Crossfit (Question for Jon Doyle)

It does not fit proper criteria for baseball training.

Can you be more specific as to why Crossfit is not appropriate for baseball? My son does Crossfit as well as additional, more baseball specific training, and has not only become stronger but has also become faster, has more endurance, and is more flexible. Also, UCIrvine's baseball program uses Crossfit workouts as part of their training, so it must have some benefit.

Crossfit is ok as a general conditioning tool. In fact, they have some good things in their program and they are always learning (they are usually the first to purchase my DVD's or any new product I put out) But their program is not meant to be specific to baseball.

I have no doubt your son has made improvements while following and it's certainly a good idea to add in some baseball specific movements, but that is precisely my point, you have to add in additional work to make it specific to baseball, which was the initial question that was asked of me.

The main thing I don't like about Crossfit is the extremely high repetition of certain high motor patterns movements (such as power clean and power snatch) with almost zero regard to technique. You can only do som emany reps in these exercises (typically 3-5 for higest benefit), yet on certain Crossfit workouts they recommend upwards of 25-50 for 1 set, which will certainly cause mechanical breakdown and lead to injury.

I know plenty of people to have followed Crossfit and they have all stopped for 1 of 2 reasons:

1. It's too hard - Most simply do not want to train hard - and I do give Crossfit credit for this

2. They get hurt - Crossfit, in my experience, has a high rate of injury due to what I touched on above.

However, I always recommend someone to follow a program they have found works well for them. I wish the best for your son.

As far as UC Irvine I cannot speak for that because I have not reviewed their program. But as a consultant to dozens of NCAA programs I can tell you first hand more often than not the S & C program is a mess. Thta is precisely why they hire me to come in a provide an overhaul. Now I'm not saying this is the case with UC Irvine, just that because one NCAA schol follows something does not mean its the best.

However, I wouldn't think a S & C coach would need to follow a generic plan such as Crossfit, so that is a bit alarming if in deed that is the case.

Thanks for your response. I agree that Crossfit alone is probably not the best workout for baseball, however, as a 40+ year old mom who has been participating in Crossfit for about a year along with my son, I have to disagree about high repetitions with little or no regard for technique. Before even being allowed to participate in the Crossfit workouts, we had to train solely on technique (in slow motion,without weights)and are monitored closely by our CERTIFIED trainer at all sessions. I agree with you that a lot of people do not stick with it because it IS hard...the hardest YET most effective workout I have ever done and in a very short amount of time per workout. Another plus is that the workout is different every day so your mind AND body do not get in a rut! I haven't seen any injuries at our Crossfit facilities but I know that it can happen...either because the trainer is NOT properly certified or because participants do exercises incorrectly or push themselves too hard given their current physical condition.

I also agree that individuals should stick with what works for them and those who are considering Crossfit as a PART of their baseball regimen should add in baseball specific training AND make sure their trainer is certified.

Agreed that you're a lot better off when under the supervision of a trained professional. And I do not doubt that lowers the injury risk dramatically.

But even though there are a number of facilities that follow Crossfit only, there are many more individuals who choose to follow the daily workout on their own and that's when the problems begin.

The crossfit i've experienced did not seem to be beneficial at all to baseball. It didnt make me stronger, it didnt make me bigger, it didnt make me faster, it just made me tired. Nothing was explosive because the constant movement never left for any time to recover. It really sucks that there are so many poor s+c programs out there.

Also, if done long term i think some type of injury would be inevitable. Overworking certain areas while other areas were completely neglected.

Crossfit would maybe help a s****r player or crosscountry runner. Not baseball.