My experience myself has been mixed. I found that the majority of what he said was very applicable and knowledgeable. To be honest, I feel I learned more in one week than I did after achieving my degree. I do feel that there are many claims Chuck makes that seem to be a little on the deep end but with everything you do need to take it with a grain of salt and do your own research.

I’m surprised that you have had little results with the insulin protocol because that actually seemed to work the best for me and in a very short amount of time. After completing the course, I went from 16% to 12% in about a month using the insulin protocol. But it is hard to say which had more of an influence; the no carb diet protocol or the supplements. I feel strongly that it was a mix of both, but if I were to do a no carb diet again without the supplements who knows if I’d have the same results.

Personally, the hardest protocol for me to see results with was with the cortisol modulation. Other than providing more restful sleep, I hadn’t noticed much change in the scores.

All in all, I think your assessment of the overall BioSig course was spot on. The supplements I recommend most are the HCl, zinc, mag, and fish oil and have had great success with all.

In terms of crossfit, I can understand where Poliquin is coming from. Sometimes I think Chuck doesn’t understand that there are trainers out there working with ordinary people who are just looking to get in shape and that not everyone has the privilege of working with only elite level athletes. I can also understand his point on the olympic lifts and high volume. They’re so technical that strict form is absolutely necessary as to not develop an imbalance. I’ve noticed this when watching a few videos of people performing crossfit routines. The videos of women doing overhead squats and clean and jerks for high reps (15+) are the most notable.

To be honest though, I do hold his PICP certification higher than his BioSig certs. They’re applicable to every one of my clients and personally I’ve had great success and unbelievable strength gains.

Keep up the good work!

I appreciate your thoughts on this….I think CF is great for what it sets out to accomplish, I think anyone in CF would benefit from Charles material. Always so much to learn.

Some interesting and insightful comments indeed. As one of your fellow attendees of the Biosignature seminar in question and a PhD candidate in Exercise Physiology, I’m a bit curious as to your claim that you “…had a far better background than anyone else in attendance.” Perhaps I missed the discussion of when we all compared educational background, practical experience, research experience, results, etc. and then were ranked?

Intelligence claims aside, I remember chatting with you about CF during the seminar and it was clear to me that neither you nor anyone else you were (are) affiliated with was making any false claims about the validity or application of CF. You appeared to be abundantly clear that there was a time and place for what you all do. Period. It’s my opinion that the criticisms of CF are in many instances unfounded and stem from a lack of knowledge. I’m personally quite tired of the apparent pissing contest between strength coaches about who’s best and what works best. It’s too bad that CF got dragged through the mud to the extent that it did. I think you guys are doing a good thing and as Mark Rippetoe wrote, I’ve yet to see anything that works better that a low-carb diet and CrossFit for getting people lean. I’m not a CF coach so when I need to get someone lean, I kick their ass for about :45 minutes and keep ‘em on a low-carb diet. Someone else might call it German Body Comp, someone else Escalating Density Training. It all looks pretty similar to me. Why try to pick fly shit out of pepper?

Take care,

John

Andy-
that would either be lactaid for the milk or a general enzyme blend called Super Enzymes by NowFoods.

big thanks for recommending Faigin’s “Natural Hormonal Enhancement”. It’s honestly been my all time favorite read for better understanding how the body responds hormonally to food (exercise, stress, sleep, etc). Based on your recommendations, I now follow a cyclical low carb diet, practice IF and also sleep in a completely dark room. Most recently I’ve begun supplementing Betaine HCL, Zinc/Magnesium, Methylated Vitamins, and fish oil into my diet. It’s all coming together for me. I feel great, I’m adding more weight in the gym, and I’m sleeping like a baby!!!! I can’t thank you enough for sharing your extensive knowledge through your blog. Your efforts are very much appreciated.

I do have a couple of questions concerning additional supplements. I basically understand stress causes excess cortisol production (bad) and vitamin C reduces excess cortisol (good). When is the best time to take Vitamin C to affect cortisol production? post workout? bedtime? early morning? All of the above?

Also, do you still recommend your clients supplement w/ creatine and glutamine?

a million thanks for all you do!

cheryl

Hey Girl!
vit-c is great PWO, or late evening. I like creatine, kinda ambivalent on the glutamine…hav enot seen stunning results with it. Thansk for the kind words and Im glad its all coming together!

Thanks for the detailed write-up. Extremely interesting, both in the review and the arguments.

I am familiar with the benefits of Zinc and Fish Oil, and have been taking them for months, but HCl is new to me. Could you point me towards a decent resource for learning more about this or (even better) provide your own views? Searching your site didn’t turn up anything.

Daniel-
Low stomach acid leads ot poor digestion. stress, lack of minerals etc. can impair stomach acid production…it can become a vicious feed forward loop. I have a burly section on this for the book…have to wait for that or just do some digging on the net!

Not sure the point you are trying to make here. Feels like Crossfit advocates are spending way to much time defending crossfit instead of listening to constructive critisism and using it better your system. I feel there are some very good things about crossfit and it seems to be getting better and better. However, having 4 Olympians this year, 16 N.H.L athletes, 3 M.L.B athletes , 14 Division 1A athletes under my current current coaching belt, I do feel qualified ( as does Charles ) at giving valid critiques regarding crossfit or any other training program. Very difficult to discuss these by simple articles and writing a rebuttal exclusive to your site.

Scot-
I guess it’s the deal of painting us all as a bunch of para-military buffoons who do little more than step aerobics! I said in the article that I think Charles has much to offer most of the folks doing CF, in particular higher end strength development. I’d hopped to talk to him about this after the biosignature seminar…but I guess that’s a bit of a pipe-dream now. I still recommend that folks attend his offerings, I’m not liking the results of most of the supplementation interventions…I’m not sure how much more objective I can be when admittedly, I DO have a dog in the fight.

I appreciate you thoughts and wish you continued success with your impressive list of folks.

Consider a chapter on low-fruit intake? For my diabetics I slide their carbs depending on stress, sleep deprivation and vast desaturase-issues… like 20-50 grams only daily. This as you aware may only be like 2 bites of banana. You know what I’m sayin? You mentioned to me that Paleo living had immense periods of time with little fruit (or only hard-to-pick wild berries) right?

It’s good you DREAM. I luv Nicki (&covet her 6-pak)! AND I can see a pack of Paleo babies soon!!!!! *wink* better start storing up your SLEEP dude…vit ‘S’ for supermen like u

(BTW NOW brand — they’ll put ur name and face on the label if u ask; as u know I almost use this brand exclusively 4 friends and family)

Girl, I am all over a “strippers for a better America” health initiative!! Frack-yea! You are spot on with the low-fruit intake…Cordain has been slower to adopt this but you see it in his recommendations now. Damn dirty carbs!

I just need to convice Nicki that she is “bi-curious” and into brainy Asian chicks…I suspect that would grease the wheels of baby-making pretty quickly…

I did some short searching around but didn’t come up with a lot on menthylated multis.

A note on your:

“I have yet to see anything touch CrossFit, a low carb diet, sleep and fish oil for leaning out.”

Sleep is so important yet so under-rated. Good to have that emphasized every now and then so people remember.

Shaf!
I get a lot of questions on this so I need to beef up the FAQ’s a bit to cover this. Do you remember the Rx from Protein Power:Lifeplan? Pretty damn solid. Magnesium, alpha lipoic acid, cod liver oil (Grace will be all over this for the A&D). I just received an email from Pedro Bastos saying it’s critical we get some vit k2 from supps or organ meats…just cant do it with standard meats.

The sleep dealio:It can COMPLETELY cock-block any and all fat loss. I think OPT made the point that his folks with sleep dep who: Train & eat low carb are just barely staving off type 2 diabetes due to the hormonal dysregulation. It’s no fucking joke. If I could sell sleep in a pill…oh man!

BUT, there’s a reason the CF community is easy to scrutinize from the outside. Consider what follows as perceptions from a different set of eyes, not a blatant attempt to piss in the punch.

A ‘thing’ cannot be debated or argued unless it is defined. Too often we try to define something by what it isn’t, which is sort of what Poliquin has attempted. Unfortunately for the non-CF affiliated world (including yours truly), there doesn’t seem to be a strong definition to what Crossfit IS. Bodytribe (a stupid little gym in Sacramento) has often been labeled as a CF gym simply because we have GPP combos, use kettlebells and have a vast collection of bumper plates.

So is it the equipment that defines CrossFit (let’s face it, there is a cookie-cutter template that most CF gyms follow. Rings? Check. Warehouse-like atmosphere? Check.)?

Is it a philosophy? During a lengthy discussion on Mel Siff’s Supertraining forum I posed the question of what the philosophy of CF was. Each response was identical, but not a single one was actually a philosophy. They were simply regurgitated (or sometimes verbatim) ideas of the protocol discussed on the main CF homepage (this type of multi-person, single-voice response also leads to the outside world’s judgment of CF as ‘cult-like,’ as Poliquin mentioned). Eventually one person wrote a very eloquent response from personal experience, but it was quickly evident that this was HIS philosophy, not necessarily a CF one.

Is CF a protocol then? I’ve encountered many a folk, trainers and trainees alike, who claim to be ‘CrossFit’ simply because they throw a bunch of exercises together. So is creating a gut-busting circuit CrossFit? If so, then anyone who has ever put a few movements together and created a substantial sweat from it would be considered ‘CrossFit.’

Is CrossFit the sport of getting better at mastering the official WODs?

As an ‘outsider’ I’m not unfamiliar with the workings of CF (I actually DO know people who were less than thrilled with the level 1 cert. but that’s neither here nor there). Having been to several locations, communicated with many CF affiliates, trained dozens of folks who have been part of the CF world, and participated in probably all of the original WOD’s, I still couldn’t tell you what CrossFit actually thinks CrossFit is. I can find great strengths and great faults in my perception of CrossFit (no, I won’t go into them here). I believe Poliquin is arguing from a common perception that is shared by many. I speak of the view from the outside when I say it is easy to write CF off as a trend or a cult since it doesn’t seem to have a cohesive response to a lot of the critique against it. Can you speak for all of CF when you defend it? I’m not even sure Glassman can do that anymore.

And here’s where it gets tricky. If you do something at NorCal (like assessment testing before Oly lifting, for instance), is it therefor CrossFit? I’ve never experienced it from ANY other CF I’ve been in contact with, unless they also practice other policies and protocols as well. If a CF affiliate also utilizes, say, Scott Sonnon’s methods, is RMAX suddenly CrossFit? I know many CF facilities are embracing AKC methods… will this be considered CrossFit? Would Olympic lifting or ‘Starting Strength’ be considered CrossFit?

CrossFit, at this point, seems like something that wants to evolve, but is having a hard time because there isn’t a solid base from which TO evolve. The kernel from which to grow isn’t strongly defined. The outside perception of the foundation of the CrossFit concept is simply a workload protocol utilizing compound movements. Is CrossFit more than this? Only through (it seems) splinter cells trying new things. I could see Poliquin arguing that CF would be a tool, not the toolbox, and that isn’t necessarily inaccurate until someone can define CF as a complete package addressing a great deal more than just workload.

Just because the tenets of fitness are listed on the CF homepage doesn’t mean that what CF puts into practice actually meets those (for instance you don’t see too many CF articles or videos dealing with ‘flexibility.’). Someone like Poliquin is pointing that out, and even through a potentially pompous pair of eyes, he is voicing what many are thinking.

Please don’t judge this post as any sort of gauntlet dropping (aw, heck, judge it however you want), but maybe I can give some insight to his critiques. Since no one from different physical culture camps ever seem to want to meet at a neutral table, ideas become attacks instead of discussions. Consider this not a defense of Poliquin’s words, just some reasoning behind it, and some possibilities for future thought.

Ask yourself how you’d define CF.

Chip-
We need to splice together our RSS feeds…it would spawn something truly un-gawdly. I tackle a bunch of the CF defining over at your place…perhaps folks can click through to check it out there.

Regarding CP’s and other people’s take on CrossFit: A while ago, you had a post on the Weston-Price diet, specifically “… personal attacks leveled at Prof. Cordain for his position on Sat’d fat. Sally Fallon and Mary Enig have really taken him to task on this topic and not in a nice or professional way. It burns my ass because Prof. Cordain always conducts himself with class and professionalism. He sticks to the facts as he sees them, states his case and provides ample opportunity for rebuttal. This SHOULD be how scientific inquiry occurs.”

I find it interesting that neither MB or CP ever reference “What is Fitness” or”Understanding CrossFit.” It is this lack of interest in learning or listening that makes me wonder what they are really doing with their comments. Is it some kind of guerrilla marketing or are they really just that arrogant and unprofessional? It is a little confusing, but you did a good job of focusing the discussion. Maybe if CP reads this post he will… nevermind.

Saul…I think this needs to go on the front page. This is a REALLY good point: No one ever attacks the foundational pieces of crossfit. There were some folks on the message board trying to, but as usual, they offer no better point, they simply say “it’s not so”.

As for the whole world of fitness celebrities….when did any of them ever really get along? But that’s ok….we take what is best from all and apply as needed. That and leave the bosu balls out by the trash.

Fried. With onions works well for liver!

I found this article about chocolate milk for post workout and wondered what you think, and if you have seen any of the studies spoken of? I want to hear from you since I really respect your opinion. Thanks for all the great info.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/13279/ask-the-doc-dr-johnny-benjamin-on-a-surprisingly-effective-supplement.mma

clay-
Some folks SWEAR by the PWO choc milk. Damn yummy…not sure how healthy it is for the long haul but there is no doubt it works. I think there less gnarly ways to do it…but one just needsw to get in and tinker.

Beryl-
Thanks for the kind words! Hmmm…I think it’s just a matter of getting done with school and then finding folks to work with OR do private consulting. I think there are some interesting opportunities here to do corporate wellness programs looking at before and after using a paleo approach. I think you are in a perfect area to do this…lots of opportunity!

Chris-
HCl is money…cheap as dirt but it works great. I see no problem with this long term. If you add Zinc to the mix you SHOULD decrease your need for HCl over time. The hot feeling is pretty obvious when you start getting a higher dose, you will know if when you feel it.

It’s guys like you that make newbs like me feel like I can run an affiliate. Your attitude, knowledge and dedication to your students is apparent even in your writing. Can’t wait for the book, and attendance at a Nutrition Cert. one day.

Bob!
Thanks for the kind words…always a pleasure to be of service to folks.

All that to simply say, sweet potatoes appear to be one of the highest sources of Vitamin A. I thought this particularly interesting since it is your number one recommendation for PWO carbs with respect to recovery. I was just thinking if you didn’t already know that connection, it might be an even stronger reason to recommend sweet potatoes as the go to PWO carb. Rather than touting them for their slow absorbtion, starchy, goodness, you can add that fact they allow better protein utilizatin and help in the production of testosterone.

http://www.modernforager.com/blog/2008/11/17/how-vitamins-a-d-e-and-k-interact-part-1-the-players/
http://www.westonaprice.org/men/vitaminabodybuilding.html
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=106

Kyle-
I’ve not read it but that’s excellent material. Scott kicks ass! Something ot keep in mind, the vit-a of the yam/sweet potato is beta-carotene, which much be converted into retinoic acid. I think the best route is via organ meats…loads of vit A&D. Cod liver oil is perfect for this also.

Moshe-
I just tried to tackle the thing as objectively as I could…really give the technology to show it’s merits. Unfortunately, the supplement side is not panning out to be a miracle. Oh well…no easy roads except for D-ball, no?

The leaning out process I’m thinking…low carb, crosssfit etc, is tough but VERY effective. Keep in mind, this is a highly modified variant of the CF.com WOD…these folks are overweight, sedentary and low work capacity so I start them slowly and carefully. That said, the full body movements which comprise the metabolic cercuits are fun, challenging and effective. It is stunning how quickly change occurs when compliance is good.

I’ve been off of the main CF boards of late and was wondering what had you and Greg Everett so peeved.

Before I transitioned to this field I worked in IT for a few big corporations and the information silos / hoarding happens over there as well. There’s a lot of sharing in the overall community, but pissing contests abound and just try getting some information from someone that feels at all threatened.

The best people in tech and the best people I’ve seen in the S&C field have an open mind and realize any given methodology is just that — a tool set. Experiment and choose wisely. Shift your paradigm. Or, as my BJJ instructor Marcos Santos said “Change Your Angle!”

Zactly!

For the past couple days my stool has been blackish green, which I googled and found out it could be caused by an ulcer, which also caused stomach pain, which I have had for the better part of the last week.

My stomach hurts so much when I eat that I have not eaten more than a few blocks in the last couple days, which is causing me to lose all my hard earned weight while doing SS and GOMAD.

Any insight?

P.S. I realize ulcers and dark colored poo are not your specialty, but I figured that maybe your studies in nutrition might have showed you some different ways in which ulcers and the conditions that come with it occur.

Hunter-
I’d ditch the salty foods and if thigns do not improve immediately I’ get checked by your doc. Tarry black stools are indicitive of blood in the GI tract…no bueno. Typically we see GERD/ulcers in high carb situations but I think salt can be an irritant as well.
Let me know how all this plays out.

Welbourn’s take on CP parallels mine…he’s got a lot of money riding on his system and he’s loath to give up any small amount of it for free…let’s not forget that Poliquin was balls deep into Biotest’s ass for the first 3-4 years of that companies existence, and shilled the Biotest supplements while pretending to be an uninterested party.

However, to ignore that Crossfit also can be a versatile and effective money making system is a mistake. Boyle came off like an idiot in his critique too.

Again, nice piece, I enjoy reading your blog, as usual.

SHAF!!!!!
Dude, great to hear from you man and thanks for the props. Honestly, I was hopping the biosig stuff would change everything I did…Ido said it would be 90% consistent with what I was already doing, provide some insights in other areas. I’d say that was spot on.

Weird.

fudge that! Then everyone will find out about my college drug usage…oops, I guess they just did.

In working with athletes from everything from Endurance sports to the NFL I have yet to use a program or a system that is so well adaptive to an individuals need’s. It is the staple part of our programming as you know, it is also used in our off seasons… When you remove sport, you can continue to CrossFit, therefore not loosing fitness. Funny thing about the other programs I’ve used is that when my athletes went to training camps or in final prep for a season they got fitter for their sport. With CrossFit as our protocol my athletes get de-conditioned every time by these training camps and final prep phases of training that I have no control of. Every time! JW is a prime example of this, and he came here the same way I did… An open mind, and completely unaware of what CrossFit really was.

Brian

BROTHER!!!
So true…properly dosed CF just kicks ass. It takes a little tinkering to figure out time indexing to fit a sport, how much and what kinds of stimulus is needed amidst skill sessions…how to taper for best effect. Everyone is different and it just takes some observational skills and willingness to fuck-up a few times!
See you in Reno if not before.

Your nutri cert did a FANTASTIC job with recommending common labs that represent health status: fasting glucose, lipid panel, LDL particle size, etc. (YOU R-O-C-K !!) From the medical literature, the TG/HDL ratio is a good estimate of insulin and insulin resistance status. Ideal 60/60 and really really ideal (ie, Crossfit-worthiness!!) is 30/60 (or lower 30/90). A ratio of > 5.0 is associated high insulin and heart risks. As you were discussing, I think fasting insulin is great to evaluate too (with goal < 5 or negligible amounts).

Don’t forget all of us in Northern Cal are becoming mildly vitamin D deficient right now — the 25(OH)D test is a common test now (blood or order online) — goal 60-80 ng/ml is promoted by the Vitamin D Council and many experts. It’s a great hormone which improves insulin resistance. In one study it lowered body fat. Lowers CRP too (and prevents colon cancer).

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and considerate comments!

-G

What’s up Hotness!?! Because of you my book now has a chapter on Vit-d…damn you! Seriously though, thanks for you interest, suggestions and contributions…always great stuff. Hot-Smart-Chicks…what could be better?!

This is what made your review on the seminar especially valuable Robb. Every review I’ve come across on it just talk about what happened during the seminar and then maybe offer their biosig services and Poliquin’s supplements. You have, however, taken the extra step of testing it on yourself and your trainers and reporting the results and what you think about it.

Please keep reporting on your experimentation with biosig!

Alicia-
Thank you for the kind words. The sought thing….the REALLY tempting thing is that people LOVE pills and potions. I could have simply added a truck-load of supps to my already effective program, folks might even comply better because of all the cash outlay…the results would be good because they already are good…but I just could not charge people money for something that I KNEW was not benefiting them. Fish oil, methylated-b’s…some minerals…Vit-d (this one’s for you Grace!) I’m totally comfortable with all that. I can measure blood work that shows improvement…it’s rare that I see much efficacy beyond that. Thanks again Alicia!

I had heard of CP before, but did not know too much about him prior to reading your blog and his how thing with crossfit.

i’ve been introduced to a lot of alternative medicine/diet? things via crossfit (zone, paleo, biosignature) that are not generally accepted by mainstream medicine or have not gone through rigorous randomized controlled trials.

what I want to know is, with a limited knowledge, how do i separate fiction from fact? I’m especially skeptical when people run these things as money-making businesses. The biosignature thing sounds pretty out there – if it was that effective wouldn’t we have seen it being used clinically? zone and paleo i can accept because it makes sense logically and there is an increasing body of evidence.

Dan-
that’s a good question. Whenever I talk to someone about web/computer based stuff I just have to take it a bit on faith that they are right about what they are doing. With the health stuff I encourage people to check how they feel, perform and look. Additionally I recommend a series of blood panels to show what’s happ[ening before and after tweaking the diet. This SHOULD really clarify things for folks and removes the smoke and mirrors.

Just to clarify: I do think the biosignature has diagnostic value for what is happening hormonally, just not as sure the supplements have much, if any efficacy.

WORD

As for Polinquin, I was told from another coach who has either done or looked into that camp and going forward, that Charles only likes what Charles does. He will also state he only trains athletes or bodybuilders, basically not the everyday person that CrossFit targets and can appeal to; but specialty cases. As for whether crossfit is appropriate to elite athletes of any discipline has been beaten to death, but again he is just trying to feed his followers that he has the right path.

Blair-
Honestly, I’ll take my soccer moms, cops and school teachers over “elite athletes” any day. I feel like i actually make a difference in the lives of our clients…a stud athlete is going to be a stud athlete almost regardless of what I do. Perhaps this is low-brow training but it makes me happy.

Nick-
look up the HTMF-R genotype for specifics on the methylated-b’s….it’s pretty interesting stuff. The cortisol management is fairly detailed…I think I might try to put together an e-book to help folks navigate that scenario. It gets complex because you need to know am/pm cortisol levels, dhea-s and some other goodies. How you tackle the whole thing matters and I’m a little nervous to throw out a 101 approach to the whole thing when it could actually make the condition worse. Aye! I’ll get that project going just as soon as I write those two CFJ articles I obligated myself to, the PM articles…the blog posts I want to hit….Oh, and that book thingy I’m writing. Fudge!

Hang in there with the book… moving, teaching, traveling, running a biz – ya gotta love being pulled in 80 different directions!

Looking forward to December – see you then.

ALSO…. book status?

John-
Yes in that I hit paleo, insulin management, stress/cortisol management but that’s stuff I already hit. Book…coming along…slow going.

Measured, respectful, tactful, and on point throughout. My professional life is spent in the medical world; ego and attribution fuel competition where none is necessary. The fact that I see it in the fitness world is not terribly surprising, but the vitriol and lack of respect and politesse is disturbing. The simple fact that you refer to CP as either “CP”, “Charles”, or “Coach Poloquin” throughout makes the impolite and disrespectful manner in which many posters refer to Coach that much more objectionable.

Thanks for the thoughtful response and the time you spent in doing it.

Darrell

I guess I just buy into the “all boats rise” argument and many don’t.

Their ignorance on CF and other topics is hurting their business and based on their apparent personal make ups I’m fine with that.

People do not like change, and CrossFit is just that.

What is unfortunate is that he is clearly an ego-maniac and threatened by alternative methods to his own. The client name-dropping was my first clue (ex., Sam Grabow was not a #1 draft pick, he was #21 in the 1st round).

His commentary on CrossFit was simply disappointing, and not from a “in defense of CrossFit” position. I’ve been training for 30 years and competed in many different sports from water polo to skiing to triathlons and marathons. For many years I was an avid bodybuilder and then powerlifter. With as few people in our population exercising at all, why do many gurus feel the need to make fitness seem so complex or dangerous? The only reason I can fathom: ego and money. A guy like Poliquin (and Boyle) should be applauding the growth and success of CrossFit (or other successful programs) and highlight the reasons for success. I won’t give the guy my money for that reason alone.

He’s as stupid as he is smart.

Craig-
I’d say that is a pretty fair assessment. I’d have to second the sentiment that it was disapointing when he posted this stuff. I’d hoped there might be some synergy and cross-pollination between the two camps, but I tend to be naive with this stuff. The name dropping is an interesting point. Many of the CF detractors launch all manner of accusations at Coach Glassman but he has always been humble in this regard. He mentions we have people at the top levels of various sports but tends not to out them. I think there is some enviable integrity in this.

It’s interesting to note: There are haters of all varieties who just nit-pick both Poliquin and Glassman…to what affect? These same detractors have never built anything, or helped anyone…just bile and vitriol. Nice.

Sean-
Alexandria, VA

John Welbourn

John-
This is a great post…much appreciated. You are a huge (no pun intended!) asset to the CF community. The “give it all away” approach just bedevils the masses. Great points John and a much needed perspective.
BTW-The extra L will be gone asap!

Anthony-
Yea, we talked a fair amount. He never commented on the CF deal but it was after that week that the original T-nation piece came out, then his case against CF. Guess I pushed him over the edge?!
Everyone knew I (as well as Scotty) owned a CrossFit affiliate as we introduced ourselves at the beginning, and of course, I had on T-shirts. I had a few questions from other attendees about CF. They were almost universally NSCA/ACSM folks. People were friendly enough but there is some obvious ignorance about CF based on their questions.

I had a very strong grasp of the material from the outset and I think that might have tempered peoples vitriol towards CF. Charles referred to me as “brainiac” by day two and generally things were mellow.