Strongman = CrossFit (More or Less)

Training Powerlifting
101

[quote]threewhitelights wrote:
Barachiel wrote:

BUT I will say this for the chains, demon spawn that they can be. At least you have to produce the cert. A crappy weekend cert, yes, but a cert.

I haven’t seen any kind of structure for Crossfit except paying the fee.

Once again, I do not knock Crossfit as a whole, merely it’s presentation. And in reflection to your other statement of education. Is any of those educational degrees or certs required before being certified as Crossfit or do they just pay the fee and show up to the class like anywhere else?

The class is supposedly 2 days and pretty decent. It’s a lot of form and “what to do if” kind of stuff, and the guys here recognize that it isn’t the best thing out there, but it’s the same way with anything. You can have your CSCS and still be a fucking idiot.

Difference is, I’ve yet to see a crossfit trainer put a client on a wobble board to do curls, or squat on a swiss ball. This is the sad reality that is the average trainer, and on that note, crossfit is infinitely better.

Am I saying it should be used for every case and every scenario? Fuck no. But, neither are any of the crossfit coaches I know.

[/quote]

Hey 3WL if you’re still checking this I understand your point. Hence my feel for some kind of unifying body covering what gets defined as a trainer. I have seen the wobble board circus ball trainers; and I feel nauseous every time I think that people think of these clowns, in the same category as me.

And yes I know some CSCS idiots too. So don’t think I’m just down on Crossfit. I’ve just had too many run ins in LALA land, with Crossift trainers who are basically regurgitating info they’ve heard, with know thought behind it.

Actually advising me how I should train my clients. I’m sure just like anything else there are heroes and there are idiots. Oh and mcfatsoe, sorry for the tangent hijack.

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[quote]threewhitelights wrote:
fattymcfatso wrote:

You are probably the first strongman competitor to comment on this thread and you do some CrossFit in your training. Makes sense to me.

I wouldn’t say I DO crossfit, but yea, I take the principles just like I do from anything else. I come in occasionally for no reason other than to push the prowler. Crossfit has a workout that is nothing but pushing the prowler. If that means I’m “doing crossfit” then I guess I am, but then I guess that some guy that comes in to bench press is “doing powerlifting”.

However, I’m not under some illusion that crossfit is going to bring up my max log press or help me load a 400lb stone. It will bring my conditioning up so that I can complete a medley or finish an event for reps to the end, but that is something that doesn’t need to be prioritized as much as it is in crossfit.

Really, the problem is that many people see crossfit as an entirely different entity. Now that I’ve been around it for a while, I realize that it’s just a PROGRAM.

If this PROGRAM isn’t for you, then don’t do it. If there are parts that you like, then take those and add them to YOUR PROGRAM.

If you like it but think you should modify it for your goals, then do that. The only difference is the coaching and that there are facilities dedicated to this particular PROGRAM.

For the record, I am not the only SM competitor I know of that does “crossfit” workouts for conditioning, but you won’t here us call them that. [/quote]

THANK YOU!! Who gives a shit if you do Corssfit or not! Do what you want. I see both sides of the coin. I have seen some “Crossfitters” that were in great shape.

They also strength train just like the rest of us. People always ask me if I’m a Crossfit guy when I’m training because of my pace. I couple movements together, don’t rest very long, and sweat my balls off. At times, i guess people could consider some of training to be that of a Crossfit origin, fine by me.

My goal is to be in shape, to carry some decent mass, be lean, and be functional. Hate to beat a dead horse…but “can’t we all just get along!!!”

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As far as i’m concerned crossfit is GPP.
This is the type of shit i did in my early teens. Everyday i’d do pushups, pullups, go running, sprinting, jumping or something like that and change it a bit day to day.

Just cause you slap a brand name onto that doesn’t mean shit.

So now if i decide to do random exercises every day it means i’m doing crossfit?
No, it does not.

And crossfit is not the best for everything.
The thing with gymnastics, powerlifting or strongman stuff is that you are trying to become good at that specific “event”.

Doing burpess would be pretty useless for trying to improve your iron cross or keg toss.

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[quote]blazindave wrote:
As far as i’m concerned crossfit is GPP.

[/quote]

thats exactly what it is. The goal is to be Physically Prepared in the General sense of the word, hence general physical preparedness.

I will say that despite the way this thread started out, it turned into one of the more down to earth crossfit threads. Can we end it with picture of hot crossfit chicks now?

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[quote]threewhitelights wrote:
blazindave wrote:
As far as i’m concerned crossfit is GPP.

thats exactly what it is. The goal is to be Physically Prepared in the General sense of the word, hence general physical preparedness.

I will say that despite the way this thread started out, it turned into one of the more down to earth crossfit threads. Can we end it with picture of hot crossfit chicks now?[/quote]

if only the majority of crossfit trainers/athletes/jock-riders/glassman would admit it was merely a GPP program instead of claiming that it is the optimal source for athletic improvement for top athletes.

It’s as old as fuck and nothing new or revolutionary. It’s like people never put two lifts together and tried to do them in a time span before.

How bout:

Crossfit = EDT

That’s all my apples like em or not.

-chris

106

I like crossfit and use it in my training but for god sake people keep crapping on like it is a religion.

It is just a fancy word for circuit training. It has just been packaged and sold well to people.

Easy to follow serves a purpose, but not gonna save your immortal soul. ha ha

107

[quote]fattymcfatso wrote:
I’m guessing that I am not winning this one guys. I still feel the way I did when I started this thread and you probably do to. It was fun debating this stuff with people who have similar interests though.

Believe it or not even though I do CrossFit, I am not too different from the rest of this community. Thanks for all your input and opinions.[/quote]

You say you do crossfit as if it’s some kind of secret drug that we do not do.

Dude, technically speaking everyone on the board that has done a speed circuit or pretty much any training at all has “done crossfit.” They just didnt do it at a CF gym or get it from the CF site. since crossfit is “doing everything” pretty much any one who does anything can be said to be doing “crossfit.”

I just did a circuit of 50 double-unders, 30s handstand, 3 clean burpees w/60 kg x6. Am i “doing crossfit” IMHO? no. Did some girl come up and ask me 3 weeks ago if i was doing crossfit and then insist that i was when i said no? yes.

So i suppose that most of us are doing the no name brand version of crossfit. Yours has a fancy name, ours is just old fashioned strength and conditioning work.

-chris

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http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/3339/strongvscross.jpg

/thread

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I had a vision

Arnold doing crossfit in tight pink spandex shorts. He’s a crossfit trainer with hyoge arms and he’s saying something like this in a very ‘particular’ accent:

“Peepol Today training is gonna be focused on getting functional. But REMEMBA NO PAIN NO GAIN. You. You go on dat bitch and hump hur. You need to get syphillis. IF your carrot hurts, thats da pain. DA PAIN means GAIN. Rememba.”

110

[quote]Bicep_craze wrote:
I had a vision

Arnold doing crossfit in tight pink spandex shorts. He’s a crossfit trainer with hyoge arms and he’s saying something like this in a very ‘particular’ accent:

“Peepol Today training is gonna be focused on getting functional. But REMEMBA NO PAIN NO GAIN. You. You go on dat bitch and hump hur. You need to get syphillis. IF your carrot hurts, thats da pain. DA PAIN means GAIN. Rememba.”[/quote]

If your carrot hurts, rofl.

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fattymcfatso = Retard (More or Less)

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[quote]molnes wrote:
fattymcfatso = Retard (More or Less)[/quote]

good one. how about fattyymcfatso = big fat dummy.
or, fattymcfatso = stupidhead.

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[quote]fattymcfatso wrote:
Monopoly19 wrote:
fattymcfatso wrote:
Monopoly19 wrote:
If you watned to create a shit storm, well done.

As someone who trains strongman, I’m going to say no. Strongman does not equal Crossfit.

If I had to make a generalization, I’d say people who train strongman are stronger, and people who do crossfit are in better shape cardio wise.

Monopoly

Agian with the generalizations. How many strongman comps have you been to/ witnessed. If it is more than 3 then you should know by now that there are plenty of weak strongman competitors. There are plenty of weak powerlifters and olympic lifters. There are also plenty of strong CrossFiters. I do strongman and CrossFit so what am I?
-Ready for you generalization.

And your trying to make a generalization when you state “Strongman=Crossfit”.

I’ve competed in more than 3 strongman events, so you picked the wrong person to go there with.

Dude, there are people who “bodybuild” who are 130lbs. That doesn’t make them a bodybuilder. There are different levels of proficiency in any sport, so you stating “there are weak oly/power/lifters/strongmen” are correct. There are also crossfit guys who are bad at crossfit!

I would say that most people that are strong crossfitters got strong before crossfit. Take Rob Orlando for example, guy was a “strongman”. He’s now training for crossfit. His limit strength has decreased and his cardio has increased. End of discussion!

I’ve seen your squat vid, your a crossfitter. By and large, 180lb guys are NOT strongmen, sorry.

Monopoly

I understand that my thread title is a genealization, and I did it to get people to read what I had to say.
I used to compete in Powerlifting and my limit strength has gone down as well. But the reason is because my focus has changed. I realize that.

I agree with everything you said until the last statement. Strongman is a sport that has a misleading title. Women can compete, and weak guys can compete, but it does not make them “strong men” it just makes them strongman competitors.

Dude, I love all of this stuff, anything to do with strength. I came to CrossFit with a strength Bias and do CrossFit with a Strength Bias. I appreciate all strength athletics competitors and competitions. Even the newer and more obscure ones. Sometimes I just wish people would open up a little and appreciate incredible athletic performances, even if they don’t participate in them.[/quote]

I’m not ripping on crossfit, hope you know that. I have seen some really cool shit watching crossfit videos, shit that I could def not do right now, maybe ever.

What I think pisses me off, along with most people, is the attitude of crossfitters. To me PERSONALLY, there is a vast difference between training strongman and training crossfit. So taking it there hits a nerve, sorry.

And yes, you can be a 180lb strongman, but again to me, that’s not strongman. When I think of strongman, I think 250lbs is small. A 700lb deadlift is weak, and a 300lb overhead sucks. It’s all relative. Good luck on your quest to a 100 rep bodyweight squat!

Monopoly

114

Who gives a shit about How? What? Where? Why?

PROGRESSION

That’s all that matters.

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I suspect a lot of crossfit folks are regular people who have been doing the usual garbage workouts for years, because they don’t know better and because they’ve been told, like everyone else, not to overexert themselves and eat a high carb/low fat diet and now, suddenly a program like crossfit comes along, tells them how to eat, tells them to work hard enough to see results and they really are so bloody impressed they get on your nerves.

This stuff isn’t exactly new but it’s been packaged rather cleverly so that someone who knows nothing about nutrition and exercise can just follow along and be blown away by how it compares the the crap they’ve been doing for years.

It’s a simple program, easy to follow, comes with a diet and a bunch of other folks who are doing it too. Unlike just going to a gym and trying to figure out what to do, which we can see how that goes all to often when people don’t know what they’re doing. In other words, it’s new to them.

Anyway, that’s my theory on the religious like zeal that’s emitted from some crossfit folks.

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what exactly are you trying to prove? that crossfit IS strongman? ok …so if it truely is the same thing, as you insist…why the fuck is there a need at all for crossfit since strongman has been around much longer?

i now see absolutely NO benefit what so ever to crossfit since i could do the exact same thing in strongman…

-biggest difference i see, is most strongmen dont bitch about it, cause debates that make no sense, and weigh over 200 lbs…the same canNOT be said for crossfit…and that is the biggest difference i see personally

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[quote]brian.m wrote:
what exactly are you trying to prove? that crossfit IS strongman? ok …so if it truely is the same thing, as you insist…why the fuck is there a need at all for crossfit since strongman has been around much longer?

i now see absolutely NO benefit what so ever to crossfit since i could do the exact same thing in strongman…

-biggest difference i see, is most strongmen dont bitch about it, cause debates that make no sense, and weigh over 200 lbs…the same canNOT be said for crossfit…and that is the biggest difference i see personally[/quote]

I never said CrossFit IS Strongman. If you read my post’s you will see what I have been trying to say. CrossFit is more crosely related to strongman that any other athletic competiton, eventhough the events are different. The parameters are the same. I don’t know why no one on this whole damn board can’t see that or at least admit that they do.

Do you guys think I don’t know that Most pro strongmen out weight the best CrossFitters by over 100lbs? Wouldn’t that alone make the 2 activities different on it’s own? Of course it would. But guess what, The reigning champion, M.P., eventhough he seems like a real jerk, looks to be the fastest and dare I say, the fittest. And the next guy - Derek Poundstone- they are more than just strong, they are agile, fast, powerful, etc. There is no agility required when you can’t even lower you’r arms in a bench shirt.

Do you guys want me to change the title of the thread? Is that what is bothering you? Would you be any less offended if I named it CrossFit is Kinda like Strongman but strongman is way better because it has been around longer?

I thought I gave up on this yesterday, and I was hoping that some people would at least get my point, even if they they don’t post on here that they do.

119

[quote]debraD wrote:
I suspect a lot of crossfit folks are regular people who have been doing the usual garbage workouts for years, because they don’t know better and because they’ve been told, like everyone else, not to overexert themselves and eat a high carb/low fat diet and now, suddenly a program like crossfit comes along, tells them how to eat, tells them to work hard enough to see results and they really are so bloody impressed they get on your nerves.

This stuff isn’t exactly new but it’s been packaged rather cleverly so that someone who knows nothing about nutrition and exercise can just follow along and be blown away by how it compares the the crap they’ve been doing for years.

It’s a simple program, easy to follow, comes with a diet and a bunch of other folks who are doing it too. Unlike just going to a gym and trying to figure out what to do, which we can see how that goes all to often when people don’t know what they’re doing. In other words, it’s new to them.

Anyway, that’s my theory on the religious like zeal that’s emitted from some crossfit folks.[/quote]

I think this is absolutely, 100% spot-on. And in that respect, it’s great. It gets people training hard for possibly the first time in their lives. But Christ, they can be annoying about it.

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[quote]fattymcfatso wrote:

I never said CrossFit IS Strongman. If you read my post’s you will see what I have been trying to say. CrossFit is more crosely related to strongman that any other athletic competiton, eventhough the events are different. The parameters are the same. I don’t know why no one on this whole damn board can’t see that or at least admit that they do.

[/quote]

Now you’re going off the deep end. I find EQUALS to be more definitive than IS, so yes, you did say they are the same. Poor wording mostly, but yes.

As for the parameters being the same, you are that LOAD is a parameter, right? The parameters couldn’t be any different really.

As for actually BEING a strongman, until you can hold your own in a platinum level NAS contest or higher, then you are just a guy that does strongman. If you can hold your own at this level at 180lbs, then by all means, congrats to you. But I know I couldn’t do it even as a lightweight until I broke the 200lb barrier, and need at least 30lbs more mass before I make the jump to the next level. And yes, I will still be competing as a lightweight at 240lbs.