Superman (a.k.a. Elliott Bayev, owner and head trainer of OpenMat BJJ and Kimonogirl BJJ, a BJJ Brown Belt and Abu Dhabi competitor) definitely takes his CrossFit training outside of the gym.

Although CrossFit can be considered a sport in and of itself (that is, being the fittest possible [...]]]> Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Superman (a.k.a. Elliott Bayev, owner and head trainer of OpenMat BJJ and Kimonogirl BJJ, a BJJ Brown Belt and Abu Dhabi competitor) definitely takes his CrossFit training outside of the gym.

Although CrossFit can be considered a sport in and of itself (that is, being the fittest possible simply for the sake of doing so, and, of course, being fitter than the next guy), according to CrossFit’s World Class Fitness in 100 Words“, that alone is not sufficient: “… Regularly learn and play new sports”.  Likewise, CrossFit’s Theoretical Hierarchy of Development has “Sport” at the peak of the pyramid, with nutrition and different fitness elements providing the supporting layers.  These are equivocal statements that you need to actually do something with the fitness you develop through your training.  As fun as the training component can be, you must look to apply your physical capacities in arenas outside of the training environment.  In other words, put your training into practice; train for something.

This does not necessarily have to be in the context of a competitive sport or otherwise organised activity.  However, it most certainly should be something outside of the gym that makes use of your physical abilities, and ideally in a challenging way, at least on occasion.  Playing with your kids, skiing, canoeing, hiking, mountain biking, and even just climbing a tree (when was the last time you did that?!) are all examples of non-competitive activities that are fun, physical, and can make good use of your fitness levels.

That said, there is of course nothing wrong with taking your fitness into a competitive arena.  We work with numerous competitive athletes, including rugby, hockey and baseball players, not to mention a number of boxing, BJJ and MMA fighters.

What are you training for?

Workout

Power snatch 3-3-3-3-3 reps

rest 5 minutes

Power Cindy

Complete as many rounds as you can in 10 minutes of:

• 5 Clapping pull-ups
• 10 Clapping push-ups
• 15 Box jumps (20″)

dan⋅ger⋅ous –adjective

Outsiders to the CrossFit world often use the word “dangerous” to describe what we do.  High-rep Olympic lifts, lifting heavy weights, mixing beginners and advanced athletes together, the use of [...]]]>

dan⋅ger⋅ous
–adjective

1. full of danger or risk; causing danger; perilous; risky; hazardous; unsafe.
2. able or likely to cause physical injury: a dangerous criminal.

Outsiders to the CrossFit world often use the word “dangerous” to describe what we do.  High-rep Olympic lifts, lifting heavy weights, mixing beginners and advanced athletes together, the use of free weights in general, and even the use of the full sit-up have all been labeled “dangerous”.  They are right.  It is dangerous.  However, to be fair, we need to qualify that claim.

The statement that something is “dangerous” evokes an overly simplistic, black and white view.  The truth of the matter is that every activity possesses an inherent level of risk.  Even the act of being inactive carries with it some risk.  The issue, then, is not whether or not to engage in a “risky” or “dangerous” activity; that is too simple a thought process.  Because danger and risk are relative, the actual level of risk depends not only on the activity, but also on all mitigating factors.

Moreover, the concept of risk-reward needs to be considered as well.  It is a simple question to ask, “do the rewards to doing X outweigh the risks of doing so?”  We do this every day, usually unconsciously.

Take driving a car.  There is always some chance that you will get into an accident while driving and that you will get hurt.  People, however, still elect to drive.  Why?  Because the risks of driving a vehicle are deemed to be outweighed by the rewards of driving.  How do we make that determination?  By looking at the risk mitigating factors: seatbelts, airbags, anti-lock breaks, crumple zones, traffic lights, defensive driving capability, experience, etc.

In the CrossFit world there are also a number of mitigating factors: experience and knowledge of the coach; size of the training group; use of progressions to develop skill; prioritising the development of skill and technique before adding intensity.  There are more examples, but the point should be clear by now.

The bottom line is that the level of risk or danger of any activity needs to be qualified by considering all factors involved.  Finally, it might be worthwhile to consider the risk of not engaging in an activity, too.

Workout

Nate

Complete as many rounds as you can in 20 minutes of:

• 2 Muscle-ups
• 4 Handstand push-ups
• 8 Kettlebell swings (boys: 32kg; girls: 24kg)