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Adapting CrossFit Methodologies for Sports Performance

This is a topic where most people reading will already have an opinion. For the record, I feel CrossFit is just another strength sport with athletes who just want to succeed at a sport they love. How is other strength sports any different?

It almost seems like guys like me are a rare breed. Most people fit into one of two categories when it comes to their opinion on CrossFit.

1. They love it blindly and want everyone to know they love it. They feel the need to defend their passion for the sport.

2. People who criticize it for everything that is unimportant about the sport. Sure they have their own terminology and they are their own cult. But, what sport doesn't.

If you would have told me 10 years ago that every soccer mom, and washed up athlete would be doing snatches and fronts squats, I would have said you are crazy. Everyone is performing squats now and taking pictures of themselves. I guess that's good.

So what's this post about? This started when I watched a YouTube video of CrossFit competitor and Coach, Matt Chan training Knowshon Moreno in the summer of 2011. Two things stood out. Knowshon was on camera saying he feels great... he's down 20lbs....

Shgerk!

being down 20lbs is not good for a football player who collides with other grown men a lot.

The second thing was Knowshon tore his hamstring in the pre-season that year.

I am not saying Matt Chan's programming was lacking. He is one of the top CF competitors. But I have to think there are other CrossFit trainer who are in the position they have to train athletes at their gym (don't call it a box).

There are more and more athletes training at CrossFit gyms during breaks and during their off-seasons. So the next two or three posts will be directed specifically...

To the CrossFit Coach training Athletes for their sport and not for CrossFit - PART 1


7 Traditional CrossFit Exercises that have No Business in a Sports Performance Setting

1.) Thrusters.

The actual name for these is a Squat Press but I guess that wasn't cute enough. I get it. It takes a tremendous amount of power to squat-press the weight from a parallel squat position to overhead. I am not against the movement itself but some of the the application of biomechanics is what concerns me.

In order fro most athletes to achieve a proper front squat position, they must have the bar in a rack position where the bar rests on the clavicle and the fingers are not wrapped around the bar. How does one press when only a few finger-tips are in contact with the bar.

The other option is to keep the hands around the bar which in turn forces the elbows down (unless there is a tremendous amount of flexibility or minimum muscle mass). As we all know, when the elbows are down, the back will round. Add an external load for high reps in a fatigue state and this grossly sways the risk to benefit ratio.

There is a reason why Olympic Lifters learn to readjust theri hand position between the finish of the clean and the start of the jerk.

Alternatives
Clean, Front Squat, Push Press Complex
Squat Clean, Push Press Complex
Behind the Neck Back Squat Thruster (this may have inherent risks as well
Dumbbell Thrusters

2.) Sumo Deadlift High Pull

Using weight light enough on the Sumo Deadlift to perform the high pull does not reap much benefit and the close grip high pull has a serious risk of shoulder impingement. I get the rationale. I wide based "explosive" movement, but I don't see the benefit.

Alternatives
Clean Grip Barbell High Pulls from Floor
Seated Box Jumps

3.) High Rep "Rebound" Box Jumps.

It is well documented even in the CrossFit Community about the risks involved specifically with Achilles ruptures when doing this exercise. This exercise puts the most stress on the gastroc, soleus, and Achilles because of the angle of the shin on impact. Basically the jumping off the box backwards (in combination with a fatigued state) puts the lower leg in a vulnerable position. Heavy tire flips and heavy sled pushes are close behind.

The execution of the depth jump should be performed by stepping off the box and landing almost straight down while the lower body is in a non-tensed state according to Verkoshansky

Alternatives
Depth Jumps
Stepping off the box between reps.

4.Kipping Pull-Ups

I did my first kipping pull-up on Paris Island in 1992. The reason we taught ourselves how to kip (we didn't have a class) so we could do more pull-ups. Remember, pull-ups are specific physical preparation for the sport of CrossFit. For athletes, the object is not to do more pull-ups but to strengthen the musculature involved.

Think about how the muscles in the upper back and lats are used for in the sport of baseball, softball, volleyball, lacrosse, tennis, etc.? The upper back is used mostly to decelerate the shoulder joint when throwing, hitting, shooting, etc. The nature of these deceleration is eccentric in nature. Kipping pull-ups will increase the number of pull-ups but eliminate the eccentric portion of the lift.

Alternatives
Strict Pull-Ups (using bands)
Pull-Downs
Rows

5.) Muscle-ups or rope climbs

I understand that when someone climbs a rope 30 ft in the air, they have an immense feeling of accomplishment. I just don't thin it is a good idea to have athlete 30ft in the air. Muscle-Ups are hard, It takes a tremendous amount of flexibility, momentum and strength to do one of these. But, the 3 panes of instability, the angle of the shoulders on the dip portion, etc. make the risk to benefit ration not worth it.

Alternatives
Chin-Ups
Rows
Dips (I guess)

6.) Med-ball Cleans

Unless you have 150lbs medballs at the minimum...C'Mon Man

Alternatives
Log Clean & Press
Atlas Stone Shouldering
Med Ball Throws

7.) Wall Ball

C'Mon Man. Just throw that shit as many different ways as possible. Don't teach athletes to absorb force in that manner and produce "just enough" force to clear the line on the wall.

Alternatives
Anything but these

I understand that if you are training for a CF competition, you probably have to get good at all of these.  Not so much if you are a high school volleyball player or college baseball player.

Next time I will talk about some key elements you must address for your athletes even if you are training them at a CrossFit Facility.

Mark Watts' Training Log

Articles by Mark Watts

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