CrossFit for Traditional Athletes?

While I’m not a CrossFit expert, I am a huge fan. Since my junior year of college, I’ve been a huge proponent of CrossFit style training – essentially circuit training – as a way to get in and stay in shape for any and all sports.

See, I used to be a big boy – 6’2″ 225lbs at age 18 – all because my coaches and trainers said, get bigger. So I did.

But I was slow.

So after freshman year, I dropped 15lbs or so and came back to campus as one of the fastest guys on the team. I did it by blending my workouts together. First it was simply running and lifting back to back, but eventually it was lots of plyometrics mixed in with traditional lifts and later, some non-traditional stuff.

For a long time, most people who saw me in the gym thought I was a mad man. But nowadays, it’s the norm. Every time I’m at the gym, I’m amazed at the new exercises I see. I think CrossFit has a lot to do with it.

What I’m really curious about though, is whether or not traditional coaches/trainers at the university level are embracing it? Somehow I don’t think they are, but if it means your athletes are in shape like the pair in this video, wouldn’t you?

What do you say coaches?

P.S. – Joe and I are thinking of taking this to the extreme. We’ve had our eye on Gym Jones for some time now…

http://www.crossfitstory.com Shane

You bet coaches are picking up on it. As a recently graduated collegiate rower from San Diego, we were indoctrinated into the CrossFit community early in my career by our head strength training coach and we used it on a regular basis. Often our head coach would jump in and began to enjoy it as much as we did, working up to learn kipping pull-ups.

In fact, during the summer when we would be off from training most of us stayed in San Diego to continue CrossFitting with our head strength coach as a way of keeping our fitness up. We wouldn’t have been as successful as we were without it. I think coach’s everywhere should be perking up their ears to the sounds of CrossFit.
http://TeamHomeField.com HomeField

Very cool. I can definitely see the benefits in a sport like rowing…

But would it work for the traditional sports? Football, hockey, basketball,
baseball? Lacrosse and soccer?

I can see the benefit in general fitness, but there has to be more work done
to train muscles toward certain activities.

… right?! (haha… I don’t know the answer… just thinking out loud and
taking some of what @GymJones said).
TrainWithElijah

Gym Jones stuff is AMAZING, CrossFit too. I sometimes feel CF workouts may be too short depending on your sport. Either way both are simply awesome!!!!!!!
http://TeamHomeField.com HomeField

Yeah, my experience with CrossFit so far has been quick workouts – which I
love for efficiency, but agree may be too short for some sports
conditioning.

I do know there’s CrossFit Endurance, and I may check it out soon.

And yes, Gym Jones is unreal!