To crossfit or not to crossfit

I did crossfit for about 8 months after my 2nd IM before the build to my 3rd. I think it fits better with folks doing sprints or olys and not as good with HIMs or IMs.

CF Endurance is interesting but riding 112 with long rides much shorter makes for tough race day.

Depends what you want....fastest IM time? Do you enjoy CF? 

It would surprise me if someone who had not already done an IM or ultra distance race would be well prepared to do either on a diet of CFE without high volume training. I think once those adaptations have been made from sufficient high volume training, CFE might have a role to play. Just my opinion.

And I agree with Kathy when she says CF and CFE are probably better preparation for the shorter distances.

I agree that on its own it won't help you excel at other sports. Since the idea is GPP, you are not specializing enough to excel at anything other than perhaps the Crossfit Games. But I do think it's helped a lot of people improve their fitness and get excited about working out. As always, it comes down to an individual's goals whether or not it's for them.

CF PLUS your specialized training will definitely help you excel to the top (all things being equal). 

Check out how GPP athletes (Crossfitters) did against pro and college athletes at the 2010 Combine - you will be surprised. The generalists beat a lot of specialists at their own game.

Granted CF is not for longer endurance athletes, but there are several CFers that do not train for Sprint Tris yet do VERY well in them due to the endurance and strength base developed solely from CF.

http://laxcrossfit.com/2010/12/05/stacking-up/

Out of over 1,000 athletes tested in the history of this combine, Jared Davis tied for FIRST overall with a combined score of 267 (tied to a D1 Football player). CrossFit placed 4 men and 1 women in the top 10 all time scores.

Referring to the part in bold, how can you say that the generalists beat specialists at their own game when the combine that you're referring to was not what the specialists train for? Now if the CF'ers beat the football players at football, the baseball players at baseball, the golfers at golf, or the track stars at their particular specialty in T&F you might have a point, but this strikes me as more of a CF competition than sport-specific training.

"The athletes are all measured in 3 broad categories:

• 1) Athleticism:
  -Broad jump
  -seated med-ball throw
  -vertical
  jump
  -5-10-5 drill
  -10-yard sprint
  -20-yard sprint
  -grip
  test
  -300-yard shuttle
  -sit and reach
• 2) Movement
  -sport specific including 3-cone drill, 40 yd dash,
  interval conditioning test (football players sub bench for interval conditioning
  test)
  -integrative movement including pressing squat, balance and
  posture
  - visual ability
• 3) Character
  -mentality
  -nutrition
  -communication"

You say that CF PLUS S/B/R will help you excel, but most would say that using that extra time for more S/B/R is a wiser use of your time if your goal is to improve at triathlon.

And it's important to note that many elite CFers came from other athletic backgrounds.

My point was that the athletes that go to the combine have been training FOR THE COMBINE specifically.

When it comes to sprint distance Tri I would think that CF is a great SUPPLEMENT to the S/B/R. I believe it would more than suffice to cover the cross training that should be part of a Triathletes regimen.