The Truth About CrossFit
by Chris Shugart
11/04/08

Is CrossFit a cult? Are its workouts insane? Did it develop the bodies of 300? Our reporter answers those questions, and many more, in this exclusive Testosterone Muscle investigation.

Great article Chris.

I do know this, is CF for me? No.

For me, I have been working out for about 15 years now, and I feel my progress has always excelled for one reason, NOT remaining singled minded in my workouts, I have always adapted and tried new workouts and exercises. I still use free weights, but I have also done sled dragging, tire flips, and many other things, I even still run 1-2 days a week.

Learning and trying new things is what I feel is the best workouts.

The star of the movie 300, Gerard Butler, is a good Scot and comes from a town near me. (He is also a lucky bastard who pulls amazing women!). So I have a lot of time for him.
Anyway, I digress, Butler spoke about his training programme for the making of this movie. He stated he trained five days a week and credited his own "bodybuilding coach" (name escapes me) rather than the staff brought in by the production company.

Butler also claimed he had tendonitis all over his body at this time, in conjunction with filming.
Finally, while taking nothing away from the awesome physique thse guys achieved, it was capped by some rather nice digital enhancement. Butler subsequently lost his King Leonidas looks pretty quickly aftyer the movie.

The quality of articles posted have gone up tremendously.

Outstanding, Chris!

I thought that this was a VERY thorough and objective article.

You were left with the feeling "This is CF; the decision is yours; will it work for you?

I think that if anyone is unsure about whether "CF" is right for them, this could stand as "the" definitive article.

Thanks!


P.S.

(DAMN, Chis; why couldn't you have written a similar article on the policies of Obama and McCain? We sure could have used it about...20 MONTHS AGO!!!!)


Mufasa

Thanks for this article, Chris. My krav maga studio has just opened a huge crossfit space & the guys I train with say its helped their conditioning enormously.

The one time I tried it the DOMS almost killed me & I had to skip a day of KM training (bad!). However, I can't ignore the results I'm seeing in others, so I'm going to try a session tonight.

We actually discussed this pretty in depth on the combat forum-

http://www.T-Nation.com/...ainst_crossfit_

Regarding jujitsu as a cult...

*brazilian accent*

Jiujitsu es no cult, jiujitsu es way of life, jiujitsu es best fight en world my fren! call jiujitsu cult es good way get clock choke fren.

obrigado!

I don't post a lot, but I lurk a lot. I'm a crossfit gym owner and I have to say, Chris, thanks for the balanced, informative article on crossfit.

Like you said, affiliates range in quality. I have members who have visited other facilities and said they don't compare to mine. I've also visited some that are good, but many are not so good. Glassman's idea is free market in every sense: the good afiliates will prosper, the bad will fade out.

I prefer to have as little input from HQ as possible, so I have freedom to train people the way I think, using crossfit means. I do this full time and I build a lot of programs based on Westside Barbell/DeFranco's stuff with a crossfit spin.

I also have trainees who I coach through programs like Rippetoe's Starting Strength. I have had some of my best results with people using a modified WSFSB template with mixed with crossfit METCONs. People coaching in crossfit are often people with no fitness background.

I have a 10+ year background in bodybuilding, powerlifting, Olympic Lifting, and sports conditioning. Those who don't have the knowledge base I have many times don't do enough homework to become a competent, knowledgeable coach, and probably shouldn't be coaching anyone.

As I see it, those are the types of people that think 'I kind of like working out, I think I'll open an affiliate.' But they don't end up being any good in the end.

Overall, excellent input and I couldn't agree more with most of your assessment. There is so much venom out there by people who don't really know anything about crossfit besides what is posted as the WOD. As is said so many times, crossfit isn't just the WOD.

People have to understand that it isn't about specializing in a couple of lifts, its about being pretty good at everything and fixing weaknesses, which produces a pretty good all around level of fitness unlike anything I have ever seen.

I'm a bjj/MMA competitor and I haven't found any GPP that prepares you as well as crossfit METCONs. The high rep Olympic lifts are something that some people don't like, but in my experience, it is because they just haven't tried them.

What happens is that you build a high level of both cardio and muscular conditioning. I have put hundreds of people through work outs using them and have never had an injury, but the results are unbelievable. What it comes down to is competent coaching and a watchful eye on the people being coached.

Glassman is a polarizing figure, I've met him and he was a hell of a nice guy, I don't think having politics on the main site is a good idea, and I have seen him lay the smack down on people. But still he is really smart when it comes to training and programming.

Like many coaches out there, you don't have to be able to perform to coach, so I don't hold his physical state against him. But at my gym to be a trainer, you have to know how to coach and you need to look the part, too.

As far as the certs go, they are way better than most. In them you are actually taught about physiology and taught how to teach the lifts like the squat, press, deadlift, clean, snatch, and clean and jerk along with bodyweight movements.

With the base knowledge an intelligent person who is experienced in those lifts can become quite a competent coach. I don't know of any certs that actually teach you how to coach movements. NSCA CSCS has turned into an abysmal joke and I would never do it again-which ends up costing just as much as a crossfit cert. Sure the test is really hard, but you don't learn anything about coaching someone.

Anyway, thanks again Chris, you have always seemed one of the most down to earth and knowledgable guys on T-Nation.

One question, Chris:

This is a problem I've noticed you've often had with the "V-Diet" (and MANY diets and programs for that matter); "bastardizing" or changing the original formulation and/or protocol and still wanting to call it the original.


Was the suggestion that many (some?) of the "CF" gyms were doing that; or was it JUST the Workout of the Day?



Mufasa

Great article!

My biggest question is this: Do they measure progress in those 10 areas of fitness in any way?

(I know the result might be specialization in those 10 tests, but it seems at least then you'd make sure you're actually improving.)

Very good article, evenhanded look at the phenomenon. Would be nice to see a later article about the dangers to joints from these kinds of workouts and motion patterns, how big a deal is it?

i thought we got to hear about Shugs training? that would be interesting haha

They have themselves a nice marketing racket going on there. $2000 (just to start) for a trainer to become certified in something most already know how to do which is come up with a bunch of random exercises and call it a workout. It seems like if I come up with a random workout that involves different energy systems CrossFit will try to sue me for copyright infringement.

What is a METCON?

(A search mostly reveals sites on metal research!)



Mufasa

I'd say this article will generate nothing of the arguments seen on Poliquin's article this month.

They are all still worn out from it :)

Found it:

METCON= "Metabolic Conditioning"



One glaring omission, Chris:

Is there a certain "diet" or nutrition program advocated by "CrossFit"?



Mufasa

god i fucking hate crossfit....

I used to laugh at the guys and girls doing yoga and "cardio", and now they have less hip, knee and shoulder carnage than I've experienced. Who won?

I have to agree with Shug, with 65% of us obese, the most important thing is to get out and move. The more choices people have as to the different ways to organize their "moving", I'd hope more people find a way to excercise that speaks to them personally.

Train harder
Old Lardass

Shugs, well-done. Your observations about Glassman are spot on. The man is an egomaniac who seems to want to create conflict. I once made the "mistake" of posting a criticism of the Olympic technique that was featured in the obligatory video clip that accompanies the WOD and Glassman just went on the offensive.

I'll do a CF workout now and then because they are very good for conditioning and alleviating boredom, but there's really nothing magic about them. I enjoy doing the combos of lift something then go run 400 meters. It makes the treadmill less boring. Other than that, I've found that a well-designed barbell complex or one of CT's metabolic pairings provide the same benefits as a CF workout.

Thanks, guys!

I think that "The Zone" gets bastardized from Dr. Sears original diet even more than the "V" diet.


Somehow I doubt that its being followed very strictly.


Mufasa

What kind of powerlifter can't even do a single pullup? :-/

i d say the creator of crossfit spent very very very little time on the zone diet.
he prob has about as much understanding of low carb as he does exercise bio mechanics, the art of programme design, and the inner most complicated workings of the human body!

A very comprehensive article. Nice job Chris, really!