You Don’t Need To Snatch
Are specific exercises that important?
This isn’t about the Snatch. It could be about the Clean and Jerk. Or Muscle Ups. Or any specific exercise.
You don’t NEED to do any specific movement.
Especially if it doesn’t align with your goals.
Doesn’t matter how “functional” people claim it to be.
There is no proof that a snatch will make you any more fit and healthy than a kettlebell swing.
There is no proof that a back squat will make you any more fit and healthy than a lunge.
Sure there are theories. That “Insert” movement also does XYZ and “insert” movement does not.
There can always be those debates.
But there are SO many ways to develop your health and fitness. You don’t even need to touch a weight or go to a gym.
The key is that you find the thing for you and your goals. The thing that you are going to commit to.
Maybe it’s barbells. Maybe it’s rock climbing. Maybe it’s running. Maybe it’s dancing.
All that matters is that you do it, that you enjoy it, and that you are seeing the results that you want.
Sure if you want to come compete in the sport of Olympic Lifting, you should probably snatch. It would be really hard to compete without that skill. But if you don’t want to compete, there it is just another movement.
And yes, you don’t even need to do burpees.
Soreness ≠ Progress
Do you need to be sore to progress?
Do you need to be sore to make progress?
Short answer: No
Can soreness be a part of your training process while you make progress? Absolutely.
But you don’t need to be sore after every workout.
Soreness does not need to represent how hard you worked in the gym.
In training I want the results to speak for themselves.
I recently had a client mention that they were concerned that they weren’t working hard enough because they weren’t waking up as sore as they usually do.
But in two months they were able to double the number of pushups they can do, which is one of their goals. All while not being as sore.
That’s progress. And working hard.
This can be a challenging mindset to change. Society can often preach the “No pain no gain” mindset. That if you aren’t rolling on the ground afterwards, you didn’t work hard enough.
But why put yourself through pain if it’s not necessary. You can achieve results without pain.
I like to train smart. Training to improve your life and your health is a lifelong process. Let’s make that process as enjoyable as possible.
Could you be sore after a workout? Absolutely! That’s a normal outcome of the training and recovery process.
Do you need to be sore after every training session? No. If you are, this could be an indication of a recovery and training process that could be improved.
This is not to say don't work hard. Just work smart.
Gendered Workouts. Why?
Why are there gendered workouts?
Does your gym or training program have gendered workouts?
Does your gym or training program say that they are for everyone?
To me those two things, if both true, are at odds.
Some will use gendered workouts to assign a prescribed weight or volume to an athlete. It is said that if you cannot yet do that weight or volume that you can scale or modify to meet your ability based on gender. For some this could be motivating and give them direction for progression.
Not everyone fits into the mould of being male or female. As such gendered workouts are not for everyone. They are for those that identify as those genders.
We need more inclusive gyms.
When we assign genders to exercise, we exclude those that don’t fit a bias.
Sure progression is important. But that is the role of coaching. Progression isn’t writing a weight for a gender and saying this is what you can eventually get to based on your gender.
Progress based on goals, not gender.
How can you indicate the difficulty or intensity of something without using genders?
I use RPE or Rate of Perceived Exertion. It’s completely individual because everyone perceives events or tasks differently. It’s how difficult something feels to you on a scale of 1-10.
There are other ways to do this. It could be % of a previous lift. It could be a pace based on a previous measured task. It could be based on heart rate or breathing.
It just doesn’t need to be based on gender.
If we are going to say we are for everyone, let’s make sure we aren’t excluding anyone.
Scaling is Stagnant
How long have you been scaling?
You’ve scaled the same movement for months due to pain with ZERO progress.
You’ve listened to the scaling or modification options provided by your gym.
And you keep showing up and putting in the work. You are making progress in certain areas but that one movement still causes you pain.
That’s frustrating, I’ve been there. You invest your time, money and energy into that gym or that fitness program.
This is important to you. You are ready to make this a priority.
You want results! You want to do that movement that you see others doing.
How do we change this and get you on the path to progress?
We look at what is required from that movement. We assess your capabilities. We find the important areas to work on. We ask each other questions to learn more. We commit to a customized plan to set us on the path to the results.
Scaling options that aren’t specific to you are not specific to your needs or your goals.
Scaling is stagnant. It’s the red light that keeps you at the intersection, delaying your progress to your intended destination.
Customization>Scaling.
CrossFit: Let’s Do Better
CrossFit and its need for improvement.
CrossFit, we can do a lot better.
Recently I went through the process of preparing for and passing the Certified CrossFit Trainer (CCFT) test. Also referred to as the Level 3 test by many. I went through this process for many reasons. The main one being to make me a better coach, which I believe it did.
It is a very thorough test. While I do not agree with all of the content, there is still a ton of great information that can be beneficial to coaches and athletes.
Now the last year has taught me many things. One is that the fitness industry has a lot of work to do to be more inclusive and diverse.
This includes CrossFit.
From CrossFit's website:
"The Certified CrossFit Trainer (CCFT) credential is for an experienced individual who wants to demonstrate a higher level of CrossFit coaching knowledge and ability. The purpose of the CCFT is to ensure that an individual possesses the knowledge and competency required to train clients safely and effectively.
To attain this credential individuals must meet all eligibility requirements, pass the CCFT examination, and commit to a long-term standard of professional accountability"
This is the overview of the CCFT. As such, I believe CrossFit should also be held to very high standards of professional accountability.
In my studying of the content on the suggested reading materials list (I read or listened to everything except for the CrossFit Kids and Masters Training Guides), I noticed some items that I believe to be harmful. This includes misogyny and stigmatization of mental illness.
These are images of two articles included in the study material.
"Benchmark Workouts" - CrossFit Journal Issue 13 - September 2003 - Greg Glassman. Page 5
"Fooling around with Fran" - CrossFit Journal Issue 31 - March 2005 - Greg Glassman. Page 4
These are screenshots of the articles themselves. They are not edited as I have seen done by some web pages.
Now it's possible that you aren't sure of why I may have some objections to that content.
That logic for naming those workouts does not read well to me. That logic for naming storms doesn't read well either. It doesn't say to me "I see you, and I see you as an equal". It has a strong tone of misogyny.
Anorexia is an eating disorder and mental illness. What is the purpose of associating an eating disorder with scaling a workout? To me as a coach (and human), that sort of association is disrespectful and stigmatizes both individuals who scale workouts and individuals who have eating disorders.
This content and the CCFT test itself brought up a lot of questions for me. So I asked CrossFit's new DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Council about that content specifically. I also inquired about the complete lack of diversity (in race and body types) represented in videos shown on the CCFT test. Some responses included:
"I will ensure these concerns are expressed internally."
"We agree that these articles are not inclusive and do not reflect the views of the new leadership team. From our team to our content, we are focused on ensuring that CrossFit is inclusive going forward."
"As you might imagine, it will take some time to review the wealth of content we currently have and make updates or total replacements where needed. And, yet, we are committed to this work and will build addressing dated materials into our project plans. "
I think it's great that CrossFit now has a DEI team. And I can imagine they are busy and have multiple projects on the go.
However, at this time the next group of coaches preparing to take the CCFT exam are currently studying this material. That problematic content has been out since 2010. And I know I am not the first person to bring up concerns.
I have seen new "Girls" workouts be added instead of addressing the logic of those names being used in the first place. Amongst the wealth of content in the reference material, there is not one article about a coach’s role in fostering diversity, equity and inclusion, aside from a statement that the "aim of CrossFit has been to forge a broad, general, and inclusive fitness".
I hope they do have some great project plans. I want CrossFit to be successful because I believe in the community and the results people have achieved through CrossFit. I am very grateful for CrossFit and the opportunities I have within it. With my gratefulness comes criticism because I want it to succeed and for it to succeed I believe the fitness industry needs to be better.
Actions lead to progress. For progress to happen we need to address the future but also the past. If we continue to study problematic and harmful information we will continue to contribute towards the same problems.
