CrossFit gyms are meant to get results. If you want to socialize and hang out, join a Golds!

CrossFit has become a hot button topic in the fitness industry and is indeed sweeping the nation as the new, in-way to train. The first CrossFit gym opened in 1995 and has since grown to more than 650 affiliates. If you are familiar with CrossFit then you can skip to the next paragraph. For those of you non-CrossFitters let me explain briefly what the CrossFit cult is all about. From the CrossFit website, "the CF program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist." In other words CrossFit is not a specific workout but rather a combination of many different exercises encompassing several sports and training disciplines. And for every fan of CF there are just as many nay-sayers who think that the risk vs. reward of their high intensity often times advanced movements is simply too high. To say it's controversial would be an understatement.

To picture a CrossFit gym, imagine the nicest Ballys or "high-end" gym you can think of and then imagine the exact opposite. While CrossFit gyms are very well equipped, most are minimalist in their approach and appearance. Many are confined to garages or industrial buildings in airparks. CF gyms were built for training not comfort. You know you are in the right place when you see a bunch of people doing olympic style lifts, non-traditional exercises, and NO sign-up sheet for the treadmill! Not exactly the same scene you would find at your local meat market gym.

CrossFit workouts are referred to as the Workout of the Day (WOD) and are posted each day on the CF website. WOD's are high intensity relatively short workouts usually done for time. The general idea is to log onto the CrossFit website or go to your local CrossFit affiliate and follow the WOD every day of the week. They take all the, "gee, what am I going to do today at the gym," guesswork out of your training. A typical WOD might be ten rounds for time of: 3 Weighted Pull-ups with 45 pounds followed by 5 Strict Pull-ups and finally 7 Kipping Pull-ups. The next day the workout will be completely different like four rounds, each for time of an 800 meter run. One important aspect of CrossFit is the Tabata method; a protocol that involves training the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems simultaneously, using short sets of all-out effort followed by even shorter rest periods.

Is CrossFit Right for Motocross?
Generally, I get asked this question about once a week and the answer is always the same; yes and no depending on what you are trying to accomplish. I am not trying to be vague with my answer but whether or not you employ the methods of CrossFit really depends on what your goals as a motocross athlete are. If your intention is to lose weight, become a better overall athlete, and you like to train in a competitive fashion then CF may just be right for you. If however, you have loftier goals like qualifing for Loretta Lynn's or becoming a professional rider, then CF by itself is most likely not for you. I'll let the rest of the article explain my reasoning behind these statements.

Power lifting moves are a big part of the Crossfit program

CrossFit's Training Goals
Again, taking information straight from CF's website, "CrossFit is not a specialized fitness program, but a deliberate attempt to optimize physical competence in each of 10 recognized fitness domains." Those domains are defined as cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. Certainly these domains fit within the training scope of motocross, but is CrossFit right the elite of the sport? As a sole source of training, I would have to say no. Champions in any sport have huge gaps in their fitness, as defined by the above 10 domains. Lance Armstrong has amazing endurance but given the skill probably wouldn't last 5 laps at Unadilla. Power lifters are strong, but would have trouble making 1 lap in the Southwick sand. And the motocross athlete has an extremely high strength to weight ratio but would lose straight up in a max strength competition.

But that is exactly what CrossFit is trying to accomplish. Like their moto says, "they specialize in not specializing." CrossFit athletes are certainly fit and would perform well in most other sports. This is natural since CrossFit workouts demand so much from the participant. If you want to develop overall athleticism then CrossFit will get you where you want to be. Most CrossFitters believe that their versatility is what makes them great athletes.

Put another way, does CrossFit make sense for a rider like James Stewart? No. Does James Stewart's program make sense for the regular rider who wants to be able to ride on Sunday without getting his tongue caught in the chain? No. If you want to be good, but not great, at a variety of athletic qualities, and have fun on Sundays because you are in better shape, then CrossFit is a good option. If you have a specific goal in your training — winning your area championship, qualifying for Loretta Lynn's, or becoming a professional rider— then CrossFit in and of itself, isn't for you. You need a periodized program that is specialized for motocross.

Is CrossFit too Hard?
CrossFitters love to talk about how tough their workouts are and sometimes even push themselves to the brink of throwing up. I have talked with at least one CrossFit affiliate who disagrees with this attitude and says that that is not the way his gym is run. It may be more chest thumping than anything else but if you consistently take your workouts to the point of complete exhaustion, then you should beware.

According to James Stewart's trainer, Aldon Baker, "the potential problem with this go 'till you puke mentality is that in order to get to this point you have obviously pushed yourself way beyond your means." Aldon adds, "most people aren't ready for this level of exertion and will end up quitting when they should be focused on longevity and lifestyle change." This mentality runs deep as the walls of most CF gyms are covered with photos showing people lying on the ground or on their hands and knees after a CrossFit workout. Throwing up, of course, doesn't lead to increased fitness in any domain. Going 'till you puke is okay once in a while, but pushing yourself that hard all the time is a recipe for overtraining.

CrossFit girls are some of the best conditioned athletes around...and they aren't too bad to look at either.

CrossFit and Women
If you surf through the CrossFit website you will no doubt see some very fit (read HOT) women. Some people think that a well defined physique on a woman is unattractive. In fact, many women incorrectly think that any type of heavy strength training will immediately lead to big muscles. Ask any guy who is trying to get big: it just ain't that easy. The women pictured on the CrossFit site are certainly the minority and if you are afraid of "bulking up," let me assure you that it takes a lot of time, the right diet, and a ton of hard work. That is either good news or bad, depending on which side of the fence you are on.

But for you women who ride motocross, CrossFit is exactly the style of training you should be doing. Most females are familiar with "sculpt and tone" classes offered at their gym. These classes preach high rep, low weight training to women and fool them into thinking that spot reduction of fat is possible. Second only to that falicy is that most believe women should never lift heavier loads. CrossFit is definitely a kick in the pants for these women and with it's high intensity, total body style workouts, the fat somehow magically disappears from their thighs and butts. Bottom line: Just do it ladies!

How to Use the WODs
Workouts of the Day are posted on the main CrossFit site as a general guideline for training. You can follow them or do something different; it's your choice. I recommend that if you do chose to follow CrossFit, you talk to your local affiliate about specializing the workouts to fit your goals in motocross. Rochester, NY affiliate owner, Jon Celso offers, "I'd guess that 95% of the CrossFitters out there ARE NOT doing WODs as prescribed. Base CF is broad, general and inclusive, however, a tweaked, sport specific version is still CF and CF can easily be tweaked for MX with a little intelligence (see CF for football or CF for endurance). In my gym, I have my normal WODs on the board, but my MX'ers, football players, rowers, speed skaters, triathletes, etc - often get tweaked WODs that correspond to their needs."

"I can tell you that I sure wish I knew about CF when I was racing regularly. I was in great moto shape when I found CF and CF beat the crap out of me. Then I went racing and 'damn that was easy!' Jon adds. "You do not need to follow the main site WOD as prescribed to be doing CrossFit."

If you are merely trying to get in shape and look a little better (like most of us are) then following the CrossFit WODs are a fun way to keep from getting bored with your workouts. No one argues that CrossFit workouts aren't challenging. The question is over the disconnect between "hard" and "smart." The line between training hard vs. smart is a fine one indeed. CrossFit is a little old school and more likely to yell at you for taking it easy. But the truth is, not all workouts should be hard. Sometimes it's perfectly acceptable and smart to train a little easier; they are called recovery workouts and are key for all levels of fitness. In the end though, if you are just trying to improve your overall fitness levels and don't mind a little hard work, then training harder vs. smarter will get you by. If you are looking to reach your max potential on the bike, then the truth is, you need to follow the smarter vs. harder mantra.

First....A Word of Caution
One potential problem I see with CrossFit is for the beginner. Without a phase to introduce safe lifting techniques and to build a base of strength, people new to CF may be fooled into thinking that they should train as hard as seasoned CrossFitters. This will most certainly lead to a high injury rate for people not used to such high intensity. CF workouts do not come with instructions on intensity. As a matter of fact, CF prides itself on being very intense. No argument there, but the danger in one-size-fits-all training format is that people new to the philosophy will try and keep up with the person next to them and end up over-exerting themselves before they are ready.

The kipping pull-up is an exercise that is completely different than a traditional pull-up. CrossFit is an innovator of creating challenging workouts!

Trainer Robb Beams (Cianciarulo, Fiolek, Trettle) is a little more critical and states, "I think that CrossFit is too intense for anyone! I haven’t met anyone who has stayed on the program for more than 6 months. The body simply can’t take that intensity level for such a long time. There is this mentality that rest makes you weak. I like the concepts of the program, but think that it is too intense." Remember, rest is exactly half of the training equation!

Jon recommends, "People need to be careful.  Proper mechanics (performing the movements properly) is of utmost importance and should definitely become habit BEFORE introducing intensity. This takes patience and initially coaching is almost necessary. A good quality affiliate will go a long way in helping there."

Charles Dao, who is very familiar with CrossFit and thinks it is an excellent training modality for some, states, "I think CrossFit is good for people who do not have a specific program but I also think it is too watered down and not specific enough for my professional motocross athletes. I love the intensity that CrossFit provides. If you cannot afford a trainer, CrossFit is for you!"

CF Exercises
Of all the controversial aspects of CrossFit, it's their pull-up variations that often cause the most outrage. I am a purest at heart and to a fault think that everything should be done with perfect form. CF uses a kipping pull-up which uses anything but perfect form when compared to traditional pull-ups. The kipping pull-up looks more like a gymnastics move than a real pull-up. The first time I saw the kipping pull-up I was quick to dismiss and criticize the movement calling it cheating. But later I recanted my statement when I realized that the kipping pull-up is nothing more than a variation of the traditional pull-up, allowing for higher reps and stressing a different energy system.

The "cheating" motion of a kipping pull-up is much like doing a squat with a push-press. The squat push-press isn't just a "cheat" version of a traditional shoulder press. It's a different exercise that works the muscles and energy systems of the body differently. I often look to the CF website in search of new and different ways of doing exercises. One thing that CF does very well is creating unique ways to make you sweat like the jumping pull-up. Again, the jumping pull-up is often times regarded as a cheating pull-up. But when done properly with an explosive drive to the bar followed by an explosive push with your arms, it becomes a challenging total body workout that will push you to the limits of your endurance. Until CF, I had never seen this exercise and now incorporate it into my riders workouts whenever we are in that mode of training.

Soooo...Is it Right for Motocross
I'm sure, if you are reading down this far in the article, you are wondering if I give CrossFit the thumbs-up or thumbs-down for motocross. For the general rider and weekend warrior, I recommend CrossFit as one of many ways to ensure that your bike will run out of gas long before your ass does. For the pro or top level amateur, I recommend CrossFit as part of your overall training program but also think that CrossFit by itself is not enough. For that level of rider the fact is you need a periodized training program that focuses on the sport specific movements of motocross (which include all 10 of the CrossFit fitness domains) and allows for proper recovery. Trainer Jeff Spencer adds, "CrossFit is an innovative concept that has a definite place in the fitness world. All fitness systems can be part of the MX/SX training world when appropriate for the riders' personal program."

With that said, let's step back for a moment and look at the bigger picture. About two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight, and almost one-third are obese, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001 to 2004. In 1982, 4% of kids were overweight and by 1994 that number had grown to 16%. 25% of all white children and 33% of Black and Hispanic children were overweight in 2001. Of Children diagnosed with Type II diabetes, 85% are obese. With those dreary facts in mind, it seems silly to not recommend an exercise protocol that calls for a little blood, sweat, and tears. I'm just glad to see people getting into a gym, whether it's Bally's, the Y, or a CrossFit gym in some dudes garage. As long as CrossFit's goals match your goals, I recommend it!

That's it for now, until next time, good luck with your training and remember, if you have a question, log on to the Virtual Trainer Expert Forum and have your question answered by a panel of experts. In addition, be sure and check out the Racer X Virtual Trainer archive section. Your complete one-stop information zone for motocross fitness.

1. 
   Kris Tompkins September 13, 2010 at 5:20 am

   I have been using Crossfit for about 3 months and the WOD are fun and challenging. I just ride motocross for fun now, but I wish I had this program 10 yrs ago when I was racing as I have seen tremendous results in my fitness.