they're nonstop, but not timed. you're not aiming to beat the clock with giant sets, you aren't scored if you do 15 reps of pushdowns in 30 seconds versus 45. more than that, you stop when you hit failure. if a CF workout says "do 50 reps of X" then you just keep on trucking until you hit 50 reps whether it means one set of 50, two sets of 25, or 10 sets of 5.
additionally, a lot of CF workouts have stuff that isn't just a "lift". like last week i did one that was shouldering a 155lb keg five times then jogging 25 yards out and back with it, six rounds total. or you'll run 400m dashes with pushups and squats in between. sometimes it'll be doing thing "every minute on the minute" for a given time, all sorts of cool variations.
the issue is that CF is so fucking dogmatic. the dumbasses have the audacity to claim that it's better for building muscle than bodybuilding, an activity built SOLELY AROUND MUSCLE BUILDING. 
i do a version of crossfit that lines up with my goals. it's not a "best for everyone" thing by a damn sight. if you want to get strong as an ox, do strongman or powerlifting. you wanna get big and ripped? bodybuilding. crossfit is for more "allover athleticism". it's what i do because i'm more interested in being able to do things than how i look in the mirror. that's all.
I get sucked into these type of things all the time. People enjoy bagging on it because it's just another thing to rip on. I could say something like "Chaos, why not try the workout Fran...and provided you don't shit your pants...I don't see you getting it done in under 10mins." Oh wait, that would be a melt down. Right? I 'competed' in bodybuilding for about 25yrs. Talk about DOUCHE BAGS. Fuck me.....I have NEVER seen a CF web site where there is a 1,000+ page discussion on who is better Rich Frohning or Matt Chan. Yet we can sit here and argue back and forth who is better Ronnie or Dorian.
I am enjoying the competition aspect of it as well as getting stronger and having that enjoyment of training again. I am 44yrs old and can't wait to do the games next year. Adam....you bag on some of these things....whats the point of those "GetBig Challenges" then. No point. Why dont I have you come over to my house and do the roofing challenge? I have a roof to tear off, and then you can carry all the new stuff up on a ladder...much more productive than your 100reps of squats. Right?
BTW Joe...CF has been around since about 1974. We have been through this about 1,000 times...there are more people in bodybuilding that are nut jobs than in CF. There are going to be people who ALWAYS have the holier than thou outlook with whatever they do. Unfortunately due to the web we all have to hear it. I welcome ANYONE to do some of the stuff I do in my log and tell me it was a breeze. Will you be stronger than me? Some will be. But hey, my workouts are 1,000x more enjoyable than "Monday : Chest/Biceps. 3 - 4 exercises for chest, 8 - 12 reps, blah blah blah blah"
I wonder how many people claim a "315lb squat" when they do it on a smith? Thats not a real squat. People call it a kipping pullup because they are differentiating it from a REAL pull up.
This was my workout today:
1000m Row
50 Thrusters 45" bar
30 CHEST TO BAR pull ups <----- see that...strict....NO KIPPING
10:14
Meltdown....stroke....ep
ic crying....I suck cock...seems like Krankenstein loves the man juice...blah blah blah. Right?
P.S. BB. You are right...and I have said this to Joe. There are GREAT coaches and there are ones that should be punched in the face HARD. I follow Rudy from Outlaw Crossfit, Glenn Pendlay, Kelly Starrett, and Everett. Rhabdomyolisis can be caused by any number of conditions that damage the muscle. So, the 100 rep workouts...welcome to potentially causing this. Most of the time people are so dehydrated before they workout that they get this.
