05 March 2018

Why Does Fitness Hurt So Much, Is CrossFit Good For Physiques and The Future Of The Fitness Industry - Jordan Wallace, Paul Warrior and Tim Briggs - #006

0Frameworks

13Insights

Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Myth Buster· 1

Myth Buster52:00

Myth: CrossFit Is Inherently Competitive

One of the coaches pushes back on the common assumption that CrossFit is a competitive activity by default. He argues it's only competitive if you choose to make it so — against your own previous scores or against training partners — and that at his gym they deliberately avoid revealing the next day's workout in advance so people don't feel pressured to skip class over intimidation.

Common misconception: people assume CrossFit classes are inherently competitive
It's only as competitive as you choose to make it — often just against your own previous score
Coaches deliberately withhold the next day's workout so people aren't scared off from attending
You can 'just turn up, train and go home' without ever engaging the competitive side

“A common misconception is that CrossFit is competitive — it's not, unless you make it against yourself.”
Guest · 52:15

#myth-buster#crossfit-culture#competition#gym-anxiety

Hot Take· 3

Hot Take15:30

Are CrossFit Athletes Really the 'Fittest on Earth'?

The guests defend CrossFit's 'fittest on earth' tagline by pointing out that no other sport tests such a broad spectrum of physical capacity — strength, endurance, gymnastics and Olympic lifting all at once. They argue that whether the claim holds depends entirely on how you define fitness, and that CrossFit's definition (working across broad time and modal domains) is a reasonable one, even if elite specialists in single disciplines could out-perform CrossFitters in their own lane.

CrossFit is the only sport that tests such a broad combination of strength, endurance and skill in one format
Whether CrossFitters are 'fittest on earth' depends on the definition of fitness you accept
Games athletes are compared to competing at a high level in two different sports within weeks of each other, without a dedicated peaking cycle
The guests note there's a lot less pure 'CrossFit' happening at the elite level than at the local gym level

“It fits on earth, but it depends what you define fitness as for yourself.”
Guest · 16:45

“There's actually a lot less CrossFit that goes on the higher up you get — it's a lot more CrossFit-y at the local level than…”
Guest · 18:30

#crossfit#fitness-definition#crossfit-games#elite-athletes

Hot Take48:30

"I Told You a Lie": CrossFit Out-Built His Physique vs Years of Bodybuilding

One guest admits that a single year of CrossFit produced more visible physical progress than roughly ten years of on-and-off bodybuilding-style training. He credits formalized progressive overload and consistent intensity — the same principles bodybuilders chase — but delivered in a structured way he never had before, arguing CrossFitters at his gym look better than dedicated bodybuilders in the same building despite never doing an isolated bicep curl.

A year of CrossFit produced more visible physical change than roughly a decade of inconsistent bodybuilding training
CrossFit delivers formalized progressive overload and consistent training intensity, the exact things bodybuilders are chasing
At their gym, CrossFit members reportedly look more built/shredded than the bodybuilders doing bicep curls in the same facility
He attributes prior bodybuilding stagnation to inconsistency ('bro science', sporadic effort) rather than the methodology itself

“If you'd told me at the start of the year I'd have seen the progress I've seen physically from a bodybuilding program, I'd have said…”
Guest · 49:10

#physique#bodybuilding-vs-crossfit#progressive-overload#hot-take

Hot Take61:30

"Fitness Menopause": When the Aesthetics Generation Grows Up

The guest describes a shift he's observed in guys who came up on bodybuilding forums and shredded-physique YouTube culture in their early twenties — once they hit their late twenties, being lean 'at all costs' stops being the only goal, and mortality and basic movement quality (bending down, climbing stairs without being out of breath) start to matter more. He criticizes a culture that once treated stiffness and pain from lifting as a badge of honor rather than a warning sign.

Coined the idea of a 'fitness menopause' — guys in their late 20s from the aesthetics/bodybuilding forum era shifting priorities
Being lean 'at all costs' stops being the sole goal; functional movement and longevity start mattering more
Criticizes gym culture that treated stiffness/pain ('couldn't put my socks on after arms day') as a badge of honor
Frames it as your body telling you something is wrong, not something to be proud of

“You start to realize being leaner at all costs is not the only goal — I need to be able to bend down and touch…”
Host · 63:50

“Guys would say 'I couldn't put my socks on this morning after arms yesterday' like it was a badge of honor — that's not something…”
Host · 64:20

#fitness-culture#longevity#bodybuilding#mindset-shift

Explainer· 5

Explainer20:30

Why CrossFit Workouts Hurt So Much More Than a Marathon

The coaches explain that CrossFit's pain comes from combining movements in ways a normal gym-goer never would — like running, heavy deadlifts and GHD sit-ups back to back in the hero workout 'Mr. Joshua'. Unlike a marathon, which is repetitive (one foot in front of the other), CrossFit stacks full-range, high-skill movements on top of cardiovascular fatigue, and the competitive/tribute environment of hero workouts pushes people to maintain intensity they wouldn't sustain alone.

Marathons are repetitive (one movement pattern); CrossFit hero workouts combine several taxing movements a normal lifter never pairs together
Example: 'Mr. Joshua' — 5 rounds of 400m run, 15 heavy deadlifts, 30 GHD sit-ups — brutalizes the posterior chain through full range of motion
Hero workouts are named tributes to fallen service members, which adds psychological pressure to maintain intensity
Training environment and peer intensity (class pace, competing against your own previous score) keep effort high even without formal competition

“A lot of them are combining movements that a normal person in the gym wouldn't combine.”
Guest · 22:10

#crossfit#hero-workouts#training-intensity#physiology

Explainer26:00

What 'Going Anaerobic' Actually Means (and Why It Wrecks Your Workout)

The coaches break down the difference between aerobic and anaerobic effort in plain terms: anaerobic means your muscles are contracting without enough oxygen present, essentially forcing your body into 'emergency mode.' Newer athletes tend to go anaerobic too early by sprinting effort on movements like the rower, which floods them with fatigue and tanks the rest of the workout — whereas experienced athletes pace to stay aerobic as long as possible.

Anaerobic literally means 'without oxygen' — muscles contracting faster than oxygen can be supplied
Newbies commonly go anaerobic too early (e.g. sprinting the first row) which compresses breathing and kills pacing for the rest of the workout
Experienced athletes pace to avoid going anaerobic until absolutely necessary, keeping oxygen flowing throughout

“Anaerobic is literally 'without oxygen' — your body doesn't have oxygen so it's trying to contract the muscles anyway, and that's when you know you're…”
Guest · 26:45

#crossfit#anaerobic#pacing#physiology

Explainer31:00

The Four Training Domains Behind Every CrossFit Program

The coach lays out the framework they use to program classes: strength work (maximal effort, compound/Olympic lifts), anaerobic capacity work (short 5-second-to-a-few-minute sprints), power endurance/high aerobic work (4-12 minute workouts), and pure aerobic development (long steady efforts). Programming is essentially a checklist across these domains, weighted differently depending on the time of year — for example loading up on 'sport'-specific mixed-modal work as the CrossFit Open approaches.

Domain 1: Strength — maximal effort, usually compound or Olympic lifts
Domain 2: Anaerobic capacity — very short, high-intensity efforts (seconds to a few minutes)
Domain 3: Power endurance / high aerobic — 4-12 minute workouts like 'Helen'
Domain 4: Pure aerobic development — long, steady-state efforts
Programming shifts emphasis toward Open-style mixed workouts (5-20 minutes) as competition season approaches

#programming#training-methodology#crossfit#periodization

Explainer45:00

Why CrossFit Gets Such a Bad Reputation

The guests unpack why CrossFit polarizes opinion: it has an extremely low barrier to entry to start, but a very high skill ceiling on technical lifts like the snatch, which quickly bruises egos used to easy progress from bodybuilding-style training. Bodybuilding has been the dominant training paradigm for 30 years, so people conflate 'exercise' with lifting and curling, and struggle when a technically complex movement doesn't yield instant competence.

Bodybuilding has been the default training paradigm for ~30 years, so people default to curls and machines when they think 'exercise'
CrossFit has a low barrier to entry to start but technical lifts like the snatch have a high skill ceiling, exposing egos fast
Poor coaching, bad form or injuries at some affiliates unfairly taint the whole brand ('CrossFit gets a bad name through poor practitioners')
A lot of the backlash comes from insecurity or jealousy when someone with less training time can outperform a longtime lifter on a skill movement

“People are conflating an interest in exercise and sport and fitness with going in and doing bodybuilding — that's been the prevailing training methodology for…”
Host · 46:15

#crossfit-reputation#bodybuilding#ego#training-culture

Explainer89:30

How the CrossFit Open Ruthlessly Exposes Your Weaknesses

The guest explains how each year's Open workouts expose whichever training gap the field collectively neglected — citing a dumbbell-heavy workout that crushed athletes who'd spent the prior year drilling barbell percentage work, dropping previously high-level competitors out early. He also describes his own 2015 experience of bombing a max-clean workout because his fitness wasn't rounded enough, then rebounding the next year once a blended workout suited his broader skill set.

A dumbbell snatch-heavy Open workout caught athletes who'd trained almost exclusively on barbell percentage work the prior year, tanking previously competitive scores
In 2015, the guest placed poorly on a heavy-clean workout because his overall fitness wasn't rounded enough, exposing a real gap
The following year, a blended workout (double-unders plus a heavy barbell) suited his skill set better and he placed much higher
The Open is designed to be broad enough that no single specialization (pure strength, pure gymnastics, pure engine) guarantees success

“It's not black or white, I'm fit or I'm not — I identified a massive gaping hole in my fitness, and people find that every…”
Guest · 90:20

#crossfit-open#weaknesses#programming#competition

Story· 2

Story06:30

How Three Coaches Stumbled Into CrossFit

The three guests trace how they each landed in CrossFit years before it was polished or mainstream. Jordan came from long-distance running, read a Men's Health article about 'the 300 guys' training method around 2009, Googled CrossFit, and within a year had bought his own affiliate gym. Paul got interested after watching the movie 300, started losing weight, then a friend named Finn introduced him to a garage-style strongman gym. Tim's path started even younger, joining a friend's makeshift garage box at 18 with no equipment for wall balls or overhead work.

Jordan ran marathons/half-marathons first, then read a Men's Health article about '300 guys' training via CrossFit around 2009
Jordan bought his own affiliate gym within about a year of starting, when it was just a bar, plates and kettlebells
Paul got into fitness after watching the film 300, started losing weight, then was introduced to strongman-style training by a friend named Finn
Tim joined a friend's garage CrossFit setup at 18 in 2012 with no proper equipment for wall balls or overhead lifts
Early competitions had no qualification process — you just paid, put your name in a hat, and did three workouts in one day

“I read an article in Men's Health about the 300 guys, how they trained CrossFit, and I thought, what's this? I Googled CrossFit.”
Jordan Wallace · 07:00

“It was totally different to what it is now — no equipment, literally just one bar, some plates and some kettlebells.”
Jordan Wallace · 08:00

#crossfit#origin-story#affiliate-gym#early-crossfit

Story39:00

The Wildest, Dumbest CrossFit Stunts They've Pulled

The coaches trade stories from CrossFit's early, less-refined days — doing every 'Girl' benchmark workout (50 workouts) in one day, 2,000 pull-ups in a single session, 1,000 burpees every Christmas Eve for four years running, and 'Clovis' (a 10-mile run plus 150 burpees) which ended with one of them showering fully clothed because he forgot a towel. They reflect that they later learned intensity beats volume — something a coach drilled into them years ago.

One guest did all the 'Girl' benchmark workouts (roughly 50 female-named workouts) in a single day
Did 2,000 pull-ups in one session, spread across the day
Ran 1,000 burpees every Christmas Eve for four consecutive years
'Clovis' — a 10-mile run plus 150 burpees — left him so wrecked he showered in his clothes because he forgot a towel
Key lesson learned years later: 'intensity always trumps volume — you're better off doing less well than doing loads'

“Volume is king — I remember someone telling me about six years ago, no, it's not, intensity always trumps volume. You're better doing less well…”
Guest · 40:22

“I got in the shower fully clothed, just sat in the hot water, then realized I hadn't brought a towel.”
Guest · 42:30

#crossfit#training-volume#funny-stories#hero-workouts

Tool· 1

Tool27:30

The Pacing Trick: Push Hard on Your Strengths, Recover on Your Weaknesses

Using a real workout with deadlifts, wall balls, a row and handstand push-ups as an example, the guest explains the core pacing skill in CrossFit: know which movements are strong for your body type and push near-max effort there, then use the movements you're weaker at to actively recover your breathing. Going too hard on the rower, for instance, can cost 45 seconds of forced rest before the next movement — meaning an 'all-out' pace is often slower than a paced one.

Identify which movements in a workout suit your body/strength profile and push hardest there
Use your weaker movements as active recovery points rather than trying to sprint everything
Example: rowing at 80% effort for 12 calories/min vs 95% effort can mean 45 extra seconds of forced rest afterward, actually costing overall time
This is a learned skill built through repeated exposure to workouts, not something taught upfront

“You can sit at 95% effort and finish faster, but then you need 45 seconds of rest before you get on the handstand push-up —…”
Guest · 29:45

#pacing#strategy#crossfit-open#competition

Takeaway· 1

Takeaway67:30

Why an Objective Number Beats a Subjective Feeling About Your Body

The group discusses using measurable workout performance as a barometer for everything else going on in life — sleep, stress, mood — versus the purely subjective feeling of judging your physique day to day, which can swing wildly and fuel anxiety. Because CrossFit produces hard numbers (times, weights, reps) that can be tracked and compared year over year, progress becomes objectively provable rather than a feeling that can be undermined by a bad mood or a bloated morning.

Physique-based self-assessment is entirely subjective and can flip from feeling great to feeling terrible in the same body, day to day
CrossFit benchmark workouts (e.g. 'Fran', 'Helen', the Open) produce hard numbers that objectively prove improvement over time
Using workout performance as a barometer reveals when external factors (sleep, stress, illness) are affecting you, rather than a workout being framed as a personal failure
The guest argues subjective physique-chasing is a major driver of training-related anxiety

“You use performance as a barometer of how everything else is going, which is really, really useful, as opposed to just going in and thinking…”
Host · 69:20

“You can't lie about the numbers — if you were five minutes and now you're three, you've got better, no matter what your excuses are.”
Guest · 70:40

#mindset#objective-metrics#mental-health#progress-tracking