CrossFit evokes emotion… full stop. If you get it, adopt it, live it, you know what I’m talking about. It’s the precious baby of many people and that often includes the things they choose to endorse, wear and use for their training, as well as the affiliated gym they choose.

Any questioning, criticism or opinion contrary to the things they believe in can cause some touching situations on the old forums and on social networks. The culture around this that I’m seeing develop is an overzealous negative attitude towards anything considered critical, questioning feedback. As long as the status quo is focused on the benefits and positive aspects of HQ products, teams and developments, all is well. We are in danger of becoming a community of butt thumpers telling each other “you’re cool, no, you’re even cooler than me.” CrossFit is in danger of becoming saccharine-sweet ‘Disneyland’ with a phoniness that forgets its roots. No one wants to upset the apple cart… or maybe they’re just afraid they won’t like it?

CROSSFIT’S COMMUNITY ROOTS ARE BASED IN REBELLION

People seem to forget that CrossFit was not and still is not based on conventions. It was built on a few daring individuals who thought outside of the fitness industry standards. It had its roots in being a thorn in the side of traditional Strength and Conditioning and existing definitions of fitness. Question the supposed authority and reputation and have them confront the measurable, observable and repeatable scientific method that CrossFit promotes.

THE FLAMERS HAVE THEIR PLACE!

The Americans clean the floor with us Europeans in this regard. Bloggers, commentators, and lurkers who drop scathing and humorous comments on all kinds of culture get the cliché tag of ‘haters.’ You know some of the most famous ones (Armen Hammer, Drywall, Beastmodal Domains, Pissing Victory) Now for some this is true, I admit… they offer nothing more than to complain with no alternative solutions to the problem. They should be treated with the disdain they deserve. However, many are intelligent thought-provoking people who have little respect for blind acceptance of things, and among the sarcasm, there is an innate desire to make things better for this community, not simply point out what is wrong. They risk being shot because they know the debate is healthy and they don’t feel crushed, hurt, or angered by opposing viewpoints. They also know that some things need to be knocked off their pedestal.

BELAY POSITION

People, trainers, affiliates and companies essentially represent their own brand. They have their own integrity and start with great ideals and often with a pure dream. As they establish themselves and their reputation, comes success and so does opportunity. Whether financial, patronage, favors, status, power. What also comes are the realities, and sometimes the ideal is stained and we compromise with that pure dream. Unforeseen factors shake things up… priorities sometimes change. That’s fine and it happens in life, but we don’t always want others to know about it. We still want to be seen as closer to the ideal, of great integrity. We do not like to show the negative aspects.

‘Power Corrupts’ can take things a bit too far, but when you have the most to lose, it makes you less open to criticism and comment. The more familiar you become with the positive comments, the thinner you will become with the negative ones. We’ve seen it from the top at CrossFit HQ with the excommunication of some very knowledgeable people (Greg Everett, Robb Wolf, James Fitzgerald) who gave some opposing views. The GLC2000 debate is another example of some interesting conflicts that have arisen around personal experience of the need for quality scientific evidence. The GLC2000 discussion has highlighted some interesting areas, from marketing methods, athlete endorsement, clinical trials, the placebo effect, understanding science, to people’s definition of a beneficial product. There has been a lot of discomfort towards the detractors of the supporters, but what it has led to is more information being published to make better decisions.

MIXING BUSINESS AND PLEASURE

Add to the mix the close ties, history, and relationships that people within CrossFit circles have with brand owners, it can be easy to jump to the defense of these brands. Any criticism can mean criticism of you because you have bought that brand, you have known the owners from ‘old days’. You have faith in the products. You have tied your colors to the mast! They are great people and you have only had good experiences. There is a danger of the ‘halo effect’ occurring. Our own experiences are exactly that. ‘OUR’ experiences…not necessarily the standard experience across the board for everyone. Yes, yours might be the majority experience, but that fact will show itself in the long run anyway. Let the CrossFit brands fight their own battles. They can and should take it seriously and so can we. No one gives a passionate testimonial when a friend says he doesn’t like Costa Coffee and you do. We need more of that kind of karma and not taking things so personally.

CrossFit has a very unique carousel of friends/business/reviews/quality and sometimes the goal wheels fall off. I only hope that this community continues to welcome passionate discussion, feedback, and if need be, criticism, and that no amount of reputation, status, status, or wealth should squash that.