Mike Boyle vs. CrossFit

September 26, 2008 · Filed Under Crossfit Metro Blog

I am not trying to start controversy; but I am concerned, from a public perception, about the angst developing around both the sailor’s case against Ruthless Training Concepts, and more recently, the Mike Boyle comments regarding CrossFit.

Below are my thoughts as posted to the CrossFit HQ forums:

We are CrossFit

I hesitate to type this, but I can’t help but have some issues with the negative direction that seems to be developing.

Using Mike Boyle’s interview hoopla as an example, it seems we are getting a little aggressive in a negative way. For one, a lot of what Boyle said makes sense - especially with regards to QUALITY technique training and starting newbies out scaled until they have reached a level suitable for more advanced workouts.

…and yea, he was off-base a little on some things, but I’m not sure creating live, argumentative debates is necessary. Takes the genre into a sort of WWE-type trash-talking forum.

I dunno - I love the new CrossFit journal. It rocks. I also enjoy listening to the CrossFit radio on the PC, …but I can’t help but shy away from the Boyle vs. CrossFit thing.

I am perfectly content, both as a trainer and an enthusiast, to let him think and train the way he believes, and leave me (us) to train the way I (we) believe.

Like him, we have real-world results and examples from which to prove our case.

That’s good enough for me.

As CrossFit grows, these battles will constantly be waged against the CrossFit methodology, workouts, and everything else possible.

Why?

Because it’s hard and shakes up an industry - it’s going to make more and more ‘established’ fitness groups uncomfortable and they’re all gonna want a piece of us — to try to shake us …to try to shake the foundation of the methodology. To discredit it somehow because it threatens their status quo and change is uncomfortable to them.

I was drawn to CrossFit because it works. I like the black box concept. Sure, I like to know and understand the science, but history has proven ‘professionals’ from all sides of the fence can be both right and wrong and many times in comes down to simple errors in context.

Let’s just keep proving the ideas and concepts behind our methodology with example. The ever-improving athletes that we are becoming, training and developing.

We don’t need to ’set anybody straight’ - let ‘em think what they want, while we keep open minds, open ears, and train like animals.

Isn’t that “CrossFit”?

Tags: mike boyle, ruthless fitness lawsuit