A Reply To a Negative Review

Dear Negative Reviewer,

I appreciate your review and comments as they give me the opportunity to shed some light on some common CrossFit misunderstandings. It is not my intention to start a negative discussion thread but to offer a thoughtful response to your observations. I am always available to discuss our training methodology over the phone or in person. Please feel free to reach out to me directly at rachel@ovcrossfit.com.

Myth #1: Our workouts are arbitrary/random with the primary purpose of grinding participants to exhaustion. 

We post our WOD (Workout of The Day) to our website daily - as does CrossFit HQ post their programming at CrossFit.com. We are transparent with our programming and intentions which holds us to a higher level of scrutiny- and is so by design. This keeps us focused on programming the best overall programming for our members. Each individual day of programming at OV CrossFit is a part of a bigger cyclical program. Our main training goal is to create an athlete that is generally competent across all 10 domains of fitness; namely speed, stamina, flexibility, coordination, strength, agility, cardiovascular ability, power, accuracy and balance. Our athletes become "well rounded" athletes that do not specialize in one specific area such as power lifting or long distance running. 

We practice functional fitness which is designed to teach and reinforce movement as it relates to life. These movements utilize the entire body and help us modern day humans to move more freely and effectively during everyday function. On any given day you may see a 20 Minute AMRAP (as many rounds/reps as possible), you may see a 5x5 strength progression, skill work or even a 10K row. Having such broad and inclusive goals create workouts that may appear “arbitrary” or “random” and that “anyone could make up”. We agree that anyone with some basic knowledge of CrossFit fitness could program our workouts provided they understand that overtime our goal is to see few training biases. Our aim is that we have an overall program that hits all domains of fitness while utilizing a variety of time domains and modalities of fitness. Typically CrossFit Metcons (metabolic conditioning workouts) are between 5-15 min in duration because we are seeking intensity (see myth #2).

*** An interesting fact to note is that if you take any specialized athlete, and have them work on their weakness, their overall capacity for sport increases.

In fairness, occasionally we DO focus in one specific area which might be seen as a bias in our training. These are 3-4 month training cycles that have a slight focus on one specific area of fitness. Typically it is something we like to measure, work on, assess and reassess so that we can see the adaptation and be inspired by such growth. An example of this might be a strength, olympic weightlifting (speed) or Gymnastics (bodyweight control) cycle.

In regard to topic of high rep workouts, we always ensure that we limit the amount of repetitions performed over any period of time and that adequate rest and recovery is also called for within our programming. Additionally, we limit the intensity of the stimuli to be appropriate to the work being asked to perform. For instance, an athlete who can barely perform a strict pull up will not be asked to perform multiple modified pull ups during a workout but will be instructed to work on shoulder strength and control via the body row or regular push up.

Myth #2 Our main training goal is to wear people out 

We want intensity! Adaptation occurs only with intensity. However what is intense for one might be crippling to another or “a warmup” for another. Our goal is to offer a general training goal which can be adaptable to each one of our athletes and their needs. For example Lets use the workout as follows:

10 MIN AMPRAP:

250m Row

20 Squats

10 pullups

Let's analyze what this workout would look like across 4 different athlete types

Athlete 1: The general good mover but not super strong athlete (has full range of motion and control with all movements): 

250m row

20 air squats (to full range of motion providing can maintain control with the added speed and intensity)

10 body rows (we’ll sub body rows for pull ups to help build shoulder strength and core control)

Athlete 2: Athlete who lacks strength and range of motion

250m row

10-20 ring assisted squats or box squats

10 body rows

Athlete 3: our more advanced athlete at OVC

250m row

20 DB squats (holding 25# Dumbbells on shoulders)

10 pullups

Athlete 4: Our "Firebreathing" athletes at OVC

250m row

20 barbell front squats with #115 for men, #75 for women

10 chest to bar pullups

By adjusting the stimulus for each athlete, we create a workout which suits the needs of each athlete by creating the relative intensity needed for adaptation and growth. Our training environment fosters a community of like minded individuals- people that are seeking to be challenged and foster change in their lives. These individuals come from all backgrounds- we have grandmothers, coal miners, bankers, D1 college athletes, yogis, bodybuilders, weekend runners, ballet dancers and regular joes. What is beautiful is that we are all able to come together and “do the same workout” which is actually suited to each of our needs. What ultimately unifies us is our desire to pursue our human potential. CrossFit helps gives us the opportunity to see the possibility of what we might become by showing us who we are when faced with a challenge- we are overcomers.  

Myth #3: Knee push - ups!!? NO. Just no.

We don’t encourage knee pushups. They do not allow full core control. Adequate core and shoulder strength is better established with the incline pushup. Athletes progress from the incline pushup to the negative push up to floor push ups. This helps them actually build the strength needed to perform an actual pushup. 

Myth #4: Our gym rakes in the money

First off, so what if we were? We are a business that offers an unmatched service in the Ohio Valley. The money we earn is not the result of a "slick" attempt to daily grind participants into the ground for anyone can see an injured athlete is NOT a paying athlete. We are committed to the HEALING, EDUCATION and EMPOWERMENT of our members. We provide a service that allows people to feel and act more HUMAN, undo negative habitual patterns and learn how to PLAY. Our approach is completely opposite from most "Big Box" gyms that offer rates so low that; 

a) they want you to sign up out of impulse, and not cancel out of inconvenience and guilt

b) they want you to NOT come - if ALL their members were to show up, they would not be able to accommodate them. Their business is built off the guilt of non-worker outers

We've developed superior programming, educated and compassionate coaches, and a training environment that is positive and effective. We support our local community through volunteering, donation and by being a part of it - and our community pays back by being a part of our OV CrossFit community. Our amazing coaches work primarily for their own passion - they love the sport of CrossFit and wish to share with anyone looking to improve functionality.

A person does not need to be a member of OV CrossFit (or CrossFit HQ for that matter) to perform any of our posted workouts. All that is needed is access to YouTube, some floor space, your imagination and a few heavy objects. What we DO offer at OV CrossFit is a community of health minded people, a daily challenging workout with instruction and feedback from a qualified instructor, some accountability, FUN & INSPIRATION!  

I invite anyone with questions to reach out to us! We offer several no obligatory ways to try us for FREE. We offer a FREE intro appointment as well as 3 FREE QuickFit classes, as well as an incredible Basic Training Rate that really allows people to try our training.

Again, thanks for your time and comments 

Rachel Goodman - Owner/Operator, rachel@ovcrossfit.com