Hallo!
As most know, Crossfit is the type of training I practice and preach, and by definition it is "constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity". Not terribly clear though, right?
"Constantly Varied" is pretty easy to figure out: the programming changes every day, which in effect prepares you for anything, thereby mimicking life. Life doesn't really care if you did your isolated bicep curls on monday and your next "arm day" isn't until wednesday. You might have to pick up your kid, groceries, a chair, etc, on Tuesday.
Now, what is a functional movement? It is a natural compound movement. Functional movements reflect life: pushing, pulling, lifting objects including our own body weight. A squat, for example, is a functional movement and one of the 9 foundational movements used in crossfit. A deadlift is another one and is the way anyone and everyone should be picking things off the floor; it's efficient, natural, and effective (you can lift heavier weights safely if you are deadlifting them up off the ground).
There is a LOT I can say about Crossfit and a quick brief won't give it justice...particularly the intensity component. Intensity is the #1 reason that people will say crossfit isn't safe. When you start crossfitting you can only apply intensity within the realm of your abilities. If you can't push jerk properly yet, you shouldn't be performing them at high speed or heavy weights. That said, you can still follow the programming (sets and reps) and work on perfecting your lift.
Technique always dictates intensity and this is where the Gym Cops, otherwise known as Safety Police, come into play.
I'll replay a moment that happened yesterday when I was doing a modified pull up with one leg up on a ledge of the pullup station (it takes some of the body weight away and allows me to do more), when a guy (we'll call him SP) came up to ask the following:
SP: That's a *pause* interesting exercise, what is it?
F: It's a modified pull up.
SP: Couldn't you do body weight rows?
F: No....that would be a different exercise
SP: Well is there a way to make it safer? It just looks really unsafe. Could you make it closer to the ground?
This is where I'm laughing in my head because it was a very typical safety police move. For the record, anyone doing this form of pull up should know how to get on and off the bar and should have the cognitive ability to realize when their grip is weakening so they can step down off the bar. Safety police typically come out when they see something unfamiliar- it doesn't mean it's wrong though.
Could I have done a bunch of isolation exercises to work the same muscle groups? Yes. Would I be able to build up strength in those areas and THEN be able to do more pullups? Maybe. People don't always appreciate the "practice" involved in some things. There is no other way to get to a proper squat than to practice the range of movement. You cannot do back extentions and hamstring curls to get a good deadlift. People who have that view when it comes to crossfit and functional movements are missing the whole point of performing a functional movement. We're looking for universal motor recruitment patterns in order to teach our bodies safe ways to move in both workouts and in life. Our body doesn't work in single joint movements very often in "real" life and that's why we (crossfitters) don't train that way in the gym.
Hopefully this has given a bit of a clearer idea of what Crossfit is even though the best way to "get" it is to try it out. And for all the safety cops and doubters out there, take a minute to understand why something is being done and the technique behind it.
Ttfn,
F
