The New Sport of Fitness

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41

[quote]imhungry wrote:

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:

[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
I wouldn’t toss around the steroid accusation too quickly.

When I did concrete we put in days that when put down on paper look like they’d kill you, then go home and hit the weights- but to us that was just another day. If these guys are doing these types of work outs as part of their daily routine, eating a lot and well, then there isn’t any reason to believe that they wouldn’t build up and adapt to it.
[/quote]

Completely different. I’ve worked construction/framed houses as well. While it can be pretty strenuous, there was never a point where I was going BALLS OUT 5-8 times a day. I’d bet the keys to my truck these dudes are juiced to the max.[/quote]

I’m sorry WF, but have you done concrete work? That can be an 8+ hour “workout”.

I’ve done concrete, labored for a brick/block contractor and repaired/built railroad for a living… and, we rarely had Bobcats, pettibones, or other mechanical help.

Sky is correct, imo.

Oh, while framing houses can be “strenuous”, it’s nothing compared to concrete work. Nothing.
[/quote]

I have never worked concrete or on the sites, my brother and father have, and I dont doubt the heavy work that is involved but it is different work! Its not full on CNS activation with minimal rest, repeated in timed bouts with ever decreasing time slots and or increases in reps or weight using repetitive compound movements some of which would be better suited at the circus.

Overhead squats with 245lbs, GHD sit ups (superdooper hyperextension with momentum), muscle ups into handstand, walking handstands etc. these done at speed, under time constraints and for reps. Its unreal and my hat goes off to these fellas but major ? concerning recovery ability since the programming seems to be haphazard at times. I dunno…

42

[quote]jskrabac wrote:
Threads like this are good reminders of why T Nation sucks. Not the OP. OP has potential for a great discussion; however, the hoard of people who have never competed claiming BBers are not “fit” is baffling. Do you think they just magically get to 6% bodyfat?

Not only that, they maintain a superior level of conditioning to any of these athletes all while holding onto more muscle mass. Kinda a no brainer as to how “fit” they really are.

Go ahead and watch the video where Dave Tate shadows John Meadows for one of his leg workouts and ends up throwing up in a trash can for 10 min afterwards. [/quote]

Yes true but this can go more into the discussion of what is “fit” considered anyways…

Weightlifting can be a form of conditioning and can help to be more fit, So can running, swimming, cycling, martial arts, rock climbbing, basically anything can be put into categories of “fitness” But at what point do we determine someone “fit” and how does the activity they do matter in correlation with the many other ways to get healthy or fit… Low bodyfat, healhty lifestyle, good cardiovascular system, awesome conditioning? So the issue is that the being “fit” is such a blanket term in itself that it is hard to specify it into any one specific thing.

43

[quote]cstratton2 wrote:

[quote]jskrabac wrote:
Threads like this are good reminders of why T Nation sucks. Not the OP. OP has potential for a great discussion; however, the hoard of people who have never competed claiming BBers are not “fit” is baffling. Do you think they just magically get to 6% bodyfat?

Not only that, they maintain a superior level of conditioning to any of these athletes all while holding onto more muscle mass. Kinda a no brainer as to how “fit” they really are.

Go ahead and watch the video where Dave Tate shadows John Meadows for one of his leg workouts and ends up throwing up in a trash can for 10 min afterwards. [/quote]

Yes true but this can go more into the discussion of what is “fit” considered anyways…

Weightlifting can be a form of conditioning and can help to be more fit, So can running, swimming, cycling, martial arts, rock climbbing, basically anything can be put into categories of “fitness” But at what point do we determine someone “fit” and how does the activity they do matter in correlation with the many other ways to get healthy or fit… Low bodyfat, healhty lifestyle, good cardiovascular system, awesome conditioning? So the issue is that the being “fit” is such a blanket term in itself that it is hard to specify it into any one specific thing. [/quote]

Man I get so burnt out doing two a days with that schedule. I notice either one or the other suffers I’m rarely slamming both workouts at the best of my ability…usually like 60/40 somedays, 90/10 others lol. I will say that my overuse injuries got better (tendonitis) when I stopped doing twoadays and split my training up better.

As to the the whole fitness aspect, I really, really, sincerly do believe that bodybuilders are fit. I think most bodybuilders can claim the term fitness for themselves. At least the ones that stay close to, or mostly lean all year round. Especially around contest times, they do more cardio than the average gym rat. I say they go through peaks and valleys of how fit they are, because of bulking/conditioning issues, but to call them unfit is mighty bold. Most of you claim to be bodybuilders or bodybuilding yourselves…would you call yourself “unfit”? I’d really like to hear from Professor X or Stu on this one I think it’s a really interesting topic.

44

Perfect example is Greg Plitt. I think most would call him a bodybuilder. I mean, he is a Fitness Model but he graces the covers of bodybuilding mags which are also called “Fitness Magazines” so obviously he fits the bill…or he wouldn’t be on covers.

LOL so in closing he is fit, and he is a bodybuilder.

As an aside, if you watch the Xfit games…ALOT of those guys have “Bodybuilder” builds…If you saw them IRL walking through a store you could easily mistake them for football, hockey players…maybe even aspiring amateur bbs…

45

Dana Lin Bailey IFBB pro figure athlete (aka bodybuilder) has even started to include Crossfit training into her routines. I’ve noticed some bodybuilders are relying on crossfit for conditioning.

46

“TO be labeled the fitest man or woman on the planet, competitors face a series of challenges, that taken on their own would be [b] enough to crush athletes from just about any other sport [/b]”

One competitor said she wouldn’t mind to see crossfit in the Olympics in five years…I wouldn’t mind, it would be entertaining…but if crossfit, why not strongman? Hmmm.

47

[quote]cstratton2 wrote:

[quote]jskrabac wrote:
Threads like this are good reminders of why T Nation sucks. Not the OP. OP has potential for a great discussion; however, the hoard of people who have never competed claiming BBers are not “fit” is baffling. Do you think they just magically get to 6% bodyfat?

Not only that, they maintain a superior level of conditioning to any of these athletes all while holding onto more muscle mass. Kinda a no brainer as to how “fit” they really are.

Go ahead and watch the video where Dave Tate shadows John Meadows for one of his leg workouts and ends up throwing up in a trash can for 10 min afterwards. [/quote]

Yes true but this can go more into the discussion of what is “fit” considered anyways…

Weightlifting can be a form of conditioning and can help to be more fit, So can running, swimming, cycling, martial arts, rock climbbing, basically anything can be put into categories of “fitness” But at what point do we determine someone “fit” and how does the activity they do matter in correlation with the many other ways to get healthy or fit… Low bodyfat, healhty lifestyle, good cardiovascular system, awesome conditioning? So the issue is that the being “fit” is such a blanket term in itself that it is hard to specify it into any one specific thing. [/quote]

I personally think of fitness as defined contextually. I like this definition the best: “The quality of being suitable to fulfill a particular physically demanding role or task.”

A 300lb overweight man who can bench 1000 lbs is fit. Fit to be the baddest motherfucker on a bench with a barbell.

The whole popular trendy concept of “fit” is a crock of bullshit and I think has biased alot of people…even on this forum apparently. For some reason everyone thinks of the guy who can run 5 miles without running out of breath, as if that’s the only form of “fitness.”

I used to train at a gym that had crossfit classes. Yes, I probably wouldn’t survive one of their workouts and would throw up my lunch; however, the same thing would happen to them if they did one of my leg workouts. Who’s more fit? Well, we’re both fit!

48

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

I personally think of fitness as defined contextually. I like this definition the best: “The quality of being suitable to fulfill a particular physically demanding role or task.”

A 300lb overweight man who can bench 1000 lbs is fit. Fit to be the baddest motherfucker on a bench with a barbell.

The whole popular trendy concept of “fit” is a crock of bullshit and I think has biased alot of people…even on this forum apparently. For some reason everyone thinks of the guy who can run 5 miles without running out of breath, as if that’s the only form of “fitness.”

I used to train at a gym that had crossfit classes. Yes, I probably wouldn’t survive one of their workouts and would throw up my lunch; however, the same thing would happen to them if they did one of my leg workouts. Who’s more fit? Well, we’re both fit![/quote]

This is essentially what I was getting around to from a different angle. Fitness as a quality or level of conditioning with regard to an activity.

Of course one could also look back into the archives a couple of years to the Dave Tate series wherein he documented a complete change of lifestyle because although strong, could not walk up a flight of steps without legitimate fear for his life. I certainly can’t speak for him, but it seems pretty obvious that existence in a state like that is not fit for anything but a casket.

49

Being fat and strong is not being “physically fit” no matter how you try to stretch the definition.

50

[quote]gregron wrote:
Being fat and strong is not being “physically fit” no matter how you try to stretch the definition.[/quote]

Having been in this state (not on Tate’s or other pro PLers’ level) I can say this is definitely true. When you squat big but get winded tying your shoes, you are not fit. Strong, yes. Fit, no.

51

Based on the vague definition of fitness this discussion is kind of dumb. The context of fitness is based on the environment you live in, everything being discussed here are just hobbies not needed for survival by any means.

52

[quote]Most Major wrote:

[quote]gregron wrote:
Being fat and strong is not being “physically fit” no matter how you try to stretch the definition.[/quote]

Having been in this state (not on Tate’s or other pro PLers’ level) I can say this is definitely true. When you squat big but get winded tying your shoes, you are not fit. Strong, yes. Fit, no.[/quote]

Exactly. If you get winded walking up two or three flights of stairs your not physically fit.

Also, your back is lookin good man. Real thick.

53

[quote]gregron wrote:
Being fat and strong is not being “physically fit” no matter how you try to stretch the definition.[/quote]

Hey man…that hurt!

54

[quote]gregron wrote:

[quote]Most Major wrote:

[quote]gregron wrote:
Being fat and strong is not being “physically fit” no matter how you try to stretch the definition.[/quote]

Having been in this state (not on Tate’s or other pro PLers’ level) I can say this is definitely true. When you squat big but get winded tying your shoes, you are not fit. Strong, yes. Fit, no.[/quote]

Exactly. If you get winded walking up two or three flights of stairs your not physically fit.

Also, your back is lookin good man. Real thick.[/quote]

Cheers greg. Working on keeping the strong and getting the lean.

lol we could do some kinda Jeff Foxworthy-ish thing with this…

If you can’t be on top during sex because you get hamstring cramps… you’re not physically fit.

55

Crossfit version:

If you can’t do 37 kipping pullups followed by 95 burpees and a 400 meter run in under 6 minutes, you’re not physically fit.

56

[quote]FrozenNinja wrote:

“TO be labeled the fitest man or woman on the planet, competitors face a series of challenges, that taken on their own would be [b] enough to crush athletes from just about any other sport [/b]”

One competitor said she wouldn’t mind to see crossfit in the Olympics in five years…I wouldn’t mind, it would be entertaining…but if crossfit, why not strongman? Hmmm.[/quote]

That quote is a pretty spurious claim. A world-class athlete from the right discipline would dominate a single Crossfit event; the true proof would be for a Crossfit athlete to compete in a specialized event. If CF would “crush athletes from just about any other sport”, then they should at least make a mark in other sporting events. That hasn’t happened yet.

A lot of people believe Crossfit will be made an Olympic event by 2016. I don’t believe that’ll happen while Reebok are sponsors, unless Reebok buy CF a place. Even then, the Olympic brand is too lucrative and well-protected to let an outsider plaster their logo all over the event. And you can be sure that Glassman will look for a big slice of the pie.

Also, an event can only be inducted into the games if a host country nominates it. Not sure if things have changed, but it ued to be that it was the host country’s privilege to pick a new event, which is usually the national sport (eg. Korea and Taekwondo)…

CF is an American sport, and if the US get to host 2016, then baseball would be way ahead of CF as the sport of choice.

(FWIW, I’d like to see strongman and Parkour become Olympic sports at some point)

Final approval rested with the Olympic committee, of course, but maybe CF is too similar to approved events (decathlon) to get a shot ?

57

[quote]gregron wrote:
Being fat and strong is not being “physically fit” no matter how you try to stretch the definition.[/quote]

The way I see it, if you tell me you’re fit, my kneejerk response is “fit to do what?” So these elite PLs are fit to do something that everyone else can’t do…just as an elite marathon runner is. Or think about linebackers. Teams are gonna recruit the guy with 50 more lbs of lard on him who’s more “fit” to hold the line.

Who has better cardiovascular health? Completely different story…lol.

So the definition I adhere to is in no way a stretch of your definition. They are different definitions, so there’s nothing to be argued here =/ In the context of each of our own definitions, I believe we are in agreement on all accounts. I in no way shape or form endorse being strong and fat for the sake of health or longevity.

58

[quote]roybot wrote:

[quote]FrozenNinja wrote:

“TO be labeled the fitest man or woman on the planet, competitors face a series of challenges, that taken on their own would be [b] enough to crush athletes from just about any other sport [/b]”

One competitor said she wouldn’t mind to see crossfit in the Olympics in five years…I wouldn’t mind, it would be entertaining…but if crossfit, why not strongman? Hmmm.[/quote]

That quote is a pretty spurious claim. A world-class athlete from the right discipline would dominate a single Crossfit event; the true proof would be for a Crossfit athlete to compete in a specialized event. If CF would “crush athletes from just about any other sport”, then they should at least make a mark in other sporting events. That hasn’t happened yet.

A lot of people believe Crossfit will be made an Olympic event by 2016. I don’t believe that’ll happen while Reebok are sponsors, unless Reebok buy CF a place. Even then, the Olympic brand is too lucrative and well-protected to let an outsider plaster their logo all over the event. And you can be sure that Glassman will look for a big slice of the pie.

Also, an event can only be inducted into the games if a host country nominates it. Not sure if things have changed, but it ued to be that it was the host country’s privilege to pick a new event, which is usually the national sport (eg. Korea and Taekwondo)…

CF is an American sport, and if the US get to host 2016, then baseball would be way ahead of CF as the sport of choice.

(FWIW, I’d like to see strongman and Parkour become Olympic sports at some point)

Final approval rested with the Olympic committee, of course, but maybe CF is too similar to approved events (decathlon) to get a shot ?[/quote]

Crossfit changes so much, every games is different, that might be an allure in comparison to the decathalon where you can expect certain events. Very well thought out response. I did think they kinda threw down the gauntlet with that quote from the video for sure.

59

[quote]gregron wrote:

[quote]Most Major wrote:

[quote]gregron wrote:
Being fat and strong is not being “physically fit” no matter how you try to stretch the definition.[/quote]

Having been in this state (not on Tate’s or other pro PLers’ level) I can say this is definitely true. When you squat big but get winded tying your shoes, you are not fit. Strong, yes. Fit, no.[/quote]

Exactly. If you get winded walking up two or three flights of stairs your not physically fit.

Also, your back is lookin good man. Real thick.[/quote]

Just from curiosity, what do you classify yourself as Greg? A bodybuilder? Powerlifter? Gym rat?

60

[quote]FrozenNinja wrote:

[quote]gregron wrote:

[quote]Most Major wrote:

[quote]gregron wrote:
Being fat and strong is not being “physically fit” no matter how you try to stretch the definition.[/quote]

Having been in this state (not on Tate’s or other pro PLers’ level) I can say this is definitely true. When you squat big but get winded tying your shoes, you are not fit. Strong, yes. Fit, no.[/quote]

Exactly. If you get winded walking up two or three flights of stairs your not physically fit.

Also, your back is lookin good man. Real thick.[/quote]

Just from curiosity, what do you classify yourself as Greg? A bodybuilder? Powerlifter? Gym rat?[/quote]

Ummm maybe gym rat?
I did a PL meet once before for fun and will definitely do another some time, but I wouldn’t say I’m a PLer.
Definitely not a BBer since I have no desire to compete in a bodybuilding competition.

I just really enjoy lifting weights, not looking like crap, feeling good and being decently strong and athletic… So whatever that classifies me as? lol