Comments on: Poliquin on CrossFit Training http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/poliquin-on-crossfit-training/ Fat loss, bodybuilding, health, nutrition & fitness advice Sun, 04 Dec 2011 09:39:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Anonymous http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/poliquin-on-crossfit-training/#comment-5476 Anonymous Wed, 08 Jun 2011 09:24:00 +0000 http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/?p=130#comment-5476 You last sentence doesn't really make all that much sense. Unless you live in the Wilds somewhere there is no such thing these days as no structure, no rules, no time limits. Even MMA fighters need to be taught with specificity in mind - nothing is no holds barred and there is no law of the jungle. The easiest way to criticise CrossFit is that so many of the programmes are very poorly structured and lead to countless injuries. You last sentence doesn’t really make all that much sense. Unless you live in the Wilds somewhere there is no such thing these days as no structure, no rules, no time limits. Even MMA fighters need to be taught with specificity in mind – nothing is no holds barred and there is no law of the jungle.

The easiest way to criticise CrossFit is that so many of the programmes are very poorly structured and lead to countless injuries.

]]> By: Kilbus http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/poliquin-on-crossfit-training/#comment-5465 Kilbus Sat, 04 Jun 2011 04:29:00 +0000 http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/?p=130#comment-5465 25 pounds of muscle in two months while reducing bodyfat in an already active athlete sounds like he may have been getting some*ahem*really good supplements. The program has never made the claim you would be the fastest or the strongest, the whole concept is that you have a broad application of skills. They seek to AVOID overspecialization such as being massively strong but not being able to run 5k. In other words its best to be good at everything than the best at one thing and poor at all others. The program is not designed to produce the absolute best sports specific results it is designed to prepare you for real world situations where maybe you don't have the option of doing only one rep and things like balance and fatigue become life/death factors. Hence the mentioned popularity with police/military. It sounds to me like you misunderstand the program and feel they may competing with you for clientele. For the record I am familiar with crossfit and have incorporated their WODs in the past but I am by no means a fanatic or even a member of a box. I would say you are missing the point of crossfit in that the whole concept is to prepare for situations that have no structure, rules, or time limits, whereas the training you are doing is to achieve goals and outcomes that are known well in advance and constrained in nature. 25 pounds of muscle in two months while reducing bodyfat in an already active athlete sounds like he may have been getting some*ahem*really good supplements.

The program has never made the claim you would be the fastest or the strongest, the whole concept is that you have a broad application of skills. They seek to AVOID overspecialization such as being massively strong but not being able to run 5k. In other words its best to be good at everything than the best at one thing and poor at all others.

The program is not designed to produce the absolute best sports specific results it is designed to prepare you for real world situations where maybe you don’t have the option of doing only one rep and things like balance and fatigue become life/death factors. Hence the mentioned popularity with police/military.

It sounds to me like you misunderstand the program and feel they may competing with you for clientele.

For the record I am familiar with crossfit and have incorporated their WODs in the past but I am by no means a fanatic or even a member of a box.

I would say you are missing the point of crossfit in that the whole concept is to prepare for situations that have no structure, rules, or time limits, whereas the training you are doing is to achieve goals and outcomes that are known well in advance and constrained in nature.

]]> By: Nick_Mitchell http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/poliquin-on-crossfit-training/#comment-4793 Nick_Mitchell Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:45:04 +0000 http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/?p=130#comment-4793 You miss the point. Most people, trained or untrained, are not sufficiently well put together to perform stupid acts like high rep power cleans when in a state of fatigue. I am personally open minded to CrossFit as a principle - basically it is simply well packaged and marketed circuit training and it definitely works for a time as a fat loss exercise protocol. However, Cross Fit acolytes are far too rabid and close minded (basically ANYONE who tells you they have the perfect exercise system is full of shit), and those who teach it and are certified in it are consistently poor and ill trained in exercise programme design and form. One of my UP trainers Geoff Stuart, a very experienced trainer and former Olympic Games swimmer and Commonwealth Games medallist, is Cross Fit certified and the stories he told me about his fellow CrossFit students made me feel sick to the stomach for the poor schmucks who end up being taught how to train by these poor misguided souls. You miss the point. Most people, trained or untrained, are not sufficiently well put together to perform stupid acts like high rep power cleans when in a state of fatigue. I am personally open minded to CrossFit as a principle – basically it is simply well packaged and marketed circuit training and it definitely works for a time as a fat loss exercise protocol. However, Cross Fit acolytes are far too rabid and close minded (basically ANYONE who tells you they have the perfect exercise system is full of shit), and those who teach it and are certified in it are consistently poor and ill trained in exercise programme design and form. One of my UP trainers Geoff Stuart, a very experienced trainer and former Olympic Games swimmer and Commonwealth Games medallist, is Cross Fit certified and the stories he told me about his fellow CrossFit students made me feel sick to the stomach for the poor schmucks who end up being taught how to train by these poor misguided souls.

]]> By: Ash http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/poliquin-on-crossfit-training/#comment-4792 Ash Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:43:05 +0000 http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/?p=130#comment-4792 Surely Crossfit is designed for the every day keep-fit enthusiast. I don't believe it claims to be the best system for shot-putters, hockey players or linemen. It is a training style to improve overall health, fitness and body image, not the best way to train ALL athletes, or reach a specific aspect of strength or fitness, this is obviously the case.<br><br>With regards to the safety aspects, I agree, it's not the safest way to go and there should be proper protocols to ensure the coaches are qualified to teach complicated lifts. However I don't think you can criticise a program, just because it's not going to add 100lbs to your narrow grip bench press in four months, that is just ridiculous. Not everyone is looking to do that!<br><br>Also re: injuries, I'd love to have you perform 20 balance tests on me and advise me how to correct them before going to the gym, but I am not a professional athlete, nor extremely rich, which I believe is the case for most CrossFit users. Clearly that would be preferable, but we can either choose to spend our money on gym membership or physiotherapy, not everyone has that luxury!<br><br>Overall there are some good points there, but I think you are overly critical in areas which CrossFit doesn't claim to be optimal for. It's not the total package, but nothing that everybody has access to is. If everyone could get balance tested before doing power cleans, I'm guessing you'd be out of the job! Surely Crossfit is designed for the every day keep-fit enthusiast. I don't believe it claims to be the best system for shot-putters, hockey players or linemen. It is a training style to improve overall health, fitness and body image, not the best way to train ALL athletes, or reach a specific aspect of strength or fitness, this is obviously the case.

With regards to the safety aspects, I agree, it's not the safest way to go and there should be proper protocols to ensure the coaches are qualified to teach complicated lifts. However I don't think you can criticise a program, just because it's not going to add 100lbs to your narrow grip bench press in four months, that is just ridiculous. Not everyone is looking to do that!

Also re: injuries, I'd love to have you perform 20 balance tests on me and advise me how to correct them before going to the gym, but I am not a professional athlete, nor extremely rich, which I believe is the case for most CrossFit users. Clearly that would be preferable, but we can either choose to spend our money on gym membership or physiotherapy, not everyone has that luxury!

Overall there are some good points there, but I think you are overly critical in areas which CrossFit doesn't claim to be optimal for. It's not the total package, but nothing that everybody has access to is. If everyone could get balance tested before doing power cleans, I'm guessing you'd be out of the job!

]]> By: Nick http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/poliquin-on-crossfit-training/#comment-2750 Nick Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:08:22 +0000 http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/?p=130#comment-2750 I don't "get" mixing exercises up to get fitter / for fat loss? Of course not. What these rabid Cross Fit people need to realise is that the beauty of training, especially resistance training, is that there are a thousand different training modalities that can be applied for a thousand different training effects. No one "system" is perfect, especially Cross Fit and its abundance of poor coaches and ludicrous high rep Olympic lifting type work. However putting various movements together "Cross Fit" style has been around for decades and is very effective at achieving certain things, namely fat loss and "overall fitness". But anyone who gets wrapped up in "the perfect system" doesn't understand human physiology and the principle of adaptation. I don’t “get” mixing exercises up to get fitter / for fat loss? Of course not.

What these rabid Cross Fit people need to realise is that the beauty of training, especially resistance training, is that there are a thousand different training modalities that can be applied for a thousand different training effects. No one “system” is perfect, especially Cross Fit and its abundance of poor coaches and ludicrous high rep Olympic lifting type work. However putting various movements together “Cross Fit” style has been around for decades and is very effective at achieving certain things, namely fat loss and “overall fitness”. But anyone who gets wrapped up in “the perfect system” doesn’t understand human physiology and the principle of adaptation.

]]> By: CrossFitter http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/poliquin-on-crossfit-training/#comment-2749 CrossFitter Wed, 12 Aug 2009 02:26:34 +0000 http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/?p=130#comment-2749 Obviously you dont get CrossFit. You need to Try It - then you can comment on it. Obviously you dont get CrossFit. You need to Try It – then you can comment on it.

]]> By: Good article on CrossFit - Myprotein Forum http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/poliquin-on-crossfit-training/#comment-2660 Good article on CrossFit - Myprotein Forum Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:33:07 +0000 http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/?p=130#comment-2660 [...] pretty much sums it all up in the qoute. Hes also written a whole article against crossfit: Poliquin on CrossFit Training __________________ Using this code with your first order will make you a ripped machine. Use [...] [...] pretty much sums it all up in the qoute. Hes also written a whole article against crossfit: Poliquin on CrossFit Training __________________ Using this code with your first order will make you a ripped machine. Use [...]

]]> By: Free Vertical Jump Training http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/poliquin-on-crossfit-training/#comment-1218 Free Vertical Jump Training Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:13:41 +0000 http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/?p=130#comment-1218 That's an excellent summary. That’s an excellent summary.

]]> By: Justin Smith http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/poliquin-on-crossfit-training/#comment-1084 Justin Smith Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:53:50 +0000 http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/?p=130#comment-1084 Hi, Very interesting stuff. Hi,

Very interesting stuff.

]]> By: CJG http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/poliquin-on-crossfit-training/#comment-1083 CJG Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:42:52 +0000 http://www.nickmitchellblog.com/?p=130#comment-1083 To get a picture for how the Crossfit Community responds to the challenges posed by Poliquin, go here: http://www.board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=38880 No one I've heard discredits Poliquin's skill in his own coaching field, but he's missing some crucial information about Crossfit that confines him to arguing against a straw man. Chris Shugart offers a more informed perspective on T-Nation here: http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=2596093 To get a picture for how the Crossfit Community responds to the challenges posed by Poliquin, go here:
http://www.board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=38880
No one I’ve heard discredits Poliquin’s skill in his own coaching field, but he’s missing some crucial information about Crossfit that confines him to arguing against a straw man. Chris Shugart offers a more informed perspective on T-Nation here:
http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=2596093

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