based upon past comments, it seems that the collective knowledge is not there in relation to why people of all ages and sizes (including grandmoms who love bands and bells and whistles) should perform Crossfit based exercise
i have taught many forms of exercise programs and have designed approx 30-40 program designs per week for the past 10 years... i make this statement b/c the thought process out there is that OPT has just chosen CF methodology b/c its the newest thing... you could not be more wrong, and i'm not sure if its due to ignorance or lack of knowledge into who we are and why we do what we do
along this time...i have always done functional movements, varied them religiously through planning or without and also have a very good concept of intensity....one thing is that until 3-4 years ago, i never blended them...and THIS is what all other programs miss out on...
the argument is..."well, my mom does not need to be doing 50 box jumps as fast as possible"...and my contention is, you're damn right she does...and if you think we're going to make someone new to us off the street follow the big dawgs workout or smash them just b/c that is what YOU see as CF, you're also very wrong...
the reason why your mothers should be doing the box jumps based on her own intensity for time is that it breeds all the neuroendocrine results we want to see in an exercise program...the instensity portion ensures work capacity...sure, you can get her to do 50 over a period of an hour...but that is just like the Canada's physical activity giude now when they say that you can "spread" your 30 minutes of moderate activity over a day and that will breed long term results
hear me out now...walking and gardening (basically bands and whistle training) DOES NOT get you life long functional fitness....yep, guess what folks, life is hard work, maintaining that over time does not mean being babysat by a trainer b/c you're afraid of box jumps and sweating...that does not cut it...and if you think i'm speaking out of my ass, you also have no idea what OPT is and what we do...we promote CF for everyone b/c we know it creates high levels of fitness AND long term health (that includes grandmothers as well, i should know, i have approx 100 or more and growing clients over 50 years of age)
you have to also analyze your own knowledge of fitness before making an understanding into what people should do...and you're just as wrong if you think that CF is no shirts, loud music, dropping weights and puking...that shows that you truly have no idea about what CF and exercise science truly is...i can understand how you might draw that picture b/c of what you see promoted in the community...but the facts are that there are FAR MORE people with 15 minute Frans using a dowel rod and jumping chin ups than there are sub 5 minute frans as rx'd..sorry to burst your bubble
and the thing is, your grandma will get more out of it with a timer and correct modifications than power bands and step ups and nice smiles....
just as i did, everyone will see over time that they are wasting peoples time with this "other" stuff (i know, i made a lot of mistakes) and if they are willing to have an open mind as i did, they will see that if they follow function and varied movements with intensity, they got it in the bag...then you know what - they're doing CrossFit
7 comments:
James-thanks for your honesty, thanks for your programming and thanks for your awesomeness.
I've been saving your WODs since the Dec 11 intro, killer stuff bro! I started them on Jan 15 and just now did the Dec 28th WOD-It's a creeper WOD, I really was worthless today after that one. Love it!!! Props to the folks on here putting up solid numbers.
KISS ASS this year at The Games.
Mike
OPT- thanks for everything, your blog, your wods and your help. Another great post.
The issue is to what end are the box jumps necessary? I know what you're selling: fitness. But, if you were claiming to sell fat loss and telling my grandma to jump on boxes, we'd have a problem. Obviously we would want everyone to pursue fitness and they'd find that fat loss would likely be a nice little side benefit... but when the dude in the video said that what CrossFit was doing was not necessary, he never clarified to what end it wasn't necessary. Box jumps, weightlifting, ring work... these are necessary to the end of elite fitness. If his perception was that we were telling grandmothers to jump on boxes for fat loss then his comment is right on... that kind of risk isn't necessary for fat loss.
I believe that my grandma should be jumping on boxes... I am in the same school of thought as you... I'm just saying that it's important before anyone says anything is or isn't necessary, that they clarify to what end it is or isn't necessary.
On another note,
I want to clarify if in your "bands and whistles" you're including pull-up bands? I've recently started using the bands a lot less in my training, but do you think they are a complete waste?
Thanks for the programming! After the change of pace this week I'm really looking forward to the storm ahead!
bso, do you not think that box jumps onto a 2" box 50 times(lets call it hop scotch...low risk ???) will not teach grandma agility, balance, co-ordination, stamina..?
i'm telling you that jumping on boxes is going to let her live longer cause i know it, not cause i'm following what somone suggested...
and on the fat loss thing, maybe we should chat, b/c if you think that there are better exercise programs out there for that outside of what we do with less "risk"(including bells and whistles programs) you're not exactly seeing the point...maybe i'll cover what truly happens in fat loss another time and how that is done, then you can compare what others are doing (and that i used to do) and what we are doing now
in repsect to bands used for assistance in chin ups and hspu's, we use them and love them, i mean power bands and theraband pulleys which make you weaker...will explain another time as well
I can see both points. Take a look at the biggest loser workouts and workout regimine they are put through. These folks are mentally weak, have low self esteem, and are severely over weight. The non-Crossfit branded workouts and eating plans do get these folks results. Their workouts include many aspects of Crossfit including box jumps. Look at the following scenarios at both ends of the spectrum for Crossfit and non-Crossfit styles alike.:
The Best:
Certified Crossfit instructor that understands fitness and knows how to get results. Gives Crossfit a good name. OPT at his finest!
The Good:
Non-Crossfit educated instructor "The Biggest Loser" that understands fitness, nutrition, and the basic concepts of Crossfit. Puts all concepts in a blender and calls it anything but Crossfit. Knows how to run a business, motivates his clients, and gets results. The folks on this show lack self esteem, are highly overweight, and get results although the show and workouts have no affiliation with Crossfit.
The Bad:
Certified Crossfit instructor or hopes to be, that does not understand fitness, people, or business at the level they should. Lacks motivational skills and knowledge to make it an effective program. Loses customers to 24 hour fitness because he can't keep them long enough to get results. Throw the lunks in there that complain that their globo gym gives them a hard time when all disrespect for gym etiquite goes out the window in the name of Crossfit. These folks give Crossfit a bad name.
The Ugly:
Non-Crossfit un-educated instructor that speaks out his ass about fitness and nutrition. Trend follower so to speak in the name of greed.
Tagging the effectiveness of the system goes beyond just the brand of the system. It requires an educated instructor devoted to his art in order to effectively make it happen.
I think the box jumps are a good idea for developing agility, coordination, balance, power. I use box jumps with everyone, but I think my lowest "box" is 7".
I also think that there are very effective "fat loss" programs that do not use activities that are higher risk. Now we're treading into territory that I, admittedly, am not so familiar with... I have always been a CrossFit trainer. However, I see good results coming from programs via Cosgrove, Berardi, etc....
The point, as I see it, is to help people reach their "look good naked" goals while on the path to "perform at my best". But if I'm still missing it then I'd welcome the chat. 204-962-3316
What--nobody got my joke about James Kicking Ass this year at the games! ; )
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