Crossfit Caution

I am intrigued by Crossfit and impressed by certain aspects, most notably the efforts to bring Olympic lifting and compound movements into the mainstream but I have always thought that it is more of an addition to your regular structured training methods than a program you can follow day in and day out. My discomfort with the process as a whole has been summed up eloquently in the article entitled “The Nonsense That Is Crossfit” and although the title may seem harsh, I believe it is fitting.

Read the article here and judge for yourself. I am not saying people shouldn’t do Crossfit, not at all, but I think as a complete workout tool it falls woefully short. As a piece of a well rounded and intelligently designed workout system I think it is a perfect fit. I believe you should take it in moderation rather than rely on it as a complete fitness system because as a well constructed program it is dangerous and inadequate. As a contrast, most fitness “professionals” have a warm and fuzzy feeling about Crossfit which I can’t blame them for, like Mark Sisson says, it’s better than 95% of the stuff out there…

Take a peek at this:

First off, as the name implies Crossfit wants to blend various training modalities to produce an effective workout. Certainly nothing wrong with that, as a general idea. However, Crossfit wants to use various training methods without obeying any of the principles behind these methods. This makes it not only ill-conceived, but even dangerous, especially with the choices it seems to make, over and over again. Crossfitters never deal with questions or even basic principles of exercise physiology. Let’s look at the Overload and SAID principles of adaptive response. In a given workout, which energy systems are you targeting and when and why within the workout? What are the recovery demands of employing this tactic – in the immediate, the residual, and the cumulative realms of its implementation? As I say in every one of my projects, 1) a collection of exercises does not equal a proper workout, and 2) a collection of workouts, does not equal a proper program design…

 Let me backtrack for a minute. Crossfit’s premier fundamental flaw is that it has no methodology behind it, only methods. These methods are flawed because they do not follow recognized principles. By comparison, Yoga is a methodology. Pilates, is a methodology. Jim Wendler’s 5,3,1 is a methodology (and a proper progressive program design). My Innervation Training and MET designs are methodologies. And even P90X, while a little shaky in terms of adhering to principles and methodology – P90X is still a properly designed program. Crossfit is not.

4 thoughts on “Crossfit Caution”

  1. I like to use both P90x workouts and Cross Fit. Look up the Angie workout. It is a great home workout you can do with minimal equipment. I enjoy your blog!

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