CrossFit got started in the late 1990s out in Santa Cruz, California. As we all know up to that point in the fitness realm the extent of group classes was limited to Zumba or some type of aerobics step class. If you wanted to lift weights you had to go to the free weight area amongst all the meatheads. In Zumba and aerobic sessions, there’s only so much correcting that goes on, if any. The instructor is really mostly just a cheerleader. Their job is to bring energy and keep the group engaged. There’s no rhyme or reason to the movements. It’s just about keeping heart rate up and basically being at the club during minus the $12 cocktails.
People really didn’t receive coaching up until the advent of CrossFit and yet it amazes me just how much people love to fight their coach tooth and nail about the expertise coaching they’re receiving. First things first, this whole notion that CrossFit coaches only have to go through a weekend seminar to get certified is such an omission of the competition. This is of course by design. Let’s point out a flaw in our competition because we know no one on the internet is going to shout about our methods. ANY other training methodology, aside from USAW, which by the way a litany of CrossFit coaches have subjected themselves to, ONLY have to pass a test. A test which they can do at home by the way. This isn’t some new COVID rule. It’s ALWAYS been that way. NASM or ACE have always just allowed people to pay the test fee and then take a test online since trainers became an actual profession. There is ZERO in person practical evaluation.
CrossFit coaches have to pass a test as well BUT they spend an entire weekend under the watchful eye of the Seminar Staff and are subjected to real criticism of their approach. They have to actually TRAIN people in real life. Does that mean every coach with a Level 1 certificate is great? No but are they much better than any other trainer you might encounter outside of the CrossFit scope? 100% yes.
Which is why it’s so important to listen to your coach. They are experts. They genuinely have your best interest at heart. They need you to get results the right way because that’s the ONLY way they can show whether or not they are doing a good job. Sure, a trainer at a globo gym can make you look a little better but are you really keeping track of how much more weight you can curl? If you go from a 15 minute mile to a 8 minute mile, that’s noticeable. If you go from a ½ bodyweight clean and jerk to a 1.25x bodyweight clean and jerk, that’s even more noticeable. Listen to your coaches.
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