (or suffer serious injury), and that most yoga practitioners can't do most dance & gymnastics (or suffer serious injury). Yoga pairs REALLY well with runners and bikers, though.

The differences between yoga and dance/gymnastics can be subtle... The correct for being a few degrees medial or a few degrees lateral... But it's enough to call own those different connective tissues.

Back to Crossfit.

The polarizing, I believe comes from exactly the same place.

Crossfit started out paramilitary. Which uses the same sorts of things most athletes use. Which is the rub... Spend 10-20 years as a competitive athlete, or several years in the military and Ones physiology alters.

I can't afford crossfit any more (in my current area, it's $300 a month unlimited), so I did it 5 years ago, but haven't for several years... And I spent about 2 years on the bench getting fat (aka rehabbing an injury from a car accident). And yet, take in my history, and put me in a class with my girlfriend who hasn't had my history (tons of gym time, but not sports or military)... And I trounced her.

Not in a competitive way.

In a muscle memory, my body was getting back to "normal".... While her (much more fit) body was learning a whole new way.

So for all of ME... I very much believe that this is a GREAT program... For all the millions and millions of ex-athletes, ex-military, current police/ fire/ EMT, current athletes.

For all of us who shaped our bodies young, or who are still using them this was professionally... But NOT GREAT for all the millions who haven't shaped their bodies into movement tools, and who don't know how or when to back off on pain, or push through it.

Because that's be other thing that athletes & military, etc. have: The knowledge of when to be a gung-ho mofo, and when pain is NOT weakness leaving the body but a warning system for a weak or damaged area that needs to be babied Because one thing athletes & military, etc ALL have in common : injury. And having to miss out on the fun. And rehab it. And starting off months or even year behind where we were. So if our shoulder twinges... Or an ankle is feeling numbish... We do something else, or strap, ice/heat, rest, stretch, limited use.

I'm only surprised the injury rate is as low as it is.

_____

So my personal rule of thumb is to recommend it wholeheartedly to former athletes, military, etc... But suggest caution or some other program if they do t have that background.

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I generally concur with Quin's take on this. For people who are already in shape Crossfit isn't out of the question. I respect Crossfit athletes, but I do not agree with the system as promoted for all walks of life.

It beats the heck out of sitting around doing nothing, but is not the place for sedentary people to start. There are also better ways to customize training for the elite level.

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Hummm.... First, I see how my comment about the copy and past could have been taken as you referred. No ill will intended nor was it a tactic.

I respect and even honor your profession. I have worked with, trained with and been educated by some of the best in your field. I am not discounting your experience or qualifications. No disrespect intended. I am suggesting though the comments are uniformed.

I am also familiar with the study's you sited. Be very careful to site conclusions from a random blogs interpretations of the actual study. In fact its an interesting study that's vaguely resembles science. At best some loosely interjected, uncorrelated statistics. The study DOESN'T actually say 16% were injured. It doesn't even distinguish those who dropped out, verses who MIGHT have been injured. Most importantly it doesn't even identify if those who might have been injured if they had ANY preexisting conditions. In addition, the populations size is low and selection sample is narrow.

Not very scientific and not at all conclusive. But back to the point. To use injury as a CON or reason not to CF is disingenuous and uninformed and just nonsense. I have discussed this topic with some of the best physical therapist and personal trainers in the field, definitely as qualified and more so then yourself. I kinda thrive on the subject.... I mean, I'm not 18 anymore I am not going to haphazardly jump into this and destroy my body.

Most are very supportive of CF. But some like yourself have quoted this recent "study" and sited others and throw out this idea that clinics are being swamped with rehabilitating CF injuries. But the actual data??? There is none! In fact, when compared to other activities CF falls so far down on the list of injury prone athletics that its just ridiculous to say one should consider the HIGH potential of injury.

That brings me to my final point. Its an illogical and again disingenuous to make injury potential as a factor of whether or not to do something. It just doesn't make sense. Oh, no son, do you realize how dangerous and injury prone soccer is... its not wise to do it.

According to a 2008 data biking is the MOST injury prone activity! But you never here professionals as yourself saying and throwing out CONs and warnings on that activity as though it should be avoided.

The Top Ten: Injury-Prone Summer Sports | Points Sports Health

But again, even if CF was as injury prone as you allude. The only why for people to do it right/better or correctly is to practice and train.

Now, I don't doubt there are goof balls out there who run their gym as slop. But to say that is the mantra? I train with HQ staff and the best in the program, they are the ones who train the gym owners. There are some area's I have concerns with but this is so far from Crossfit philosophy its laughable, unexceptionable and unfortunate all in the same.

As in all professions your going to have the zealots and fanatics who just simply are dangerous. They eventually get weeded out. As I mentioned in my original post. Its about finding the right BOX, trainer, coach. Are all CF gyms as precise, technique driven and inclusive as Norcal Crossfit. I am sure they are not. But most are. The whole philosophy of CF is to sift through the crap, find and utilize the best.

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Quin,

That honestly doesn't make any sense. Yes, we have programming for military, but by no means is that the same programming for the pregnant mother or young woman starting off in the CF gym. We have Yoga instructors who are also CF trainers and do just as well if not better then most in the gym.

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Hummm.... First, I see how my comment about the copy and past could have been taken as you referred. No ill will intended nor was it a tactic.

I respect and even honor your profession. I have worked with, trained with and been educated by some of the best in your field. I am not discounting your experience or qualifications. No disrespect intended. I am suggesting though the comments are uniformed.

I appreciate were you are coming from. I suppose however, that the main premise of my reply to your post was to counter this very notion about my comments being uninformed. I have personally worked with former Crossfit enthusiasts who either can no longer participate or can no longer afford it. However, I am perfectly willing to admit that I do not know everything. Perhaps it is just a case of one bad apple (Crossfit gym) in my area that is destroying Crossfit's reputation. But other professionals around the world at various seminars have also reported similar findings... and I'll even admit some of them likely were just saying something to fit into a conversation or based on something they read on the internet, but not all.

As for the study I agree it is important not to read to deeply into random blog conclusions. I actually learned about the study through my email from a kinesiologist I tend to trust, the blog post was the closest thing I could find in google to what he explained. I was sad that I did not get access to the complete study myself... but I came by the interpretation of it honestly from what should have been a reputable source.

That brings me to my final point. Its an illogical and again disingenuous to make injury potential as a factor of whether or not to do something. It just doesn't make sense. Oh, no son, do you realize how dangerous and injury prone soccer is... its not wise to do it.

I simply can't align with this kind of reasoning. Let's all go bridge jumping in shallow water... why would we let injury potential slow us down? It just doesn't add up. But there is an important point to be had in your statement. It all depends on the reasoning behind participation. If you love Crossfit for the thrill of the challenge and pushing your limits then by all means go for it, injuries (if they occur) may simply be worth the risk because of the enrichment it brings your life... But if you generally hate to exercise and are only doing Crossfit because you think it is the fast track to a sexy physique then the injury potential has to factor in when you consider there are ways to get equivalent results with less risk.

I hope I do not sound argumentative. I am just trying to politely explain my position and how I have come by it honestly. I actually seriously contemplated getting certified as a crossfit instructor several years ago but decided not to on account of my research findings at the time. There is no disagreement that good quality instruction is good quality instruction. Does good quality instruction exist in Crossfit, I'm sure it does. Does poor quality instruction exist as well? Absolutely. The same could be said of my field as well.

Like I said before I respect Crossfit athletes. I think it is great people want to do it, it promotes physical activity which our culture tends to be sorely lacking in. Unfortunately my experiences with it (dealing with clients) have generally shed a poor light on Crossfit, as has my research. That being said, I like to keep an open mind and your comments have actually given me greater hope for the future of Crossfit bringing superior instruction to the public. Compared to other fitness/sporting events Crossfit is still in its infancy, and so certainly quality control and training have room for growth as the organization and movement matures. In fact I am now more likely to ask more details of former crossfit clients. I know some just think it sounds hardcore and state they are Crossfitters without having had much if any formal Crossfit training.

I guess to me to say my comments are uninformed is to call me ignorant, which I just don't believe to be the case. I am not someone with no experience on the matter chiming in. My closing thoughts: were my comments uninformed? No! Misinformed? maybe. Drawn from different experiences leading me to different conclusions? Definitely.

Edited by SpiritDragon
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I consider myself in pretty good shape. I'm not a military personnel or have I ever been but I am an enthusiast swimmer and runner, and I've competed in several international triathlons throughout the years - though it has been at least 8 years since I've done that. Is Crossfit more muscle toning? That's what it looks like. My cardio is top notch, I could swim or run for miles and all day long.

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I consider myself in pretty good shape. I'm not a military personnel or have I ever been but I am an enthusiast swimmer and runner, and I've competed in several international triathlons throughout the years - though it has been at least 8 years since I've done that. Is Crossfit more muscle toning? That's what it looks like. My cardio is top notch, I could swim or run for miles and all day long.

Hi Bini,

There is a useful little acronym that can often help you solve what kind of training effect you will get from a particular exercise or training program. It is "S.A.I.D." This is commonly referred to as the said principle as well. It stands for Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands. Essentially our bodies adapt to the demands that we require of them. So if an activity leaves you struggling for air, the body will adapt by getting better at distributing air. If the activity requires more endurance, the body adjusts by building more endurance. Thus we have different trainable attributes such as strength, endurance, flexibility, aerobic capacity, and so on.

Many trainees focus or specialize in a particular area such as strength or speed training. To truly dominate in a certain attribute or event a great deal of specializing is usually required. However some systems train multiple attributes at the same time. This is often referred to as "cross training." Crossfit utilizes cross training to attempt to ensure that an individual is rounded out in multiple facets of fitness. Thus it requires strength, endurance, cardiovascular fitness and so on; hence each of these systems is forced to improve according to the SAID principle.

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Thinking about all this, I don't think Crossfit is what I'm looking for but I'm already involved in a lot of physical activities throughout the day. Like some others have mentioned, I also love yoga and have been taking a class a couple times a week for just over a year now, I really have fun doing it. I'm more looking into some new workouts that my husband might be able to do. So far I've looked into PX90 and now Crossfit, it seems like these two are well suited for men. My husband is super busy and does a regular workout with me throughout the week but I think he gets bored and wants to push himself some more. He is in good shape and is 40-something. I am in good shape and am 20-something. Basically, we both have pretty good cardio but that's mostly what we do together is run or swim, he does some intermediate strength training and I do moderate.

Your posts have been really helpful. Thank you.

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  • 5 months later...

Rhabdomyolysis seems to be a term being bantered around the net concerning Crossfit. It is a condition where the muscle tissue breaks down, leading to accute (?) kidney issues. However, this appears to be more of a problem caused by over-zealous Crossfit-ters and less to do with responsible Crossfit studios/gyms. I personally, cannot do the Crossfit/boot camp type workouts due to congenital hip and back deformities.

There has been a Crossfit gym that has opened in town. I have not been in, so cannot give an opinion. I will say, when it first opened, I chuckled and thought the two PT's in town have to be high fiving their way to the credit union. But, I have not heard any talk about the business one way or the other, so I guess things are great.

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Thinking about all this, I don't think Crossfit is what I'm looking for but I'm already involved in a lot of physical activities throughout the day. Like some others have mentioned, I also love yoga and have been taking a class a couple times a week for just over a year now, I really have fun doing it. I'm more looking into some new workouts that my husband might be able to do. So far I've looked into PX90 and now Crossfit, it seems like these two are well suited for men. My husband is super busy and does a regular workout with me throughout the week but I think he gets bored and wants to push himself some more. He is in good shape and is 40-something. I am in good shape and am 20-something. Basically, we both have pretty good cardio but that's mostly what we do together is run or swim, he does some intermediate strength training and I do moderate.

Your posts have been really helpful. Thank you.

Hi Bini,

If you are looking primarily for your husband, and his back is OK, try the DDP Yoga program. Developed by a professional wrestler, Diamond Dallas Page, for regular guys.

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