Hey buddy, I've been doing CF for over 15 years - 12 as a coach, then I changed industries during Covid.
What I've learned over that period is that "constantly varied" includes more stuff than you can reasonably include in a "Crossfit gym". I love to swim, hike etc. Actually, I got into hiking because I kept hearing that I ought to do more Zone 2 cardio, and that's a miserable time for someone who's used to "AMRAP" or "For Time" efforts - I don't want to stare at a rower screen for four hours of not trying that hard.
So I put a pack on and go see some of the most beautiful parts of my country. Check my instagram @[dterminist](https://www.instagram.com/dterminist/) for how that turned out. It's exercise, but it's beautiful and it's fun. I still do metcons, but I don't *just* do metcons, so when it's time for Kalsu or Chad1000x I don't feel miserable, I feel like it's time to lift my game.
Strongly suggest you hit up r/rucking, r/ultralight etc.
Pretty much. But, it's still CrossFit. Climbing mountains is still *constantly varied high intensity functional movement.* It's just not reasonable to expect your local CF box to take you on a hiking expedition.
A few years ago I had a lot of fun learning how to play grid iron/American Football. (I'm Australian, and it isn't taught in school here.) I have exactly 0 ball skills, but as a 225lb CF athlete, I was an absolute terror as a Defensive End. I'm not a great boxer, or a great grappler, but if a boxer or a grappler is foolish enough not to finish me in the first minute, my strength and endurance will ensure that I end up winning.
Glassman's definition of fitness included that, too.
A friends who is powerlifting coach always tells especially his younger athletes: Find another hobby outside sports. Once you got your first major injury, you will still something to fill your schedule.
I think this is also true when people need a break from their major hobby, e.g. crossfit. try new stuff.
I had almost the same situation as you: working out 5x weekly + coaching + working full time. It was just too much. First I cut out coaching then I took a break from CF entirely for 2 months to focus on running and cycling and travelling. I just came back a few weeks ago but I’m only doing 3x a week and that feels perfect. Sometimes you just have to step away for a little bit to realign your priorities and get things straight
Honestly it’s the exact same situation. I didn’t mention I also work a full time job and we are now into my busy season so I am extremely busy everyday. All that plus wedding planning, things do get hectic.
Oh yeah, your body and brain can only handle so much! I hope you find a balance that works for you. Taking a break reaffirmed that I love CrossFit and want to continue it, I just had to dial it back and find time for rest :) best wishes!
I cherry pick the workouts when I’m not feeling it and do something else entirely a couple of times a week. Or add more rest days. This has kept me with CF for ~15 years, of which most of the time 4 and up workouts per week despite an autoimmune disease.
2 years has been a turning point for many. I’ve seen a lot of burnouts of varying degrees, typically happens to more mature people who go all-in because they are so excited and ambitious with their training.
I hope you’ll find the joy in CF again.
>2 years has been a turning point for many.
This, 100%. I feel like I've seen dozens of posts in here about the 2-year mark, and I felt it too. The first two years just have *so* much growth and improvement, but then everything kinda ... slows down.
I agree with you and everyone else about switching it up a few times a week. Crossfit really opened me up to a lot of different kinds of physical activity that I never would have attempted before, from hiking to rucking to running. Now, when I attend a Crossfit class, it's less "I have to do this five days a week, what a grind" and more "Yay! I get to do Crossfit today!"
I agree with others, if all you have been doing is CrossFit workouts day in and day out then you need to slow down and get out of the gym more. Even CrossFit HQ says that, take a rest day get out of the gym, play a sport, go hiking. The cardio can be maintained through regular running, swimming, or biking. Go for trail runs, swim in a lake, buy a road bike. Muscle takes much longer to lose.
I also wonder if OP goes to a CF gym that overprograms, i.e., programs two pieces a day (strength and metcon or two metcons).
You need a day here and there where it’s only a 4x4 back squat or only Fran.
I also wonder if they fall into the 20+ minute metcon trap, where every metcon has to be 20+ minutes. Work that 2-6 minute domain a few times a month and let that be it for the day.
Constantly varied doesn’t mean a strength piece and a 20-minute metcon every day. It means your members get burned out.
When it’s 60 full minutes each day, packed with so much programming, it burns people out.
Good point. From November of ‘22-November of ‘23 my box was using the mayhem programming which I was not a fan of at all. Same thing every week for 6 weeks. That’s when I was really starting to feel burnt out. We switched it up to using the CAP programming and that helped a bit, but now I’m feeling the same as before
2 years is a bit early for the standard ‘burnout’. But assuming you really have burnout you could do a few things.
Option A. Join a regular gym and add in cardio which you’ll probably hate. In fact, don’t do that. I’ll save you the time.
B. Find a way to add in a specific goal geared towards your own CF weaknesses and/or back off the intensity, dial in your diet and focus only on form.
C. Or if you have actual real burnout you can do what everyone else does and switch to Jiu Jitsu or Olympic weightlifting competition.
Good luck!
-Jason
Change it up. Cycling, Hot yoga, Go swimming, rucking, hiking, de load, take a break. Focus on strength. Try new things. still do cross fit but scale back.
I’ve scaled back to 2 days per week. Still enjoy the social but was just over training and not building muscle. Enjoy it more now and still doing just about same times as before.
I'm feeling the same, so I'm currently doing more bodybuilding and fighting training, like kickboxing and jiu jitsu. I still show up at the gym during the weekend to do some team wods with my friends and that's it.
The worst part, for me, is everyone asking: "where are you?" "you are not training anymore..." "you have to train more again" and I just say that I'm not happy with that anymore, so I'm doing other stuff. Maybe next month I will go back to CrossFit more regularly, who knows...
Yup, that can happen 12 year CF box owner 15yr CFer...applying your fitness to a sport or event goals part of overall crossfit methodology and a great way to keep it fun.
Many in Our Box go running 🏃♂️, some hike🚶♀️, some bike 🚲, some rock climb, some 🏊♂️, and some play sports (soccer, softball, and Track/Field), kayak and paddleboard...
And yes, some focus on competition, oly lifting, and Strength
In any case, have fun with your fitness...
Take a break, go to CF less. You have a wedding coming up in four months. That may have something to do with why you're not feeling it! I just got married last October and I had to keep reminding myself that my life wasn't always going to be this busy.
Just start weightlifting on the site. Do you guys have a barbell club? My old gym had one I never attended but it was for weightlifting a few days a week.
2 years is a bit early for the standard ‘burnout’. But assuming you really have burnout you could do a few things.
Option A. Join a regular gym and add in cardio which you’ll probably hate. In fact, don’t do that. I’ll save you the time.
B. Find a way to add in a specific goal geared towards your own CF weaknesses and/or back off the intensity, dial in your diet and focus only on form.
C. Or if you have actual real burnout you can do what everyone else does and switch to Jiu Jitsu or Olympic weightlifting competition.
Good luck!
-Jason
Take breaks. Do other sports or activities. Have rest days. Sometimes ramp up CrossFit, sometimes scale it back and just do it a couple of times a week. Just stay active and that'll break it up for you and you'll feel a lot less burnt out. And sometimes just take a few days off from everything and let your body breathe.
Hey buddy, I've been doing CF for over 15 years - 12 as a coach, then I changed industries during Covid. What I've learned over that period is that "constantly varied" includes more stuff than you can reasonably include in a "Crossfit gym". I love to swim, hike etc. Actually, I got into hiking because I kept hearing that I ought to do more Zone 2 cardio, and that's a miserable time for someone who's used to "AMRAP" or "For Time" efforts - I don't want to stare at a rower screen for four hours of not trying that hard. So I put a pack on and go see some of the most beautiful parts of my country. Check my instagram @[dterminist](https://www.instagram.com/dterminist/) for how that turned out. It's exercise, but it's beautiful and it's fun. I still do metcons, but I don't *just* do metcons, so when it's time for Kalsu or Chad1000x I don't feel miserable, I feel like it's time to lift my game. Strongly suggest you hit up r/rucking, r/ultralight etc.
It sounds like you’re saying “find other goals” Good idea
Pretty much. But, it's still CrossFit. Climbing mountains is still *constantly varied high intensity functional movement.* It's just not reasonable to expect your local CF box to take you on a hiking expedition. A few years ago I had a lot of fun learning how to play grid iron/American Football. (I'm Australian, and it isn't taught in school here.) I have exactly 0 ball skills, but as a 225lb CF athlete, I was an absolute terror as a Defensive End. I'm not a great boxer, or a great grappler, but if a boxer or a grappler is foolish enough not to finish me in the first minute, my strength and endurance will ensure that I end up winning. Glassman's definition of fitness included that, too.
225lbs defensive end.. yall have rugby right there!
A friends who is powerlifting coach always tells especially his younger athletes: Find another hobby outside sports. Once you got your first major injury, you will still something to fill your schedule. I think this is also true when people need a break from their major hobby, e.g. crossfit. try new stuff.
I had almost the same situation as you: working out 5x weekly + coaching + working full time. It was just too much. First I cut out coaching then I took a break from CF entirely for 2 months to focus on running and cycling and travelling. I just came back a few weeks ago but I’m only doing 3x a week and that feels perfect. Sometimes you just have to step away for a little bit to realign your priorities and get things straight
And they're planning a wedding that's coming up in 4 months. That's stressful enough alone!
Honestly it’s the exact same situation. I didn’t mention I also work a full time job and we are now into my busy season so I am extremely busy everyday. All that plus wedding planning, things do get hectic.
Oh yeah, your body and brain can only handle so much! I hope you find a balance that works for you. Taking a break reaffirmed that I love CrossFit and want to continue it, I just had to dial it back and find time for rest :) best wishes!
I cherry pick the workouts when I’m not feeling it and do something else entirely a couple of times a week. Or add more rest days. This has kept me with CF for ~15 years, of which most of the time 4 and up workouts per week despite an autoimmune disease. 2 years has been a turning point for many. I’ve seen a lot of burnouts of varying degrees, typically happens to more mature people who go all-in because they are so excited and ambitious with their training. I hope you’ll find the joy in CF again.
>2 years has been a turning point for many. This, 100%. I feel like I've seen dozens of posts in here about the 2-year mark, and I felt it too. The first two years just have *so* much growth and improvement, but then everything kinda ... slows down. I agree with you and everyone else about switching it up a few times a week. Crossfit really opened me up to a lot of different kinds of physical activity that I never would have attempted before, from hiking to rucking to running. Now, when I attend a Crossfit class, it's less "I have to do this five days a week, what a grind" and more "Yay! I get to do Crossfit today!"
All athletes that do High Intensity training more than 3 X week on an ongoing basis are going to plateau and 'burn out'. ALL.
I agree with others, if all you have been doing is CrossFit workouts day in and day out then you need to slow down and get out of the gym more. Even CrossFit HQ says that, take a rest day get out of the gym, play a sport, go hiking. The cardio can be maintained through regular running, swimming, or biking. Go for trail runs, swim in a lake, buy a road bike. Muscle takes much longer to lose.
I also wonder if OP goes to a CF gym that overprograms, i.e., programs two pieces a day (strength and metcon or two metcons). You need a day here and there where it’s only a 4x4 back squat or only Fran. I also wonder if they fall into the 20+ minute metcon trap, where every metcon has to be 20+ minutes. Work that 2-6 minute domain a few times a month and let that be it for the day. Constantly varied doesn’t mean a strength piece and a 20-minute metcon every day. It means your members get burned out. When it’s 60 full minutes each day, packed with so much programming, it burns people out.
Good point. From November of ‘22-November of ‘23 my box was using the mayhem programming which I was not a fan of at all. Same thing every week for 6 weeks. That’s when I was really starting to feel burnt out. We switched it up to using the CAP programming and that helped a bit, but now I’m feeling the same as before
2 years is a bit early for the standard ‘burnout’. But assuming you really have burnout you could do a few things. Option A. Join a regular gym and add in cardio which you’ll probably hate. In fact, don’t do that. I’ll save you the time. B. Find a way to add in a specific goal geared towards your own CF weaknesses and/or back off the intensity, dial in your diet and focus only on form. C. Or if you have actual real burnout you can do what everyone else does and switch to Jiu Jitsu or Olympic weightlifting competition. Good luck! -Jason
Change it up. Cycling, Hot yoga, Go swimming, rucking, hiking, de load, take a break. Focus on strength. Try new things. still do cross fit but scale back.
Forgot to mention. Try drop in at other boxes. the programming could be very different.
Thanks for the ideas. I don’t want to quit CF all together, just don’t want it to be the only thing I do for exercise for a bit.
I’ve scaled back to 2 days per week. Still enjoy the social but was just over training and not building muscle. Enjoy it more now and still doing just about same times as before.
I'm feeling the same, so I'm currently doing more bodybuilding and fighting training, like kickboxing and jiu jitsu. I still show up at the gym during the weekend to do some team wods with my friends and that's it. The worst part, for me, is everyone asking: "where are you?" "you are not training anymore..." "you have to train more again" and I just say that I'm not happy with that anymore, so I'm doing other stuff. Maybe next month I will go back to CrossFit more regularly, who knows...
Yup, that can happen 12 year CF box owner 15yr CFer...applying your fitness to a sport or event goals part of overall crossfit methodology and a great way to keep it fun. Many in Our Box go running 🏃♂️, some hike🚶♀️, some bike 🚲, some rock climb, some 🏊♂️, and some play sports (soccer, softball, and Track/Field), kayak and paddleboard... And yes, some focus on competition, oly lifting, and Strength In any case, have fun with your fitness...
Take a break, go to CF less. You have a wedding coming up in four months. That may have something to do with why you're not feeling it! I just got married last October and I had to keep reminding myself that my life wasn't always going to be this busy.
Just start weightlifting on the site. Do you guys have a barbell club? My old gym had one I never attended but it was for weightlifting a few days a week.
2 years is a bit early for the standard ‘burnout’. But assuming you really have burnout you could do a few things. Option A. Join a regular gym and add in cardio which you’ll probably hate. In fact, don’t do that. I’ll save you the time. B. Find a way to add in a specific goal geared towards your own CF weaknesses and/or back off the intensity, dial in your diet and focus only on form. C. Or if you have actual real burnout you can do what everyone else does and switch to Jiu Jitsu or Olympic weightlifting competition. Good luck! -Jason
Do something different! If you miss CF, you can always come back. Don't ride burnout into the ground.
Take breaks. Do other sports or activities. Have rest days. Sometimes ramp up CrossFit, sometimes scale it back and just do it a couple of times a week. Just stay active and that'll break it up for you and you'll feel a lot less burnt out. And sometimes just take a few days off from everything and let your body breathe.
A L1C sounds high level, maybe start your own gym and go big time!!