30% increase in calories burned!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDMYhj4CJMo

i guess it all depends on what your operational definition (OD) of fitness is

if the definition is..."good to great flexibility, low power, no stamina and zero strength"...this might be the thing for you

if your goals in fitness are improvements in accuracy, balance, agility, coordination, speed...and a few other things....you might want to ACTUALLY try CrossFit before making statements about it

you'll never hear me saying that this or that is not necessary...it's pretty simple...i've tried it all...i've kept what was needed and thrown away (just look into my garage, you'll see what's useless) what was not useful to improve peoples performance in fitness....so if you can show data that people are more fit (using the OD above) using other tools, i'll be the first to hop on board...and will pay easily for you to help me improve my fitness...if these pulleys and dance movements help me overhead squat my BWT 20 times in a row, run 5K in 18 minutes and perform 60 pull ups in a row, i'm in...otherwise...ensure you are making educated comments before assuming what we do and love is "not necessary"

18 comments:

Unknown said...

It never ceases to amaze me what the commercial fitness industry will come up with to make money. Preying on the uninformed.

DeeJay said...

This is not the first time I have actually seen this video. The guy in the video was once the head strength and conditioning coach for U of C football so I have extensively worked with him in the past and tested some of his training methods shown in the video when they were in the development phase. His program made me a stronger faster athlete, but I never really attested any of that to his "bungee dance" techniques, the gains I saw came from the weightroom from doing olympic and power lifting. I saw the bungee stuff as a good warm up, and that was about it. And thinking back to that time when I thought I was getting stronger and faster, it doesn't even compare to the gains that I have seen in only a year of crossfit, and less then 6 months of the 3 on 1 off cycle. I respect the guy for what he has done for me in the past, but am really dissapointed to hear him make such ignorant comments, I thought he was better than that.

Garage Crossfitter said...

Holy shit..less work and better results, what took us so long to find this!?

Brent Maier said...

The beginning comments summed this up for me when they said, "quickly becoming a fitness trend". The definition of a trend for me is here today, gone tomorrow. Many people try and capitalize financially on trends that suit them the most. When they say Crossfit is not necessary for folks to get in shape, I agree, many programs WILL work for those that are obese and do absolutely nothing. Anything will work for folks in that situation.

If you want to talk about results, well, Crossfit is superior in my opinion. Maybe attempts embracing Crossfit as a business have failed because they were unable to motivate and effectively scale the workouts in order to maintain interest for those that are mentally weak.

Crossfit.com isn't without it's flaws for those RX'ing the WODS and seeking to take it to the next level. These flaws are different for each individual based on your weaknesses. It is your responsibility to identify those weaknesses and improve on them.

Many of us are spiritual and have found inner strength because you understand there is more to life than what our 5 senses lead us to believe. For those individuals fueled by greed, looking at capitalizing on fitness THEY feel is most advantageous for them, well, they are simply turning a blind eye. For others, they may be open to it but have not YET seen the light.

Geoff Aucoin said...

http://www.airtrainingsystem.com/

Well my take is just look at the website for the place this Kineses gimmick is located. A slick place close to downtown so the corporate types can get there easily and fool themselves into thinking they are exercising effectively. The change rooms are probably the highlight of the whole place and I'd bet they are twice as big as the 'gym.' Now add an educated, good-looking male fitness leader with an insanely hot model and you've pretty much completed what's needed to run a gym such as this one.

This is not a gym, it's just a room with gimmicks, toys and cardio equipment. It's a money-generating facade created to separate sheep from their money. Check back in a few years and we'll see who's moved into the space that this 'gym' is located then drive up to Aspen drive to see all the familiar faces at OPT who've been there since day one and will still be there years from now.

Trevor Salmon said...

I drive by that place on the way home every day and wondered what goes on in there. Surprising to hear that he said things like high intensity not like crossfit is not necessary. I have not tried it so won't comment on it specifically but have been around long enough to see that new things are tried, it's effective initially so that people say "that's pretty hard" or something similiar. But it doesn't sustain and eventually you are back to the basics.
Great comments deejay as you speak from personal experience.

Matthew said...

I would be interested in interviewing Adam Wood. He was a former US bobsledder. I'm curious as to what the workouts he did to prepare for that were and if he used his kinesis wall to get in shape. I imagine the response would be similar to that of "that was different" or "I do not have the same goals now". Like the post on the website said, it's all about what you want out of it. I liken this to the Crossfit post a while back concerning "laughing your way to fitness". I guess it is as they say, whatever floats your boat.

Chad Action Brandt said...

Another quick fix. It seems everything is quick and less effort these days, for anything! From perfectly healthy people using the handicap button to open a door or use escalators and elevators, to voice dialing, to 3min abs and the Globo gym machines, along with the no workout fat burning pill! So many misinformed people being lied to everyday!
Sure this might get some people off their ass, possibly showing some positive result and that is great, but I am not convinced of it being better than CrossFit or even Hop-Scotch for that matter. People are always going to like different avenues of fitness, it sucks that the easiest way usually takes the cake.

Todd Dyer said...

hop scotch... I love it!
Great comments guys.I really believe that people aren't fooled by these gimmicks you see on tv. the electo ab stimulator, the water and pretzels diet, the nap your way to fitness programs. They are simply avoiding reality until they have no other choice-I'm fat and I can't walk up the stairs-They know that a box of donuts a day is going to affect their waist line, and no matter how many tablets of exslim you take isn't going to do much good. Everyone who has ever shoveled snow knows what real exercise feels like.

People aren't being deluded they are deluding them selves. They either have the mental fortitude to push themselves or they don't. More then anything, crossfit draws the mentally tough and the fitness takes care of itself.

ThatGuy said...

Wow, I am amazed that you are all so quick to forget your past.

I am sure that everyone who has discounted Adam’s gym has done nothing but crossfit there whole athletic lives.

I remember when I was bodybuilding and looked at people doing crossfit as pathetic cardio junkies.
I was 187lbs, fat and could bench 345 twice and squat 425lbs; I can’t say that I can do those numbers any more. Notice I did not say I could even run 5km.

Crossfit breaks many of the carnal rules that I once lived by; for example, (never train the same body part 2days in a row). A guy who won Mr. Olympia 7 times undefeated said that very statement with true conviction.

I am an avid crossfiter because I can appreciate everything else the sport has done for me. I am a better athlete under my NEW definition of fitness.

Yes there is a Wikipedia definition of fitness, much like there is a Wikipedia definition of Happiness.
I highly doubt that everyone here looks upon the Wikipedia definition of Happiness as the all encompassing unchanging definition. Fitness is now a buzz word, like synergy, effective, and efficient. Common people have striped the true meaning of the word fitness and replaced it with, anything that involves exertion and physical movement.

Consider this; just an example, If 95% of the population believes the definition of fitness is “anything that involves exertion and physical movement”, and 5% of the population defines it as Crossfit’s definition of Fitness. Who is right?

I don’t think everybody should do or believe in crossfit, much like I don’t believe that everyone should be an accountant, engineer or fitness trainer.

Yes, Adam is wrong by dismissing crossfit, that’s his ignorance. Believing that crossfit is the only way to become truly fit is just as ignorant. Yes crossfit is the best thing that I have found to increase my personal fitness levels as I define fitness. I am however in that 5% of the population who truly believes in crossfit.

My Mother who is in the other 95% of the population could see Adam’s program as being her golden hammer. “Is she too weak minded to do crossfit”? No, she is a well credited track athlete. She however has different priorities. Who knows, with her given priority towards fitness she may ascertain the same level of fitness from Adams program as she would by doing crossfit.

You only get what you put in, and if you put in 1-3 days a week because your life and personal can accommodate this then there are a Million different programs that will get you to the same level of fitness including crossfit.

Besides given the increasing costs of attending a Crossfit gym, ones conviction and personal stance on fitness will soon have to mean more to them then their basic human needs such as having a roof over your head. If this keeps up we will be discussing how crossfit is no longer an elite fitness program but a new country club for those who can afford it.

Dave X said...

The real concern for me is when will the soccer moms be able to fit this in with their Zumba classes. Because why would you want to work out when you can PARTY!?!

http://www.zumba.com/us/

bso said...

Most people aren't looking for elite levels of fitness, they just want to look good naked. Do they need to risk injury in exercises such as dumbbell snatches or box jumps to meet their goal? Is it irresponsible of a CrossFit coach to take someone who's main goal is weight loss and put them through exercises that pose higher risk of injury than necessary?

For us, and our goals, what we do is probably very close to what we need... and getting closer to exactly what we need everyday. But, what about the "corporate executives" downtown looking to lose the man boobs and belly? Is CrossFit what they need?

Optimum Performance Training said...

Hey That Guy,

I will only touch on a few of your points.
1) I cannot speak for everyone here, but I can damn sure speak for most of us in that we FOUND CrossFit, after years of training with other methods. Most of our athletic lives began LONG before CrossFit. The guy who runs this blog, speaks freely of his past training and sporting...it was DEFINITELY not CrossFit. Why do we use it now? Because it is the most EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT, and safe way to develop elite fitness - which is the goal of this blog (in my opinion).
2) If 95% of the pop. defines fitness in one way, and we define it another, who is right? Well, we are. B/c we use to be part of that other 95%, an for now we go with best available definition. However, that is a poor example. Here is another poor example. If 95% of the population believes in eating a diet high in complex carbohydrates - emphasizing whole grain products/fruits/vegetables, low in saturated fat and total fat, and minimizing red meat and full fat dairy, AND we believe nearly the opposite, then who is right? Again, with a resounding Yes, we are right. Am I ignorant to think like that, maybe, but you take what is KNOWN, and go from there...evolve as you go.
3)From That Guy - "You only get what you put in, and if you put in 1-3 days a week because your life and personal can accommodate this then there are a Million different programs that will get you to the same level of fitness including CrossFit". I totally disagree with that statement. That is exactly why people say that CF is EFFICIENT.
4) CrossFit is not expensive...end of discussion. If you cannot afford $150/month for elite fitness - at CrossFit Calgary, then do it for even less from the website - scrounge up what equipment you can for you home, modify, scale, and learn.
5) If the CrossFit program begins to be like a country club, then we will change the name of the program we invest our time and energy - to Optimum Performance Training.

Trevor Salmon said...

Hey DeeJay, I was looking at the testimonials on the A.I.R system and you are in there. Maybe they took things out of context or your opinions have changed since finding crossfit.
Some good comments on the site today and look forward to the rest day even more now.

Rob Sifton said...

"Most people aren't looking for elite levels of fitness, they just want to look good naked. Do they need to risk injury in exercises such as dumbbell snatches or box jumps to meet their goal? Is it irresponsible of a CrossFit coach to take someone who's main goal is weight loss and put them through exercises that pose higher risk of injury than necessary?"

Lets spin this question a little differently.

What should a person do for life skills to mitigate the potential for injury at a later stage in life?
If a person does not ever learn the Clean and Jerk how can they be confident in ever moving a weight overhead. Sure they could get injured practicing the C&J. In a controlled environment the chances are much less. If that same person were to never practice this skill the chance of them injuring them self at a later date I feel are much higher.

So I feel that Crossfit is the responsible way to train for Life in general. Looking good naked is a just a great side effect.

DeeJay said...

Trevor, the testimonial I wrote for Adam was written about 3 years ago. I want to make it clear that Adam did help me to acheive success in the weightroom, at that stage in his carrer his ideas with what he calls "jiao wu" was purely in development. within the program it was more or less used as a warm-up in addition to a strength and conditioning program. I say he helped me achieve success in the weightroom. At that time, to me, success meant acheiving better results on my anual fitness test with the U of C Dinos, that included reps of 225lbs bench press, "t-test", 5x60 yard sprint x2 with 1 min rest, vertical jump, 40 yard dash and skips in 2 min. He did help me acheive success in that sense and I am always gratefull to him for that. with that being said, I gave my honest opinion about his programing 3 years ago and if he wants to use that as a testimonial for what his training system is now then thats his own choice, but I asure you I have never touched a Kinesis wall which seems to be the basis of his system. With all that being said, Crossfit has changed my life it is in my mind an essential tool to elite fitness and it is unfortunate that bright people like Adam cannot see it for what it is. My only problem with Adam is his comment about what I have grown to love and become passionate about, the comments were ignorant and he is capable of better

rwcorson said...

Great comments.
Doing some sort of physical activity is always better than doing nothing at all.
That being said, my personal experience is that you can get gains from doing all sorts of programs.
I've ski raced, ran track, played university level football, played club level rugby, windsurfed, sailed, hiked, back country skied and mountain biked and done some kind training for all of them.
My fitness level in all areas is better than it has ever been and I'm 43 years old.
Any of the activities that I'm now engaged in are easier than ever to compete in and perform at a high level. I give all the credit to CrossFit training.

bso said...

Sifton... agreed. Cleaning and lifting overhead are valuable skills for everyone and every program should have them providing shoulders are healthy....

And maybe a light dose of everything CrossFit does, over time, would be appropriate.

But, skill work is different than stamina work with higher-risk skills. If someone tells me they want to lose fat and look better naked and that's that... is it responsible to throw them into a workout with 50+ box jumps? If the same person says they want to become a better skier, that's one thing, but just to look better naked..... maybe they could use some box jump training, but do they need to go as fast as they can through a set of 50 box jumps to achieve their goal?

I think the answer is "no".... and it would be misleading to have someone believe otherwise.

I guess the final word is that it would be imperative that a CrossFit coach explain that the goals of the CrossFit program go far beyond looking better naked and that it is just a nice side benefit. We will do a lot of things that have nothing to do with that goal but that have everything to do with making you the fittest individual you can possibly be. If you're okay with that, then you'll do okay here. If you are here for the easiest, most focused, and most direct path to weight loss, you're probably in the wrong place (or you should probably try this other program I offer....).

Thoughts?