Okay, round one we spent some time discussing the basics behind CrossFit and it's purpose/design. To refresh, CrossFit is the style of training (or sport) that is focused on creating a well-rounded athlete. It is designed to train in various methods, though most specifically focusing on 5 parts: Diet, Metabolic Conditioning, Gymnastics, Olympic Lifts, and Sport. Eating a proper diet disperses proper energy throughout the body, and trains the body to utilize the proper nutrients. Metabolic Conditioning helps build endurance through the aerobic and anaerobic pathways. Gymnastics focuses on functional control and flexibility. Olympic Lifts develop the ability to produce and control power. Sport applies all these techniques in a competitive atmosphere, keeping training fresh, and providing motivation to push yourself.
That being said, I've been involved with a CrossFit boot camp for a few weeks now, and to be honest, I'm liking what I see. More than anything, the greatest differences I've seen have been in the equipment and setup of the training sessions. With most traditional training methods, you'll find machines and dumbbells, with the occasional bench press or lat pull. To be fair, I'm not knocking traditional training methods. I still use them. Remember, training is all based on the individual and their goals. Most of what we use are vinyl or leather-covered medicine balls, jump ropes, plyo boxes, and kettle bells. The setup for these boot camps has been based primarily on completing reps for time, not a set number. It's been a great challenge for me (remember the "sport" part?) because each set I want to get more and more reps in. Another benefit to this style is the universality. Whether you are an elderly woman (which we have in our group) or a young, strapping lad (a thank you), you can get a great training session from it. Whereas I might be able to complete 50 kettle bell swings, the elderly lady in our group probably won't make it.....but she will do as many as her body will allow in 60 seconds.
The challenge is always to push yourself, the training individual, to new heights as you train. You should always seek to progress. Maybe 15 reps was difficult the first attempt, but now it's too easy. By instituting a time scenario rather than a specific number, it's all about beating the clock......providing an infinite level of increasing challenges. Now there are plenty of "traditional" trainers who use the reps for time method, but I find this is a big push in the CrossFit world.
What's been most interesting in my study of the world of CrossFit is the culture it created. There is virtually an entire vocabulary based around CrossFit, ie "WOD's", benchmark workouts with womens' names, and an overzealous desire to know whether foods/drinks fit the Paleo diet. I know that runners tend to think/speak alike, as do soccer players and golfers. However, I don't think I've seen any other sport that has accepted it's culture with such intensity. I almost feel a bit lost hearing the discussions that happen around the gym. Either way, it's fun to watch.
I'm sure there is so much more that I have yet to discover about the world of CrossFit, but until those thoughts burst from my mind, you can chew on these two posts for now. I'll be sure to post any new information I can find in the future. Until then...
Stay Strong,
Chad
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