Chris,
Did you happen to read Poloquin’s latest article on it?
The first page of the Crossfit wiki is hilarious.
[quote]CrossFit is a strength and conditioning fitness cult.
[/quote]
I have nill problems with Crossfit, until someone wants to argue the point that it is:
a) the end all be all of fitness
b) will make well trained individuals stronger
c) is something new and revolutionary like high intensity circuit training was born yesterday.
Lookin’ forward to the write up.
[quote]PRCalDude wrote:
Chris,
Did you happen to read Poloquin’s latest article on it?[/quote]
Absolutely. I’m a Poliquin fan. I don’t think Crossfit is a tool that would apply to most of his direct-contact clientele; Crossfit has application with much of our direct-contact clientele. Our clients who are professional athletes, or aspire to be, don’t get much exposure to Crossfit, though we may choose to use Crossfit workouts in a GPP phase with a group.
We came to Crossfit after a 2-year study on exercise adherence. Prior to that point, my sentiments would have been the same as Mr. Poliquin’s. In fact, when presented with the Crossfit concept in 2003, my immediate response was, “That’s bullshit.”
Crossfit is a tool, just like bodybuilding is a tool. It’s a paradigm unto itself, in my small opinion, and there are elements that bodybuilders could do well to adopt, like:
-
anaerobic-based workouts, at least once in awhile
-
element of competition to increase intensity
-
emphasis on perfection of movement BEFORE the introduction and scale-up of intensity
-
practice of ‘measuring-stick’ workouts to gauge progress
-
non-conventional lifts (I think most T-Nation readers like those, right?)
-
heavy lifting - as a powerlifter, I survive the anaerobic workouts my reminding myself that, soon, there will be a reckoning, deadlift-style
-
frequent change
-
group training among peers at the same level
-
a community focused on its growth as a whole, instead of the parasitic ‘me-or-you’ mentality from which bodybuilding still seems to suffer
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a little bit of humility. Come on, let people see you suffer!
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incorporation of some of the old-school basics, like gymnastics (or even pull-ups, for heaven’s sake!)
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workouts that inspire an audience.
Crossfit is definitely NOT all we do at Catalyst. But our tool box is big. There’s plenty of room. The current system at ‘big box’ gyms - assembly-line workouts - doesn’t work. Crossfit does. Our YMCA has banned ‘power lifting.’ Crossfit has brought 5 new guys into our training group. Our local Goodlife doesn’t let you do cleans.
Our facility practically begs you to drop something heavy from overhead, just to hear the bang. No other gym in town allows an exerciser to use chalk. We have 3 chalk stands. One insurance company just denied our application because Crossfit does ‘tractor pulls.’ That’s hilariously false, but WE DO truck pulls.
Sorry for the rant. If I can go on this long, I hope Mr. Poliquin’s article is 10 pages long next month!
What is the most irritating thing about crossfit, is that its taken something thats been done for years, packaged it up and sold it too the public
I wish id thought of it! then i could charge people for training courses in it!
Also catalyst fitness your facility sounds great!!
I like this alot. Taken directly from their site, “World Class Fitness in 100 Words or Less”. I don’t necessarily agree with the pirouette recommendation but the rest is pretty sound…
“Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.”
[quote]Wayland wrote:
What is the most irritating thing about crossfit, is that its taken something thats been done for years, packaged it up and sold it too the public
I wish id thought of it! then i could charge people for training courses in it!
[/quote]
Hi Wayland;
Maybe I’m old, but I remember when guys used to complain about Joe Weider for the same thing! Hahahaha.
Thanks for the compliment. I just started a new thread in the Strength Forum asking what else our gym can do for its clients. Much appreciated.
my penis doesnt wave, it flips you off.
[quote]Wayland wrote:
What is the most irritating thing about crossfit, is that its taken something thats been done for years, packaged it up and sold it too the public
I wish id thought of it! then i could charge people for training courses in it!
[/quote]
Heh I bet if you came up with a creative name and threw some good marketing on the same kinda of heavy lifting programs most people practice around here, and put a couple gimmicks in it to make it more fun, you might be able to make a killing.
One thing to remember is that even one of their workouts (“Fran” for instance) will be really bloody hard the first time you do it, no matter how fit you are, but will get easier the next time. But the Crosfitters will only judge you by your first time.
It reminds me a bit of the grip board forum on IronMind’s website, a guy would post about a 250lb, 8% BF guy he knew that could bench 405x15, squat 600x20 and do 35 chins with a 45 hanging off his waist and then laugh because he could only close the #1 Captain of Crush once. Step back and take a good look you silly ass!
I do think soem of the Crossfit workouts would be good for a cardio day, but I wouldn’t do them 6 times a week no matter what my goal was.
[quote]Airtruth wrote:
Awww Shit the 100lb Gorilla will do a write up of if this is good for 280lb bodybuilders.[/quote]
…and Bingo was his name-o.
[quote]PimpBot5000 wrote:
I like this alot. Taken directly from their site, “World Class Fitness in 100 Words or Less”. I don’t necessarily agree with the pirouette recommendation but the rest is pretty sound…
“…little starch and no sugar.”[/quote]
World Class Fitness apparently = fat loss diet.
[quote]Airtruth wrote:
Awww Shit the 100lb Gorilla will do a write up of if this is good for 280lb bodybuilders.[/quote]
Well it’s good that there MIGHT be 3 people that weigh 280 on this site.
Wait… so THIS is LiveSpill?
[quote]msd0060 wrote:
Airtruth wrote:
Awww Shit the 100lb Gorilla will do a write up of if this is good for 280lb bodybuilders.
Well it’s good that there MIGHT be 3 people that weigh 280 on this site.[/quote]
Dude, how many 100lbs guys do you think we have here?
[quote]Otep wrote:
Wait… so THIS is LiveSpill?[/quote]
Absolutely not.
-Nate
In my experience Crossfit was beneficial for a period of time but like all training programs, once you adapt to it’s style, you will stop making gains. Of course there are days when you do aerobic style work, and days when you deadlift for singles, but the same underlying principle of general fitness is what is to be achieved. Obviously a powerlifter or bodybuilder will be the first to knock it’s methods, but they won’t be making the gains they want by using this program.
I use crossit as a supplement to my olympic style training programs or on days when I’m cut for time. “Fight Gone Bad” is a personal favorite…
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Dude, how many 100lbs guys do you think we have here?[/quote]
Is it even right to call them “guys” if they haven’t hit puberty yet?
So…if Crossfit is being discussed on a site that’s about the pursuit of muscle…how many 130lb guys do we have here?
I have guys that do crossfit at my training facility, they’re the smallest guys there, and they know that. It’s only GPP.
[quote]detazathoth wrote:
So…if Crossfit is being discussed on a site that’s about the pursuit of muscle…how many 130lb guys do we have here?
I have guys that do crossfit at my training facility, they’re the smallest guys there, and they know that. It’s only GPP.[/quote]
Which is what I was responding to. Crossfit shouldn’t even fit the goals of this website. My goal isn’t “general fitness”. It is big muscles that can lift big weight.
Why are we even focusing on Crossfit unless the individual is specifically just looking for some type of conditioning program?
Military bootcamp may cause a lot of people to get leaner and maybe even a little faster, but it sure as hell isn’t the way to go if strength and size are your primary concerns.
[quote]Nate Green wrote:
Otep wrote:
Wait… so THIS is LiveSpill?
Absolutely not.
-Nate
[/quote]
Is this Anaconda?