The Naysayers Say ... "CrossFit Is No Good For Sports Prep"

There are many "experts" who say - generally without having any idea of what CrossFit is - "CrossFit will get you no where as a strength and conditioning program.  It just makes you good at CrossFit."

Luckily, these four guys didn't know that.

NFL running back Ray Rice is interviewed by Men's Health:
"What does your strength-training regimen look like? How often are you in the gym, and what are you doing in there?

"In the off-season I do a lot of powerlifting. Especially coming out of the season. I'm working out four days a week and I use one day as a recovery day. On Wednesday I get a massage, deep tissue, just to work everything out. But I do a lot of powerlifting and a lot of explosions and a lot of CrossFit now. A lot of guys are getting into that. So that's really how my routine goes. The CrossFit was very new to me, but one thing I learned about it was it was a change of pace. So when I stopped doing my powerlifting, I went into CrossFit, and CrossFit, obviously, was different because you're just non-stop. You keep going and it wasn't as long as my powerlifting sessions were, but it did get me in great shape."

http://www.mensfitness.com/leisure/sports/ray-rice-is-ready-to-lead-the-ravens

"Cerrillo has been training Matt Hasselbeck, former Seattle Seahawks QB and current Tennessee Titan.

Hasselbeck says his first exposure with CrossFit came from his brother Tim, who CrossFitted and impressed his family with his “chiseled” physique. Their father, Don, a veteran Reebok sports-marketing executive and Super Bowl champion, started CrossFit and also impressed Matt.

“He looked like me,” Matt says. “I need to step up my game.”

Hasselbeck was skeptical at first, but he gave CrossFit a try. He knew it would be hard but good, but he had no idea if it would transfer over to the gridiron.

“The thing I didn’t know is how much of this stuff would really help me in the season,” he says."

http://journal.crossfit.com/2011/09/hasselbeck.tpl 

"Third-year Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno is ready for the 2011 NFL season. The Georgia product has been training with Matt Chan at CrossFit Verve to improve his game, and Moreno is already making an impression in the preseason.

"Training a professional football player brought an exciting challenge for Chan.

"“I know their plays are short. The time that they’re in the game is sometimes very limited. But when they’re required to do work, it’s explosive,” he says.

"According to Chan, his training for Moreno incorporates that explosive element.

"“We’re trying to move a very large load a long distance and quickly,” he says. “It’s benefiting him because, you know, he’s able to move faster with that heavy load.”

"Moreno is also happy with his coach."

http://journal.crossfit.com/2011/08/knowshon.tpl

"Pittsburgh Steelers starting fullback Will Johnson almost didn’t make the NFL.

"The West Virginia University graduate missed a post-college shot at the league because of the 2011 lockout. Determined, he started training with Andy Hendel at CrossFit Charlotte in North Carolina after moving to the state with his fiancee.

"Johnson stayed motivated by printing out the National Athletic Combine stats of the NFL’s top athletes and pasting them on his bathroom door.

"“So every morning I went to the bathroom door I could see those numbers and knew why I was gettin’ up, going to CrossFit in the morning, why I was goin’ to the field by myself,” he explains.

"When Johnson signed with the Steelers, he was ecstatic.

"“You wanna cry, you wanna yell,” he explains.

"Johnson’s fiancee says he might not have the best genes, but he does have the best work ethic."

http://journal.crossfit.com/2012/11/will-johnson.tpl