Another Crossfit RANT.....Functional Fitness? WTF is that?

**swingslammer** · 03-03-2012, 02:09 PM

I really like Mike Pulcinella but he lately posts alot of Crossfit stuff on Facebook. Here was my responce to todays post of his that is titled "Are you tough enough". Below......

This is just one problem I have with Crossfit... I would never ask "Are you tough enough to do 6 sets of Heavy squats, 4 sets of walking lunges, 6 sets of stiff legged deadlifts, 6 sets of seated calf raises and then a continious rep set of 100 standing calf raises?" yesterdays workout. My 40 year old wife, 2 23 year old women and an 18 year old guy did it with me but I bet they are not bragging to their friends "Man you should have been there for yesterdays WOD!!". Why? Because they all have better sense that that. Talk softly and Carry a big stick. Crossfitters I have met think too much of their "Functional Fitness". No one has ever ask me to swing a kettle bell in real life, but they have asked me MANY times to help them lift a HEAVY object???

Anyone else have an opinion on this?

**floridairon** · 03-03-2012, 03:19 PM

I understand some of the hype is with crossfit but its starting to get to the point were if your not doing "functional" training than your wasting your time... FUCK THAT!

Theres a cross fit gym in my town and Ive seen some of the ppl that do it, sure you can swing a cannon ball and do some half-ass cheating swinging pull ups but you look like SHIT! Ppl dont understand that just because I dont practice these crazy exercises dosent mean that we can do them at all. I know for a fact that 2 guys that workout at the Golds I work at I can do just about every exercise easier than them. They make it seem that standing on a BOSU ball upside down is a great feet of strength, BITCH TRY DOING A QUAD-DROP SET ON SQUATS AS YOUR 5TH SET PUSSSAY!!!

Ok I feel alil better getting that out

**Triple-H_2005** · 03-03-2012, 03:27 PM

This, I believe, is all that needs to be said!

**retwa** · 03-03-2012, 03:43 PM

It's better than not working out at all, but the crossfitters seem to have quite the elitist attitude about their training method - bodybuilding is for self-absorbed jackasses with useless muscle, powerlifting is for fatasses who only train 3 lifts and are completely non-'functional', etc.

They run around blogging about every workout and lecturing people on their great 'sport' as if circuit training with weights is some really novel idea...yes, I'm sick of hearing about it, though it's not necessarily because I think their training methods are horrible, its just the general attitude of the jackasses who participate in it that is most irritating.

**bigchamp89** · 03-03-2012, 04:04 PM

Originally Posted by Triple-H_2005

This, I believe, is all that needs to be said!

holy shit lol.. i havent laughed this hard in a while
"im banning pvc" LMAO

**KTTraining** · 03-03-2012, 04:22 PM

Although I don't train In a Crossfit gym or train with that style I do train with things like heavy clubs, sand bags, sleds, jump rope , climbing ropes ect . Because of this type of training I've come in contact with people from "functional Training back rounds . I've had a couple of them completely rag on Bodybuilding to me until I tell them I was a Bodybuilder for many years and it is Bodybuilding that I feel has giving me the ability to do what I do , as well as I do it, today . I explain to them that Bodybuilders were real athletes . Free weight training was a mainstay in all bodybuilders programs in the 70's , 80's and before . There was a time when Bodybuilders used to run for cardio . For most of my contest my cardio included sprints and riding bikes over long bridges back n forth . If not for the endless free weight sets and reps from every possible angle ,over n over again there is no way I would've developed the strength that would easily transfer over to training in the atypical way I do today .

Then I tell them if they want to be able to swing the clubs or do what I do they should START BODYBUILDING , hahahah..

I will bet anything if a person walks into a Cross Fit Gym asking if this training will make them LOOK better they will pick out a former fitness, figure or bodybuilding competitor that looks good and say Cross Fit did it .

With that said, I wish current bodybuilders would get off the machines and the 12 set chest, back , leg workouts so that people see the the true art and dedication of true bodybuilding training .

**mrmister** · 03-03-2012, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by swingslammer

I really like Mike Pulcinella but he lately posts alot of Crossfit stuff on Facebook. Here was my responce to todays post of his that is titled "Are you tough enough". Below......

This is just one problem I have with Crossfit... I would never ask "Are you tough enough to do 6 sets of Heavy squats, 4 sets of walking lunges, 6 sets of stiff legged deadlifts, 6 sets of seated calf raises and then a continious rep set of 100 standing calf raises?" yesterdays workout. My 40 year old wife, 2 23 year old women and an 18 year old guy did it with me but I bet they are not bragging to their friends "Man you should have been there for yesterdays WOD!!". Why? Because they all have better sense that that. Talk softly and Carry a big stick. Crossfitters I have met think too much of their "Functional Fitness". No one has ever ask me to swing a kettle bell in real life, but they have asked me MANY times to help them lift a HEAVY object???

Anyone else have an opinion on this?

Whats your opinion on strength and conditioning training in general?

**Ryan Bracewell** · 03-03-2012, 04:44 PM

You can't get much more functional than strongman, yet we don't do half the shit that crossfit people do. We squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press and do normal accessory lifts that many bodybuilders may do. The only thing crossfitters have over regular weightlifters is more endurance, but endurance doesn't mean functional strength.

**KTTraining** · 03-03-2012, 05:00 PM

Originally Posted by Ryan Bracewell

You can't get much more functional than strongman,

Exactly, Ryan.. Without a foundation you can't build and without ABSOLUTE STRENGTH ones functional strength will never reach it's potential .

In sports, however, no object or person is fixed so an athlete must train with movements that include Centrifugal Force and High Torque to be the best prepared they can .

Endurance or Cardiovascular limitations can and will have an effect on overall strength, as you know . In Strongman events you can be a beast but if you can't maintain that power you won't do your best . In Sports, if you don't have great muscular and cardiovascular endurance you will be as good as dead .....because we can bet our opponent will .

**Mr.Dedication** · 03-03-2012, 05:01 PM

Fucking LOLed my ass off!!!!! Freaking price less!

Originally Posted by Triple-H_2005

This, I believe, is all that needs to be said!

**sassy69** · 03-03-2012, 06:13 PM

^^ Made my day!

**swingslammer** · 03-03-2012, 06:29 PM

Originally Posted by mrmister

Whats your opinion on strength and conditioning training in general?

I just don't know what "Functional" is? I am often asked to lift or move heavy objects......something I can still do at the age of 47 due to Bodybuilding training. I can run a 55 minute 10K due to the cardio I do for Bodybuilding....but I don't run. I am in the Army and I know I am never going to be expected to do "100" movements non stop of anything.....everyone I have ever worked with would expect 20-25 movements of say moving a box or lifting something to finish a job like building a sandbag bunker and then it would be OK to take a 1 minute break and go again. So Bodybuilding also prepares me for that. I just don't know what is "Functional" about crossfit?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHuJs...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHuJs...eature=related

**retwa** · 03-03-2012, 06:33 PM

I still don't get what any of this training is really 'functional' for. If you are training for a sport, you can speak of your training being 'functional' in regard to that sport. If you are just training in a crossfit style, bodybuilding, or powerlifting, your training is 'functional' for that one area.

It's not like we typically encounter heavy objects in every day life that need to be heaved up or end up hanging off a cliff and need to perform a kipping pull-up to save ourselves...lol. And when it comes to 'functional training' for actual sports (anaerobic sports like football or hockey), nothing beats heavy training with olympic lifts and other compound movements..in addition to speed and endurance training. That is why most pro and college strength programs are based on those lifts.

Maybe crossfit people think they are training to be ninjas or survivalist soldiers or something like that...

**Ryan Bracewell** · 03-03-2012, 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by retwa

I still don't get what any of this training is really 'functional' for. If you are training for a sport, you can speak of your training being 'functional' in regard to that sport. If you are just training in a crossfit style, bodybuilding, or powerlifting, your training is 'functional' for that one area.

It's not like we typically encounter heavy objects in every day life that need to be heaved up or end up hanging off a cliff and need to perform a kipping pull-up to save ourselves...lol. And when it comes to 'functional training' for actual sports (anaerobic sports like football or hockey), nothing beats heavy training with olympic lifts and other compound movements..in addition to speed and endurance training. That is why most pro and college strength programs are based on those lifts.

Maybe crossfit people think they are training to be ninjas or survivalist soldiers or something like that...

To an extent I agree with you, but sometimes I swear my family and friends think I'm a human forklift. I get called to move the big potted plants or large boulders when they redo their yards. I get called when they move to an upstairs apartment and need someone that can carry a lazy boy up the stairs. That's just to name a few, but I use my "functiona strength" quite often, but it wasn't crossfit that got me there. Maximal strength and genetic athleticism rules all when it comes to functional strength

**retwa** · 03-03-2012, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by Ryan Bracewell

Maximal strength and genetic athleticism rules all when it comes to functional strength

Yes, I agree with this, since you said 'functional strength'. Then certainly training for max strength would help with that. But the crossfitters who just speak of some vague 'functional' term without expanding upon that aren't really saying anything. Functional means fulfilling some type of purpose or function, so you have to clarify your end goal. It's ridiculous to simply claim that crossfit is more 'functional' than some other training method, when you don't explain what the goal of said functionality is...

We all have different goals. Bodybuilding is most functional for increasing muscle mass, powerlifting and/or strongman training for brute strength, and perhaps crossfit is functional for the average bastard who just wants to work on a combination of size, strength, and endurance...

Still, it's pointless to knock others or others' pursuits simply because we have different end goals. That's why I don't like crossfitters (I know they aren't all like that, but even the guy who supposedly invented it basically declared it to be entirely superior to other training methods)