Crossfit Certification.

I am a personal trainer with several certifications including the CSCS, NSCA-CPT, and NASM-CPT.

I’m 30 years old and used to work as a computer repairman before I went back to school, got my exercise science degree and got my first personal trainer certification a few years ago. I have been getting a little sick of working 12 hours a day in the corporate gym setting. I have trying to apply for some strength coach internships but most of them require a master’s degree.

Another option I was considering was eventually becoming a self-proprietor and opening up my own personal training business. However, I know that to be successful I will probably need some sort of brand recognition.
I don’t “do crossfit” but from what I understand it seems to be a form of HIIT training combined with olympic lifts. Why anyone would want to do high volume Olympic lifts is beyond me but the point is that it seems to be extremely popular, almost all of my clients have asked me about it.

I was thinking about becoming Crossfit Certified so I could have a credential that the general population recognizes and respects. I don’t plan on actually incorporating Crossfit into any client’s programming (unless they specifically request it) but just having it I think would be good for business.

I was looking at the price of the certification, 1000 dollars! Plus the certification doesn’t have any pre-requisites. No high school diploma or even a CPR is needed which I think is a bit disturbing.

Nevertheless, has anyone taken the certification course? How long does the certification last until it needs renewal? Do you need to accumulate CEUs for it? What was the test like in terms of content and difficulty? Is there any take at home study material or is it all on site?

Thanks.

[quote]Madtytecurls wrote:

the price of the certification, 1000 dollars! [/quote]

yeah…

You are inquiring about getting a certification and system of training you know little about and are also planning to use such a brand without actually using the training method for your business. That’s disingenuous. Why don’t you research Crossfit and so some Crossfit workouts for an appreciable amount of time, say a month, and see if it’s for you. There is a website and forum for the brand with THOUSANDS of pages regarding opening up a box and about the training system.

No, it’s not a form of HIIT.

If you research and try it out for yourself and don’t like it, then don’t use it. Otherwise you appear to be a sellout and poser.

High rep Olympic lifts are for sure unorthodox, but it’s best reserved for advanced trainees with a bit of muscle on them and more body awareness and knowledge than the average yokel, the types that can break so-called “rules”.

[quote]BrickHead wrote:
You are inquiring about getting a certification and system of training you know little about and are also planning to use such a brand without actually using the training method for your business. That’s disingenuous. Why don’t you research Crossfit and so some Crossfit workouts for an appreciable amount of time, say a month, and see if it’s for you. There is a website and forum for the brand with THOUSANDS of pages regarding opening up a box and about the training system.

No, it’s not a form of HIIT.

If you research and try it out for yourself and don’t like it, then don’t use it. Otherwise you appear to be a sellout and poser.

High rep Olympic lifts are for sure unorthodox, but it’s best reserved for advanced trainees with a bit of muscle on them and more body awareness and knowledge than the average yokel, the types that can break so-called “rules”. [/quote]

Advanced trainees? You mean like actual Olympic weightlifters who compete? Woah, I had no idea they did crossfit, that is amazing!

I know it is disingenuous what I am doing but I think considering the lack of science, specifically the lack of understanding of bioenergenics and proper periodization behind the programming in Crossfit I think I would actually be doing them a favor. My clients would be coming in because they heard Crossfit was cool but rather than give a novice a bunch of explosive plyometrics and half-assed Oly-lifts without any proper exercise progression, or motor skill development I could instead give them a workout that is well structured based on their goals, fitness level and experience.
You know, so they don’t get any stupid ideas like trying to master the clean and jerk before they even know how to properly perform a barbell squat or so they don’t treat the Olympic lifts like an oxidative exercise and figure out the hard way what rhabdomyolsis is.

Competitive Olympic lifters are just ONE class of advanced trainees and competitors who lift weights in competition. No, they do NOT perform high reps in the Olympic lifts and their variations.

Care to quote a post in this thread or another in which I said Olympic lifters practice the lifts and their variations with high reps?

Care to quote a post in this thread or another in which I said Olympic lifters practice Crossfit?

People aside from Olympic lifters perform the Olympic lifts, including myself.

You completely misinterpreted my post.

Thanks.

[quote]Madtytecurls wrote:
[
You know, so they don’t get any stupid ideas like trying to master the clean and jerk before they even know how to properly perform a barbell squat or so they don’t treat the Olympic lifts like an oxidative exercise and figure out the hard way what rhabdomyolsis is.[/quote]

Hence why I said for an unorthodox practice such as high rep Olympic lifts should be reserved for the more experienced. I’m not sure if you are arguing, but it appears you are arguing with someone who is in agreement in a few things as yourself, ME, that is, someone with similar education as yourself (MS in nutrition and exercise phys, undergraduate in nutrition, registered dietitian). The difference is I take Crossfit for what it is and reserved for those who like or want to do it. If people are not fond of it, then they should stay away.

Powerlifting and Olympic lifting can be extremely dangerous, just as is football, MMA, boxing, and so on, but those endeavors don’t get nearly the same amount of flack as Crossfit does.

Is elite powerlifting a wise endeavor. If I recall correctly, Brent Mikesell has shattered teeth, had to wear a certain device for sleep apnea, has a body riddled with injuries and took half an hour for his body was adjusted for the day after awakening. Our beloved Dave Tate is a near cripple, evident from his articles and photographs. I don’t say this to belittle these men as I like and respect them a lot, but it goes to show how most fanatics show love for powerlifting and other dangerous shit but dump on Crossfit.

[quote]BrickHead wrote:
Competitive Olympic lifters are just ONE class of advanced trainees and competitors who lift weights in competition. No, they do NOT perform high reps in the Olympic lifts and their variations.

Care to quote a post in this thread or another in which I said Olympic lifters practice the lifts and their variations with high reps?

Care to quote a post in this thread or another in which I said Olympic lifters practice Crossfit?

People aside from Olympic lifters perform the Olympic lifts, including myself.

You completely misinterpreted my post.

Thanks. [/quote]

Well I guess if your sport happens to be “Crossfit” (if you even consider that a sport) then there is some value to performing high volume Olympic lifts. It begs the question though as to why anyone would want to make their sport Crossfit other than that its trendy and “hip.”

I was being sarcastic with the Olympic lifting post in an attempt to point out that the best lifters don’t do high volume Olympic lifts because there is no point. The clean and jerk and the snatch are extremely high intensity, explosive lifts that rely predominantly on the phospocreatine energy system since it is needed to generate ATP at the fastest rate. When training for explosive lifts the goal should be to develop as much neuromuscular strength and power as possible so what purpose does it entail to perform such lifts at such a volume where you’re no longer even using the energy system where ATP generates at the fastest rate and the lifts tax the body much in the same way as long distance running? Isn’t weightlifting supposed to be about power and strength as opposed to muscular endurance?
It would be like coaching a long distance runner to run a marathon the same way a sprinter runs a 40 yard dash.

I know its popular but like Hell am I going to teach something that has no scientific rationale to my clients. The Crossfit name however is pure gold and I want to cash in.

Man it would be really easy to be a Crossfit coach though. Everyone would just pay me and then I’d write

WOD: 20 deadlifts, 20 snatches, 30 dead lifts and rope climbing for 5 minute all in 30 minutes.

Would just have to write that on a blackboard, sit back and relax as everyone snaps their backs in two.

$1000 dollars for a certification, but what does that do for you?

It seems that what it would take to really work is a franchise. Brick has the right idea about looking into their forums to see what it takes to do it from the people who have done it.

[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
$1000 dollars for a certification, but what does that do for you?

It seems that what it would take to really work is a franchise. Brick has the right idea about looking into their forums to see what it takes to do it from the people who have done it.

[/quote]

God dammit, do I really have to deal with them?

Shit… was hoping to avoid that.

I would like to Franchise a Crossfit box but I figure I will need a crossfit certification. Its a huge investment no doubt.

Here’s the answer to the question other than it being trendy and “hip”: they LIKE it! Same goes for straight men posing in a thong on a stage in front of a largely gay audience (bodybuilding). After all bodybuilding begs the question from “regular people”, “Why the hell would someone run their life, day and night–eating patterns, sleeping patterns, lifting, semi-starvation alternated with overeating–and sacrifice much to pose on a stage and receive little in socioeconomic reward from it?”

Same answer: The people doing it LIKE it.

That’s a good enough answer.

Because some people like it and it’s part of Crossfit training.

Not in the case of Crossfit or for those who simply like high rep Olympic lifts.

[quote]
It would be like coaching a long distance runner to run a marathon the same way a sprinter runs a 40 yard dash. [/quote]

Not really, considering a sprint can’t be maintained for much distance while a skilled person can perform a lot of reps in the O lifts if the weight is light enough.

[quote]

I know its popular but like Hell am I going to teach something that has no scientific rationale to my clients. [/quote]

Then don’t.

So you want to be a disingenuous sellout – to a great degree that is considering just how vehemently opposed to Crossfit are you. So you will get Crossfit certified and sport the brand which you have no faith in.

It is apparent that you have no idea what’s in store for you regarding the difficulties of running a box let alone making it a profit generating one. If it could only be so simple as writing that on a blackboard and sitting back and relaxing. And if everyone in boxes were snapping their boxes as frequently as you imply, nearly all box owners would be up shit’s creek!

I say this with NO disrespect: a cerebral guy like you should lay off the university textbooks and study reality and business more. Again, NO disrespect here (serious).

[quote]Madtytecurls wrote:

[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
$1000 dollars for a certification, but what does that do for you?

It seems that what it would take to really work is a franchise. Brick has the right idea about looking into their forums to see what it takes to do it from the people who have done it.

[/quote]

God dammit, do I really have to deal with them?

Shit… was hoping to avoid that.

I would like to Franchise a Crossfit box but I figure I will need a crossfit certification. Its a huge investment no doubt.[/quote]

That is because they know that when you slap their banner across your business you will make money.

They want theirs too. I’d be a lot more interested in the rights and responsibilities of each party- You and Them, to understand the particulars of doing business with them.

[quote]Madtytecurls wrote:
[ Its a huge investment no doubt.[/quote]

Just think of the multiples of that which you are going to invest in your box, far more than a thousand bucks.

Yeah its going to be expensive, honestly this is not something I am planning on doing anytime soon and by the time I actually make the investment I can’t say how valuable the whole Crossfit brand name will be. It just seems that for such a hyper-competitive industry you need to do whatever it takes and if that means using a brand name out of context then maybe that is what it takes. I’m not a business major so I’m only following the wind with this one.

A lot of people seem to think being a personal trainer is a lot of fun but not when you’re working at a big box gym like LA Fitness or 24 Hour Fitness.

I guess I could teach some crossfit style classes if people really like it but I just wouldn’t make that my central focus.

[quote]BrickHead wrote:

High rep Olympic lifts are for sure unorthodox, but it’s best reserved for advanced trainees with a bit of muscle on them and more body awareness and knowledge than the average yokel, the types that can break so-called “rules”. [/quote]

Crossfitters sound edgy as fuck.

[quote]RyuuKyuzo wrote:

[quote]BrickHead wrote:

High rep Olympic lifts are for sure unorthodox, but it’s best reserved for advanced trainees with a bit of muscle on them and more body awareness and knowledge than the average yokel, the types that can break so-called “rules”. [/quote]

Crossfitters sound edgy as fuck.[/quote]

Crossfitters in a nut-shell.

Forget crossfit, and get ahead of the curve. If your looking to train what’s popular this American Ninja is coming on hard, and I think someone setup to specialize in this type of training would definitely be ahead of the curve. Crossfit has established it’s self now, but I think the rush is over. People are after this elusive functional strength, and conditioning now, with the advent of these Gladiator, and Mudder obstacle courses/challenges.

I think in line with these the American Ninja is going to be the next big craze. They already offer over a million in prizes, with big sponsors such as Nike/Rebock. I train young athletes as well, and try not to get caught up in fads, and such. But lately I’m getting huge demand from yuppies wanting to train for these Mudder challenges. One of my trainers is starting to specialize in this, and doing well.

Sorry got cut off by my wife. I wasn’t trying to sound negative against cross fit, I just think if your looking to get into what’s popular, why jump on last years bandwagon, when you can get in front of next years fad. 2cents

[quote]Madtytecurls wrote:
Well I guess if your sport happens to be “Crossfit” (if you even consider that a sport) then there is some value to performing high volume Olympic lifts. It begs the question though as to why anyone would want to make their sport Crossfit other than that its trendy and “hip.”
[/quote]
Money. Not saying I like it, but in America you can make shitloads more money with crossfit than you can with powerlifting or strongman or oly lifting.

In fact I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about the exact same thing you’re talking about lol. In fact I never really thought of it as that disingenuous even. I mean I just want Crossfit on the name cuz that will almost automatically bring a bunch of people with a bunch of money to blow on “fitness”. They’re free to do actual Crossfit if they want, but I sure as shit won’t be doing it with them.

I even looked at local Crossfit gyms to train at. Number one because they’re chock full of hot women (I assume), and number two because they generally have nice bars and weights to use. They were ridiculously expensive though compared to what I believe a gym membership should cost.

Lol @fit.

Greatest fad scam ever.

Crossfit sucks, it is like volleyball. Gay if men do it, absolutely hot if women do it. No man with a dick and balls between his legs should care about how many kipping pullups (aka gay pullups) can do it 10 minutes, or how many bear’s or what-the-fuck-not- he can do.