I've been doing Crossfit 3-4 times a week for about a year. Whether Crossfit is something you'll like or not is entirely dependent on your goals. I can tell you for certain that a power lifter who is already at the top of his game is NOT going to get stronger from doing Crossfit. High reps at a light to moderate weight, or multiple heavy reps being done while in a fatigued state are not recipes for building strength and mass. They are prescriptions for improving overall conditioning if done correctly and an inevitable injury if done incorrectly.
My goal over the last year has to become more "fit", overall. To attain a higher level of functional fitness and conditioning. Crossfit is perfect for that outcome. I am confident that my 43 y/o self could go back in time and kick the living shit out of myself in my early 20's or at any point since. Crossfit conditions an individual to perform a greater work load over a longer duration of time. Prior to beginning Crossfit my raw squat was 405lbs but I could only do that for one rep. Additionally, I could only do 135lbs for about 20 consecutive reps and couldn't even think about doing that in conjunction with a bunch of other work/lifts. Today, I know I can do a that weight in sets of 20 while doing several other movements for 3-5 rounds for time. Conversely, I can only squat about 335 right now. My strength has gone down partially due to injury (hip bursitis), but even if I were 100% healthy I'm certain I wouldn't be able to top my previous PR of 405. Crossfit, alone, is simply not conducive to building strength if you are already in good condition. If you're a person who has been out of the gym for a few years or who has never worked out then, yes, you will notice strength gains as you get in better condition. Not true for the power lifters, the body builders, the Olympic lifters, and others who are already strong.
I love doing Crossfit for a variety of reasons but it's not for everyone. For me, I love the challenge. Every workout I'm pushing myself to the limit. Every WOD is different than the one the day before. My conditioning has gone through the roof. I've found that I need to run my Crossfit training in cycles in order to completely meet my training needs. Right now I'm trying to do a hybrid of Crossfit and strength training. Crossfit 3x a week (every other day) and Westside Barbell routine 3x a week (alternate every other day). So far this is meeting my needs to maintain my conditioning while still improving my strength gains. It all depends on your goals. For some it is a good fit, for others, not so much.
