*My Take*
The CrossFit Games have started and the craziness is beginning. People complaining about HQ, calling people cheaters, saying the first workout is “crap”, and so on and so on. I thought CrossFit was supposed to be about community and supporting one another. However, most of these people talking smack or giving their two cents are people who are not going to even sniff the CrossFit Regionals, let alone the CrossFit Games at the Home Depot Center. The first workout was a good basis for work capacity with two skilled movements performed at high intensity. I love CrossFit, but I have not done a CrossFit Style Workout or high intensity workout in about 3 weeks since I started working and programming this strength and conditioning program. However, during those 3 weeks I was getting better sleep, my stress levels were way down, my cortisol levels went way down, and my overall mood was in good standing. I did perform the CrossFit Games WOD 1 on Wednesday, just for some giggles, and I am already paying the price in my lower back region. At the end of the day, form and technique is sacrificed for how fast we can move and how much we can lift in any given workout during a competition style workout. CrossFit is my Life, but I am also a trainer at heart and a lover of fitness. In my own perspective, when I gear up for a workout that will be timed or competed against, I throw the book out on form and technique, and just worry about my overall performance. Is this Good I ask? Yes, I did move a large load over a distance in a short amount of time, but what did I sacrifice in the long run for my health and well-being. As I have repeated before, my overall goal is not to compete in the CrossFit Games because I realize in the long run this will never happen! I might have a chance to get to Regionals and say I am the top 60 CrossFitter in the Northeast in 2011, but in 20 years will anyone remember this? The simple answer is no! I am not bashing any participating athletes in competing in the Opens, and I am not saying I will not, since I am a mental case, and sometimes cannot make my own mind up with what I want do. I love to compete and work with others, but the question araises do I want to sacrifice my health for the long run in my athletic future? The simple answer again is no! After 3 weeks on my own strength and conditioning program I was already seeing results in my strength, my form, my technique, and overall health. After one day of doing a competition online, my body was back to being broken down and suffering the consequences of being a eago driven maniac trying to move things in the wrong way! I might sound anti-CrossFit, but it is far from the truth. CrossFit is by far the best fitness program out there, and Greg Glassman pronounces this himself. He says, if things are done correctly and trained correctly you will see results and probably live a minimally injury free way of life. However, if things are done incorrectly with many of these movements that we perform in the CrossFit Community, it could be detrimental to our health.

Then you are probably saying to yourself, you are not a good trainer or not a good mover? I would have to say I disagree with you a 100 percent. If you brought any Olympic Lifter, powerlifter, pose runner, and so on to a local competition, they would probably be very scared of all our well being. I am here as a person trying to evaulate my own fitness and see what works best for me. That is why I am doing this trial run of a strength and conditioning program built in with the CrossFit Principles. You cannot throw stones at a house, if it is not built yet. I am researching, testing, analyzing, collecting data over these next 6 months to see what works best for me in my athletic fitness. Many experts have done this before and have seen great results. Key example is Greg Glassman, who tested, re-tested, and tested again to see what works best for people. He came up with concept of CrossFit and he is bringing happiness to many peoples lives with a great program!

This blog is for my intention to create a program that could work for the average day person, not the elite CrossFitter. If you are an elite CrossFitter, then you should be doing what you are doing now for your training program. If you want to train for the CrossFit Games, then train like you are going to be at the CrossFit Games. However, most people will not make the CrossFit Games and in a few years, this will be even harder to obtain with the athletes that are coming out each day. This will be a professional sport within the next few years, and will be a great sport to watch!

Ask yourself, what are your training for? To be an elite CrossFitter? or to be a healthy individual that can last in this type of program for the next 30 years?

I congratulate CrossFit for their success and will be part of their success for the long haul. My goal in my gym is to keep people healthy, keep people safe, keep people at low risk of injury, and overall make them happier, healthier indviduals for the long haul. Remember, this is the first goal of CrossFit!

Push your clients to be the best they can be, but do not push them to decline and breakdown!