Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Crossfit, P90x, Insanity, etc...





Beyond the typical "what's the best _______ for _____ " question I often get (it's typically a weight loss inquiry), I do get asked a lot about "the enemy" a lot.  It usually goes like this:  "Paul, what do you think of Insanity, P90x, Crossfit, etc...?"  While I can't say I hate everything about them, I'm honestly not a fan of any of them.  I've been thinking of how to best put it into words what exactly it is I don't like about this mishmash of programs so many people are trying.  Strength Coach Mike Boyle recently had a posting on his site that I LOVED and essentially echoed my sentiments towards the aforementioned programming.  Check it out here:

The intelligent people in our industry are fighting a war of sorts. Because we 
are constantly battling misinformation, half-truths, lies
and out right stupidity we can often come across as
impatient. The enemy has many names, Crossfit, P90X, Insanity, Bar
Method, Tracey Anderson and so many others.
A new enemy constantly appears on the horizon and they all
have the same theme. The enemies simply ignore science and
empirical evidence and replace it with marketing. They ignore common sense and replace it with marketing. They prey on the uniformed.
Our job as fitness professionals, personal trainers or
strength and conditioning coaches is to con tinually try
to keep the pendulum in the center and use our common
sense. One of my favorite quotes comes from
Benjamin Franklin is:
“common sense is not very common”
This can be combined with another great quote:
”a little knowledge is dangerous”
We exist in a fitness world overpopulated by people with a
little knowledge and too little common sense. The resultant
combination of a little knowledge and a lack of common sense
is the foolish programming that we are forced to battle
against.
What the smart people do in this industry is make the client
feel and look better while at the same time keeping the
client healthy and safe. Is that too much to ask?
The only thing that makes me feel better is that we are
succeeding. 

Keep it up, don’t sell out.
Micro-gyms (think opposite of the Big Box, lots of equipment, 
no instruction) are thriving all over America. Don’t throw up a Crossfit sign or any other sign for its marketing value. Continue to deliver great programming and great results.


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