News:Why Crossfit is ruining Olympic weightlifting.

Now there are a few things is this world that I down right hate! This list is as follows:

5. Dogs barking at each other right as you are trying to sleep.

4. Mall cops who take their jobs way to seriously.

3. Oranges that won’t peel.

2. People who chew with their mouths open.

1. CrossFit

            CrossFit has taken the fitness world by storm over the past couple years and quite frankly it pains me for what it has done to the Olympic lifts. The reason that this training fad has caught on so quickly is because people think that it will solve their weight loss problems and give them their ripped 3 percent body fat body that they have always wanted. Now, that sounds all well and good but there are a lot of things that people don’t know about CrossFit that could save them a lot of pain in down the road.

            

The first reason why I think CrossFit is ruining Olympic lifting is that the so-called “coaches” that know proper technique. Well guess what? THEY DON’T! Weightlifting coaches spend decades learning the craft and art that is weightlifting. CrossFit coaches on the other hand spend a two-day weekend seminar and take 50 question multiple choice exam to become a CrossFit certified Olympic lifting coach. There is no sort of qualification or educational background required to attend this seminar. By simply paying the fee, you can attend. My personal strength coach took the NSCA (national strength and conditioning association) exam three separate times before he finally passed and he attended one of the best schools in the country for exercise science. I know that there are very qualified coaches in the world of CrossFit. In fact, one of the coaches that I personally know competed in the Olympics in weightlifting and holds to this day a Pam American games world record in the Clean & jerk with a lift of 501lbs.  Granted this is only qualified coach that I can speak of. This is the problem with CrossFit, the majority of coaches are not like this and anyone that wants too can become a coach.

           

The coaches are only half the problem though. Let me start this off with a question. When watching Olympic lifting, how many reps to do you see weightlifters preform at a given time? The answer should be one! This brings me to my second problem.  Olympic lifts should be done in reps of up to 3 and no higher! Olympic lifts in a properly designed program come first and foremost because these lifts need to done with 100% explosive power. No one in there right mind would run a mile, do 10 pull ups and, then proceed to snatch 65% of their max for 8 reps. Its asking for an injury due to mass fatigue and damage to the nervous system. Simply put, your body cannot take that sort of abuse. When fatigue starts to set in that is when form starts to break down. When form starts to break down , that is when injuries happen. What CrossFit has done is mixed fire with gasoline. An exercise that is 90% technique, one cannot simply incorporate it into an aerobic circuit. Its madness!