CrossFit and Common Sense?
Posted by The Desk Warrior on Jul 26, 2011 | 19 comments
Words in RED are links. Click and read.
First things first, I’m not Old School CrossFit. I’m talking the real old school CrossFitters like Brian MacKenzie, Josh Evertt, Chris Spealler, Freddy Camacho, Mike Minium, Skip Chase, Lisbeth Darsh, etc… Yeah I left off a bunch of cool people, these guys just jumped off the top of my mind. I consider myself a second year kinda guy. I always check out these guy’s websites and blogs, seeking to dig out some kernels of gold or pearls of wisdom.
I didn’t start CrossFit when it was truly underground, but I did help build CrossFit Costa Mesa from my lowly garage to the 9,000 square foot gym we are expanding into, when it was the only CrossFit gym in my city and there was only one other CrossFit gym nearby. And I did get dirt in my lungs for cheering on the valiant heroes of CrossFit at the ranch in Aromas back in the day as well when the Games were there.
Like I said, I consider myself a Second Year CrossFitter and now as I sit back and watch one of the greatest passions in my life, CrossFit, launch into the stratosphere with the explosion that will be this year’s Reebok CrossFit Games, I both smile and cringe with thoughts of the future. I smile as more and more people are transformed by the community that is CrossFit and at the thought of more people taking ownership of their health and bodies. That’s why I started my affiliate and that’s why I do everything I can to make it the best place around.
But I also cringe. I cringe at the articles that come spewing out from the naysayers or the “haters” as we may as well call them. But I also cringe at the “CrossFitters” who are perpetrating the actions that justify the hate. That’s why I am writing this today, you see, as Second Year CrossFitters I’ve learned a few things.A while ago I wrote about “Diluting the Brand” a CrossFit dilemma we will always face with this growing and expanding entity. I mentioned how Greg Glassman’s view was dead on, how excellence and virtuosity based in a free market will cause the strong to survive and the weak to get better or leave the business. I’m seeing that happen on a daily basis.Well now I feel called to talk a little bit about CrossFit and common sense. I find it laughable this even needs to be addressed in regards to CrossFit, but hey, sometimes even I get surprised by other human’s actions.Let me share with you some examples I’ve recently come across in my normal day to day life.
July 19th’s Main site WOD “Manion”
Seven rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
135 pound Back squat, 29 reps
This is a brutal WOD. I’ve done 30 bodyweight Back Squats at 180# for time after a WOD one day and couldn’t walk right for a week. Not that I’m some elite CrossFitter by any means, but I knew exactly what 203 back squats at 135# would have done to me.
So many people got pissed about this workout. The forums exploded with haters. Mainly because the day before had 30 overhead squats at 135#, two days before that we had Barbara (250 air squats), and the day before that was Front Squat 1-10-1-20-1-30 reps. So many squats everyone complained. People blamed the programming, blamed CrossFit staff, and cried to anyone who would listen.
Here’s the common sense part. If your legs are blasted so much that you realize this will push you over the edge, or Heaven forbid, could cause you to get injured, listen carefully now…scale the workout or simply don’t do it. How many times does Glassman have to say that main site workouts are just one aspect of CrossFit? If you don’t like it, don’t do it. That’s the common sense.
The Kipping Pull Up
Here’s another story. I listened to a new potential client at my gym talk about how CrossFit is dangerous and he is worried he is going to get hurt. He has friends, he says, who have shoulder and elbow injuries from doing too many kipping pull ups at another CrossFit gym. I smiled and nodded and talked about what we do that may be different, but inside I am thinking, “Is this guy’s friends total morons?”
I cringe all the time when I see hand tears, shoulder injuries, or elbow tendon issues. Where does CrossFit ask you to get hurt to achieve Elite Fitness for yourself? How does having ripped calluses help you get more fit when you can’t grab a barbell for days at a time?
Do injuries happen? Sometimes. Do calluses rip? Sometimes.
Should these things happen? Absolutely not. If you have to recover from an injury, be it from doing too many kipping pull ups or pulling too heavy on a dead lift and tweaking your back, then you are hurting your fitness. You now have to take time off from getting fit to heal and recover. For the sake of your own health, use some common sense. Listen to your body. Talk to your coaches. If they are competent and actually care about you achieving elite fitness they will do everything they can to keep you healthly and uninjured.
Speaking of ripped hands, are they not a rite of passage into CrossFit? Do I celebrate the first small tear on the hand of a female client who has finally got her first pull ups and completed her first WOD as prescribed? You’re damn right I do! Of course, right after that I start reminding her about the hand care we preached about in our On Boarding Program and how she needs to care for her calluses and hands at all times. I remind her how getting injured will not help her fitness, but I’m damn proud of her at the same time.
Look, this is my final comment about CrossFit and Common Sense.
You have a brain. Use it and make good decisions. If your CrossFit affiliate only programs MetCon WOD’s that last 45 minutes, run the hell away. If you notice fatigue or wear and tear on some part of your body, let it recover and take care of it. If your trainer is trying to push you in a way where you are going to get injured, talk with them about it or get the hell out of there. If you can’t do the main site WOD that day as prescribed, life will be OK.
In your pursuit of your own Elite Fitness remember it’s just that. It’s your own. Take accountability for it and for how you are achieving it and your world will be a much brighter, healthier, and fitter place.
See you in the gym.
I agree with all of your points, but unfortunately your commons sense doesn’t run deep in the X-Fit Community. Its like when I was a trainer for Bally’s. I had a lot of integrity but unfortunately the corporation and poor quality of those around me eventually had me running for the door. I have talked to numerous affiliates that tell me they focus on form an technique and program effectively yet their members come to me for corrective exercise. The brand really doesn’t stand for quality though i believe there are quality people in the community
Thanks Danny and I understand your comments completely.
Good stuff. I think one of the challenges many face as Crossfitters is their performance compared to others. I want to keep up with people who’ve been doing this longer than me. However, I know I have to get a lot more fit before I can compete against them.
I think the bottom line is people need to be doing Crossfit for themselves. Long term, the only reason to keep going is to get better, and that is all internal. Comparing yourself too much to others’ performance leads to stupid stuff and burnout.
Thanks for posting this.
Thanks Jake. As much as we always say that the competition is only really against myself, when people see someone pass them in a WOD, ego can make us do pretty stupid stuff sometimes.
Great article, I am glad I am not the only one out there that sees this as a huge issue.
Thanks Anthony!
One of the biggest reasons I followed my trainers, Jen & Tim Grabham, to their new box (West End Crossfit) was their fanatic attention to proper movement and reinforcing the “leave your ego at the door” mentality. There is a fine line between pushing yourself & forcing yourself to conform to a “prescribed” WOD. That’s why I loved the interview with Chris Spealler – he said don’t compare yourself to other athletes, work hard to be the best you can be. Compete to win, but if you don’t, be comfortable in the fact that you gave 100% of your ability.
Great comment Beckie!
I believe there’s an aspect of CrossFit that makes it so appealing, and also a huge contributor to these ridiculous injuries. When I say “ridiculous” I certainly don’t want to demean those that have injured themselves – I was out a week with a hammy pull for pushing too hard when I knew it was strained. But I digress…
What I’m referring to is the dreaded White Board (WB). The WB is the thing that drives many of us to perform at our peak and push past the pain. “If Rick did Fran in 4:30 by God, I’m beating that. Forget that my squat sucks and I can’t hardly get the weight overhead, I’m going for it – RX or bust!” Next thing you know, you’re face down on the mat sucking chalk into your lungs while your back’s completely locked up.
Dramatic? Yes. Unfortunately, I think it’s far more common than we’d all like. My trainer asks us to not look at the board before the workout. Simply go in, be as intense as possible, and forget the times. If you push yourself hard, listen to your body, and give it everything you have, the times will be there. “Put the horse before the carriage” my Dad would say. The other way around won’t take you anywhere.
Great post Alec!….. Luckily I ended up at CFCM… Great coaches make all the difference
We’re also lucky to have you Nathan!
Thanks Alec. Great post
This is a great article. I am a prior infantryman in the Army and I am used to pushing myself past the limit of what the human body should and could do. This has left me in some precarious spots since I started crossfit. My fortune is that the trainer at my box is an amazing guy and will inform me when my ego has swollen and will adjust my work load appropriately. I am blessed because his hounding on ego, style, and constant reminder of how small my ego should be sometimes has saved me from some brutal injuries I’m sure.
Thank you for this – I have always considered myself good at judging when to modify a prescribed weight on a lift, or knowing when my form is crap and its time to quit or drop the weight. But until I read your article I had never thought of stopping or moding because of tears. Now that you say it though it makes so much sense, I use my hands just as much as my back in CF and in life, and I am very aware of how my back is doing before/during/after a wod, why not my hands? Thanks!
Thanks Sariah for the comment! Appreciate the thoughts!
This is an excellent and important post- Especially for older athletes for whom success is both a habit (ergo, we push ourselves to the limit) AND are slower to recover. I beg you, however, in the name of a Crossfit culture that is inclusive and respectful of all who work hard regardless of natural talent or ability, to rethink your use of the word “retarded” in this context. As the mom of a beautiful 3 year old son with special needs, this is very hurtful to me and to my son who is already showing some healthy curiosity about training and fitness. Thanks.
Hollis,
I definitely hear you and understand. I just spent 20 minutes reading my post three times and finally realized you are talking about the picture I posted off the Internet.
I never meant to offend and I see your point.
I whole-heartedly agree with your viewpoint, and I hope to run my own facility with the same common sense approach. I plan to open my own box in about a year, and in a high-profile area like Austin, TX, I know I’ll need to market myself VERY well to reach the masses and make a name for myself. I think this attitude is definitely the way to go, and I hope many other owners/operators take heed and change as necessary.
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