Hellllllllllllllllllllllllloooooooooooo!
Over the past week I have repeatedly been asked what I thought of this article. First off I was torn up about even reading anything posted on T-Nation, but when someone as credible as Dr. Stuart McGill is speaking, it is probably worth my time. I had the pleasure of seeing him speak this past winter in Saskatoon, he was asked many questions about CrossFit, the answers in this article are similar to those I heard back in January. I will post my thoughts on it, I don’t think they are that controversial but people have argued with me over less. If you want to chat more I would love to, that is how we learn, healthy debate/conversation. But maybe not this week, it is my wedding social and my response might be something like ‘I’m right, you’re wrong, hey want to buy a ticket?”
Lets just get this out of the way, yes CrossFit THE SPORT, is dangerous. Competing in the CrossFit games DOES NOT make you healthier. Just like playing Football is dangerous, a NFL running back is not healthier at the end of the game. Competition beats you down, pushes you PAST your limits. That is what makes sports so fascinating. Running backs do not slam into line-men all off-season, as CrossFit competitors do not do snatch ladders and 20:00 chippers all winter long. I can prepare someone for Fran (strictly talking energy system here) by doing intervals on the bike/run/sled, and you can pair it up (make it awful) as a wall ball & calorie bike combo etc. Working in the specific time domain, the use of appropriate exercises, intensities, and rest intervals can allow for better selection of energy systems during training, which should act as a more efficient and productive way to prepare an athlete for various metabolic demands. I’m not going to get deep into that, obviously you would need to gradually work on kipping pull up volume blah blah crossfit blah. My point is, you don’t have to do Fran twice a week to get better at it. I would argue that you would likely get worse. You can get better at your sport, by training FOR your sport, as opposed to constantly competing IN your sport.
In the interview McGill states that not everyone should Olympic lift and high rep lifting is dangerous… and I agree. You should all know by now that we don’t believe Olympic lifting is for everyone, and I’m completely confident I can get you into great shape without ever having you do one snatch. That is all I’m really going to say about that, as it seems pretty obvious. This quote sticks out to me.
“A great coach assesses their athletes for injury history, body type, current athleticisms, and training goals, then creates a program while training best technique. A poor coach beats a client up and makes them sore.”
My favourite part of the article is actually something I chatted about with him, the section on what he would do with the sport. His view point is all about athletic longevity, and true tests of fitness. Unfortunately CrossFit HQ is more about the ‘wow factor’ and gimmicks. Hell, they have 7 events in Regionals this year, NOT ONE tests running. Sure they run 1 mile, but then they do a bunch of circus acts and the run becomes meaningless. And you want to call that a test of fitness? The entire weekend is about how long your shoulders will hold up, and how much flexion your spine can take. Do you think many of these competitors (With the exception of Rich) will be able to keep this up for a sustained career? All of a sudden the average career of a NFL running back (3-5yrs) looks pretty good.
“The laws of human motion with injury resiliency begin first with proximal stiffness enhances distal athleticism, and secondly, generate power at hips, not the spine.”
SCIENCE!!
CrossFit, the ideology, has done wonders for the world of fitness. It has brought so many people to the gym, and has revived the sport of weightlifting. Those numbers are undeniable. I love the ideology, the community, just the feeling of it all. CrossFit, the sport, has a LOT of growing up to do. Make no mistake, the sport is here to stay, but if CrossFit HQ doesn’t get it together someone else will come in and replace them. There is too much money in the business now, it is bound to attract some bigger fish who see an opportunity.
That ended up being longer than I wanted it to be. What I am trying to say is that if you are active you run the risk of getting hurt, biking/soccer/weightlifting/hockey/dance… they all carry the chance of injury. If you are inactive, well you know those risks. The goal of a GOOD program is to prepare you for your sport (or general health) by using exercises that provide the right stimuli and the lowest chance of injury. If you begin to specialize and want to be the best at what you do, your likelihood of injury increases. To be the best you MUST accept that risk.
Okay that is done. The program this week is Fran everyday for everyone. Foundation wraps up week 4/4. Building can see the end with week 3/4.
Monday:
Everyone – Shovel Your Driveway.
Tuesday:
Foundation – BSQ & Pull Up + Lunge & DB Row + Running
Building – BSQ 3RM & Press + Ring Rows & Running
Wednesday:
Foundation – DB Bench & Deadlift + Push Up & Bike
Building – Jumping + Snatch Complex + Chin Ups & Jumps & Arm Only Bike Ride
Thursday:
Foundation – Low Impact Day (Hollow Rock/Sled/Hip Ext/Tuck Up/Bike/Plank)
Building – Bench 1RM!! + BB Lunge + Wall Walk & KBS & Row
Friday:
Foundation – BB Lunge & Chins + Dips/Push Ups & SLRDL + Tabata
Building – Clean 1RM + Shuttles & DB Thrusters + Snatch & Jumps + Running
Saturday:
Everyone – Aerobic Intervals (Row/KBS/Skip/Bike/Burpee/Plank)