You rarely encounter people who are “on the fence” about CrossFit. They hate it or they love it. Any time there is such a strong polarity in opinion, you can bet there is a story to tell.
A Note on Haters
First, you should be suspect of anyone who is so negative about any subject.
I’m not terribly hard on people who go out and smoke all sorts of crack and other things that cause themselves harm. I absolutely condemn the behavior as I do all destructive behavior.
But when people start condemn CrossFit to a much higher degree than they do any actual crimes in this world, it is time to get interested.
It is that illogical behavior that should catch your attention.
A Note on Fanatics
Fanatics can be genuine. They can also be brainwashed.
But, the likelihood of CrossFit being an awesome exercise program and an effective brainwashing organization is pretty low.
And if they are both, they are even that much better.
Hear what he has to say to his followers:
Decide For Yourself
I’ll let you decide whether or not you think that Coke is evil. Also, here’s some more info on the Exercise is Medicine that was mentioned in the video.
It is important to decide for yourself. Unless you are completely scared of being brainwashed and can’t analyze data, you should leave this to “experts.”
But for the rest of us (as I see most of us as having a sufficient level of courage to see the fact), get into a gym and find out for yourself. Look at the people teaching the CrossFit classes. You’ll find out through your own judge of character whether or not they can be trusted. And whether or not they are acting on their own determinism.
I’ve been to several CrossFit gyms and I’ve made my own decision. I’ll let you make yours.
Additional Information
The NSCA, a prestigious organization I was certified under, was ordered to pay CrossFit $4 million for publishing an erroneous article in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
Please take a moment to understand that, when I was in college studying exercise science, I couldn’t say ANYTHING in any of my papers without it being backed by research from journals like this. I’ve cited this specific journal so many times I can’t even count.
Now, this prestigious journal had to retract an article showing, erroneously, that CrossFit was linked to an increased risk for injuries.
I was personally certified with both organizations at the same time. How funny is that?
Going to College as a Crossfit Certified Trainer
I took a Strength and Conditioning course in college. This course completely prepares you for the NSCA Strength and Conditioning Coach certification.
When I spoke to the professor about how I went to get certified in CrossFit Olympic Weightlifting, he proceeded to give me a lengthy discussion on “dinky” certifications. No amount of rebuttal on my part would convince him that working with Coach Burgener was a great experience and that I learned from the man.
Shortly, I realized that my professor was not going to change his opinion. I dropped the matter and finished the class by keeping my mouth shut.
The State of Fitness in General
There is one big thing you should know about this subject: IT IS EVOLVING.
It is not a subject that is completely taped. Anything dealing with the body is a big question mark and an unknown. We still don’t have a quick cure for cancer, there are diseases that pop up without any explanation, and there is quite a bit of fuss over something as silly as burpees and sprints.
Maybe in the future we will find ourselves agreeing as to how you should exercise a body.
But, for now, the general public is divided and able to be influenced by the media and other outlets (such as scientific journals) as to whether CrossFit is safe or not.
Those of us who see results on the front lines are not swayed by tabloid articles.
What I Did
I looked for myself. I went to the “dinky certification guys” and the “likely to be injured by them” guys and I did their regimen, utilizing everything I knew about fitness, health, the human body and exercising my own common sense throughout the time.
And I’ve made my decision. You can make yours. I can absolutely say that an experience as a CrossFit Coach is different than a CrossFit Member of a gym. I’ve visited many CrossFit gyms and encountered many different CrossFit coaches.
But to be honest and to keep the playing field even, I have not visited many NSCA gyms and been trained by many NSCA certified personal trainers. I know for a fact there is variation within their ranks, too.
I ultimately dropped my NSCA-CPT certification and didn’t let it renew.
Conclusion
I do hope that one day we will have scientific journals uninfluenced by big pharma or other massive industries which heavily employ lobbyists as their primary way of getting funded.
It is one thing to go to school and be taught that a specific certification is not worth anything. It is quite another situation entirely to go into debt to have the privilege to go to a school where the professors make fun of your certifications without knowing anything about them.
This is not some uninformed opinion on the matter. In college, I was, at the same time, looked down upon by my professors and looked up to by my fellow students. My fellow students saw that I was, unquestionably, the fittest in our class and that I worked my ass off to be a great personal fitness trainer. I earned the name “The Bionic Man” in my Exercise Physiology Lab.
SOME of my professors also saw that.
But several also looked at me as if I was wasting my time.