Training philosophy according to Mark Twight:1. The mind is primary
2. Outcome-based training (train for an objective)
3. Functional training (high degree of transferability)
4. Movements not muscles
5. Power-to-weight ratio (you must carry your engine)
6. Train all energy systems, emphasizing the most important
7. Training is preparation for the real thing: do something with your fitness
8. The mind is primary II (confidence, chemicals, carriage)
9. Nutrition is the foundation (outcome-based eating: eat for an objective)
10. Recover is more than 50 percent of the process
Hey Mike
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think about the recent CrossFit Journal article about Gym Jones? Nice work with the 97lb kb by the way.
I'm very interested to see your thoughts as well. Here at "The Shop" we believe in a healthy dose of both philosophies. There is no one way, no single prescription, no majic pill. Only a varied mixture of solutions for the needs of different objectives. The objective drives the work, not vice versa.
ReplyDeleteGood question and great forum for discussion. With that said I think it is imperative to maintain a healthy dose of objectivity. I'm pretty familiar with the sour relationship between the two camps so I think my perspective may be a little different here. My first impression was that the entire spy game operation said more than the actual content of the article. Furthermore, as strange as this may sound, it reminded me of the relationship between Cube and the US. How can a poor, seemingly insignificant carribean island drive the greatest superpower in the world to absolute frustration? I know things are different now that Raul is in power but with nothing more than peanuts Fidel Castro had the upper hand for nearly 50 years. I see Crossfit as the same superpower and gymjones as the tiny island of no more than 50 inhabitants or disciples, minding their own business yet suddenly attacked for either something that happened in the past or something they are currently doing that is driving CF nuts. That was my first impression.
ReplyDeleteI have known since the beginning that gymjones trains athletes whose sport is other than fitness. They do have a few benchmark/named wods but for the most part I've never tried following their programming because it simply isn't for me. Does Mark Twight have all the answers? Of course not. Could he do things better? Probably but the truth is that I'm not one of his athletes and don't know how good his training is for athletes. I'll say this though. If I was a climber or some other type of athlete I would care less about my fran time and more about developing a stronger grip and climbing technique. I think this is what Mark provides. I don't want to go as far as saying they are apples and oranges because there are similarities and perhaps a combination between the two might be the right answer for the serious athlete. Maybe they are more like tomatos and oranges since both are technically citrus fruits but one is commonly mistaken for something else (a vegetable). For someone whose sport is fitness, i.e. fastest fran time as possible, then of course gymjones isn't for them. I do think that Mark has something to offer but he just doesn't care about putting it on the assembly line. I've read his book (which I recommend if you're really curious) and he has done things that most people will never have the fortitude to do in this lifetime.
Finally, I'm sure that the author of the article is in great shape and could smoke most of Mark's athletes (just like the US could blow Cuba off the map) but would he be able to compete in the sports that the athlete's play? Could he climb with Mark, roll with Will Bernales? I'm sure he couldn't just like they probably can't do a sub 3 fran.
I guess what I don't like is the business of poking holes. As members of the crossfit community it's just too easy. I know that when we started crossfit we were proud of being part of an "elite" community and wanted to spread the disease as fast as possible but there's really no point in it unless you have alterior motives. We all know that globo gym is cheezy and fitness paraphernalia is crap. We are mostly minimalists and are adept at trimming the proverbial fat from everything we do. The bottom line, however, is that the more efficient you get, you are going to find yourself farther and farther away from mediocrity or the general population. I'm not averse to this but the crossfit/tier one mentality is not for everyone and we will never live in a crossfit/tier one world. The bell curve will always prevail. What does this mean for us. Although we live amongst ourselves we have to learn to speak both languages, to blend in, and stand out when necessary. This is most important for the business owners. There is a delicate balance between having a sweatbox full of knuckle draggers and making enough money to make a living doing what you love to do. The irony, in considering this conversation, is that Jim Jones figured it out. Ultimately it ended abruptly due to a bad batch of kool-aid but you get the point. Attitude and image transcends abilities. It would be nice to turn everyone into a transformer but if you want your own army you'll need (almost) everyone who walks through your door.
ReplyDeleteAs for the gap between the two camps I would take the best from everything (a crossfit principle) and leave the bad. Unless you observe or experience it first hand then it might be best to withhold judgment. Drama just slows us down while others pass us up. Don't get sucked into it. Maintain your heading as fast and hard as you can. Don't let the popularity of this stuff make you a cliche. Programming is more important than ever in the race for results.
One more quick thought. The author made a disparaging remark regarding the philosophy of doing a metcon after a strength day for the reason of "making it feel like they got a workout." Although I don't agree with this programming 100% of the time most affiliates, whether they are conscious of it or not, employ equally questionable approaches. The truth is that perception is reality and "feeling like you got a workout" is what sells crossfit. I guarantee the majority of affiliates over-utilize too heavy of a metcon approach. Doing whatever for time is not good programming. Although heavy back squats or deadlifts elicit a greater neuro endocrine response the client leaves the gym feeling deprived of the chemical release (something that is just as addictive as crack). Perceived exertion is a great way to sell the program but by doing too much metcon one will suffer deficiencies in the overall skill set. Even pairing crappy exercises together will elicit a fantastic perceived exertion but precision programming will always trump the shotgun approach.
ReplyDeleteThe corollary to this is that in the beginning, anything will work. In order to continue to make gains more attention has to be given to everything.
A very interesting topic to say the least. I think your final sentences sum it all up nicely. "The corollary to this is that in the beginning, anything will work. In order to continue to make gains more attention has to be given to everything."
ReplyDelete