Given the documented problems and hazards associated with Crossfit and the overwhelming consensus among Strength and Conditioning professionals against Crossfit, why did SPN elect to include the Crossfit daily workout at the bottom of the homepage? Strength Performance Network has proven itself to be a great resource for Strength and Conditioning professionals but choosing to include Crossfit so prominently (or at all) greatly injures SPN's brand. What's next, Tony Horton's P90X Extreme Insanity of the Day?
I am interested in thoughts from the rest of the SPN community.
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Permalink Reply by Darriel Kitchens on I concur most vehemently. Crossfit is an abomination and completely contrary to the development of an ATHLETE'S physiological/neurological abilities.
Permalink Reply by Jason Roe on Just to expand on my own post. I also found it a bit puzzling that the Crossfit workout of the day was posted here. I have not tried Crossfit, nor would use it with the individuals I train. But I also find it interesting how polarizing a subject Crossfit has become. If the outcomes of a workout are poor exercise form, vomiting, and rhabdomyolysis (which has been glorified on Crossfit t-shirts) then the practitioner has not properly prescribed the exercise variables and does not understand adaption and progression. Yet I am sure there are Crossfit practitioners that require proper form, teach exercises well, and dose load, volume, speed, and rest periods appropriately. The greater problem, is the individuals that see Crossfit as a means of athletic performance enhancement. The random nature of the workouts, the concurrent high volume training of multiple physical qualities and systems, and the lack of recovery make it an inefficient means of performance enhancement. It could improve multiple physical qualities, but I doubt it could maximize them. When the exercises used are properly taught and the exercise variables properly prescribed it could safely lead to changes in body composition because of the caloric expenditure. As with any exercise method or mode it comes down to proper instruction and prescription that match an individual or groups goals and abilities. I respect those who stay active and fit, and challenge themselves in a competitive event. But while Reebok can call Crossfit a sport, it cannot lead to optimal performance for individuals that compete in another sport.
Jason Roe said:
So you can compete in the sport of fitness.
Joe....that was the best reponse to a question on CrossFit that I've ever seen. Thank you for first admitting you've never done it, but then taking an intellectual approach to the subject. I consider myself lucky enough to be both a strength coach and CrossFit athlete becuase without my background in Ex Phys. and S&C I'd likely be one of those people setting myself up for a serious injury. I was at a competition this weekend and said to several friends "I'd rather finish last than pick a bar up the way some of these people are on the Deadlifts." Winning isn't worth the injury. Is CrossFit it going to enhance sport specific performance? No. Is it going to hurt you if done wrong? Yes, but so will most anything done in a weight room when done without proper progression and insturction. It's our job as coaches to protect our athletes by doing our jobs right whether you use CrossFit priciples or not.
Jason Roe said:
Just to expand on my own post. I also found it a bit puzzling that the Crossfit workout of the day was posted here. I have not tried Crossfit, nor would use it with the individuals I train. But I also find it interesting how polarizing a subject Crossfit has become. If the outcomes of a workout are poor exercise form, vomiting, and rhabdomyolysis (which has been glorified on Crossfit t-shirts) then the practitioner has not properly prescribed the exercise variables and does not understand adaption and progression. Yet I am sure there are Crossfit practitioners that require proper form, teach exercises well, and dose load, volume, speed, and rest periods appropriately. The greater problem, is the individuals that see Crossfit as a means of athletic performance enhancement. The random nature of the workouts, the concurrent high volume training of multiple physical qualities and systems, and the lack of recovery make it an inefficient means of performance enhancement. It could improve multiple physical qualities, but I doubt it could maximize them. When the exercises used are properly taught and the exercise variables properly prescribed it could safely lead to changes in body composition because of the caloric expenditure. As with any exercise method or mode it comes down to proper instruction and prescription that match an individual or groups goals and abilities. I respect those who stay active and fit, and challenge themselves in a competitive event. But while Reebok can call Crossfit a sport, it cannot lead to optimal performance for individuals that compete in another sport.
Jason Roe said:So you can compete in the sport of fitness.
Permalink Reply by John Weatherly on Marketing and sales influence almost everything. Checkout neurosciencemarketing.com sometime. I suspect this is why there are Crossfit daily workouts at the bottom of the homepage here.
Permalink Reply by Darriel Kitchens on GREED
Permalink Reply by Andrew Otwell on I agree with Brett, however it is to an extent a great way to accomplish GPP with some of the more basic programs found in Crossfit in our community and vice versa. As some of the more forward thinking athletes and crossfit gyms are using a periodized approach and taking what the strength and conditioning professional does with phases of conditioning and appropriate exercise order. Although Crossfit is not condusive to a specialized sport, it does expose coaches and athletes to a multitude of different styles of high intensity exercise that must be mastered (at a national Crossfit Oly meet, a number of athletes had posted weights that would qualify them for the national team) while fatigued if you are to be successful (the Russians would do this with Oly lifting at the end of the workout on occasion to promote endurance) and in that respect it does deserve our attention even if it is not utilized to the original intent of Crossfit. I believe understanding what it is as opposed to assuming a random quagmire of lifting and poor technique.
Or it could just be greed...
Permalink Reply by Randall Walton on But why put this on the home page and not bury it in an obscure group page? Because very few coaches on SPN would join the group because they know the CrossFit WOD's are garbage not worthy of the pixels required to display them.
Brian Harris and David Harris, PLEASE get this garbage off of your otherwise outstanding website!!
Permalink Reply by Adam Clawson on Joe,
I HAVE tried Crossfit, and agree with what you've said. It would be closed-minded to just look at something from the outside and judge it without trying it for yourself. Crossfit has the potential to cause injury, but so does a strength and conditioning program. A couple things I didn't like with crossfit is that the weights used for the WOD's are the same, and people doing these WOD's on their own wont' think to change the weights to reflect their level of strength, but I would hope that if they were at a crossfit box, their instructor would tell them to reduce the weight or risk an injury. I know a few Crossfit certified instructors, one in particular has a Ph.D. in physical therapy, and his CSCS. I'm sure he is not the only crossfit instructor with these credentials. Do I think a crossfit certification is as good as a CSCS, absolutely not! And for $1,000, come on.
We have to stay open-minded when it comes to other forms of strength training, and not just bash something. Some things I did like about crossfit is that it does promote a balanced system of training. Personally I had never done overhead squats until I got into crossfit, and I now incorporate them into my workouts on a regular basis. I think there is a misconception among many strength and conditioning professionals that all crossfit is, is WOD's and training until you puke or get injured, and that just is not the case! Stability and flexibility is a major aspect. I don't think there is any single correct or best system of training, rather there are many different forms of training that have their unique strengths and weaknesses, and the best training program is one that is not closed-minded, whether it is in the methodology or in the equipment that is used for building strength and power. You can't always judge a book by it's cover. This is after all the "Strength-Performance Network" isn't it? Who are we to say that something like crossfit doesn't belong here. To each his own. I'm not saying that I agree with it 100% and that it will maximize your strength and power gains, but its a tough workout for those who are looking for that, it's something worth trying and keeping an open mind when you do it.
Permalink Reply by David Harris on 
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