Fails, Injuries, and The Issue w/ CrossFit
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- Опубликовано: 7 май 2022
- I believe CrossFit as a fitness methodology in general is safe. However, there is a trend in hobbyist/amateur competitive CrossFit that elicits a decent amount of viral fail and injury videos.
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Who'd have thought sprinting 500m and burpees immediately before the highest motor unit recruitment lift might be a problem
"Are you moving like that... with any weight? What makes you think you can do it with heavier weight" Nailed it!
teaching how to bail and or fail a lift should be more of a thing. technique set aside, teach how to bail.
@@toximan2008 I have a friend that used to have switch day. But yeah, I would love to learn bail outs for WL soon. 15 year skater just getting into WL, so I know the importance of bail techniques.
This
It should be one of the first things. Like in Judo, the first thing they learn you is how to safely fall on the mat with a back role to avoid injuries
I think that the main problems with crossfit are: 1) people with basically no WL background get to teach movements that in most cases they are not able to do well themselves - 2) being always under time limits forces you to work faster leaving technique a lil behind, so newbies never really get to learn the corrects movement patterns and when the get to max out these kind of things happen. Seeing elbows like that in the bottom part of the snatch is not normal, seeing people kill themselves with the bar is not normal, and that's because people aren't taught correctly. And i'm not even talking about these big fails we see on instagram, basically if you know some crossfitters personally like 1 in 3 has some kind of injury
Can confirm #1. I used to coach with a CFL2 who thought you weren’t supposed to make any contact with the bar…ever.
@@robschilke maybe he came out a time machine from when the clean was supposed to be no contact and snatches were all split
I believe the reason people get injured like this is more ego and less about their education/knowledge of the lifts... I've been teaching myself weightlifting, and my arms have buckled SO many times while learning the snatch. But I have NEVER had the bar crash on the back of my neck like that, because instinctively as soon as I lose control over that bar (especially if it's loaded and OVER MY HEAD) I want to push/get away from it ASAP. It's almost an in-built safety feature we all have. The only reason you'd have the bar crash on you like that is because you don't want to embarrass yourself or think you can recover (ie ego).
I literally cannot understand how people do not instinctively bail or at least learn how to bail before upping their load.
For some people that's probably true, but I think some people also have bad body awareness at least when it comes to particular movements and so they don't have that intuition to push/throw the bar away
That, or maybe they’re doing stuff they’re not ready to do yet. I think I’d personally stick to lower weights.
I used to go to a CrossFit gym and they were very focused on technique. They would make us do it over and over with PVC pipes until they were sure our technique was on point. Then you could start with the light bar and move up from there. And they would continuously correct technique and show us stretches that would help better our grip and technique. It was tedious sometimes but I never saw anyone fall or drop weights like this or get hurt. Weights are no joke and you can permanently injure yourself if you’re not doing something correctly. I’ve seen so many videos of CrossFit fails and I NEVER saw those types of things at my gym.
they are independently owned and operated so it varies from gym to gym...
Sounds like you were going to a weightlifting gym that was branded as a CrossFit gym. None of us would be bagging CrossFit if all CF gyms were like that one.
The beauty of weightlifting is that technique at light weights and technique at heavy weights are different. Drilling technique at light weights is good, sure, but a good weightlifting program teaches you how to keep progressing at maximal weights.
That's called fitness
That’s a particularly good box for sure. Not all are focused enough on technique and mobility.
that intro was painful to watch
She has no idea how to brace or stabilize her feet☹️
right now im training oly on my own in a crossfit gym during open gym hours. sometimes what i'm doing will bleed over into class time and i'll catch a glimpse of whats being taught and the implementation. Gotta say it's a real mixed bag to the point of some real cringe and genuine concern for snapping your shit. I've been doing this for about 10 years now, although I'm not claiming to be any good, slightly above average at best. But dang man, when you start getting wild with oly and you don't have a disgusting amount of hours actually training with the barbell then you're asking for a bad time.
I’ll never get why some gyms program so many oly lifts into their workouts. Having people do a bunch heavy snatches for time is just asking for people to hurt themselves. I think CrossFit HQ needs to clamp down a little bit on how they teach their seminars and need to tell new trainers to cool it with the complex lifts.
Many have zero open gym hours.
Open gym time is better for many who really want to work on it without the pressure of performing or beginners. Beginners should not be allowed to touch a barbell until they show proficency in the movements.
I think more people should step away from the class and focus on working on the Weightlifting movements to work on the technique.
Yeah if you're going for oly GET A COACH. You'll develop bad habits without even knowing it that might seem fine for a bit, but you'll eventually hit a wall when the weight starts getting up.
As the guy who does all the crazy lifts, I got injured way more the year I did crossfit than I do now. To me, the issue was the lack of individualized programming. The group class workout of the day just wasn't what I needed to do on that particular day. And you see with the really good crossfitters, they do individualize their training. Group exercise classes may be fun for women and a good business model, but they don't work especially well for continuous improvement on specific abilities.
Based
Different people also learn technique at different speeds, and it'll vary based on the movement too, so I think when learning new movements it really has to be done at your own pace. Some people may be able to go reasonably heavy with a movement the first time the try it, while other may need to just learn the technique, or build up the mobility before they really load it properly.
Crossfit is like a bus. And everyone is getting off at the same spot.
Imagine of they did this for strongman oh dear
Don't think gender comes into it too much but I'd tend to agree anyone who wants to perform will benefit from individualised training
the pure love of its community is turning crossfit "a mashup of sports created by a dude who doesnt even train" into a real sport, I find that mind-blowing! People like Zack is exactly what they need right now
CrossFit is a stupid concept because it’s a “sport” based on who can “work out” the best.
@@701delbronx8 pretty much every sport is just that
@@g00zik97 A lack of respect for the weight at hand, aka lack of a safety centric mindset. I reckon even a 20kg barbell overhead can give you a concussion or even cause serious injury. Doing clean and jerks AMRAP over time is literally the anthesis of this(this is what crossift games have as a station)
Golf is an interesting comparison actually - loads of hobbyists wreck their knees and backs by underestimating how athletic the swing actually is
weightlifting is 100% the golf of strength sports
crossfitters be like...you wanna know how i got these scars
"no"
"I'll tell you anyways"
“My father was a weightlifter…”
Zach... Good video. I agree with much of what you are saying here. I've been running a CrossFit affiliate for 11 years and doing CF myself for 14 years. I've seen a lot in my time. In my opinion, the problem is ego. Ego and trying to lift WAY more than can be done so safely. All the videos featured display a common condition. Oversized egos and not knowing their limitations. People are often oblivious to their own level. This can happen despite being told, "you must not lift that weight." As a coach, I have come to realize that sometimes, people just do dumb shit in the persuit of a bigger lift, more reps etc. If they didn't do it in CrossFit, they would likely do it at work or in another sport. The more is better attitude. People often only gauge progress in CrossFit, and perhaps others strength sports by how much more weight they can lift, or how many more reps they did, or how fast they completed a workout. My advice has always been that athletes need to earn the right to add weight. It is earned through quality! Basically, if the lift doesn't look almost perfect, don't add any more weight. But people are impatient... Yes, especially CrossFiters! We don't got time to wait for perfect technique... Gotta get a new PR and a new video for instagram/facebook etc. You hit the nail on the head with what you say about cognitive dissonance... But the force is strong... And by force, I mean ego. Some people will ignore their coaches advice and just go for glory. It's a shame, but such is life. All the best.
That’s any sport got any competitive individual. Mat Fraser hurt his back back squatting and his coach told him he was fine because that’s what they do at the top level. This isn’t just CrossFit.
Maybe the problem could be that your trying to tech people Olympic lifts, which are incredibly technical to do correctly especially when you actually start to add weight. On top of that you are doing Olympic lifts with a elevated heart rate which is absolutely nuts. Olympic lifters don't do these lifts with elevated heart rates, not to mention that crossfit has a handful of hours attempting to train technique and Olympic lifters saying they average 500 hours of training per lift just on mechanics alone. I wonder why people get injured doing this.
@@markdwolf3198 I personally have spent about 13 years learning, studying and practicing the olympic lifts. I have attended many seminars and courses with high caliber olympic weightlifters such as Dmitry Klokov and Apti Aukhadov. I have studied thousands of hours of video footage and spent many, many thousands of hours teaching and observing athletes. Am I a great weightlifter? No, absolutely not, but you get to understand movements quite well if you spend enough time on them. Why is it that most assume that all CrossFit gyms promote doing olympic lifts with high heart rates? This is not the case at all. We very rarely do the snatch with a high heart rate, and even then, only the more advanced lifters with good technique are allowed. We mostly do the Olympic lifts is classes as EMOM style workouts or straight sets for low repetitions, 1-3 reps. We often dedicate the whole hour to practicing just one single olympic lift. We actively encourage members not to do olympic lifts with high heart rates as most people have no business or need to do so. The only olympic lift we do often with higher heart rates is the hang power clean as it is far simpler than the snatch, but even then, technique comes first. If you can't properly do the deadlift with great technique, then they are not ready for the clean. In 14 years I've never seen any serious injuries. Sure, a handful of strains and sprains, but nothing to cry about.
As a CrossFit Coach you nailed it my man!
@@markdwolf3198 have you ever competed your heart rate is through the roof before you hit that platform 120/130 plus and I’m in my 50’s and I’ve tested it. Olympic lifting is not some sort of mystical thing people hurt themselves doing deadlifts all the time 👍
You nailed it. This was my biggest problem with crossfit for a long time. Everywhere I went it was always coaches pushing for faster and heavier at the cost of form. I love the workouts, but the egos killed it. Thankfully I have found a few good places in my travels.
I loved CF, had a great time, and made good friends. Also, at the time it was the only way for me to learn weightlifting.
One day, however, I looked at the WOD on the board and it made no sense. It looked like something designed by a sadist who gets his kicks off seeing ppl punishing themselves thru nearly impossible workouts. All of a sudden, this thing that I loved felt like a joke. From then on, instead of feeling like a fun challenge, the WODs felt like something designed to just punish or injure instead of promote progress.
I found a weightlifting gym in Seoul. (The only one for hobbyists in the city, I might add.) It's an 1.5 hour commute from my apartment, but I haven't looked back. God bless weightlifting.
Thing is theres crazy amount of people chasing the unrealistic dragons of numbers in gym as well. The only differences are is that theres more machines and therefore less chance for it to go south and the very important aspect that you have mentioned of it being group vs solo. Once you get bunch of not self aware (be it through arrogrance or ignorance) you are bound to get injured. Not to mention the long term underlying injuries brewing.
When I was in the army we had a Sgt. who made his guys do press-ups on their knuckles. His philosophy was if it hurts then it's doing you more good.
Yeah i used to be that hyper hobbyist that Zack describes in the video then i started learning from a bunch of different people like JTS, Hybrid performance, Untamed Strength, ETC..... They helped me figure out why i was stagnating so badly and it was because of the very poorly made programs at my gym. They were designed so you could drop in or out of program on any day which voids the entire point of a program. The workouts were often not balanced, for example they started with a warmup, then 5x5 squats, a wod that consisted of C&J, running, maybe some half assed CF burpees. They also NEVER did accessories in class time not once did i have to do a bicep curl, triceps push down, or dumbbell bench.
I loved it too. But falling during a box jumps showed me that broken hands and wrists were not worth it. Some of those Wods were madness and didnot work the right set of muscles.
The crazy part is you see fails this bad in the Crossfit Games every year...
I train at crossfit Glasgow, I've never seen anybody have fails/crazy accidents like in this video. The coaches wouldn't let it happen.
That's because you train with tiny weights.
I am just kidding!!! You guys are strong.
Long time listener. Good content as usual Zack.
You mentioned Orange Theory, and I have to comment. The problems facing OTF are very comparable to those in CF. I did OTF for about a year and in that time one person had a heart attack as they walked out of class, and another tore their achilles in the class. The instructor didn't even stop class, while the later participant (a very athletic 40 yo) writhed in pain on the floor. She was doing bench hopovers tired, and was barely bending her knees on landing.. impact with shear force on the achilles... perfect storm for a tear. She had been doing this for months, *totally uncoached*. In all my time at OTF, in fact, I don't recall anyone receiving any form coaching of any kind.
I think real problem is the extreme variation in a participant's entry skill level (e.g., college athlete to professional couch potato). That has not been the case in strongman, where there is less active recruitment generally. CF and OTF coaches have a particularly challenging job because of this variation. But that should be clear when they take the job, and in my experience there is a great deal of variation in CF coaches ability to effectively work with very different level participants. Everyone has an ego, and no one knows all their unknowns. That's why we pay you coaches.
But its really not their fault at the core.. Fitness and even strength sports are mainstream now. Maybe we don't need giant fitness corporations anymore. Good coaching may be less profitable in the short term, and thats what a corporation cares about..
Crossfit was my first experience with weightlifting, and then hired a coach shortly thereafter. I've been lifting in some form or fashion for 14 years and I got injured more in the 1.5 years I did Crossfit than I did in the years prior, or following.
I started CrossFit to help lose weight and get stronger. As I continued, I wanted my Oly Lifts to continue to improve, so I went and found a coach to help improve my lifts safely and in smart way to reduce the risk of an injury. It was a smart thing to do. I’ve continued to enjoy lifting and improving each week
Did you stay with CrossFit? I just started at a CrossFit gym and my goals are the same as what you have stated. I live in a small town and I don’t have many other options for wriggt lifting unless I go to one of the commercial gyms and I doubt the trainers there are any good.
@@tomesky I still do CrossFit for the community
If you want to lose weight eat less calories
You talk from my best friend in middle school in 2007ish and that made me, a bodybuilder with nothing more than prior interest in weightlifting, a legit huge fan of the sport and watching your content almost daily haha. I like the work man, thanks for opening me up to a new sport.
I work at Mayhem and Gui Malheiros has the most consistently flawless form I’ve ever seen in CrossFit. From 95lbs to 306 lbs every rep looks the same.
You are lucky to watch and witness a technical master in the lifts. The consistency in the lifts something we all should work towards.
I'm glad that the so called "hate" for crossfit has finally matured. People have been hating on crossfit since the beginning but only in the last few years have people made compelling arguments as to why crossfit has a problem. It's still not a sport that I have any interest in and I generally don't agree with the programming but you've done a few showcase videos where professional athletes actually look like they know what they're doing. It's just unfortunate that I have seen more crazy obtuse exercise variations done in unsafe settings.
Thank you, Zack. A part of me still enjoys CrossFit. However, you perfectly explain my grievances.
“Name this snatch variation” got me lol
As someone who is a CrossFit/powerlifter this is what happens when there is a lack of coaching and shows bottom of the barrel gyms.
The group think and pressure too, to do a technical lift or heavy weight when you aren’t ready is heavy in the class space.
For me, I do classes and also my own individual sessions. If I don’t feel great one day, or need to change it up, I still go to class but might change the exact movement, weight, or intention.
The issue arrises when there is a lack of coaching in the “how to approach fitness”, common sense, group pressure, and lack of form/awareness on lifts, especially with weight.
Good idea, but a lot of times in bad gyms (most of the gyms I’ve seen are pretty good) there is bad execution and poor awareness for what that individual that day should do/can do, thus we get bad injuries, overtraining, and worse.
My first CF coach had a background in weightlifting and he taught me early on, how to bail out. He also had us do a bunch of pass-through warm ups before touching the bar. This allowed me to overcome fear of the snatch (and the heavy back squat for that matter).
It's great that you give your point of view as to kow to prevent, it's really good information. I think it all comes as an error in excecution, in the practice, rather that in the theory. Mechanics, concistensy, then and only then intensity. In Crossfit we know the proper technique of every excercise we incorporate in the programme. The issue comes when coaches and headcoaches (speacially the latter) get loose with not only with the principle mentioned above, but with safety; all at the expense of the competitive and a ridiculously excessive "self improvement" / PRing atmosphere. You are spot on with that point about who should be pushing themselves that much and who shouldn't.
Zack, thanks for the very useful content. I think you got some serious points here, and seen the progressive importance of WL in CF competitions, I really hope that they will change their coaching system at all levels: implementing some serious consciousness into the athletes, even at cost of deflating their instagram profiles and their egos. When done with brain CF is a beautiful sport, complex and way slow to master.
This a great video on how to be safe while practicing this very technical based sport where if you push beyond your skills have to learn how to bail.. I would argue it’s just as important to learn to bail as is to learn how to properly execute the motion.. thank you 🙏
Great video! The awareness of one self is so very important. My go to group has to be the Thundercats.
I started taking an oly lifting class because CrossFit just doesn’t have time to train properly in many movements. It seems like magic when it’s done well. I’m working hard to improve. You’re so right in the observations and recommendations you suggest.
I'm glad I watched this. Thanks Zack. I see now why you say put your head through. Sometimes we need to see why you say something the hard way.... lol I'm glad I'm seeing it here before finding out the hard way in the gym.
After this video I will look up how to practice pass throughs. I don't snatch but I do clean/jerk and power clean. This will help with that.
Also thanks for the other videos on Power Cleans and Clean and Jerk forms and what not. I've really been focussing on that hip contact and knuckles down and power cleans feel so much better than ever.
Billy Blue Power Ranger-
Turtles Mikey-
Hero- Colossus Peter Rasputen from Marvel's X-Men
lol I had to add this
I have always admired Olympic lifting, the technique, speed, flexibility, and power is amazing. There was never anyone around that knew how to do it correctly. It looked way to dangerous to perform without great coaching so I just stuck with more simple lifting to gain some size and strength for sports and just for fun. Thank you for your videos.
Second year of CF here. Completely injury free. I got out of doing group classes as soon as I was able to, went trough a couple of books, got a coach and everything is fine. I made awesome progress in terms of capacity and overall conditioning, despite gaining muscle mass and fat. Crossfit can be good if you get supervized by coaches A LOT and you also study some programming and mechanics.
That's good progress, but is not what should be normal. Lack of understanding shouldn't be an impediment when you are PAYING for coaching.
What books do you read? Related to crossfit
The only question I'd have is if the group classes are cheaper than individual coaches. If money gets tight, how high on the priority list is the coach for something a person might never actually compete in? I have zero interest in CF, as I am mostly a powerlifter, but do have a lingering thought about learning the WL as back pocket information at some point.
Three qualifiers to make CrossFit work?
@@oscarisaac8027 I red the CF-L1 guide, the Westside Barbell book of methods, starting strenght, underground strenght by Zack Even-Esh, and a couple from Pavel. Not really related to CF, other than the L1 manual, which is a starting point for understanding the methodology, better Than nothing Type of deal...Westside was helpful about GGP (recommend it btw) Starting strenght helped with basic barbe mechanics, Underground strenght has an exercise library for ideas and finally Pavel is just good overall.
I'm not trying to get into too many details here, I don't try to convince everybody.
Tommy the Green Ranger for sure! I use methodologies from CrossFit to actually help my American ninja warrior performance because strength, agility, balance and endurance are all at play. I’m not huge on going for weight lifting PRs because I don’t wanna injure myself before the competition, but rather I use the weights to better provide more strength for the ninja courses. There’s only so much that basic calisthenics can provide strength-wise, and the weights give me that little extra bit for the end of my run when the lactic acid buildup begins. Cool video and nice and informative!!
As a former CrossFit coach, I don’t think Crossfit teaches people how to bail enough as it probably should. Like he might get a demo once during on-ramp but for the majority of the population, that information goes through one ear and out the other.
As a crossfiter I screwed my wrist a couple of week ago while doing CJ PR. When my recovery is done I'll head to a weightlifting gym.
Doing Olympic lifts for reps is INSANE
@@701delbronx8 it depends how much reps, doubles and triples are pretty reasonable imo
I would love to send you a video to critique one of my snatches. I've been doing CrossFit since they introduced dumbbells, 2018 I think, and been doing a lot of self training on the Olympic lifting side. My OHS is 265 for 2 but my snatch is 235. I have been breaking down the movements and still can't get over that 235. 100% agree with you on the importance of knowing how to bail on a lift. I feel like, sometimes bailing on a lift and how you bail can tell you how you failed.
Also, my favorite groupie superhero is wolverine or Deadpool.
This is exactly why I was trying to get you into our gym to show us some of the things we’re doing wrong
Thank you for this video. If I were to get into barbell work, I'll be sure to make it a priority to learn how to bail properly as first step.
People say that these issues are uncommon and only in bad gyms but even in good gyms this stuff happens a lot.
Plus the actual Crossfit org is disgusting, I will never support Crossfit as a sport until they come clean about the absurdly rampant drug use among *all* the top competitors
The drugs are pretty much entirely necessary because the principle of CrossFit is itself stupid. The amount of wear and tear on the human body while demanding a lot of strength while demanding a lot of stamina is absurd. Wouldn't be surprising if the PED use goes mostly into recovery and increased blood production and flow. A lot of "newbie" fails happen even at the Games so I don't know why Zack still feels like giving CrossFit the kid gloves with criticism. The philosophy itself is fundamentally off.
I see the reason for this as follows: while a olympic lifter, or other athletes using olympic lifting as part of their daily training, does thousands of lifts to refine the technique and automate the movement, including training the instincts of how to escape a failed lift, Crossfitters learn the basic technique often from someone who also has watched others or in ideal case some youtube videos. since the objective of the crossfit workout is not to get the technique to a solid state, but to complete a workout and quickly get results/load the bar with some weight, there is almost no time to ever experience a situation where you fail until you actually do, and then it is with a weight, that is heavy for your skills
The first thing I was taught was overhead squats with light bumpers and learning to bail before we went for any clean and jerk or snatches it was tedious and frustrating but have so much confidence I now do overhead squats for an accessory for normal squats, I got comfortable with the bar overhead and bailing.
It is so impressive that one can recognize olympic weightlifters (such as in 0:27) just by looking at them. They seem so focused. You see a different kind of attitude towards the weight and the proper technique, it’s inspiring.
Im glad to see u using these video’s as a teaching tool.
I’m kinda surprised these types of fails/injuries don’t happen more often. I can only recall like one or two videos of anyone dropping a barbell on their head which I think would be the most scary of all these besides maybe some kind of spinal damage or like that squat death chick in front of her kid a little while ago
That was so devastating to watch.
Genius commentary. Thank you Zack
Matt Trakker from M.A.S.K. Great video. Will definitely watch some of the tutorials you have as I could always grow my technique and awareness.
You nailed it with this video. I love Crossfit and trained few times in CF gyms. You see a lot of traits that you described in this video.
I'm a CrossFit L1 trainer and took the two-day CrossFit Weightlifting Level 1 Speciality Course about 3 years ago. It was run by Burgener Strength and led by Coach B himself. The first day, two very important things happened: 1) He had us practice "how to miss", i.e. get out of the way when you can't make the lift. We practiced this with a pvc pipe, like all the other practice for that first day. (2) We practiced getting into, and holding, the proper positions for the squat and clean and jerk. I'm an older guy, but I wasn't the only who had their butt kicked by doing this position work with only a pvc. More CF coaches should take the weightlifting specialty course to help their athletes learn how to miss, because we all do.
I worked at a well known powerlifting gym in Texas and we decided to hold a workshop to help coaches better teach the Squat, Bench, Deadlift movements (obviously). It was a workshop with the only request being that its participants already have a working knowledge and could demonstrate each lift independently/correctly. Our turn out was about 40 coaches, with at least 20 of them from CrossFit gyms who had been coaching for at least 2 years. Let me tell you it was shocking and concerning watching these individuals demonstrate and see just how little of a grasp they had on each lift. Just the fact that they were training other in these lifts, without the actual ability to lift correctly/safety in the first place was shocking. I personally have no certifications of any kind is personal training (alot of powerlifting coaches dont) and seeing people who claimed at least level 2 crossfit certs fail to even understand the technique of the lifts shows how sub par these crossfit certs are.
Completely agree, these are complicated lifts that require progression. There is no accountability anyone can walk in and say I decided to snatch 295 today no one is going to stop you.
my coach this week when we were PRing back squats made us for 5 reps with a super light weight get away from the bar so that it went behind us and away. great points
My favorite is Leonardo! I think because he reminds me of a samurai just like his father, Master Splinter. I have to credit crossfit for me getting into Oly lifting. I've never done crossfit in my entire lift but I watched it online and sorta go into on the social side but that prompted me to actually find a Olympic Weightlifting Coach who was teaching Oly classes. Been at it for almost 2 years now and still have yet to fully snatch or clean or jerk but I am learning the techniques the proper way and mobility! I know it's going to take time and you definitely don't let ego get in the way or it will hurt you.
It was really good watching your video. I saw these fails on social media and thought well maybe weightlifting isn't for me if that can happen. I am relieved to find out it doesn't need to happen. I guess I am not the only one who is getting scared of WL seeing the same fails with different faces all the time.
That last one was nuts lmao
It sucks because I've seen those guys in CrossFit gyms. I'd almost guarantee 9 times out of 10 the coach has told them several times not to go heavy and work on technique. There are a lot of shit coaches though so it could be less lol. The hyper hobbyists are the hardest to coach sometimes because they think they're hot shit and know it all. I'm just speaking from what I've observed in my town and what it seems like a lot of people in the community see. I have my L1 and I've done a little coaching but not much.
It's similar in powerlifting gyms. I've worked with lifters who I've had to drop their weights by half or more to fix dog crap technique. It's just powerlifting fails aren't that spectacular as cf fails outside of the guillotine on the bench press. Which a bar dropping on your upper body is probably pretty high on the injury spectrum.
@@bmstylee I used to shit on CrossFit all the time and then I tried it lol. It's so hard to watch people that know nothing about it year it apart because of a few idiots that make everyone look bad. I definitely understand why they do it though
Great content. Hopefully people find this one useful! Stay safe and keep chasing those gains lads and lasses!
Good work Zack! I think you should do a video, explaining techniques on how to escape from the bar when you missed a lift! All RUclips is showing techniques on how you lift more or in a healthy way but nobody is showing people how to escape the bar when miss a lift. All pros miss huge lifts with no injuries all the time. Probably most injuries happen when you miss a lift and you dont know how to react or you dont have the skills to avoid the weight. Thanks
If you're knowingly lifting more than you have ever done before, have a spotter, figure out how to drop the weight beforehand and do a slow, controlled lift. Not jerking it with the whole body.
I love CrossFit and follow Fraser’s HWPO program. That said, after years in a box I very much scale and keep weights appropriate to work on technique and stimulus! I hated watched people mess themselves up lifting heavier than their technique justified. Coaches would call them out yes, but never force them to unload weights. One of the things I love about HWPO is that each workout includes a percentage based on my 1 rep max. Since leaving the box and doing this program I’ve improved a ton and haven’t had an injury. Though I always scaled so I never hurt myself in 6 years of CrossFit. People get to wrapped up in PR’s and confusing what they do with the Games!
Yes! I started the same program 2 moths ago. Ive improve so much more in those 2 moths than my 5 years of doing just crossfit... 😅
5 whole days to be a level 2 instructor. Proud of you.
Agree with many of your points Zack. One point though - there are hundreds of thousands of CrossFit athletes or amateurs working out each day, so occasionally something bad will happen. But compared to skiing, or soccer, most injuries I hear of or have experienced myself are of the wear and tear kind. Less interesting for RUclips but more frequent. Box rebounds for example, are tough on the achilles tendon, etc. Warming up well can help prevent a lot of injuries. And one probably shouldn't be snatching 90% of one's C&J PR...
This guy is on point, I crossfit but I've been in the gym for 20+years and I know when to say no or modify things. Hes so on point.
My experience is that there is also an issue with CF coaches actually encouraging people with poor technique to max out in class. I think that this might be because the coaches want to prove that "their courses work", so basically they want to legitimize what they are doing and risk injury of their customers in the process. I'm absolutely sure that this does not apply to every CF coach or box, but such tendencies exist.
Never saw a coach egg on a poor pupil to put on more weight, in 6 yrs of CF
This is a great video!
I am a crossfitter and I’ve watched a ton of your videos. My technique has improved greatly applying your knowledge. I also have competent coaches who DO actually fix peoples’ form. It doesn’t matter if we’re strength training or in the middle of a metcon, they will fix you. More coaches need to be willing to confront “athletes” to fix them and keep them safe. I have no defense for gyms and coaches out there who lack fundamental knowledge or actual experience in performing lifts at high weights. Thank you Zack, for pointing out flaws in the modality that I love.
Been training weightlifting for 10 years now, since I was 11, never once dropped a barbell on my back in a snatch
The snatch is just too complex of a lift for CrossFit or daily lifting. I always passed on it when it was on a WOD.
In both restaurants where I worked, I had someone tell me something obvious that was still worth it. It feels like here where it might seem obvious to dump the bar in front of you or behind so it doesn't fall on you but you're not necessarily going to come up with the optimal way during the failing rep.
First one was an Italian restaurant with plates that go through a pizza oven. You grab those plates with a metal tool, put them on a cold plate and then on the waiter's tray. When I started, the cook told me "If you drop one, let it fall on the floor, don't grab it with your hand". Obvious enough but still you it's better that you pre-decide to let the plate fall because there's a chance that if you haven't thought about it you might grab the plate with your hand.
The second one was at another restaurant with a fryer. The advice was the same, if you drop something in the frier, don't try to catch it before it hits the oil, you might overshoot and dunk your hand.
Jason (but really Kimberly), and Michelangelo.
I was lucky to have gone to a crossfit gym where the coach/owner was extremely safety oriented. Over time I stopped going because 1: depression leads to lazienss, and 2: I really really really hate doing lifts for reps and the feeling of workouts being completely arbitrary nonsense. Like... yes it's hard. But programming "hard" stuff isn't hard at all. Oooh, you want something really hard and impressive? I just decided you're gonna run a 5k and then do 50 burpees, 40 box jumps, 30 knees-to-bar, 20 wall-balls and 10 pushups... then do it again in reverse order!!! OHHHHhhhh!!
I did jiu jitsu starting in 6th grade and the teacher literally (in the literal sense) spent the first three or four sessions just having everyone practice falling safely. I skated for a long time. Falling and failing is basically the biggest part of skating as a whole, and learning to do it without killing yourself is the thing that makes it viable long term.
If some of that mindset can be translated to weightlifting, and specifically cross-fit, I think it would be a much better and safer methodology for people that aren't proactive about advocating for their own safety etc etc. Learn to dump weights. Learn to fall. Learn to get out from under the bar. It makes it so much safer and more stress free. Something will go wrong eventually, and if you're surprised by it, then it makes it a billion times harder to deal with.
Totally true in every word. Been going to crossfit for a few month but already seen these... ''Lucky'' for me my knee is already bad and waaay more conscious about it than even I should be 😃
Tygra, of course. good content as always, Zack
I agree with what you'e saying here... curious though what is the difference between a hyper hobbyest and an amateur? Because I feel like I'm in one of those categories in that my goal is to become a competitive athlete but obviously not there yet. Though maybe my difference is that I REALLY care about form and doing things right over ego because I want to have longevity and be injury free
zach, i completely agree, don't put weight on the bar until your form is tight. I started crossfit after watching Gui's snatch in the 2021 games. Almost a year later i finally added 10's to the bar..PR 65lbs. What i don't agree is that this isn't a crossfit issue. thanks for the great content
That last one was just hysterical, hahaha.
External rotation on the hip, internal on the ankle, good video
How does one go past being a hyper hobbiest? I feel like thats where I am currently but I do really want to compete in weightlifting at some point, I just don't know how to get there
Did you just use Bad Girl's theme from No More Heroes as outro? RUclips never stops to surprise me. Great choice too, my favourite.
To each their own, never was a fan of crossfit. Once i saw their pull ups that turned me off lol. Great analysis and break down man, some good insight.
The last dude is using straps. He wasn't going to be able to ditch the barbell. He's along for the ride.
Throwing the bar away and moving the other way is the thing to do. But.... I had one unexpected fail where I instead ended up under the bar. I just made sure it went to the crease of my hip as I tipped back over my heels. It might hit you a bit but not with any great force unless you have a tonne of junk in the trunk because of the height of plates. Clamming up and hugging it around the chest or trying to recover it is where people will get hurt.
I did CF, owned a CF gym, coached adults and kids. I’ve seen the good the bad and the ugly. My motto always was “better not broken” which made me less than popular in the CF community. Had a good time and still incorporate some of the principles but would never go to a CF gym
you confession is good for me...i absolve you of your sins...
It's something that a lot of people really don't want to hear when they start lifting and they just want to throw weights around but you have to learn to fail safely. When you start learning Judo you spend a lot of time learning the proper way to fall, so that when you are getting thrown and learning to throw you don't get hurt. It isn't fun, it isn't what we all want be learning to do (I wanna throw dudes on their heads!), it usually hurts at first, but if you want to get really good at Judo you have to learn to fall. If you really want to make a go at weightlifting, you have to learn AND PRACTICE(!) how to miss.
I lifted in the commercial gym I am a member of in January and February because it was too cold to lift in the garage here in Iowa. I found myself doing my first back squat/deadlift day of the week when one of the PTs was training Snatch with people (in 1 on 1s). I didn't listen too much in part because I didn't want to "steal" a session but watching the struggle with the lift was interesting. I could see the coaching points he was trying to make. He never had them do much of any weight once they were allowed to put plates on. I've seen those same lifters at the gym here and there when I go into the gym for my second leg day and see the coaching has sunk in. I can see why a group coach approach to the lift could get dangerous.
8:09 pretty cool how thr brim of his hat blends into the background
Also, one of the best coaching cues ever is “take some weight off the bar…”
My man had a lot to say in his heart haha. Thx man, i’ve started doing wl after seeing your videos. 7-ish months later (now) i can snatch 52,5 kg :) goal is 100 :)
I mostly do the main compound lifts as the backbone of my routine. Are there any benefits I would get from incorporating Olympic lifts that I won't get from lifts like deadlift, squat, bench, overhead press, rows, dips, pullups and chin ups?
yes
I am not a CrossFit guy I am a powerlifter but Zack you got to call it out when you see it all these fails come from ego lifting. One of the powerlifting gyms I use to go to had rules on the door. #1 check your ego at the door. 9 out of 10 times people get injured ego lifting
Zack, the best as usual
I'll be honest. I'm more impressed that you're broadcasting from Sera. Hopefully you're able to get some of those Gears in shape. Though, they look plenty tough already. Stay safe out there, Zach. Those grubs can pop up in the most unexpected places.
Hilarious
Great video, crossfit looks interesting to me but I’m worried about burn out etc
I'm a CrossFitter and I have to agree with most of what you said, as someone who is naturally very weak I quickly realized that the faster way of lifting heavy weight was to work on my technique, for some reason other people who do CrossFit don't share the same opinion.
Also regarding the super hobbiest there is a effect of dopping that is quite significant, many of the local competition dudes blast gear, SARMs and other stuff, they get way with having shitty techniques and get injured often, it's quite dumb imo
Should I do snatches and cleans if I’m a power lifter? It seems like there might be some benefit in the bottom position of the squat for me if I do these but quite frankly my form is atrocious. Also my favorite troop based hero is probably the raven guard from war hammer 💪💪
The problem is people hold on the weight/bar even after the lift goes sour. The most important part is to learn how to bail out. It's like in MMA you need to be taught how to tap when you're getting submitted or can't continue any more. People don't just start tapping instinctively, it is a learned skill.
Zach from the OG power rangers. He had a battle ax that was also a gun, enough said.
Super cool video. The world is too ravaged by chronic disease to just hate on crossfit, but we as coaches ad participants need to do better. Unfortunately fails are just human nature too xD Didn't expect to get some good coaching on my lifts in this video too!
When i joined a WL gym one of my first lessons was to fail properly and to drop the bar behind me.
I've never done crossfit but it seems like they skip a couple of steps before trying to progress. They're too eager to lift heavy.
Snatch and clean are very humbling lifts, even for a strong and well trained person.
As someone who was doing crossfit before it even became a "thing", the two biggest culprits as far as injuries goes is the velocity of many lifts and the increases in weight people are attempting because they saw it being done in competition. Individual training is also often safer because there is not as much unrealistic peer pressure as in classes.
So basically stupid people and not CrossFit.
great video :)