My Crossfit Training Result/Experience (Page 4)

As I mentioned earlier, I agree...claims that CF alone will make someone a stud triathlete are silly.

I disagree that CF has no place in training for triathlon. It's a strength and conditioning program that trains that is focused on natural muscle movement. What types of weight training/strength training would you propose an athlete who's main goal is to be the best triathlete add to their workout routine? What do you incorporate into your training? And, what is the goal of doing so? 

I agree, but Bryan you are starting to sound like Yoda.

I suppose that Lance would have been better on the bike if he did cross fit.  

Or Michael Phelps.

Kobe.

Please.

I had a big chess match coming up a while back and needed to get ready for it.  I started training hard with crossfit.  Five and six days a week!  Sometimes twice a day!  I have to admit, I strayed from the program a little when the day before the match I had someone explain the rules of chess to me, but other than that, just lots of crossfit.  I don't know what happened, I thought I was prepared, but I lost that chess game in 3 moves!

What did I do wrong?  I don't understand it!

Are these last few comments all directed at me? I hope I am not coming across as "all crossfit and nothing else".  If my comments were condescending tone, my apologies as that was not my intent (though, reading back through, maybe some of them could have been worded better...)

I just think CF is a great way to program strength and conditioning and can be used to supplement SBR training, not a replacement. 

So, you don't do any weight training or anything? Offseason?

I'm not challenging that there is plenty of experience and knowledge here...that's why I'm here.  ;-) I am listening.

Maybe not CrossFit specifically, but I'm sure they do some type of strength training. Right?

I was not aiming at you per se.  However, I do feel tend to see CF'ers consistently make claims that are neither backed up nor supported with anything other that n=1.  

People who have great run or cycling fitness come into this sport thinking that they should be able to swim because they have this huge aerobic base.  Most people will then write on the boards that they can't swim 25 yds without stopping to gasp for breath.  Why?  One reason is poor technique.  The other is that they lack specificity to that sport.  Run fitness does not equal bike fitness does not equal swim fitness.  

If you want to excel at something you must perform that thing tirelessly.  I'm not saying CF is bad (though I do lean that way from what I have read and seen), but I am saying that if you want to EXCEL at triathlon, your first focus has to be s/b/r.  If you have more time then do more s/b/r.  This is proven.  This is truth.  This is irrefutable.  

I can agree with that. You can't just show up and expect to Excel without training at the sport you are competing in. No doubt.

Here is a cut out of one of the articles I read:

CrossFit led to a reduction in injuries among recruits. The Florida Police Corps Program was seeking training protocols that produced fitness and performance results above average compared to what was being used in traditional training programs. From the academy and agency standpoint, we had three additional requirements:
Reduction of injuries
Adaptability to all tenure periods
Recruits’ successful completion of the program physical fitness exit exam.

The results of the program in 2003 were better than expected. Injuries in my programs were down 80
percent in the first year. The few injuries that did occur happened under fill-in (i.e., non-CrossFit)  instructors when I was not present. In these instances, the substitute instructor “freelanced” and  used unstructured protocols inconsistent with CrossFit’s standards. Since that first year, we have had no physical training injuries related to our model of conditioning. None.

Here is another one:

Andy Stumpf is an Active Duty Navy SEAL and served as one of the BUDs phase 2 instructors (also a CF certified trainer).  He was interviewed on CF radio (it is pod cast if you want to listen to it).  He started implementing CF by substituting normal scheduled PT sessions with CF WODs.  As with anything new it took time to implement and and several classes before using CF as the main workout in place of a standard PT session consisting of pushups situp extra.  He goes on to explain that all performance during BUDs is documented in a computer data base.  After several classes he felt like he was turning out a better product and then before. So he went back and checked the data.  The data showed improvements in the class average o-course time and a reduction in overuse injuries.  He did add that over use injuries are a big problem in BUDs , the students run 9 miles a day just to the chow hall and back to get three meals.

I can keep going but this is way to long already and is way off topic. 

I hate to tell you but all of these athletes do more then bike, swim, shoot baskets.  The have strength and conditioning programs as part of there workouts and I will bet my house that the movements they do, are movements done in CF they just don't call it that.  Even some of the anti-CF have admitted that part of a good workout program is strength, conditioning, mobility, and diet (all parts of CF).  I am the first person to admit that only doing CF is not the best way to be a good runner.  Even Greg Glassmen will admit that. He made the statement that he can take any elite athlete and by having them do CF he will see there weaknesses.  Then if one worked on the weaknesses they would become a better runner.  At no time does he make the claim that an elite level runner can stop running, only do CF and they will be a better runner.  I think a lot of people confuse his comments about CFers being the fittest people on earth with CFers are the best at all sports on earth.  There is a difference.  Gerg is just so argent that he does not think anything but general fitness is worth training for.   

People in Triathlon get hung up on this because triathlete consider themselves very fit people.  I hate to burst the triathlon bubble but Crissy Wellington and Creg Alexander are not the fittest people in the world they are just the best IM triathletes and arguably some of the best endurance athletes in the world.  IM is a specific sport not a test of fitness.  

Having been both a traditional S/B/R tri trainer and now a CFer, CF is a better way to become Generally Physically Prepared then S/B/R.  S/B/R is a good way to be a good triathlete.  They are different things.  Everyone has to make up their own mind on what they want out of their fitness goals.  

+1

Strength training may indeed help an athlete who is already putting down serious (like, full time job level) amounts of training, but in those cases the athlete is already getting a very high amount of volume sbr'ing... something your local AG athlete working a 9-5 almost certainly cannot do...

Some of Xfit's idea's are sound, but any system that has it's participants do olympic lifts beyond is lacking in some good old fashioned common sense. There are VERY FEW people in your local gym who can properly do a Snatch (or power clean, or even a deadlift) and yes the WOD sometimes has people do those lifts to failure... AND claim to reduce injuries...

Isn't n=1 all that matters?  You do you, I'll do me.