Critique vs Uneducated Fear

For the most part I have relied on my experience and mistakes to largely educate me about what I do. I screwed around with Powerlifting from 1992 - 1995. Didn’t do anything spectacular but got pretty strong for a water polo /swimmer kid. I learned in High School (1989 - 1993) the importance of weight training and sport. Our coach had us lift 3-4 times per week. We were in the top 1-3 every year I was around in either swimming or water polo in our area. I dont attribute the weights to all of this, but it was part of this.

In 1998 I was deadlifting not paying attention and screwed my back up pretty good. That was when I had my first real glimpse of what moving correctly was about.

I got the endurance bug in 2002. I’ve run 70+ mile weeks coached people to 100 mile weeks, followed many endurance “experts”, did a ton of triathlons including Ironman (Canada 2004) and have coached triathletes, ran more than 30 ultra marathons and coached several ultra distance athletes, did more century bike rides than I can remember and have coached cyclists. I used to ride Como Street and Food Park every week in SoCal (those who know, know) and learned from my athletes and my experiences. I’ve monitored VO2 (bought a $5k machine almost 10 years ago), monitored blood lactate (bought that thing 8 years ago), meticulously watched HR and set “zones” for 7 years, observed RQ levels, and monitored “stress hormones”. I’ve seen people fry themselves aerobically and anaerobically. Over 10 years I’ve watched this stuff.

I did CrossFit for the first time in 2005, and jumped all in by 2006. My gym at the time (May 2005 I opened), Genetic Potential did not have one piece of “equipment” for isolation exercise. CrossFit freaked me out and my clients out at first. In transition from a boutique gym (where I trained my athletes), it was covered in said equipment, we lost ZERO clients in our move. Hell yes I was skeptical… It’s a Cult, don’t you know. Now, Bob Harper is the new Celebrity Overlord and somehow is making fat people fit with it CrossFit.

In the early years I never put down Joe Friel’s Triathletes Training Bible, and still refer to it from time to time. I’ve worked with Dr. Herman Falsetti on HR, VO2 and Lactate, and even set my original “zones” up with him. My friend, Dean Karnazes runs a shit ton, doesn’t stop moving, doesn’t sit down, has played with every diet he knows of, and still does some strength & conditioning. Nicholas Romanov believes all movement has skill, he doesn’t believe in junk mileage, likes to squat and snatch too, is a crazy brilliant Russian Scientist, and uses his own version of a “Block Training System”. I was on the Kettlebell scene for a couple of years too, and followed Diesel Crew and guys like Zack Even-esh and Jason C Brown. I approached Greg Glassman about the training model I developed off of all of this experience. So I didn’t buy into anything, hook, line and sinker. We experienced it, and brought that experience to CrossFit (2007).

We just interviewed *Mark Allen on Genetic Potential TV two weeks ago. A guy I used to follow religiously!!! I dont hate those who do Long Slow Distance. My experience from the above (and a lot more that is going unlisted) allowed me to take what works and what doesn’t work for me. I gave that away for free on a website called CrossFit Endurance. Many followed suit with the Sport Specific route and CrossFit after they saw this. That website is for most people. It might help to have A. Swim/Bike/Run/Row back ground. B. Some CrossFit experience or are getting proper CrossFit coaching. C. Want to see change. If you dont understand what most people is, it is probably you (99% of the training population). It is 100% scalable. Look that word up!

Elite athletes, let me repeat… ELITE ATHLETES have coaches and programmers and do not follow online training programs. They might cherry pick some workouts from time to time off of online programs, but they are being closely monitored by something that stands outside the forrest. That also doesn’t mean you cant get great results scaling UP the CrossFit Endurance website.

If I had not had any of that experience I would not be the “endurance guy” in CrossFit. With that said if you believe you are a credible enough expert to give critique to something you have A. never done B. have never really been through the program or C. Have an eerily similar program. You then defy all that is logical in my world. I call this uneducated fear based journalism.

If you have actually gone through this program, and put the time in to understand all of it and have some critique, We are all ears. The last time I followed a program or had an athlete go through one it required more than 3 months to understand it enough.

If you feel making uneducated fear based write ups on what we do is okay, you are doing a diservice not to me, and not to CFE or CrossFit. The diservice is to you. Being uneducated about a subject we are well versed in and putting it online makes you look really, really bad.

Educate yourself.

*FWIW, Mark Allen says he makes sure he is surfing and in the gym every week, lifting, not logging miles. Let that resonate if it bothers you before you defensively react to it. Mark Allen prefers to lift now rather than log miles for health and fitness. Mark Allen.

“Brian, Thank you again for taking time out to talk to me about swimming and sign my book. You’ve made all of the difference in my swimming in the past two years. US Masters Swimming Nationals was this weekend and I finished with 9 medals out of 10 events in the 30-34 year age group. I set a few lifetime PRs and a state (Michigan) record in a relay and I couldn’t be happier about it! Thanks so much for your guidance and also for 3Fu3l, which is awesome. I’ve basically been living on it for the past several months :) Here’s a pic after my last race with the medals and my beloved 3Fu3l! Susie Duhaime”
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“Brian, Thank you again for taking time out to talk to me about swimming and sign my book. You’ve made all of the difference in my swimming in the past two years. US Masters Swimming Nationals was this weekend and I finished with 9 medals out of 10 events in the 30-34 year age group. I set a few lifetime PRs and a state (Michigan) record in a relay and I couldn’t be happier about it!

Thanks so much for your guidance and also for 3Fu3l, which is awesome. I’ve basically been living on it for the past several months :) Here’s a pic after my last race with the medals and my beloved 3Fu3l! Susie Duhaime”

The Biomechanical Case for Minimalist Running | Runner's World

H/T @sweatscience - 30 years and the same conclusions? Hmm, not if you don’t know what you’re looking at. Now if we can just get them to understand leverage (pushing off doesn’t work).

IMO, barefoot won’t work long term either unless you live and participate on uneven (non-flat) surfaces, climb regularly, and squat to sit. That being my opinion, on the flip side, you should be barefoot as much as possible and training 1-3 times per week in bare feet to get your feet working much more optimal.

You will always run faster in shoes, because your feet are protected… That does not mean you should have big bulky shoes. If you do run in “clunkers” work your way to a lower profile shoe that allows you to progress to getting more ROM in the ankles, knees and hips. Just don’t make too big of a jump too soon.

Safety dance, define irony

When did everything become so safe? Think about it for a second.

I’ve attempted to defend how I coach and what I coach since I started doing super sets of 20 rep squats (*1993) in my dads garage gym w/ my friends. Quite simply because what I did has always been very similar to where I’m at now. Doesn’t mean it hasn’t evolved, because it has.

I constantly hear how CrossFit Endurance is going to fry people and its too intense. Yet I’ve seen the exact same things on the flip side of where we are at. People completely fried from LSD. Fact; you will fry yourself either way if you don’t pay attention enough.

CrossFit is the most dangerous game in town now. It seems people on the outside are using fear to direct their “educated” “experience” to another better program because CrossFit will “kill” you. Right. Heard of any new rhabdo cases lately? Think it’s weird we never hear about that anymore? People aren’t dying from CrossFit they are becoming CrossFitters. For the record there is only one experience, the one who actually goes through something in order to understand it for better or worse. I trust no person who barks loud and bangs on the drum about something they have never done.

Running has had injury rates above 80% for years (currently <80%) yet more than 45 million people do this per year alone. That’s a retarded statistic if you think about it. 36 million is 80% of 45 million. FYI.

I have been on a skateboard most of my life. It challenges me and it’s still as fun today as it was yesterday. I still do stupid squat sets from time to time because it challenges me and it is still as fun as it was yesterday. I rode a bmx bike without a helmet and pads my entire childhood. As did every other kid I grew up with. Doesn’t mean we could of benefitted from wearing them. Probably would have tried crazier shit, but I did attempt a back flip once. Once.

I’ve seen football players and mma fighters treated like pansies in a gym because they don’t want to hurt them prior to a season or a fight. A season where dudes are trying to break bones, and replace you as soon as you get injured (I don’t think I should repeat the irony in being a fighter and not wanting to get hurt in the gym).

If you want safety, sit on your couch and complain about the rest of the world as you watch the news bring the Apocalypse closer. If you want to live, get in the arena, stop talking shit, and show how safety got you where you’re at.

Nothing safe has taught me anything. Everything dangerous that requires me to think and make serious decisions taught me everything I needed to know. It showed me better training practices including how important movement actually is. Fact is, f you go slow enough you can really move like shit for a really long time without ever understanding the importance of moving well… Then bam! You have ITBand problems can’t run long anymore and find out your great program was more dangerous then ours. As you have now ingrained poor habits not only into how you move, but how you think. Do me a favor, define irony.

@athleticrecon launch in HelLA. Join AR &amp; I for some knowledge bombs, #powerspeedendurance give aways and book signings. June 7 (5-7pm in Santa Monica), June 8 (1-3pm in Melrose). I will be breaking down some of the more basic fundamental movement problem and fixes. It is all free. Come see the launch of this sick apparel line.
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@athleticrecon launch in HelLA. Join AR & I for some knowledge bombs, #powerspeedendurance give aways and book signings. June 7 (5-7pm in Santa Monica), June 8 (1-3pm in Melrose). I will be breaking down some of the more basic fundamental movement problem and fixes. It is all free. Come see the launch of this sick apparel line.