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Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 8:21AM I know I'm going to receive a verbal ass whoppin for this, but I gotta be me.
Eccentric because I do CF? Not sure. The best path to fitness? Also not sure. Crossfit provides a definition of fitness to which CF is tailored. Then the CF community says that CF is the best way to fitness. Hmm.. sounds like loading the dice to me.
The thing today's question makes me think of most is how the wonderful community of crossfit needs to mature. (In the words of BB: have some humble pie.)
If someone walks up to me and point blank tells me that their way of doing something is better, I want to punch them in the mouth. I try to remember that whenever I talk about CF. It doesn't matter whether CF IS the best or not. I have already turned off the person I want to talk to beginning a discussion like that.
Now go a step further and look at a whole community of people claiming that what they do creates the fittest people in the world? They even crown their champion fittest man and woman in the world. Eccentric isn't the word I would use to describe it. I'll let you choose the word.
Anyway, I'm not about bashing CF here (really). I like CF, love the people, and pay a crap load of money to do it. But when I think eccentric, I think Stephen Hawking. When I think CF... I think of a community that could use some PR help because half the time they put off people that WOULD otherwise do CF except for the perception of what it is.
Rant over...
--Austin
Yesterday, I posted a quote by Bertrand Russell regarding being eccentric. I then asked members if they were considered eccentric by their friends and family for participating in CrossFit. Austin's reply is posted above. In his post he makes a number of points. Some very good and I agree with. Others I disagree with.
Let me start by saying I should have also asked another question after asking if friends consider you to be eccentric. "Or, do you think CrossFit draws the already eccentric because it is so different than what most gyms offer as fitness?" I have been involved in CrossFit now since 2004. I have seen and met a large number of people both here and abroad that use CrossFit as their fitness program. I think a large majority of them are extremely eccentric. So I would argue that sometimes, not always, we as CrossFitters are bit off and that's ok by me.
In the first paragraph there is a question as to whether CrossFit is the best path to fitness. Austin isn't sure and he goes on to argue that CrossFit tailors the definition of fitness to suit itself and "loads the dice". I argue that this is too simple of a statement because no other organization has defined fitness in any measurable way. I have seen members of CFB and other CF Affiliates significantly achieve across broad measures of fitness. For example, women, deadlifting 2x+ their bodyweight, then running very respectable marathon's crushing previous best times while training almost exclusively here at CFB. Men performing pull-ups in the 40's and 50's when they never were able to do so before. These are all measurable and have been duplicated by many. The changes in people's lives outside the gym are just as dramatic. I have seen diseases reversed, medications eliminated, body fat lossed that was considered impossible to lose. Could the same results happen in a different fitness program? Sure, but I haven't seen it though as regularly as I have with CrossFit. So, until someone can prove to me that there is a better path to fitness, I believe that CrossFit is the one.
I can completely agree that there are many in the CF community that could benefit from dialing down the ego. This is more of a new trend. I can recall when I first met Greg Glassman, Eva Twardokens, Tony Budding, Dan John, Jeff Martone, Coach B., etc back in 2004 my first impression was of how damn nice they all were! I left my first weekend refreshed because I was in a community that openly shared information and respected each others opinion. That is what I first loved about CrossFit. It has been my experience that those in the community with the greatest egos are also the same ones that achieve the least. 'Nuff said.
Austin, in regards to whether the distinction of "Fittest people in the world" can be given to the top male and female finisher at the CrossFit Games. I have to ask again has there been a better method of staking such claims? Is the top finisher of the IronMan more worthy? What would a competition look like if you were the organizer? Again, at least CrossFit has attempted to truly define fitness and create an open invitation to anyone in the world to compete. I don't doubt that CrossFit as a Sport will continue to develop. The growth of participants is astounding. The talent pool is larger and more competitive and very impressive to watch.
My experience this year at the Games was that the human body can do some crazy things and those that participated the entire two days have a tremendous ability to endure. That level of Crossfit is only 1% of those that use the program for their fitness. What about the other 99% that we see everyday. The beauty of CrossFit is what it has done for them. Focus on that part of CrossFit and you can never go wrong. Thoughts?
Thanks for ranting Austin!
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Warm-up:
Foam Roll
-Lats
-Thoracic
-Glutes
-Quads
-Calves
Mobility
-Over/Under
-Lunge twist
-Greatest Stretch
-Inchworm
-Moon the sky
Strength/Skill:
-Handstand push-up progressions
MetCon: "Chelsea"
With a continuosly running clock complete each minute on the minute
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 squats
How many rounds can you complete without falling off pace? If you do fall off pace work every other minute on the minute to build in the rest and keep your intensity level higher. Post to comments.
Reader Comments (9)
yeah, i mean, there are loudmouths and blowhards in every arena. not sure they're any more endemic to CF than they are to any other field of athletic endeavor. i've heard just as much inflexible thinking coming from the other side of the specialization vs. GPP aisle as i have out of some of the more ridiculous kool-aid drinkers out there. goes both ways.
lucky for us we've got one of the really, really good ones here at CFB. no ego. i could go on and on but it's too nice out and i want to go run some sprints and throw heavy things around.
hi there...im gino...a trainer from crossfit providence and here just one tidbit
the way the title of fittest man or woman is also extended from coach's saying:
"We do your stuff nearly as well as you do, you can't do ours very well at all, and we do everything that we both don't do much better than you can. Not very humble, I know, but true."
not humble at all, he or she who is better at more things should win and crossfit seems to fit the bill to improve more things than anything else ive come across.
i agree with both men in the post in the fact that the "we are better than you are because we do CF" needs to be toned way down. i use to be like that and learned quickly the bitter taste you leave in people's mouth...not necessary
one last thing...crossfit does what it does because it appears to be working quite well. im sure at least one person out there has seen the videos where crossfit is called a "fitness whore", if there is something out there that is better than what is being done now, crossfit would pick it up...even if it were rollerblade hulahooping!
Traditionally the title of "World's Fittest" went to the Olympic Decathlon winner. They won the title because they could sprint, jump far, jump high, throw things far and with accuracy, and jump over things while running fast, competing in 10 events over 2 days. This sounds pretty similar to Crossfit; doing lots of different athletic things well, basically being the best well rounded athlete. However I'd say the CF games prove an overall fitter person vs. the decathlon because there is a strength component, the time domains are broader, and the events can be pretty much anything, as evidenced by the Games this year.
I'd be interested in seeing an actual professional athlete try their hand at the CF Games, someone like an NFL tight end who is incredibly fast, strong, and can do the olympic lifts well. I know Josh Welbourne was at the Games 2 years ago. He didn't place near the top because he was just too slow for the running and bodyweight events. He crushed the heavy lifting though. Shannon Sharpe in his prime probably would've ripped up the Games. That guy is an animal.
Something I've always felt left out of Crossfit is swimming abilities. I know it is much harder for people to have access to swimming facilites, but I feel like it is a relatively fundamental movement that people should master along with the other fundamental movements we practice like running, lifting heavy things, body weight movements, etc. I know personally it is one of my athletic weaknesses, I can't swim for shit. Any other thoughts on swimming?
Run tomorrow; eccentrics only.
Houghton's pond, blue hills
9.00 am
rain or shine
no whiners
if you need directions:617.312.1088
Nigel, I hope you're feeling better. I'll be there, but at 7:30 AM. I may see you on the hill (me on the way down, you on the way up).
swimming is burly. love to be able to add it in... facilities are the obvs limiting factor. and arguably, while an essential skill - we realistically have less demand to excel in the water.
fun fact about gunzelle: former synchronized swimmer. 8 years.
im not kidding.
once youre done laughing... it was surprisngly like CF... 3-5 minutes with little to no oxygen.
swimmer with the bathing cap on: identify yourself!
i can't swim well either, alec. but i think a fantastic cf-type wod would be several rds of 100m swims and beach sprints. tres primal.
"...how the wonderful community of crossfit needs to mature."
Maybe Austin could give a Crossfit weekend seminar on "How to be Mature".
Sign me up!
Didn't check in.. I'll do some thinking and get back to y'all Monday.