USA Weightlifting and CrossFit have combined forces to create a mixture of a lifting meet and a CrossFit conditioning workout. The CrossFit/USAW Open will be in Colorado Springs, CO on October 1st through the 3rd. This competition will begin with a normal Olympic weightlifting meet (for the new folk, the snatch is contested first, followed by the clean and jerk) and end with what is being referred to as “the triplet”. The conditioning workout will consist of as many rounds as possible of six squat cleans (55kg men / 30kg women), 12 pull-ups and 24 double unders.
Before I talk about what I think about this endeavor, let me clear a few things up. There are folk that read this site that primarily workout in a CrossFit facility. There are folk that read this site that don’t have anything to do with CrossFit. Subsequently, there are people that read the site that both do and do not like CrossFit for various reasons.
Gant and I, for some ungodly reason I’m sure we can’t fathom, have to defend ourselves whenever a joke is make about CrossFit. I’ll clarify this issue once again. I am doing what I’m doing indirectly because of CrossFit. I hated bodybuilding style training after I stopped playing football in college, started doing power/agility/strength training, and got into a bit o’ CrossFit. I co-owned a facility in southern Georgia. I was probably the youngest person certified as a ‘Level II CrossFit Trainer’. Doing all of that led to me getting in contact with Mark Rippetoe, and then it led to me moving to Wichita Falls to run CF style stuff. I had been playing around with strength related programming, and implemented and improved it in Wichita Falls. Throughout my time living there, I mainly got stronger (no conditioning). I coached barbell training in the gym and at seminars, and also started competing in Olympic weightlifting. I also started a joke and training philosophy with my friends that evolved into this website.
So there you have it, CrossFit was the inception that turned me onto the things I do now. I have a very clear understanding of what CrossFit is and have been around and have had discussions with people who run the company. I have met tons of great people through CrossFit, and I don’t regret any of it. My philisophical difference generally lies with an emphasis on barbell training for strength with conditioning to get conditioned for whatever the goal is. CrossFit style workouts are a tool but not used in every situation, although its principles are valuable. Another difference is that I feel better when skinny guys become stronger and bigger, primarily because they can usually do whatever it is that they want to do better with few exceptions. And lastly I believe there is value in competing in sanctioned sports that can improve the vigor of an individual and reverberate throughout their life. This brings us back full circle to the CrossFit/USAW Open.
Frankly, I think it’s a good idea.
Pros
USAW has around 6,000 members including lifters, coaches, judges, and volunteers. That ain’t much, folks. CrossFit itself has…I dunno how many people, but they have over 1,000 affiliates. The majority of those facilities have bumper plates in them. Prior to this CrossFit explosion, you probably had to go to select Olympic weightlifting gyms in order to train the Olympic lifts (unless you had your own equipment). Now you can probably talk a local affiliate into letting you train there if you’re an experienced lifter. Furthermore, most of these facilities have people teaching people how to do the Olympic lifts. Now, the quality of coaching is going to vary drastically, but the point is there are a lot more people that have access to the sport of Olympic lifting as well as a lot more people actually doing the lifts, correctly or not. CrossFit is going to increase the number of lifters in USAW.
This does a number of good things. If the number of registered USAW lifters increases immediately and continues to do so over time, that means we have a larger talent pool of people who might be successful. I’ve heard rumors of China having one MILLION people in their lifting federation. If that’s even remotely true, they are destroying us on sheer volume. USAW might get some pretty decent lifters out of this CrossFit partnership.
This will also bring more money to USAW. I don’t really have an opinion on this either way, but maybe USAW can offer me more services, better discounts, or some other perk due to the increase in members and revenue. Hell, I don’t know. At the very least it will mean more people will try Olympic lifting, and that means I might get more business out of it. In either case, it’s about time USAW has taken advantage of the fact that CrossFit has tons of people throwing around barbells with bumper plates.
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Cons
I guess the idea is that more people will try out CrossFit and become involved in it. I honestly don’t see this happening. The CrossFit money making machine will still roll with or without USAW (They have 19 Level I seminars in August. If 30 people attend each one — and sometimes it’s more — that’s 570 people at $1k each…and…that’s a lot of fucking money. And that’s only the Level I.). I don’t see USAW members as likely to try or at least stick with CrossFit, but it still opens that market up to CrossFit. From what I’ve seen online, I just don’t know how much of the hardcore weightlifters will try a conditioning workout, and I suspect that the majority of participants in this CrossFit/USAW Open will be people coming from CrossFit. And there’s nothing wrong with that because it brings more people into a sport that needs exposure.
Now, the actual conditioning workout itself could be tweaked. To recap, it consists of six squat cleans (55kg men / 30kg women), 12 pull-ups and 24 double unders. Now, let me clarify that I’m probably not gonna compete in this thing because I’m poor and will be more concerned with a local meet and preparing for the American Open. Personally I think this is biased towards the CrossFitter just a bit. The weightlifter doesn’t incorporate kipping pull-ups of any kind into his training because they aren’t very useful. The CrossFitter stereotypically does a shit load of them. Furthermore, if someone were going to get 10 rounds of this workout in, they’d be doing 120 pull-ups, which the weightlifter would never bother with. Hands will be ripping and DOMS will be almost as prevalent as the internet insults that will follow the hand rippage. I don’t really care that this is biased, but it is objectively biased nonetheless.
Instead, I would have switched the cleans and the pull-ups. 6 pull-ups followed by 12 cleans would be more appropriate. The limiting factor wouldn’t be grip strength on the bar or skin remaining on the hand. I could do 55kg cleans all day long — as any man should. I don’t think that this would have tilted the bias more in the weightlifter’s favor since a CrossFitter is supposed to be doing cleans anyway, regardless of a lifting meet. And it’s so damn light that they would be fine anyway.
Summary
Overall, I thin this partnership is a damn good idea and way overdue. More CrossFitters will try Olympic lifting. Some of them may compete in it on a regular basis and I don’t see this as a bad thing. As for the event itself, I think that “the triplet” could have been designed better, but at least it wasn’t one of the awfully contrived workouts that pop up every now and then on CrossFit’s website.
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A few more thoughts
Justin asked for my thoughts on this, so here they are. I think this idea sucks. The USAW will have to sign an extra Crossfitter up because I won’t be renewing my membership.
There are a lot of good people who operate and train in CF gyms who work hard and do well. That’s not the issue (let this soak in before you accuse me of being anti-CF). My beef with this is USAW’s catering to CF and CF’s refusal to acclimate and compete in an actual sport. Glassman claimed, in one of his hyperbolic declarations, “we can do your stuff almost as well as you can.” Really? Here was your chance! But instead of doing someone else’s stuff, you had to make this look like your stuff. Keep moving those goalposts up until they hit you right in the face.
There is no reason they couldn’t have hosted an all-CF weightlifting meet. Enforce the rules and use actual judging standards. Sure, you might have a lot of guys pressing out jerks, making AC Jumps, and going 3-for-6. That’s part of learning. Those same lifters will be there next time going 5-for-6 and getting 3 PRs. They jettisoned an outstanding opportunity to learn and grow so they could take their shirts off and sling some 55kg cleans (WTF, we’re not even into the blues?!).
So yeah, I think this cheapens both organizations. This will sell a few more USAW memberships, but it won’t do anything to improve America’s weightlifting prospects. The next Kendrick Farris isn’t doing Fran in some Crossfit box.
Hopefully NASGA won’t have me doing burpees after throwing a PVC caber.
-Gant
the horrors…
The point of this isn’t to bash CF or the USAW. It is whether you think this project is worthwhile. Why or why not?
Overall I agree with Justin’s assessment and I like his modification of the Triplet. I think this can only benefit USAW.
However, I definitely see what you’re saying Gant. I think the triplet is there simply to entice crossfitters to sign up and give it a shot when otherwise they may get less interest and attendance. hopefully there will be another pure weightlifting event which follows this.
but who knows where the next Kendrick Farris will come from? crossfit kids and crossfit football expose a broad range of youth to weightlifting movements when they may otherwise never see it.
i found powerlifting, weighlifting and more generally a desire to learn about strength and conditioning methodologies all via crossfit. i think when programmed intelligently it can be useful, but crossfit the brand and a lot of their marketing-oriented statements (broad modal domains, training for the unknowable etc) are either lame or disingenuous. crossfit takes credit for a lot of training protocols which have been in use for a long time, but whatever, at least they are getting more attention.
i wish i found weightlifting when i was a kid, but i’ll take what i can get and go as far as i can with it. if this project and what comes out of it can help draw young US athletes’ attention to weightlifting, then it’s absolutely worthwhile.
I too was surprised at the triplet. I would’ve assumed some heavier cleans be in order.
It will be interesting to see the results. I agree with Justin about adjusting the triplet.
I’m also torn, I think it’s a good idea to expose more people to a real weightlifting meet but I can’t help but agree with Gant in that I think most Xfitters will do this and then never return to a meet.
I also am very annoyed by some of Glassmans statements regarding the elite-ness of Xfitters but I guess that may well be all part of the marketing…
I’ve been to some lifting meets, power and Oly, that had people coming from a CrossFit background. I don’t know if those people attended more than one meet, but it helped them get into it. If 5% of the CFers stick with weightlifting, then would it make things any different? I dunno.
–Justin
I’m with Gant, mostly.
Whilst I think its better that USAW are doing something to harness crossfit’s use of the oly lifts, (I remember Rip giving out about them not doing this) I honestly think this “triplet” nonsense is the wrong way.
Its as if they picked the stuff that other people don’t do (light high rep O-lifts, kipping pullups and Double unders)and said “thats what we want. It smells of that Castro fella. I wonder if there is a journal article on strategies for high rep light cleans?
Also, DOUBLE UNDERS??
The existence of double unders in this is, for my money, an insult to Weightlifting. They are a low skill parlour trick.
My initial response was “why can’t the XF’rs just enter a competition?” My local affiliate HOSTED the recent regional event. You can believe that a load of their members entered. Not a double under in sight.
Maybe this is the first step in CF filtering into USAW. I doubt it, but I guess it could be.
–Justin
i think olympic weightlifting naturally requires a certain kind of discipline and personality for someone to seriously pursue it. It really isn’t very everyone. Most people will only do the lifting as prescribed in WODs, while only a few people will actually try to pursue competence in the lifts. i’m grateful to crossfit for introducing me to the olypmic lifts, since I would never have been exposed to it otherwise
gotta disagree about double-unders being a low skill parlor trick, they are really just the tip of the iceberg as far as rope work goes true, but becoming proficient in double-unders is the first step. i use a rope for many of my warm-ups and i think it’s a great conditioning, agility, power, and coordination tool.
that said, rope work isn’t so prevalent outside of boxing and mma (and double-unders in crossfit), that and the kipping pull-ups definitely put weightlifters at a disadvantage.
but this bitching aside what’s so different from this comp and the monthly challenges we do on here? the rules are simple: snatch, C&J and triplet–show up and win the damn thing, or don’t. it’s just 1 tiny event that will be forgotten before the end of the year.
Double unders are easy unless your name is AC.
–Justin
I don’t tolerate double unders.
–A.C.
The idea is excellent, the execution is horrific.
I’m all for seeing more of the crossfit bunches in weightlifting/powerlifting as numbers in general are good for the two sports, but to try and put crossfit together with weightlifting like this is silly. If crossfit really has produced athletes that can do what we do as well as we do it then why do they need a third event in a meet that will basically cause every weightlifter considering in doing this meet to back out or not compete in this portion of it. I know that there is no way I’d do a meet and then proceed to do something stupid like that.
How are you supposed to judge this anyway? Do they get a certain number of kilos added to their 2 lift total for each round they compete.
Note: My background is in straight powerlifting to going on to dabble in olympic lifting, no crossfit involved.
1. CrossFit isn’t a sport.
2. I think you make a very good point by saying if CF can do everything else better, then why do they need a triplet to feel comfy. That’s a very, very good point. I should have thought of it.
–Justin
Justin, what else isn’t a sport? What else isn’t a sport Justin????? WHAT ELSE ISN’T A SPORT. JUSTIN, YOU SAY THAT CROSSFIT ISN’T A SPORT, SO WHAT ELSE ISN’T A SPORT? WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK IS NOT A SPORT? WHAT ELSE ISN’T A SPORT, JUSTIN?
– brent
I don’t have a problem with the partnership of the two organizations, I just don’t like the execution. I do however like the fact that the USAWL is going to get better exposure and maybe some new members. I have nothing against Crossfit, it just isn’t my thing and I just don’t care. I do however like weightlifting and I like almost anything that helps promote it. I can only see the USAWL benefiting from this.
Hey Justin, where do you live now? I only get to check from time to time. I thought you were still at the WFAC.
I recently moved to Panama City, FL.
–Justin
i’m in Plano
– brent
@theonidas,
Dude, you say you are disagreeing, but it looks a lot like you are agreeing.
If its “the tip of the iceberg” and you use it for “warm ups” do you really think that Double unders are something special?
You don’t need masses of co-ordination to do double unders. The “Agility” element is a myth. There may be some skills required for more advanced rope work but we aren’t talking about that. Jumping up and down on the spot gives an identical conditioning element.
And this is supposed to stand up as a competition element next to the snatch and C&J?
(Disclosure: I am a current Crossfitter. I also have a pending Level 1 license with the Australian Weightlifting Federation)
I think the idea is sound; to promote dedicated Olympic lifting to Crossfitters who already have some (usually basic) exposure to it. I can also understand why USAW want to do it, if they’re anywhere near as cash-strapped as the AWF.
The execution really does suck however – the two lifts and then a 10 minute metcon? Where is the crossover? 6 reps @ 55 is trivial. The triplet is pure metabolic conditioning. It’s not even a very good metcon.
If the goal is to promote crossover between the two organisations, it would be much better to have a power endurance event that retains a focus on O-lifting.
Full Grace (30 squat clean and jerks) or Isabel (30 snatches) at a heavier weight might be better I think. Crossfitters would be shown the efficiency benefits of better O-lifting technique over sloppily grinding through. They might even come out of the event with an interest in improving their lifting. They’d certainly learn more.
I’m with Gant as well.
They were discussing this on the GoHeavy forums and Greg Everett made a lot of good points here: http://goheavy.com/forums/olympic/index.cgi/noframes/read/502821
I have mixed feelings too. I also work at a Crossfit affiliate, though I no longer consider myself a “crossfitter” because I seem to be less and less fond of those running the show. I do like that USAW will get some exposure but I dont see the need to have a metcon at the end. All of the talk about crossfitters being able to step into any sport and unknown and unknowable yada yada 700 lb deadlifts blah blah and what not, why cant they just do a standard meet? Also, those crossfitters that are interested enough in weightlifting would hopefully enter a meet on their own, without having to be enticed into it with a metcon. But I know there are plenty of affiliates out there who are doing just that, getting their members into real meets. But as far as both organizations go, Im sure this is mostly about money.
@Anonymoose: touche brother. i was disagreeing about it being a low skill parlor trick. learning the double-under is the foundation to all other rope work. i agree with pretty much everything else you say about it, including the rank smell of castro.
I’m with thunderhorse, Grace or Isabel would make much more sense in this context if you’re going to include a wod.
i’m bored at work. here’s DonMc’s response to Greg Everett on GoHeavy–http://goheavy.com/forums/olympic/index.cgi/noframes/read/502958
food for thought.
I was about to comment that Grace or Isabel would be a bad idea because high-rep weightlifting workouts have the potential to damage your WL form, but it’s 60kg, so it’s a 50% snatch for a mediocre weightlifter. Not heavy enough to do any damage.
I think it’s a somewhat silly event and a somewhat silly idea on its face. There are better ways for USAW to partner with CrossFit, Inc.
I agree with Gant that this seems like goalpost-shifting from a camp whose ringleader has made some pretty overblown claims about his method’s superiority.
Also, the 55kg “squat clean” – not sure if serious? Is this simply to keep split cleans out, or are they really going to judge depth to make sure everyone pulls that warmup weight as if it were a heavy PR? Maybe if you’re working on technique, sure, but in a competition?
Got no problem with CF, I’m just not sure this kind of meet does a lot of good for USAW. But if it does, good for them. Could have been more exciting if they just brought the overhead press back into play as a contested lift – CFers do that too, so it seems fair.
That would have been way cooler, to have a meet that consists of:
1. clean and press
2. snatch
3. clean and jerk
I always wonder how different a meet like that would be.
–Justin
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Look at the Doug Hepburn vid I liked to in the sticky. That’s how cool it would be.
-Gant
I’ll send you some Kono and Paul Anderson footage that is even better.
–Justin
how much better?
– brent
Advantage: Kim
Looks like he has both of us by the balls
–A.C.
For the year I did CF, I saw it as a competition. We had a wall with the fastest times, or most lifted, and that is what you strived for. If you had a guy in the room that was on your level, or slightly above, you tried you damnedest to out do him every day.
I could see this as a good thing for the USAW. The CF’ers would go to this, get trounced in the Snatch and C&J and think, “I need to win; I need to work on these lifts.” Then they go home and do so, preparing for next year. That is the way I could see this working for USAW, by tapping in to the competition side of CF.
Two points:
1. For Crossfit there is the prestige that comes from being associated with a legit Olympic sport. I think this is important for Crossfit, to counter the “Crossfit isn’t a sport” line that some people use.
2. This isn’t really unknown and unknowable is it?
In theory I believe the partnership is a good idea as it will hopefully bring more people into the sport of weightlifting. I do however think the metcon they choose is asinine at best.
Seriously, a ten minute metcon with very light cleans, double unders and kipping pullups!?! I assume the point of this event is to expose both crossfitters to weightlifting and weightlifters to crossfit so both organizations grow/profit from the partnership…if not, I am not sure what the point is.
I doubt many weightlifters are not going to do this because it has no crossover to their training and they would likely rip up their hands. So if they are not competing then who is left…just the crossfitters. Why not just have a Crossfit competition then!
Perhaps choosing a shorter heavier metcon or event with some crossover to both groups training would have been a good idea. As mentioned above Grace and Isabel would have worked fine…they are standards at Crossfit for Pete’s sake! How about something like Snatch, 5RM squat, and a 100 meter dash. Or Clean and Jerk, standing broad jump and DL 1.5 times bw for 10 followed by a 250 row for time.
I am brainstroming and I am not a programming wizard, obvisouly, but I could see something like this appealing to both sides since the events are not on such opposite ends of the training spectrum that either group would be excluded from participating for fear of screwing up their regular sport training.
Powerlifting was the second sport I was referring to, not crossfit
Weightlifting/powerlifting.
If you want to combine Crossfit into a nice comfy sport that they are supposed to be good at that makes easy judging and easy competitive standards.
A lifting competition consisting of
Snatch
CnJ
Squat
Bench/OHP
Deadlift
Since crossfitters practice all of these they should have an inherent advantage on PLers/OLers as neither one of them focuses on the other so theres no need for silly metcons or air humping on a pullup bar.
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Everybody thank NolanPower for our August Challenge. 1RM time, boys and girls (using bench, not OHP). September will be another TSC. That’s what you have to look forward to.
-Gant
A couple things.
Double-unders are an advanced basic rope skill, not a foundational exercise. They are fine in the context of jumping rope IF you can do a basic bounce and alternating steps at 160+ rpm. You should learn about six other bounces also before proceeeding to a DU. If you want to develop fitness, do 180 rpm for three minutes and get back to me.
Emphasizing double unders is stupid because people go straight to the double under. It’s like learning a jump shot before a layup.
I agree that CF has introduced plenty of people to Olympic lifting. A number of these people have gotten their USAW coaching cards. Hundreds, maybe thousands have gone to a weekend cert with USAW, Burgener, or Greg Everett.
SO WHERE THE HELL ARE THESE PEOPLE ON COMPETITION DAY?
For all of the numbers, very few are making a move to USAW.
My point was, why not just have a regular Oly meet for crossfitters? Don’t trick it up. Don’t take the shine off. Leave the meet format alone.
No serious lifter is going to be at this meet (ok, Sage might). But I’ll be damned if Burg is going to let Casey go swing around on a bar. The more likely thing coming out of this event is that second and third tier weightlifters will realize that they can get more money (Couch’s prize $$$), exposure, and andro broads by going to CF and dominating right off the bat.
I have a problem with bastardizing good events. I don’t have any issue with mixed events.
Hell, a comp with 1) max snatch, 2) max clean and press in 90 seconds, 3) light weight for distance, and 4) a triplet with 15 burpee/tire-flip/tire jumps would be pretty cool.
I second/third/eighteenth the “good idea, terrible execution” comments.
This sort of thing (overblown claims, goal-post shifting, game rigging) highlights why I dislike “Crossfit” – the nonsense coming out of HQ – as much as I like “crossfit” – the things I actually do in training.
I object to burpees in competition because they can, amazingly, turn subjective in their judging.
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Not in my burpee/tire flip/tire jump that I proposed. You hit your chest on a 500 pound tire. Then you push off however you want (hell, we’ll call them sprawls since the 1.5″ jump and overhead clap is fairly worthless) so you can get your feet under you. Then you jump on top of it. Then jump off and repeat. Is there something I’m not getting?
If you want to have the silly jump in there, change the order and do flip/burpee+tire jump.
-Gant
More exposure for USAW is great, but I just want to see the look on the weightlifters faces’ when the CF’ers rip off their clothes and start puking everywhere. Hopefully not on any platforms.
I just cant get over the fact that they had to add a crossfit type challenge into the mix. Its like a baseball team saying they will compete in a football game, but only if they are allowed to bring their bats.
I don’t think I actually commented on this in the post. I guess I was trying to be…I don’t know, not “too critical” of CrossFit, but I’m not a fan of the butchering of the weightlifting competition either. I scoffed when I saw “the triplet”.
–Justin
The only good I see coming out of this is if a handful of weightlifters get motivated enough to teach the crossfitters a lesson in carryover. They know they’re going to handily win the weightlifting events, so if they spend some time practicing pull-up bar spasms and double unders, they can divine the truth through competition, not debate by eating the crossfitters’ lunch right in front of them.
Maybe then some crossfitters who can still think for themselves will understand that if you can clean 150+ kg, you clean clean 55kg all day long, but the reverse is not true. Maybe then they’ll understand that they need to get strong first and (gasp) specialize in that for a period of time before trying to be competitive in a sport based on lifting heavy barbells.
Or maybe they’ll go crawling back to their hivemind “HQ” and make themselves feel better by talking about how “unfit” the weightlifters who stomped them at their own game are because their fran times suck.
Whatever happens, hopefully more people will learn about USAW and what it’s about and will become interested enough to join.
I’d be surprised if any weightlifters that have no history with CrossFit going out of their way to do this competition. I went to Nationals, had a quasi-decent finish, and I’m not even thinking twice about doing this. Maybe it’s because I’m in the heavyweight class (105kg), but I really don’t care to try.
–Justin
Best thing I ever saw written about CF was “I liked it better when it was call circuit training, and it didn’t have a superiority complex”.
CrossFit = $
I knew this day was coming… I would be more interested in crossfit if it weren’t so similar to evangelistic Christians. New xfitters are so fanatical about what they do that they are going to end up driving everyone off. It’s like the Jim Jones episode all over again, except this time it isn’t people drinking cyanide its xfitters doing a WOD that prepares them for the “unknowable.” Ok so if there is a zombie apocalypse they can double jump them to death, EXCELLENT! (that’s about the only likely scenario, if you say that something similar to what happened in the movie “The Road” is possible, consider the fact that those people are cannibals and cannibals are basically evolved zombies so it’s really no different. The end of the world is either going to be zombies or some iteration of zombies, OR a shit load of nukes going off in which case we are all screwed despite how strong and fit we are)
I remember in middle-school I had to go to “youth nights” at church on Sunday evenings to learn about being a Christian and what that meant, but it really turned out to be more of witch hunt. The first kid to admit to masturbating was castrated and exiled for eternity. Instead of having open minds about things everyone seemed to judge you for not being up to snuff or for being ignorant of say what bible verse john 3:16 was. I get the same feelings with these new crossfitters.
Disclaimer: I do not hate church or god or anything like that, I’m just sharing a true story about my life so leave it at that… the zombie thing is prolly true too only they won’t be stopped by dancing around with rope that was just sarcasm
Off topic but Justin you had replied to my PR friday post and i had answered there but I am 5’8-5’9 and last time I weighed myself I was 175 in the morning before eating. I am drinking my milk. Although it’s not always a gomad, it’s never less than 1/2 gomad.
If you were the guy complaining about needing to move to intermediate, you need to gain 25 pounds before doing so.
–Justin
Florida? Plano? Damn I am behind. Is Rip still at the WFAC or are you going to tell me that he sold it next?
What are razzin’ about over here? I moved to Florida recently and Brent has lived in Plano for almost a year. If you’re a curious cat, send me an e-mail.
–Justin
razor should start listing being a pain in my ass in his PR Friday posts.
As far as the meet goes, I don’t like the set up. It is set up to play into the favour of crossfitters. The events just aren’t evenly weighted. 12 rounds of that WOD would score someone 504 points, to score that in the meet you would need to total 504 kilos. Last time I checked Rezazedeh totalled 470 some odd kilos a few years back.
The only reason I bring this up is I can see more people from Crossfit coming out on top in the overall points and not really be interested in weightlifting. The losing side of the competition if you catch my drift. I too did CF for a while and it led me to weightlifting and SS and eventually a provincial championship in Oly. I think I am being pretty fair here, but who knows.
I am not strong by any stretch of the imagination, and 55kg cleans are a joke. I thought their warm up was my workout?
@Longshot LOL
I’m at the complete opposite end of the spectrum. I think it’s a great idea to expose weightlifters to the wonder that is crossfit.
Are you still doing the Starting Strength Seminars Justin? You could have at least tweeted about your intentions to leave WFAC.
@Justin:
Yes, I do.
Up next the IPA will join forces with Planet Fitness. Since you will be in the ‘judgement free zone’ there will be no officials at the meet to judge squat depth so you can just pick a weight and shake it around on the monolift. then for the planet fitness events you will be asked to hop on a machine and perform a few reps without setting off their ‘lunk alarm’
I’m not trying to give you a hard time. I’m just behind the times, obviously. I really thought both of you still trained at WFAC that’s all. I missed quite a bit somewhere.
I’m not going to get into any CF bashing, but I’ll simply say I won’t be doing this meet. The CF portion of it is basically made up. What next? Hopscotch?
Hang on. I just youtube’d double unders… it’s fucking jump rope??!
Hahahaha.
–Justin
haha, not to beat a dead horse, but I will. I have to echo the, good idea, bad execution comments. Good idea in that, it’s some nice exposure for USAW. It’ll be nice to get some new folks at a meet and maybe get some weight lifters doing something a little out of their comfort zone, mix things up a bit.
It sure does seem like goal-post shifting though. For a 10 minute met-con, why use 2 crossfit specific exercises? Double unders and kipping pull-ups. Most people that train have no use for kipping pull-ups. Even though I did xfit regularly for 6 months or so, i never kipped, it always seemed like cheating, still does. I could see this thing getting started and some weightlifter seeing some guy kip and asking a judge if that’s legit. And doubleunders take some time and patience to learn, unless you are familiar with rope work through wrestling, boxing, or double dutch with 12 year old girls. Why not have the 10 minute met-con include ring dips, hand stand push-ups and box jumps. Something anyone can just hop right into, no special training needed. This would get the met-con effect in there for the weightlifters and should satisfy xfitters just fine as well. Seems like they put useless things in there they knew they could dominate, just do a xfit meet if that’s what you’re after though. Good idea, done poorly.
HSPU have a skill component, and you’re dipping into the same pool of strength to get the HSPU as the dip. Also box jumps == bloody shins.
I like Gant’s a lot more now that he’s explained.
the point was lost, i was just suggesting things that had lots less skill then double unders and kipping pull-ups, doesn’t need to be those things in particular.
What’s so hard skill wise about getting upside down and pushing anyway? And yes, I’ve done them, they’re against a wall for crying out loud. Box jumps only equal bloody shins if you miss :) And i’m sure bloodied shins is nothing weight lifters haven’t dealt with before.
86 ring dips, sub KB swings
@MattTruss
“Why not have the 10 minute met-con include ring dips, hand stand push-ups and box jumps. Something anyone can just hop right into, no special training needed.”
Why do you think, Matt? They’re not trying to test fitness. They’re adding an event with elements that weightlifters won’t learn (DUs: because it isn’t worth it for their sport) or won’t do (kipping pullups: because if they’re good, their coaches won’t let them).
You can get the same metcon effect with different elements, so that’s not the point. The point is that element selection is purposely used to put the weightlifters at a disadvantage.
This is a good point. Most weightlifters will have a coach, and I were coaching someone I wouldn’t waste any time on shit like this.
–Justin
that’s your main beef with it right Gant, putting the weightlifters at a disadvantage? Seems to me this does nothing but keep people away that aren’t xfitters, basically turning it into a xfit meet. I would think that met-con effect alone would be a decent advantage for crossfitters, since they train it on a regular basis, more then a weightlifter anyway. This event will be cheesey at best.
My beef is gerrymandering your way onto the podium.
USAW is hard up for cash and lifters. They want to draw from the CF community. Fine. Put on a meet that is FREE for everybody that buys a USAW card. Let the CFers lift in a real WL event with real WLers. The real lifters won’t start until the CFers are done, so the newbies can watch the pros do their thing.
After the meet, have a 2-hour clinic with a resident coach and a resident athlete or two and then a happy hour mixer where everyone gets to talk over food and drink. Eleiko would pay for the whole damn thing because they could sell $10K in training bars and plates that afternoon (hell, CFers bought a monolift).
This wouldn’t cost the USAW anything but time. They’d get exposure, and their athletes could develop a following (every CFer knows Sage, Casey, and Natalie Woolfolk). USAW blew it.
Everyone who competes in WL knows that your first few meets are all about watching and learning from experienced lifters. CF athletes won’t get to do this because the format will keep the real lifters away.
The only groups that will gain from this are Eleiko and CF, Inc.
I’m struggling with this format. Those particular CF events just seem so dorky and out of place after the WL events.
Will the CFers compete sans shirt and a silly knit hat pulled down to their eyes and over their ears?
CF introduced me to WL and PL and so far I’ve focused on PL since the beginning of the year in an effort to gain strength for CF. Now I’m loving PL, following Linear Progression program and doing my Practical Programming study in preparation for transition to Intermediate programming. I’ve been doing PL longer than I did strict CF. Thanks CrossFit!!!
I don’t and have never done CF, and have never really been interested. I played a real college sport and got into WL and then PL in retirement.
PL, WL, etc had their shot and lost to Nautilus Machines. CF is changing the world by introducing the masses to real training. As the numbers go up, the quality goes down. Not much you can do about that. And people will always need to think for themselves about workouts. It’s funny the people who bash some of CF’s stupid practices don’t bash some of Louie’s crazy claims.
If you are bitching about a competition that you don’t like, and therefore would not enter, going on somewhere, then you should take a step back and think about how great it is that we live in a moderately capitalist country where people can do what they want, and now people can make money competing in CF. Soon it will be more than anyone can make in PL or WL, if not already, at least in the U.S.
If the money in CF continues to grow, great athletes will compete, and those who are unexcited about that success and claim it’s not a sport will be as irrelevant as someone claiming today the PL and WL are not sports. Or those that claim golf is not a sport when they make more than any other group of athletes.