A CrossFitter on CrossFit

QUIET! Quiet down now. You've heard some love, you've heard some hate. Today I have guest blogger Rob Burke. He's a man who literally owes his life to his training. After being a varsity baseball player at SUNY Oswego, he continued to work out in the Army which literally helped him to build muskulls to literally stop Al Qaeda bullets, literally. Rob, you have the floor.

Rob at CrossFit Queens in September 2011

I have been doing CrossFit for a few years now. For the last a year I have been goingto an official CrossFit Affiliate or "Box" as we call it. Like anyfitness nut I was drawn to CrossFit, enjoyed it, pursued a Level 1 Certificationand adapted it into my fitness program. I would like to make it clear off the bat; Iam in no way, shape or form an expert or a guru in the CrossFit discipline. Ilike to compare my CrossFit passion to that of my Fly Fishing abilities; I amfirst a student always, I thirst for knowledge and chose to lead others indeveloping their answers to the question of "Why do we decide toCrossFit?” It is a passion for ultimate fitness.

I encourage everyone to research their options before they form their opinions. How can we decide if we like something without trying it in a multitude of ways? (Editor: Sorry Burke, had to link it) Get out there and experiment.

If you search for the broad definition of "What is CrossFit?"you will find that it is defined as- "Constantly Varied, High-intensity,functional movement". Wikipedia defines Functional Movement as:"movements based on real-world situational biomechanics. They usuallyinvolve multi-planar, multi-joint movements which place demand on the body'score musculature and innervation." What do you consider functionalmovements? Picking up a bag of dog food from the ground (Deadlift). Putting abox in a shelf over your head (Shoulder Press). Sitting in a chair and standingup (Squat). These three motions (Squat, Press, and Deadlift) are the buildingblock movements for a majority of your remaining CrossFit Movements. Fail atthese and you will fail at basic life functions. CrossFit prevents this. This is why it is so popular with military,public servants (police, firefighters, EMTs) and professional athletes. Now that I gotthis out of the way, "Further research you must" (say it in your best Yodavoice, I am not as good at clips as James). I would like to address the hate of "The Dark Side of CrossFit".

Reason 1: Newbies will hurt themselves.

Like anything new you do; you have to properly prepareyourself. By posting this reason are you telling me that the TV showthe Biggest Loser should be cancelled because the participants can hurtthemselves? Or that I should not try snowboarding because I might get hurt?Most CrossFit Affiliates have "Foundation" classes to learn how to properly perform each taskbefore they thrust themselves into a WOD or Workout Of the Day. CrossFitCoaches require that new members meet first with them to help the coachunderstand their level of fitness and limitations. That’s the glory of CrossFitthat it can be scaled for everyone. For example: Can't do a squat with weight? Okay do an air squat. Can't do an air squat? Okay sit on this bench and stand backup. Same goes for pull-ups, Olympic lifts and cardio. Can’t run? Try the rowing machine. Don't let your limitations keep you from wanting to succeed.

Reason 2: Newbies will hurt themselves; mentally.

Yes, CrossFit can make you feel like you are weak. It canbeat you down, but where else can you go but up? Why do people go back the gym,spin class, palates, running clinics or on Jenny Craig? Because they look atthemselves in the merrier one day and say, "What the fudge happened to me?" (Editor: not the author's original word choice. 'Fudge' that is.) What are the #1 or #2 New Years resolutions every year? Get fit,that’s right. If you get out of bed the next day and can barely move thenyou over-worked. CrossFit trainers are very cautious of this because we learnabout Rhabdomyolysis which is a serious syndrome due to a direct or indirectmuscle injury. Most people come into a CrossFit gym and think thatbecause they exercise already that they do not need to scale. Look at theworkout and what you think you can do and cut it at least in half. I don’t knowabout you but I am not going to go onto a golf course and pay for 18holes whenI have been only shooting 9 every few months. It is your own body. In the endrun you need to know your limitations, work on them gradually and don't beafraid of humility. We have all been there; using bands to assist a pull-up. Who cares anyways? CrossFitters are just glad to see that you came totry and you'll be glad you did.

Reason 3: You'll be a jack of all trades and a master ofnone.

CrossFit is not a specialized fitness program. It wants tooptimize physical competence in 10 fitness domains. They are Cardio andRespiratory Endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed,Coordination, Agility, Balance and Accuracy. If you want to run marathons thenyou need to run, you want to be in a triathlon then bike, run, and swim, youwant to be a Sumo wrestler then do whatever a sumo wrestler does. These“Fringe” athletes, and their particular training is so specialized that it doesnot allow maximum competency in all 10 physical challenges. Many ProfessionalAthletes implement CrossFit into their training programs. The overall goal isto be healthy right? Does the average person run 26.2 miles frequently? Notthinking so but they do conduct functional movement everyday. 2011 CrossFitMen's Champion, Rich Froning does not just practice CrossFit workouts. Hisworkouts are comprised of bench presses, dumbbell raises, bicep curls andend with a WOD. It's only a part of his athletic trainingprogram. For most individuals a WOD is a workout program in itself. They do notneed to be in a gym for 2 hours when they get the same muscle reaction by aCrossFit WOD in less than an hour.

Reason 4: It's too short.

Yes, most WOD's are only 8-12 mins long and when you are doneyou want to puke, lay there and talk about how smoked you are. Most CrossFitAffiliate Boxes run ~1 hour workouts; 10min warm-up, 15 minStrength/Skill training, WOD and stretching to wrap it up. I suggest you locatea CrossFit Affiliate around you andcheck out their programming. Shop around; you may not like that location, thecommunity atmosphere, or the coach. It’s like shopping, most of us try to look atdifferent stores to see if it is better priced somewhere else, or the shoe maynot fit in one style but better in another.

Rant: The CrossFit Games are like any sporting event. If youdon't like watching football don't watch football, you don't like golf thenturn the channel.

Remember and quote me, “CrossFit is programmed for everyonebut not FOR everyone. Running a marathon in Athens is not for me but hey I gotmad love for those people that do”. I hope this provides a little bit moreinsight to the world of CrossFit.

Analogue:

 James posted his WODin “CrossFit Do It”:

3 Sets for time:

Deadlift @ 135lbs x 10; Kettle bell (KB) Jumping Jacks @25lbs x 15, KB Ground to chin upright row x 25lbs x 20.1 min rest, 1 min rowsprint (got 299m)

I did the same workout with James. It took me longer tofinish (less than 2 min) with 225lbs on the Deadlift, a 62lb KB and I rowedover 310 meters. Next day I was not as sore as James stated but that was onlybecause I was more experienced in the movements and used better form. I stillwas smoked in the end but that did not stop me from giving instruction to himon proper lifting techniques. See where I am going with this. Don’t let oneCrossFit experience lead you to a quick opinion, give it some time and then letme know.

*James you are a wordsmith and a poet of thought. You helpedme be vocal about my passion in CrossFit and fitness. For that I am grateful.

-Written By CrossFitter Rob Burke, friend of Long Sox Training Blog writer James Megliola.