Crossfit Nonsense

“By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day.” – Robert Frost

In the last decade there has probably not been a bigger boon to orthopedic specialists practices than the advent of crossfit. We at Stronger Athletes have long been opponents of ballistic type movements, i.e., plyometrics, olympic lifts and similar for their application on athletes, especially high school athletes.

Along comes crossfit and combines both of those things and adds additional nuttiness such as doing high skill lifts of which those that actually know what they are doing with them (Olympic Weightlifters) never go over a handful or reps, because as the reps go up, the skill goes down. A leg press doesn't require high skill, a power clean does. So as the set continues, form breaks down, later to be followed by the body, maybe not today, tomorrow or next week, but surely in time.

The other bit of nuttiness the crossfitters love to do in addition to high reps is do them as fast as possible by limiting the time.

Thankfully the yap that runs crossfit showed his true colors a few months back and hopefully that will lead to some cessation of this ridiculous training modality. As the sponsors pulled out and the boxes closed up – sadly partially due to Covid and not as a public service for the bettement of mankind, there will be fewer injured over time.

Surely there are safer ways to pursue health and fitness. You only have one body. Treat it well. Your grandkids won't give a care if you were a stud at crossfit if you can't carry them or keep up with them at the zoo or amusement park because your back and shoulders are shot.