Crossfit & the CF

[nuttman]

I've searched the forum & I know Crossfit (www.crossfit.com) has been mentioned before, but I thought it role (and adoption) in the CF hasn't been breached yet (plus I was hoping to spark more disscusion on the topic ).

Brief history: I'm currently in the recruiting process and hope to be join the CF in the next few months. I've always been fit & athletic but wanted to step it up so that I can be as fit as possible when I reach the CF, thus I discovered Crossfit. I've been Crossfit training in Vancouver (www.crossfit.ca) for 2 months now & have seen a dramatic increase in my physical fitness (i'm getting serious core & upper body strength now) & even my diet & general well-being. I hoping that everyone reading this knows about what Crossfit can do (otherwise follow the links), it is the elite strength & fitness regime. I also encourage everyone to go down to a Crossfit gym (Vancouver www.crossfit.ca, Edmonton (just opening) www.crossfit.com/discus/messages/4680/18441.html, Ottawa (just opening) www.capitalcrossfit.com, Toronto www.crossfitto.com, thats all i know of now), talk to a trainer, do a workout, see how you compare against them, I garrenttee you'll be surprised!!

I know that as far back as 1 year ago 2 members of the CF were certifed as Crossfit trainers (have no idea where they were from though?).  My question is this, does the Canadian Forces recognize Crossfit?  Do they utilize it in their current training programs?  When I join the Forces will I have to make due with inefficient training regimes?  Do they even have the equipement (for example, kettlebells, which seem pretty rare in the 'typical' gyms)?  Am I going to get in trouble if I make due & utilize the equipment in order to do crossfit workouts? (Seems like a dumb question, but yes it has happened in 'typical' gyms to myself as well as others)

Please, I really want to hear comments from current serving members & other self-described fitness guru's who have direct experience with this!  (And others too, I'm not trying to be encourage exclusivity!)

Thanks in advance!

 

[Drummy]

Hi there Nuttman,

I think you're going to have to wait about 7 years. According to your profile, you are only 9 years old.  ;D

All the best    Drummy

 

[nuttman]

Yeah uh, that'd be wrong ... But if I was a 7yr old you should be mighty impressed that I could string together such an amazing array of sentences like in my first post.  Maybe the first 7yr old the CF might accept?  ^-^

Anyways, back to the topic at hand ...

 

[Mortar guy]

Nuttman,

A buddy of mine and another guy at CTC in Gagetown are the certified trainers you refer to. The CF doesn't really 'recognize' CrossFit yet AFAIK but those 2 guys in Gagetown did a trial of a PT program based on CrossFit.

I've never seen a kettlebell in a CF gym but then again I just sub DBs for KB swings and snatches and the like. As for all the other kit you'll need (chin up bar, ropes, C2 rower, olympic bars, dip bars, gravitron machines) most every gym will have that kit. I doubt you'll get in trouble for using equipment to do CrossFit. You might get some strange looks from people in the gym (as I do) but you won't get in trouble.

Hope this helps.

MG

 

[nuttman]

Cheers, thanks for the info! Its good to hear that at least some people in the CF are using Crossfit. Personally, I don't understand why it isn't the basis of current physical training.  If its good enough for most SWAT teams & other elite professionals such as Navy SEALs (and even maybe JTF2, but thats just a guess), why wouldn't you want all of your soliders following that regime??  (It'd even save money on all the extra equipment that wouldn't be needed)  Anyways, I'm sure they have their reasons... :

Alright, hopefully I can meet up with these 2 guys in Gagetown when I'm there for Basic. I definetly plan on continuing and advancing my training regime, even if I gotta do it the hard way.  And I'll keep an eye out for other crossfiter's, hopefully we can pursuade the other gym monkeys to 'see the light'... 

 

[q_1966]

Crossfit.ca Link doesnt work

 

[buzgo]

There is going to be another evaluation in May, involving PSP staff down in Gagetown.

DHTC has kettlebells in the gym 

 

[MdB]

There's a CrossFit Montreal due to open in July 2006 (www.crossfitmontreal.ca). Somewhere in South-West/Pointe-Saint-Charles neighborhood.

Nuttman, I refer you to a message from MountainRunner: Army Fitness Booklet and the JTF 2 fitness Booklet. Read the validity document. The numbers are there to show how good the CrossFit training is.

Mortar Guy also talked about CrossFit in Physical Fitness super-thread in Training forum (page 24).

 

[MdB]

There is going to be another evaluation in May, involving PSP staff down in Gagetown.

Is it in the same fashion as the validity test they already did? Or there's no connection?

 

[nuttman]

Crossfit.ca Link doesnt work

The site is down because of technical problems, hopefully be up in the next week.  When it is they've got a bunch of cool videos and such.

Anyways, thats for the info everyone, I don't have a chance now (as I'm just at work here), but I'll read through this evening!

 

[The_Falcon]

I started doing crossfit around the summer, but didn't really get into it until the end of dec when I bought my own weights and squat cage.  The layout of my gym the layout of my gym really wasn't suited to doing the circuit training involved with some of the crossfist WOD's.  But since the end of dec I have been following the program religously (3 on 1 off), and I can't get enought of it.  My energy is up, my strength is up, my endurance is up, my bodyfat is down, and I can do about 10 pull-ups now compared to like 1 in dec. Crossfit all the way.

 

[Tebo]

Anyone exposed to Crossfit is more than able to incorporate it into morning PT.  I was on course during the trial in Gagetown and have have employed it to some degree for my Pl Trg PT regime.  If I had a Crossfit qualified Pte who could handle themselves, there would be no problem with them running morning PT sessions or finding a block in the afternoons that worked.  The Crossfit emphasis on functionality and motivational structure of the workouts is the draw.  The cult like devotion it creates in some followers is a little disturbing however.

I say that it would be fantastic for the military to recognize the benefits of the approach and incorporate it into courses etc.  But, like most good training, it falls to the lower levels to take the initiative, seek out the required pers and make thoughtful, effective training occur.  So if you bring any fitness talent to the table, share it with the chain of command and they'll probably be quick to make use of your knowledge.

As an aside, 2 PPCLI has 6 kettle bells and a substantial amount of Olympic Bars.  I am not sure which sports coord is to blame for this over abundance of excellent equipment, but, I imagine they have been adequately punished for doing too good of a job.  They certainly have my thanks.

 

[buzgo]

Is it in the same fashion as the validity test they already did? Or there's no connection?

I believe they are looking for a way to jump people from the Army Fitness program to the JTF2 pre-selection fitness program. Crossfit has pretty immediate gains and might be just the ticket...

 

[greenhorn]

Anyone wanna give me a quick run down of what "crossfit" is?

 

[Gunner]

Anyone wanna give me a quick run down of what "crossfit" is?

What is CrossFit?
CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide.
 
Our 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.

The CrossFit program is designed for universal scalability making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience. We’ve used our same routines for elderly individuals with heart disease and cage fighters one month out from televised bouts. We scale load and intensity; we don’t change programs.
 
The needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree not kind. Our terrorist hunters, skiers, mountain bike riders and housewives have found their best fitness from the same regimen.
 
Thousands of athletes worldwide have followed our workouts posted daily on this site and distinguished themselves in combat, the streets, the ring, stadiums, gyms and homes.
 
We also publish the CrossFit Journal designed to support the CrossFit community detailing the theory, techniques, and practice used by our coaches in our gym, in essence bringing your garage or gym into ours, making you a part of the CrossFit family.
 
We offer seminars, trainer certifications, and training and regularly provide consultation services to athletic teams, coaches, and police and military agencies throughout the free world.

The first post of the thread has the link.

 

[greenhorn]

duh!!  Thank you

 

[hockeysgal]

I was also part of the "Guinea pig" platoon last summer at CTC Gagetown when they tried the crossfit program.  Although I think it's a great program it is very time consuming (especially when done with a 40-50 man platoon) and requires equipment for all pers doing the training.  This caused somewhat of a problem when we did morning PT, such as one morning our PT lasted 2 hours, which pretty much screwed up the rest of the days training.  Plus because we do not always do morning PT on course, as we are often in the field, I'm not sure it would have the intended effect. 
Just my 0.02$

Inf Off

 

[The_Falcon]

I was also part of the "Guinea pig" platoon last summer at CTC Gagetown when they tried the crossfit program.  Although I think it's a great program it is very time consuming (especially when done with a 40-50 man platoon) and requires equipment for all pers doing the training.  This caused somewhat of a problem when we did morning PT, such as one morning our PT lasted 2 hours, which pretty much screwed up the rest of the days training.  Plus because we do not always do morning PT on course, as we are often in the field, I'm not sure it would have the intended effect. 
Just my 0.02$

Inf Off

for large group training it may be inefficent and time consuming if you resources are limited, but for use as an individual PT program, crossfit is by far one of the best programs out there.

 

[nuttman]

Hi all,

I wanted to thank you all for your replys. I'm enthused to hear that there is more than a few CF members that enjoy & reap the benefits of Crossfit training.

Signalsguy -
Glad to hear that there's another evalutaion upcoming. The results from the last evaluation look encouraging, though not totally drastic results improvement. I think the true benefits of a Crossfit workout come from its adaptability, emphasis on healthy training techniques, & efficient use of time.  I'd really like to see it incorporated more into the CF (but please note that I'm niether in the CF (yet) or a Crossfit trainer, just an educated guesser)

Tebo -
The "cult like devotion" you refer to stems from the (sometimes) life changing personal result people have achieved & the fact that it is human nature for people to talk about & recommend what they like.  The negative connatations that come from calling it a "cult like devotion" are unnecessay & not relevant, any Crossfit trainer would be the first to tell you about the emphasis to not get stuck doing one system/training regime/activity that is unhealthy & the benefits of trying new things.

But when i do become a part of the CF I'd love to share my fitness knowledge with whomever involved, at least to motivate the people around me to perform better. As well its nice to hear that there is some equipment to be had at various bases & I won't be a lone wolf doing this.

Inf Off -
I'm surprised to hear that the Crossfit PT lasted for 2hrs?! During all of my training the maximum daily workout lasts me 1hr, including 15mins warm-up & a typical Crossfit WOD (Workout-Of-the-Day). Overtraining that can result from a 2hr workout leads to increased burnout & injuries, but that depends on what occurs during the 2hr workout.

I agree with Hachet Man, it does seem that large group training & Crossfit do not mesh that great, but what about breaking the large group up into smaller groups for various parts of the PT.  For example you could have the large group warmup together, then break into smaller groups for the skills development part of the PT, then bring them back together for a WOD (to take advantage of the competitiveness factor). Just an idea?

I guess it would depend what you mean by "in the field", but most of the Crossfit movements can be done by substituting whatever weighted objects are nearby & some workouts (ex: Cindy, 1 round = 5 pullups 10 pushups 15 sqauts, as many rounds in 20mins) do not even involved the use any weights.  That is an appeal of it, that you can adapt to use whatever equipment is at hand & still be confident that your accomplishing a sufficiently challenging PT.

...

I've recently learned about Colin Laverty who is a current CF member (correct me if i'm wrong) and who is starting a Crossfit gym in Ottawa (www.capitalcrossfit.com).  Sounds like he'd be a great resource if anyone is interested in more info about crossfit applications in your CF career.

 

[nuttman]

Another piece of information just came my way ... I hear that the CF (apparently a Colonel) has just signed an agreement with Crossfit (probably Greg Glassman, he's the main dude in Santa Cruz) to have Crossfit as their main PT program.   Does anyone know any more about this?