My Take on the Crossfit Debate

A few weeks ago I was back in PA for Thanksgiving. Outside of the bitter cold I really enjoyed the trip. It was really nice to spend some time with family and eat copious amounts of dead animal flesh, stuffing, and various forms of dessert.

Sometime before dinner, my brother in law asked me about my take on Crossfit. This wasn't the first time I had been asked this question, so my response was relatively quick and well-rehearsed. After I shared my thoughts, I started thinking about the frequency that this debate occurs across the interwebz.

First, let me say that I am not a "Crossfitter". I have never stepped foot in a "box" and never participated in a "WOD". I won't get into why. It's just not my bag baby.

So why is the Crossfit discussion so popular? The more I think about it, the more I keep coming back to one response:

WHO CARES??

It is such a tired argument and frankly I'm tired of hearing it.

Sure we can argue the dangers of putting a loaded barbell in the hands of a beginner, the lack of individual assessment, high dropout rate, the rhabdomyolysis scare etc. Next thing you know, Crossfit is going to cause cancer.

I should also mention not all Crossfit facilities are created equal. There are several coaches out there that do a great job assessing and programming for the individual limitations and strengths of their members.

I'm not debating Crossfit's effectiveness. The system has produced some amazing bodies and extremely fit individuals. At the end of the day, the best program is one the individual will stick with long term. You could design the best program in the world, but if the individual doesn't adhere to it, none of that matters.

Crossfit isn't for everyone. The same can be said for powerlifting, bodybuilding, football, and naked twister. But you don't see entire forum threads devoted to arguing the semantics of,  "Right hand green." Do some research and determine what training modality will best fit your goals. Then just give it a shot. If it doesn't work or you hate it, move on and try something else.

Look, it doesent matter what you do. There is always going to be an element of risk involved in any activity. Every time you crawl out of bed, you run the risk of getting hurt.

What's that? You forgot to screw in the lid on your coffee mug? BURN!!

I think you see my point here.

As with any endeavor, the most important thing is identifying the risk factors involved and managing that risk. This can be done with education, good systems and quality coaching. If an organization has these things in place, there is very little to worry about.

In the end, we are all fighting the same fight. The fight against an overweight nation and a sedentary lifestyle. We should all be happy people are willing to get off their asses, move, and lift heavy things.

You don't like Crossfit? That's cool. Just shut your pie hole about it, because nobody cares. Who are you to pee in someone else's Kool-Aid anyway?

So why can't we all just get along?