Our Position on CrossFit:

We are both respectful of, and continually amazed with, what the CrossFit organization and community have done for their brand and clientele with their fitness model. CrossFit, unlike any fitness brand or corporation, has transcended the traditional conception of exercise and fitness by becoming a sport.  To date CrossFit is arguably one of the most popular sports and trending training methodologies and/or philosophies in the US, despite the fact that its recognition has come from “the people” rather than an organized governing body such as other popular sports like Soccer, Track & Field, or Olympic Weightlifting (FIFA, USATF, USAW, USOC, etc.). The fact that there are such strong associations drawn between basic non-traditional equipment such as kettlebells or plyo-boxes to the sport of CrossFit is testament to their brand strength and community loyalty. Fitness industry and equipment manufacturers alike owe some level of gratitude to the CrossFit brand for the progression of “functional training” and the popularization of equipment purchased and often used to accomplish this now trendy training method. The preponderance of bumper plates, gymnastics rings, and kettlebells in local fitness and athletic performance centers or home gyms/garages in the last 5 years is likely due to the proliferation of CrossFit and the awareness Greg Glassman (founder of CrossFit) and his loyal followers have brought to the effectiveness of such apparatus. Former competitive athletes everywhere, from high school to professional, that once had a platform to measure their athletic prowess against others, but then moved on in life or career, now have a validated sport in which to excel as well as compete with the inception of the CrossFit Games….KUDO’s to the brand for that!! The sport is both impressive and intense. Some of the fittest humans we’ve encountered are loyal CrossFitters.

CrossFit’s general aim, to “...deliver a fitness that is, by design, broad, general and inclusive” to illicit increased work capacity for participants makes perfect sense to us  (http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/what-crossfit.html). And why not, most people in general simply need to MOVE and CHALLENGE themselves more frequently. Utilizing compound-complex movements such as the snatch, clean, & jerk and/or including movement/exercise combinations that are constantly varied in selection, performed through multiple planes of motion, tempos, and appropriate intensity levels (i.e. load and volume), creates a highly effective framework for increased strength, power, speed, and cardiorespiratory capacity. CrossFitters DID NOT invent that, nor do they subscribe to addressing volume and specializing a program to individual needs, “We scale load and intensity; we don’t change programs” (http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/what-crossfit.html).  CrossFit  simply marketed and capitalized on using a variety of exercises and fitness modalities better than anyone to date, to the extent they have their own instructor “certification” that can be earned through a two day training course.

Red Dot Fitness shares a similar approach to the framework of our customized training programs. However, we’d like to think we take things several steps further when it comes to the goals, needs, and abilities of our clients. In theory, every “body” should be able to perform the basic movements mentioned above (olympic weightlifting, gymnastics, etc.). The reality is the bodies of most clients seeking increased quality of life through fitness and athletic performance aren’t nearly prepared to handle or accept the intense demands these movements/exercises require, nor are they prepared to handle the intensity of CrossFit workouts, “… we [CrossFit] now find ourselves obligated not just to explain CrossFit’s potency but to warn of its potential lethality” (http://journal.crossfit.com/2005/10/). Furthermore, physical compensations and dysfunctions limit the execution and performance of such movements/exercises for novice to elite clientele. At least, that’s what more than a decade of experience in the field of personal training, coaching, athletic training rooms, physical therapy clinics, and the health club industry has shown us.

Red Dot Fitness creates intensity through a strict client focus and application of carefully chosen program variables appropriate to obtain the desired result. Assessing, THEN addressing the specific needs of each client to create a BALANCED fitness program focused on individuality is our AIM. More specifically, that balance includes the mastery of all 10 domains of fitness: Balance, Strength, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Accuracy, Cardiovascular Endurance, Stamina, and Flexibility. We coach Olympic Weightlifting and utilize ropes, boxes, bands, kettlebells, medicine balls, rings, straps and many other modalities available to us that are NOW often associated with other brands. While we may DO several forms of “cross-training,” we DO NOT do CrossFit.

Glassman, G. (2005, October).  CrossFit Induced Rhabdo. Retrieved from http://journal.crossfit.com/2005/10/

What is CrossFit?  (2011).  Retrieved April 3, 2011, from http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/what-crossfit.html