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Old Forum American Swing???

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I really feel that we need a more intelligent position on what's good/bad about CrossFit. There are plenty of dumb things to pick on, and they're fair game. Insisting that it's all crap doesn't sit right with me though.

I will consider and in due time start a thread on such ...
 
My biggest issue with what I see throughout Crossfit is this: taking highly technical movements and alternating them with large gross movement patterns is dumb. No one can convince me that even a well trained athlete will be able to do Olympic movements with the same good form after plyo jumps and/or burpees unless the weights used are very small. And unfortunately, many of the participants and trainers themselves don't have the requisite experience to perform or teach the Olympic movements well. Add poor instruction to a herd mentality and you have a recipe for injury. But as was pointed out with Mike Boyle's article, there's a silver lining to all of that.
 
I was invited to a cross fit workshop one day and I went only to watch. I saw 22 people who had never snatched weight before go from a piece of PVC pipe to near or max attempts at a full barbell snatch in one hour. It was horrifying. Missed reps in close quarters almost taking people out, I had to leave!  On the other hand I know a couple of cross fitters who are extremely dedicated to safety and  progression when it comes to training. I have seen many people  using Kettlebells in such a way as to make you cringe. For the unaware I worry that they may be abused or taken advantage of but for anyone who is serious about learning how to train properly it is up to them to navigate the fitness waters safely through research and due diligence. Pavel says that performance and safety should not be at odds.  I did crossfit for a year and then found the RKC and there was no looking back. I don't tell anyone not to do crossfit, but I tell everyone they should read, PTP, Enter The Kettlebell and Easy Strength! I think that any thinking person looking to acquire true strength and fitness will come our way eventually!
 
The principles behind CrossFit aren't bad. Also, back in the day (2005-2008), CF was a great program... Strength one day, run the next, and then. Short intence metcon.

 

If DONE SAFELY, and INTELLIGENTLY... CF can be a very productive tool. (In my opinion).

i just think that safety is sacrificed for a faster time... Form goes out the window, proper mechanics die.... All in the name of a few seconds.

Rob... You are right. CF isn't all bad... It's the trainers and clients that make it have a bad rap
 
Some of my best friends are crossfitters...

Jaskot, your point about complexes is well taken.  That's something I'm trying to resolve in my own thinking.  Honestly, I don't like MetCons or complexes.  Density is my least favorite method of progressing strength.  The weights are heavy enough already without being gassed.  I like only focusing on one thing at a time.  Sort of like you wouldn't superset American presses with Irish squats.

I've pretty well concluded that my approach is to strength train, then, as long as I'm warmed up, finish up with intervals -- swings, treadmill, sled, whatever.  I'm just confirming for myself what's already in ETK.

Now, slow circuits are OK, mixing cardio modalities is OK, but gassed lifting, not so much.  Swings are hard to categorize but that's just mental mastication.

Irish squats -- irradiation or contrast breathing?
 
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