Elite crossfit athlete development theory

[S.S.]

One thing is for certain: following the mainsite WODs alone will never make you the best at Crossfit or any other physical activity. Probably won't even get you anywhere near it, in fact.

[Ryan R Johnson]

Originally Posted by Tamara Cohen

It's really simple.

It doesn't matter what the sport is.

CrossFit isn't magic.

Not everyone is a winner, and CrossFit cannot make you a winner.

thats a pretty defeatist attitude to have. seems you dont believe in the theory of achieving by working harder than everyone else.

I think there are those who take it as a sport / competition but here is how I view it:

Crossfit to me is a way of thinking. It goes beyond the barbell and gymnast rings and branches out to how we approach life. Crossfit is not what I do a lot of now, but it made me realize I was a weak cardio crack addict in the beginning. I have started thinking of problems and life in regards to where I am weakest and how I can improve those deficiencies. Balance is key to a happy life.

[Ryan R Johnson]

Originally Posted by Shane Skowron

One thing is for certain: following the mainsite WODs alone will never make you the best at Crossfit or any other physical activity. Probably won't even get you anywhere near it, in fact.

Im curious as to why someone, who is posting on a crossfit forum, is expressing such disdain for the protocol. so please tell me, if a crossfit WOD doesnt get you anywhere near fitness, what does?

[Brian D Williams]

He didn't say following the mainsite WOD won't get you close to fitness, nor is he expressing disdain for the protocol imo. He just said you basically were not going to win the CrossFit games simply by following main site. I'm pretty sure that most people on these boards would agree with that statement. Those winning (or are close to it) the CrossFit games are doing much more than simply the mainsite WOD each day.

[Ryan R Johnson]

Originally Posted by Brian D Williams

He didn't say following the mainsite WOD won't get you close to fitness, nor is he expressing disdain for the protocol imo. He just said you basically were not going to win the CrossFit games simply by following main site. I'm pretty sure that most people on these boards would agree with that statement. Those winning (or are close to it) the CrossFit games are doing much more than simply the mainsite WOD each day.

thank you for the clarification. That, i also agree with. Im sure there is a great deal of strength training, multiple Wods a day, and skill work involved. I just found his post to be irrelevant to my thread. I never implied that following the mainsite wod only, would make you elite. my point in this thread was to stimulate opinions on whether the elite level athletes succeed because of sport background.

[Emily Mattes]

Originally Posted by Brendan McNamar

Yes, there are many examples of this in the younger games competitors.

Are there? If I recall the poster boy for Crossfit at a young age, Connor Martin, has been placing lower and lower in the Games each year. As far as I know all of the promising young athletes come to Crossfit from other backgrounds.

Originally Posted by Bill M. Hesse

I have started thinking of problems and life in regards to where I am weakest and how I can improve those deficiencies. Balance is key to a happy life.

Except this is programming to address weaknesses, and a central tenant of Crossfit is you don't program, you do workouts randomly and theoretically no weaknesses should develop. Furthermore, what you're discovering is not "Crossfit" but "The basis of every athletic and strength-and-conditioning program ever."

Originally Posted by Ryan R Johnson

Im sure there is a great deal of strength training, multiple Wods a day, and skill work involved.

And smart programming that doesn't involve randomization but rather carefully addressing skills and weaknesses over strengths.

[Matt Haxmeier]

Originally Posted by Ryan R Johnson

thank you for the clarification. That, i also agree with. Im sure there is a great deal of strength training, multiple Wods a day, and skill work involved. I just found his post to be irrelevant to my thread. I never implied that following the mainsite wod only, would make you elite. my point in this thread was to stimulate opinions on whether the elite level athletes succeed because of sport background.

So at that point, if doing 1 mainsite wod a day for 3 days on 1 off isn't going to get you there, you have to ask what will.

2 mainsite wods a day? 3 mainsite wods per day?

I think most people would agree not.

Probably something more like:
Strength work
Metcon
Speed Work
Skill Practice

...scheduled appropriately as to not interfere with each other with adequate rest time (essentially some periodization).

....which is basically what happens in the strength and conditioning programs (pro or collegiate sports) these folks come into crossfit from anyway.

[S.S.]

Originally Posted by Ryan R Johnson

I just found his post to be irrelevant to my thread. I never implied that following the mainsite wod only, would make you elite.

Actually, you asked this question:

Originally Posted by Ryan R Johnson

the question then becomes... can one develop that elite level of performance in the crossfit games, relying solely on a crossfit program and background?

And I gave my answer. If the Crossfit program you're talking about is just the mainsite WOD, the answer is a definitive "no".

Now, whether or not following an affiliate's own Crossfit programming can bring you to be great at Crossfit or another sport, then IMO it depends a lot on the affiliate's coaching ability. I've been looking over Crossfit affiliate sites for several years now and there's a big disconnect between affiliates that are programming just to get people to have fun, stay in shape, and be competitive amongst themselves, and affiliates that are programming to produce athletic competitors.

If you look at the programming of the guys and gals who are the best at Crossfit, you'll notice they're doing regular dedicated strength training, varied metcons with an emphasis on strength, skill work, and some dedicated speed and/or aerobic endurance work. There are some elements of periodization.

My guess is that if you can find the optimal combination of the above, find the time to train and recover, and have the money to eat properly, and maybe some genetics, then you'll be pretty great.

The real question is: is it still Crossfit?

[Tamara Cohen]

Originally Posted by Ryan R Johnson

thats a pretty defeatist attitude to have. seems you dont believe in the theory of achieving by working harder than everyone else.

Hardly.

I'm a competitive weightlifter who is weak, slow, and inflexible. The only way I have gotten where I am is out of determination and spite.

CrossFit can't turn a lazy person into a hard worker, though.

Not everyone is a winner. It's the way of the world.

If you don't like that fact, you can hand out participation medals. I don't play that game.