Crossfit?

I don't know if any of you have heard of crossfit training, but it is generating a considerable buzz on the interernet as well as in the fitness community. I checked out the crossfit website today. They have some good ideas and they are doing some intense training. They definetly mastered the overload principle.
Lets take a second and think about what we aretrying to accomplish through our training. Will I loose weight and build muscle at the same time? Sure, you will lose weight from increaseing your heart in their program desings. In the crossfit style of training you will build lean muscle, which is what we all want. These are positives to crossfit training.
As an athlete, will I get bigger, faster, & stonger? No. Unless you are taking in 10,000 calories a day it will be difficult for you to gain the weight you are looking for.
The key to becoming faster is to train the fast twitch fibers at 100% effort. The crossfit way of doing exercises with reps in the 50, 100, 200 range will not train the muscle to be explosive. Fast twitch fibers have to have recovery in between sets to allow them maximum explosion for the next set.
Over time you can gain strength from the crossfit design. As you condition yourself your body will be able to do more weight. You will not reach your full potential strength or power.
My reasoning behind this blog. I recently performed the combat test for the Brentwood Fire Department. While at the test site I met a guy who told me he just recieved his "crosscit certification." He then informed me his time on the combat test was the fastest until I did my test. He wanted to know what I did for training. I told him how and why I train. My method resulted in a time of 1:54; his crossfit training got him a time of 2:04.
My point is, I train for told body strength, power, & endurance. Crossfit trained him for muslce endurance.
Like I said, what do you want from your training?
Stay Strong
Matt Holder, M.S. CSCS