Weighing In

If you've followed my advice you probably know now of the firing or whatever of Robb Wolf by CrossFit Inc. I will try to give my opinion here and how it will affect CFCV.

I am not particularly astoot and most of the time am the last one to know when drama is at it's height. Hell, I have even been accused of causing said drama even though I had no intentions to do so. So with these disclaimers I offer that this event is not surprising. I am not bashing anyone, my allegiance to CrossFit remains as I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to what the brand has brought to us. In the same breath I must say that I have learned a tremendous amount  from the very speakers at the Black Box Summit, indeed more than I have from CrossFit. But the handwriting was on the wall and the event is unfortunate.

The CrossFit brand is what brings people to CFCV initially. The experience is what keeps them coming back. Bottom line is I would like to think that the experience has improved dramatically largely due to improvements in the trainer's (Nicole and myself) knowledge and experience. That knowledge and experience has come from many sources including CrossFit certs, the presenters and myriad other affiliate owners, trainers, coaches etc. etc. And there is some great info on the message boards of CrossFit.com, and the CrossFit Journal as well as PM and Catalyst athletics. 

In our box my experience is that there are few members that are capable of performing CF Wods as rx'd or in many cases a reasonably scaled movement that will elicit the desired response in the time domain sought. So, our programming has morphed into improvement in strength and technical skill so as to some day be more capable of performing WODS that are more akin to what is prescribed. All that said I believe that we are having more fun and improving more in several areas since this "light" came on. The light only shines for those that are looking to constantly improve and that's the mantra of the presenters at the Black Box Summit. This I read loud and clear and am committed to.

In its current state, CrossFit affiliation allows me to change what I see fit for our business. Be it business systems, training methodology, bathroom color/flooring, prices or whatever. I like that! It may mean that I run the business into the ground or that I dilute the CrossFit brand with mediocrity but I am empowered to make that happen. Perhaps that is one reason we all live in Nevada. If this were a franchise I most definitely would be out. I don't claim to be a great business man, trainer or communicator but the folks that are being ex-communicated have grown beyond the organization and it is what it is, I reckon.

So what about the Nutrition cert I signed up for at Norcal? I have not canceled my reservation but I am not interested in attending a cert that spews the Zone. Been there, done that. I went to a conference where Barry Sears was a presenter. Good shit I thought, jumped on the band wagon and lost a shit load of weight. Was down to 165lbs and felt like shit. Not that the concepts of glycemic load, protein with every meal and weighing and measuring  (not claiming to describe the Zone completely here) is flawed, hell he's a doctor, it just was a pain in the ass and didn't work for me. I have experienced more improvement on my pseudo Paleo rendering than ever before and I'm sold. I want to hear more from Robb Wolf. I am certain that CrossFit's new nutrition guru is excellent and I don't want to knock Redding but the jury is out whether I will go there or not. The other factor is the mobility cert that I am signed up for in Chico on the previous day. That is a must for me to attend, for all of us! That will have tremendous impact on my decision. And I like Chico, the Sierra Nevada Brewery is there. Great Paleo beer!

So what does this all mean for CFCV members? I really don't see an impact in the near future. We will continue to be the best that we can be, learn from the best and continue to apply new concepts, theories etc., evaluate them, and change as needed. Sound familiar? Black Box in a nutshell.

Oh and I have opinions about some of the personalities involved but this is not the place to go there.

Comments

[Nicole Gesselman]

That is serious so sad. That man is soo freakin smart I cant believe they would fire him. I love reading his blog and following him. He is true and doesnt hold back and Im sure he has help millions of peeps. Hopefully someone takes that chip off there shoulder soon and relize that is it not all bout $$$. Hopefully Stacey and you get what u need out of the cert. Bummer

[Caleb Lentz]

Thanks, Ron, for letting us know where you stand. Obviously you only have to compare our WOD's with those listed on the main website to realize that we're not strictly sticking to their workouts. I, for one, appreciate greatly that you adjust the workouts for, what Jamie called last night, "civilian" CrossFitters like us. Not only scaling the exercises, but providing variety that isn't necessarily part of the CrossFit religion.
Doing WOD's as Rx'd is on my list of goals on the board, but I realize I'm far from achieving that goal on many of the CrossFit workouts. It seems like the key is to soak up as much education as you can from the "experts" then pick and choose what's right for you and for us.
Hope I didn't miss the point of your comments, but I say "keep up the good work".