Crossfitter Brian Mackenzie on running - This is hilarious

From Brian's website:

"So, you want to do your first endurance event (anything over 2 hrs)? I know, you’re thinking where to begin? I mean, if you want to run 26.2 miles or swim, bike and run 140.6 miles or run an ultra marathon (anything over 50 miles), you’ve got to put in the hours, right? I mean at least 14-30 hrs per week to be really ready and to do your best, right? Wrong.

How about getting your deadlift up to 460. Instead of your “Sunday run” of 2 hours, you work on getting your back squat up to 350? Sounds insane doesn’t it? Not when you find out that the guys doing just this kind of work are averaging less than 9 hours per week of training and are finishing 100 mile runs only a handful of hours behind such endurance legends like Dean Karnazes."

You hear that, guys? If you follow this guy's plan you can finish ultras only "a handful of hours behind such endurance legends like Dean Karnazes". This dude has gone full retard.

This guys logic is seriously flawed. Yes, you may have some sub 3 marathon runners that do cross-fit, BUT there are many, many others that do NOT do cross-fit, and have got to that stage by working hard over a period of years, not just following some stupid 12 week lifting regime. Just because you can cite some exceptions doesn't mean it completely invalidates another, proven approach. He's selling quick and easy answers to to people who don't have the capacity to set a goal several years down the line and work towards it. Everyone is looking for a short cut and that's what he is giving them.

Also, as some people have mentioned, his sub-3 runners may very well be highly talented runners, or runners that have previously ran at a high level. I'm willing to be that there are no sub 3 runners doing crossfit that came to running later in life with no previous background in sport at all.

Good Rick wrote:

"So, you want to do your first endurance event (anything over 2 hrs)? I know, you’re thinking where to begin? I mean, if you want to run 26.2 miles or swim, bike and run 140.6 miles or run an ultra marathon (anything over 50 miles), you’ve got to put in the hours, right? I mean at least 14-30 hrs per week to be really ready and to do your best, right? Wrong.

How about getting your deadlift up to 460. Instead of your “Sunday run” of 2 hours, you work on getting your back squat up to 350? Sounds insane doesn’t it?

Yes Brian, it does, it most certainly does.

(again, if he wants to advocate that occasionally backing off volume and mileage to SUPPLEMENT one's endurance/aerobic training with some leg lifting can be beneficial to even ultra-enruanc athletes, yes, he would be correct. But a) almost everyone already knows this, and b) that is not what he is saying. He is saying: skip the long runs in favor of heavy squats in preparation for, get this, a 100 mile race. Absolute kook.

If he were training/ giving advice to 800 m runners, he'd make a little more sense. But he's advising athletes preparing for ULTRA runs and tris.

I wonder if any of his cross fit athletes can top what ed whitliock ran at age 74? You know, low 2:50's. And I'm pretty sure Ed didn't do any heavy squats in prep for that. Pretty sure he mostly jogged for hours each day. Brian should look that up and let us know if he thinks he could beat the time of an emaciated great grandpa who does zero lifting and mostly just jogs)

While reading Dan John's book on strength training/life, "Never Let Go" I came across this quote from Cross Fit founder Greg Glassman:

“If you come to us with a four-minute mile, six months into it you are going to be thirty seconds slower, but a whole hell of a lot fitter. Similarly, if you come to us with a 900-pound squat, in six months it’s going to be 750 pounds, but you, too, will be much fitter. A four-minute mile and a 900-pound squat are both clear and compelling evidence of a lack of balance in your program. This doesn’t reflect the limitations of our program, but the inherent nature of flesh and blood. But here’s the fascinating part. We can take you from a 200-pound max deadlift to a 500-750 pound max deadlift in two years while only pulling max singles four or five times a year.”

It seems clear that at some point along the way, likely fueled by media attention and increasing potential for financial success, those representing cross fit have begun to take more and more liberties with the truth about the costs and benefits to sport-specific performance from following this type of program.

redux - clarifier wrote:

exactamundo wrote:

So what are these cross fitters? An irrelevant, self-appointed, and ignorant elitist branch of personal trainers?

Yes. Yes they are.

And business is booming, brother!!!

Because of f'ed up PF's in both feet I have no choice but to cross train and it is intense. My guess is 99% of crossfit PT's don't have a clue. Just 3 years ago they were probably spewing garbage about the fat burning zone.

I'm an old guy (45+ AG) and slow compared to most here( 16:06 5k last year) but intense cross training has worked. You have to be a glutton for punishment and work much harder to get close to the same results. Just went out yesterday to see how my road running was being impacted by my cross training regimen the last 3 months. Ran 5K at 80% maxHR and finished in 18:15 which equates to roughly a 16ish race pace 5K.

If you're the type of runner that needs 2-3 non-running days each weak, cross training can replace the LSD runs and I even do intervals and tempos on the stairmaster. Boring as shiit but my endurance and VO2max are better than when running only. Never going to be an elite with this type of training but I'm to long at the tooth to give a rats arse.

I was replying to a more recent post and somehow jumped over to this older past. Oh well.

Not that I don't believe you, but what's your name? 16 flat at 45? That would have won your AG at Carlsbad 5000.

What i hate most about this guy is that he acts like he knows what he's talking about. That "why pose" video is incoherent rambling. I hope everyone realized he was a fraud when they saw that.

^^This makes since and is reasonable. Just admit that CrossFit is to be okay-good at a number things but not a specialist and that's fine, but it's not a way to specialize in being a distance runner.

pinkyandthebrian wrote:

Not that I don't believe you, but what's your name? 16 flat at 45? That would have won your AG at Carlsbad 5000.

16 flat at 45 is less remarkable than you think. I'm 44 tomorrow and have been running in the 16s this summer. I'm in marathon training or I'd be a little faster. I run in the high 2:30s for the marathon.

There are going to be some good times coming out of the masters track and field championships in Lisle here Aug 2-5. Mike Straza is training with Brad Hudson right now and I'd be surprised if he doesn't run 15:10 or so for 5k and he's up there. Pete Magill ran 14:47 at age 47.

The masters athlete you asked the question of has a point for older runners, in that we need to cross-train. probably more so than someone half our age. I personally think it's because of the reduction in muscle mass and flexibility.

Not going to give my name but live in Asia. As above poster stated 16 isn't all that fast for 45+. It isn't my specialty and still think I could run a sub 16 if I focused on 5K's. Too risky at this point because of my PF issues and speed sessions aren't possible. My VO2 sessions are done on the boring stairmaster.

16 minutes won the Carlsbad 5K for the 45+? Bet there was a 50+ guy that had a faster time. It's fast but not too impressive in big races. 5K's are extremely rare here so really don't know what is fast.

What i love is that there is so much hate for an "Alternative" endurance program.

Equally i love the fact you were all shut-up by someone that told you how it is - that on some occasions and for people with less time on their hands CF training works!

If CF dont work for you, dont do it. If you dont agree with it, fine. Why you gotta go hating on other peoples programs like you are some superior being?

Well done to all you that managed 30-100 Mile endurance runs without CF, but equally hats off to those that managed to do it based purely on CF.

Whenever I run by the crossfit "gym" by my house (really just the parking lot of a closed daycare center, all I see are overweight middle aged women in yoga pants being yelled at by slightly overweight middle aged men in camo cargo shorts.

One reason we should all start supplementing with CF.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdsunNdUdpU

UK Novice wrote:

What i love is that there is so much hate for an "Alternative" endurance program.

Equally i love the fact you were all shut-up by someone that told you how it is - that on some occasions and for people with less time on their hands CF training works!

If CF dont work for you, dont do it. If you dont agree with it, fine. Why you gotta go hating on other peoples programs like you are some superior being?

Well done to all you that managed 30-100 Mile endurance runs without CF, but equally hats off to those that managed to do it based purely on CF.

The guy you're replying to isn't just doing Crossfit, unless CF has people doing VO2 max sessions on exercise machines now. I would also argue that part of the reason he's had success with crosstraining is that he had decades of running in his legs, which doesn't just go away because you take some time off.

For anyone who doubts my friend Brian, he knows what he is talking about. Look at him, super RIPPED yet BUFF.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oa7ls6X16DA/Tfrzm-pvxCI/AAAAAAAABbQ/iLyYZVYTkok/s1600/BISHOW-BW-BrianMackenzie-5a-540x327.jpg

Wow he is a stunning display of mediocrity, he's too "buff" to run fast but not "buff or shredded" enough to complete with actual lifter. Should be on the cover of a single mens fitness at thats all.

It all goes back to goals doesnt it? I like and value running and racing. I want to be as good as runner as I can be. I dont care about "over all fitness" or being able to lift heavy things, or do pull ups. I want to race well.

IF (and that's a big if)... IF my goal was to keep weight off, look better in a tank top and be more "fit" I'd do something like Crossfit or P90X.

I think most people that have come to running over the past few years were looking for "fitness" but have found it lacking in that department. How many people do you know that run daily distance run but they look like hell?

I fail to see the big controversy.