im looking for any sort of information on the effectiveness of crossfit.
i want to become fitter in general and was wondering if there are any major complaints in the program.

crossfit is very controversial. The believers say it's great because it offers variety and that you will really get well conditioned because they do a lot of high rep stuff, like walking overhead lunges, which will work both muscle endurance and your CV system.

The nonbelievers say that the programs are too random, so that there is no planned progression and that it is not tailored to the individual. For example how sometimes they do a few 100 dips one day and then something else that's pretty shoulder heavy the other, the nonbelievers say that aspects of this can be dangeoraus to the shoulder joint, etc.

Generally I have to agree with the nay sayers that the workouts are very random, poorly planned, and poorly designed. This is not only bad for progress, but can lead to imbalances and possibly injuries. The philosophy behind crossfit is sound: a variety of exercises and a variety of set and rep ranges to increase overall fitness; however, the crossfit programs are generally set up quite poorly to achieve this.

I have to say, from a general fitness and general strength standpoint, crossfit is great. The workouts are simple and full of basic exercises. You will gain strength, but you will not be a weightlifter or powerlifter. You will gain endurance, but you will not be a marathon runner.

To go with what limestix is saying, problems arise if you "drink too much of the Kool Aid" and stop thinking for yourself. Most CrossFit people I know do not always do exactly what the WOD's are, but variations depending upon what they need and their ability level.

There is a faction within the CrossFit community who view training until injury as some sort of badge of honor. Things like doing pull-ups until the skin peels off your hand, or incurring any number if overuse injuries is looked at like you are so hardcore that you can literally train to the complete edge of your ability. That viewpoint is crazy, though I have met very few people who fit in this category.

In all, crossfit people are in excellent condition, are very lean, and pretty strong.

If you are looking for general strength and fitness packaged in a simple way, it will work great for you.

Just don't blindly follow the CrossFit programs without thinking a bit for yourself.

thank you guys, ill be following gerogens advice and just keeping an eye on the program

Rooffiss

Goergens advice is REALLY good. Ive recently been sipping the Kool-Aid and doing 3-4 WODs a week, sometimes as rx'd, sometimes scaled. The largest problem people have with Crossfit is that they forget the scalability of the exercises. This can usually to lead to injury. Also, like Goergen mentioned, there's the few that view injuries and puking as a badge of honor - but the majority of the community promotes and insists on saftey throughout everything they do. I've personally never puked doing Crossfit, and the only MINOR injury that I've had was attempting a handstand push up after quite a few beers - not Crossfit's fault, just my own stupidity.

I personally LOVE Crossfit, as it aligns with my goals. I don't want to compete as a strongman, I don't want to run a marathon, I don't want to be an elite gymnast - I want to be an excellent overall athelete. So while Crossfit will help move you towards any of your goals, if your goals are more specialized, then youll need to specialize your program.