TROOPS TOO FLABBY FOR CROSSFIT? Readers keep telling me to try it, but if it’s too hard for the troops it’s too hard for me. My physical fitness — like a lot of the things I do — falls into the category of “Pretty good . . . for a law professor.”
UPDATE: Reader Bill Bromberg writes:
Glenn — I know you’re going to get a million messages but I have got to tell you, as long as you check your ego at the door and are willing to scale the weight/reps Crossfit will be the best and most fun exercise program you’ve ever done. I am a 39 yo guy who as of 4 months ago was 35 pounds overweight and couldn’t do 3 pull-ups. Since starting Crossfit I’m up to 12 in a row, have lost 10 pounds of fat, put on an inch of chest muscle and lost 2″ from my waist.
In re checking my ego — I’ve made it my goal to be the 10th strongest girl in the the class. I’ll shave my legs if I have to.
10th strongest girl? Like I said, too tough for the likes of me . . . .
ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Dave Parmly emails:
Dude, sack up! Your reply from the reader is absolutely spot on! There are so many folks in our CF gym who were barely above the sedentary line when it comes to physical prowess. They did as your reader said: Checked the ego at the door. The key is “Scale-ability”. Click on the link. Check out how many women, and not all sculpted she-ra goddesses, but wives, grand moms, etc., you see in the pictures. Interestingly, as my strength has gone up, my sizes have decreased in most areas. That is the difference between body-building muscle and lean muscle. It’s why women like CF: You get strong, get lean, and don’t get grotesque with “man arms”.
http://crossfitktown.com/
Having said that, as both a dedicated CF-er and a veteran, CF principles would be a challenge to implement for a company commander with 120 men in his company, all of whom are at varying degrees of fitness. The out-of-shape kid at basic training and the ex-HS gymnast in basic training can both be challenged by CF but getting that many people to a point of individually-shaped exercise would be tough. CF is popular in SPECOPS because of the small size of the accountable unit and the discretionary use of time that exists more in an elite unit than you’ll find in a rank-and-file outfit. This does NOT mean that commanders need to get their units out of the PT rut. Definitely incorporate functional movements into the physical training. Pull-ups, pushups, squats and sprint work seems to have more applications than lifting weights or miles long formation runs.
Feel free to post my comment as I’d like to hear from readers who have implemented CF into their military units.
Done!