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Creeping common sense at CrossFit
Aug. 29th, 2015 01:24 amhttp://fourhourworkweek.com/2015/03/04/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-of-crossfit/
For a long time, I've loathed the American worship of effort, and in particular, the idea that you prove your virtue by suffering when you exercise.
CrossFit was an exemplar of the problem-- an especially efficient method of getting people to exercise until they puked, and they'd think it was a badge of honor. A lot of people were getting injured.
Things have gotten better at Crossfit. At least some of their people have figured out that good form is crucial, and this includes maintaining good form when you're tired or under the stress of competition.
Also, specialization of one easily measured factor isn't a good strategy-- if all you've got is that you're very strong or have tremendous endurance, and then you keep pushing yourself, you might just break something.
If you don't have sufficient ankle mobility, you can't do squats safely. If you can't raise your arm straight up easily, you don't have the shoulder mobility to do bench presses safely.
Also, they recovering from simple-mindedness about what to eat. People were falling over because they were not eating salt at all. Also, individual variation matters. Some people are better at digesting saturated fat than others.
My apologies that this is a podcast without a transcript, but I think it's important to give credit where it's due.
If you're considering CrossFit, check out the gym you might go to carefully. CrossFit isn't very centralized, so these ideas about good form might or might not be in play.
For a long time, I've loathed the American worship of effort, and in particular, the idea that you prove your virtue by suffering when you exercise.
CrossFit was an exemplar of the problem-- an especially efficient method of getting people to exercise until they puked, and they'd think it was a badge of honor. A lot of people were getting injured.
Things have gotten better at Crossfit. At least some of their people have figured out that good form is crucial, and this includes maintaining good form when you're tired or under the stress of competition.
Also, specialization of one easily measured factor isn't a good strategy-- if all you've got is that you're very strong or have tremendous endurance, and then you keep pushing yourself, you might just break something.
If you don't have sufficient ankle mobility, you can't do squats safely. If you can't raise your arm straight up easily, you don't have the shoulder mobility to do bench presses safely.
Also, they recovering from simple-mindedness about what to eat. People were falling over because they were not eating salt at all. Also, individual variation matters. Some people are better at digesting saturated fat than others.
My apologies that this is a podcast without a transcript, but I think it's important to give credit where it's due.
If you're considering CrossFit, check out the gym you might go to carefully. CrossFit isn't very centralized, so these ideas about good form might or might not be in play.
