Crossfit in Harold’s Cross?

I get asked this question, constantly. Are you a Crossfit gym? I touched on it in the FAQ section but just to highlight things a little more, no, no we are not.

I can understand the confusion, I stand corrected on this but I think I was the second guy to get a level 1 cert in the country and at one stage had a nice collection of the various Crossfit Certs before most other coaches here. I also did a small bit of coaching in Crossfit Dublin for a while but in the past while it has never been my intention to affiliate and become a Crossfit gym.

I see a lot of good things about Crossfit and being certified for over 3 years and being aware of Crossfit for 6 years or so there was certainly a lot more that I liked about it in the earlier days. Their initial dedication to finding the most effective ways to train, introducing me to various training protocols, (and this may seem ironic to some now) the high standards they maintained and asked of their trainees, which raised my own standard and strengthened my dedication to perfecting my movement. It actually got me training far more sensibly than I ever had previously and I really wish I found it earlier. But like anything over time, it gets watered down and it is a rare thing that stands the test of time.

There are the all too common complaints fired at Crossfit these days and the main ones being that it is unsafe and there is less than no thought put into its programming and application, that it resembles more of an advanced bootcamp. There is a great and well known article here which highlights the main shortcomings.

Another trend I am seeing is – and this is aimed towards the gyms in the states, is that it is a place where people just want to ‘Olympic Lift’. Join a weightlifting gym if that’s the case. And for the weightlifters (in the US and Western Europe) that constantly sneer and snipe at Crossfit – be grateful that Crossfit has caused a re-birth and huge spike in interest in your sport.

I hear people slating GPP all the time and to be honest I find this short-sighted and it stems from a lack of peoples understanding of GPP. I think GPP is great. I have trained quite a few MMA fighters, very successfully, using GPP. This is another post but I will be championing GPP – specifically for MMA fighters. What is the principal aim of Strength and Conditioning? Fill in your weaknesses (you are only as strong as your weakest link etc.) and what is GPP? Bringing up your weaknesses. Simple explanation I know, but like I said, there is a long article on the way.

Getting back on track, no we are not a Crossfit gym. And will not be affiliated in the future. Sure we use ‘Funcitonal movements performed at high intensity’ – ONCE proficient mechanics are demonstrated. This is very important and something I don’t turn a blind eye to. We also try to keep to less complex movements for conditioning, movements that are less likely to get people hurt. We concentrate on skill and developing skills but this is where we drop the intensity. I don’t believe in learning how to clean and jerk when you’re on the clock and trying to hit 30 reps as fast as you can. Now don’t get me wrong, I think that is great fun but it has no place in someone’s program who isn’t already hitting high C & J numbers and has the muscular endurance and proven mechanics to keep everything from turning into a complete car crash.

‘Broad times’ aren’t really our thing either. Meaning it is VERY seldom that you will see us doing a conditioning session that goes over 20 minutes, even 15 minutes. In such a scenario, power output falls through the floor – as does sound mechanics and it then becomes a suffer fest. If you are looking to compete in the Crossfit Games, you probably shouldn’t train here. If you are looking to get stronger and faster for your sport then you probably should. And if you are just looking to get healthier, stronger, faster and in great shape, in a safe environment then come here, we have many members who solely train here and get the results they are looking for.

We will push you and help you exceed previous targets but we won’t push you to the point where you will be projectile vomiting, excreting muscle tissue and peeing what looks like Coca Cola. That’s not working hard folks, that’s just dumb. But I’m sure you don’t need to be told that.

I hope this clears a few things up.