Greg Glassman is the originator of the Crossfit method of elite fitness. He refers to Crossfit as a community of legitimate practitioners who come together to create and expand Crossfit as a method based on function, intensity and variance. This past weekend I had the honor of attending their certification seminar in Santa Cruz California as both a participant and presenter.
Through their intensive, three-day course I was introduced to the fundamentals of Crossfit and the importance of their perfections as well as some of the other training modalities that fall under the Crossfit banner. More importantly, I had my formal introduction to the Crossfit community and was fortunate enough to present Parkour as yet another practice that falls squarely within the realm of function, intensity and variance.
Without going into the amazing array of detail that I might be inclined to include in my excitement, let it suffice to say that being included amongst the presenters of the seminar is an honor beyond any goal I might have set. Besides Coach Glassman and the Crossfit Santa Cruz trainers (who are in a league all their own), the presenters for the weekend included coach Mike Burgener from mikesgym.org (a world-famous Olympic Weightlifting coach), Jeff Martone from tacticalathlete.com (a world famous kettlebell instructor), coach Michael Rutherford (creator of Boot Camp Fitness ) Mark Rippetoe (author of Starting Strength and world-class power-lifting coach) Jon Hackleman (The Pitmaster and trainer of mixed martial artists such as the UFC light-heavywieght champion, Chuck Liddell ) and Roger Harrell (creator of the website Drills and Skills ). To have Parkour recognized with equal prominence amongst the Crossfit community was a hue opportunity, and to be able to represent our art alongside such prominent names in the strength and conditioning realm seemed a bit daunting. Fortunately, I couldn’t have been introduced to a more supportive and motivated group, and I am buzzing with this confident exictment about the future of Parkour within the Crossfit methodology. Between the passion and positive energy of the Crossfit affiliates in attendance to the rigorous workouts and the top-class presenters I realized the value and quality of the Crossfit community. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to bring American Parkour into the mix, and I hope that we can take note of what it takes to create and sustain a positive and productive movement that benefits from the quality of the individual’s participation within it. This is just the beginning of our affiliation with Crossfit, and I am working hard in hopes that both communities can benefit each other equally. Huge thanks to Greg and Lauren Glassman, Annie Sakamoto, Tony Budding, Eugene Allen and the rest of the Crossfit regulars who came together to make the entire experience possible. You can check out the handful of pictures HERE
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