Friday, February 10th, 2012
A Weekend Ramble.
Believe it or not, there are those even in the CrossFit community that love a good bandwagon. I'm not talking about those that are constantly trying to improve their knowledge, or technique, or programming. That should be commended. I'm talking about the folks who feel like they always have to be on the cutting edge of the latest fad, no matter what it is. Believe it or not, one of the latest "cool" things to do for many CrossFitters is to dis CrossFit. Crazy, huh? Now this might not be something you've heard yet, but you probably will. As an affiliate owner, I have contact with a lot of other CrossFitters with more involvement than just hitting the box, working out, and going home. These folks seem to forget what a life-changing experience CrossFit was for them, just as it was for many thousands of people world-wide. They forget that, if they're honest, they would never have had the first clue about Olympic weightlifting if it wasn't for their introduction to CrossFit. They also forget that 95% of all CrossFitters don't set out to be the "Fittest on Earth", just the fittest they can be and capable of trying anything they want to try. At TCF, we know that people want to use their fitness outside the gym. Just doing what you're able to do only IN the gym is, well, where's the fun in that? Funny thing is, most of the folks I see putting down CF on their websites or on Facebook, usually turn around in short order and explain that they are using CrossFit to train their clients. Huh?
The latest thing is that CrossFitters aren't athletes, just exercisers. Hmmm. Dictionary.com defines ATHLETE as a noun meaning "a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill." I'm trying to figure out what part of that definition our ATHLETES don't fit into. We have older folks that participate in exercise and have more physical agility, stamina, or strength than they have ever had. We have young people that do participate in games or contests that are in the same boat. Heck, every day at our box (they seem to bristle a little when we use that word) is a game or contest to some. Now we aren't playing in the NBA or NFL, but if that's the criteria for an athlete, then ONLY those people are athletes, not high school football players, not tri-athletes in a weekend race, not gymnasts at a state meet. Nobody's saying (at least not me) that the CrossFit pill is all you need, no matter what your sport. If you want to dominate the world in weightlifting, then you need to specialize in weightlifting. Want to win the Iron Man? Then you need to run, bike, and swim. I do believe adding in some CrossFit to training for any sport can enhance it, but technique for specialized endeavors is a must, and the only way to get better technique is to practice it.
One last comment. For people that disdain CF so much, they seem to spend an inordinate amount of time obsessing over, and posting videos, aricles, and pictures about the subject. What a waste of their time. I'm not fond of Smurfs. Just sayin'. I refuse to spend any of my precious time researching all things Smurf just to find a few shreds of evidence to prove my lack of affection. I've got way better things to do. Like making my athletes better.
Workout of the Day
Snatch Balance 2,2,2,2
Snatch-grip Deadlift 3,3,3,3
then....
21, 15, and 9 of the following for time IN THIS ORDER:
Kettlebell Snatch- right (55, 35)
Toes to Bar
Kettlebell Snatch - Left
Back Extensions
The snatch balance and snatch grip deadlift should be aggressive, but not so heavy that form deteriorates. On the deadlifts especially, the hips should rise with the shoulders evenly. Work up to heavy, not a max, on both those lifts. Post final loads and time to comments.
Kat gettin' her jump on.
QUOTE: "I take a vitamin every day. It's called a steak." - Leo Benvenuti
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