Crossfit
It surprises me that I haven't tackled this question earlier with how popular Crossfit has become over the last year or so. The number of gyms that run this has grown exponentially, and it seems now that the number of friends who participate in this is starting to rival the numbers who don't.
I have friends who swear by Crossfit, and I have others who will point to friends who have undergone surgeries due to Crossfit accidents that say it's simply not working.
I believe that the basic idea behind Crossfit is muscle confusion, and is similar to P90x and Insanity workouts. It's hard to get a good grip on it searching the internet since everyone seems to have his or her own opinion on the pros and cons.
Where do I stand on Crossfit?
I'm not sure yet. I know very little about Crossfit, so I'm not going to knock it. At the same time, in season, it's not something that I'm going to let my crews do until I become better informed as to the benefits. What I've seen in Crossfit isn't necessarily something that needs to be done in order for us to be fitter or faster. When it comes to weights, our goal isn't to get bigger, but to get stronger. I don't need my athletes sprinting from station to station, or pressing out as many reps as quickly as they possibly can. I already have issues with athletes who have never lifted weights before, and athletes who don't assume a proper stance on a squat or split squat.
Still, there must be some benefits to the workouts, so I've come up with what I believe to be the best solution to the Crossfit issue. The summer and winter training allows for two days of, "Cross-training," where the athlete can choose an activity away from the erg to alleviate boredom, and erg burnout. These are the days that they can add a Crossfit workout should they choose, provided again that it does not become their primary workout, and that they avoid any weight lifting. The weight lifting regimen they receive from the coaching staff is specifically designed for the rowing season and the stroke motion, and the Crossfit workouts are not sufficient enough to keep them in rowing shape when they transition into the fall or the spring.
I have friends who swear by Crossfit, and I have others who will point to friends who have undergone surgeries due to Crossfit accidents that say it's simply not working.
I believe that the basic idea behind Crossfit is muscle confusion, and is similar to P90x and Insanity workouts. It's hard to get a good grip on it searching the internet since everyone seems to have his or her own opinion on the pros and cons.
Where do I stand on Crossfit?
I'm not sure yet. I know very little about Crossfit, so I'm not going to knock it. At the same time, in season, it's not something that I'm going to let my crews do until I become better informed as to the benefits. What I've seen in Crossfit isn't necessarily something that needs to be done in order for us to be fitter or faster. When it comes to weights, our goal isn't to get bigger, but to get stronger. I don't need my athletes sprinting from station to station, or pressing out as many reps as quickly as they possibly can. I already have issues with athletes who have never lifted weights before, and athletes who don't assume a proper stance on a squat or split squat.
Still, there must be some benefits to the workouts, so I've come up with what I believe to be the best solution to the Crossfit issue. The summer and winter training allows for two days of, "Cross-training," where the athlete can choose an activity away from the erg to alleviate boredom, and erg burnout. These are the days that they can add a Crossfit workout should they choose, provided again that it does not become their primary workout, and that they avoid any weight lifting. The weight lifting regimen they receive from the coaching staff is specifically designed for the rowing season and the stroke motion, and the Crossfit workouts are not sufficient enough to keep them in rowing shape when they transition into the fall or the spring.
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