Separation of Sport and Fitness
It's the off-season for most athletes in the "Sport of Fitness." It's that time of year when the coaches mind is split; on one hand we are putting together the finishing touches for the regional-bound athletes, and the other we are laying out the off-season framework for the next crop of competitors.
Keep in mind I am not talking about the general fitness population that comes to our gym on a daily basis. Our group classes are for fitness, not competition. I know that line is blurred when we jump into CrossFit initially, but there is no doubt in my mind that the line should be clearly defined.
A couple of days ago I ran across an article by Mathew Basso creatively titled, "CrossFit: Have we learned nothing?" (You can read the article here.) The article caught my attention because it was re-tweeted by Vern Gambetta, someone I respect. Now this isn't new, many of the people I follow are not fans of CrossFit. In fact, Steve Magness who is a great Blogger, Coach, Exercise Physiologist, etc. has even stated he stopped dating a girl because she started CrossFit. (Article here.) Now, I have reached out to some and have heard nothing, I get it, their disdain for CrossFit means they won't give me the time of day. I totally understand that. Yet for some reason Basso's article has irked me for the past couple of days. Probably because he only views CrossFit as a Sport...and maybe the last comment about it being a bubble and foreshadowing the burst of said bubble.
So it got me thinking...
CrossFit isn't perfect. For most CrossFit affiliates they have to go through the growing pains of Sport vs. Fitness. Some ignore it, others adapt. Every so often people come in with the hopes that CrossFit is their sport. They might not have had any intense or fundamental training before coming through our doors but for some reason they have hope. In other words, at the age of 30 they want to skip the necessary steps and enter into the world of "Train to Win."
You can imagine the conversations us coaches must have, but thankfully we clearly define that our group classes are for Fitness only, and that our competition classes are for Sport. I believe CrossFit has been huge for fitness, and has done more good than not, and I don't agree with the bubble bursting anytime soon. CrossFit is constantly adapting, and there are good coaches that are evolving it (whether CrossFit HQ wants it to or not!). If owners are losing money because clients are getting injured, I think they will start changing their programming. Money is a great motivator. Granted there are always affiliates that will take their favorite "Games Competitors" training and try to adapt it to the general population, or take a military stance and program "shit kickers" all the time. I will be honest, it's not hard to write "shit kicker" workouts: give me a monkey, some darts, and a wall of movements, numbers, and time domains and voila, shit-kicker ready to go! Yet, that could be said for any coach at the collegiate level, personal trainer, or exercise guru out there (trust me I have seen it on all levels). Instead, we need to look at how we can adapt mixed modal training into truly "balanced" training.
Take for example the training below.
Monday: Lifting (Push/Pull/ Squat), 2x4x30m Hill Sprints
Tuesday: Conditioning 3x4x30secs @ 75% w/ 1 min rest b/t reps and 3 min b/t sets, then MB Circuit.
Wednesday: Lifting (Push/Pull/Squat) Easy Aerobic (20-30 min)
Thursday: General Strength Circuit 2-3 Sets
100m Run
Body Squats x 20
100m Run
Pushups x15
100m Run
Walking Lunges x20
100m Run
V-sits x20
100m Run
L-Overs x15
100m Run
Low Level Bicycle 30 seconds
Friday: Similar to Monday
Saturday: Similar to Tuesday
This is a very simple template we might see for a 400m-800m athlete at the college level during a General Preparation Period. A good mix of aerobic, strength, Alactic, and general strength work. I would say this is okay (as long as movement patterns are efficient). A CrossFit program could mirror this.
Yes it's general work, but most people need to spend time doing it, i.e., going through the fundamental steps noted above: Learning to Train, or Training to Train. When clients have spent a sufficient enough time doing a balanced mix modal training program it is then time for the CrossFit affiliate to usher their clients out of general and into specific training. Maybe it's a Strength, Olympic Lifting, Running, Gymnastics, Speed-Power, or Competition style CrossFit program. Robb Wolf's facility is a perfect example (Nor Cal Strength & Conditioning) of specific programming. If you want to keep clientele, have a place for them to grow. General to Specific!
It's important to note with Sport comes sacrifice and risk. In any sport you are going to have injuries, some might be chronic. You see this in the NFL, Running, Basketball, etc. Those athletes know what they are getting into. If you are an intelligent CrossFit coach you will educate your clients about the risk and sacrifices involved in training/competing in the "Sport of Fitness." For example, if you don't have efficient movement...well you better learn. Just like anything that deals with endurance, efficiency is king! Lack of efficiency invites a slew of problems: buildup of fibrous tissue/mobility issues, elevated stress markers, faulty muscle firing patterns, weakness, and injury. This isn't just specific to CrossFit, every endurance sport shares these issues.
In the end, fitness needs to be optimal, this includes commercial gyms, bootcamps, running clubs, and CrossFit. If your clients are consistently held together by kinesiotape, racking up appointments with physical therapists, chiropractors, and massage therapists, take a hard look at what you are doing for fitness. It's okay to have a support staff in place for sport, but it shouldn't be a constant for fitness.
Add new comment