Why CrossFit Is Not Ideal for Athletes Training for Their Sport
As a performance coach with over 20 years of experience specializing in hockey players, I’ve encountered many questions about training methodologies. One frequent inquiry is whether CrossFit is suitable for athletes looking to improve their performance in sports. The short answer is no. While CrossFit offers some benefits for general fitness enthusiasts, its principles and practices often clash with the specific needs and goals of sport-specific training. Here’s why:
Depth of Knowledge in Sport-Specific Training
Every sport has its own intricacies, requiring deep, applicable knowledge to effectively train athletes. As a hockey performance coach, I’ve spent decades understanding the biomechanical, physiological, and psychological demands of the sport. If a CrossFit athlete approached me and asked for training to excel in CrossFit, I’d decline—not because I lack training expertise, but because I’m not deeply versed in the nuances of their sport.
Similarly, a CrossFit coach—no matter how skilled they are in their discipline—cannot reasonably be expected to possess the sport-specific knowledge required to train athletes at an advanced level in sports like hockey, basketball, or soccer. Training an athlete goes beyond generic fitness; it’s about tailoring programs to optimize performance in their sport while minimizing injury risk.
Misalignment of Lifting Standards
CrossFit emphasizes specific lifting standards, such as achieving full squat depth. While this may align with their competition requirements, it’s not applicable—and can even be detrimental—to athletes in other sports.
Squat Depth: Most athletes don’t reach full squat depth during competition, nor should they. Requiring such depth can overstretch tendons, which athletes need to remain elastic and rigid for optimal spring and explosiveness. Not every body type is suited for deep squats, and for many athletes, this position forces them to rely on their lower back rather than their hips and glutes for stabilization.
Stabilization Patterns: The hips and glutes are the body’s primary stabilizers and movers, especially in athletic contexts. CrossFit’s deep squat demands often shift stabilization to the lower back, creating compensatory firing patterns that are counterproductive and potentially harmful for athletes.
Misaligned Performance Indicators
Athletic performance is often measured through indicators like speed and vertical jump height, which showcase power and peak velocity. These metrics are crucial in sports and are directly linked to an athlete’s success on the field, ice, or court. CrossFit, however, does not prioritize these metrics. Its competitions focus on endurance, work capacity, and repetitive effort, which are not top priorities for most athletes.
Speed and Jumping Ability: CrossFit athletes generally lack the explosive power needed to excel in speed-based and jumping performance metrics. This is likely why CrossFit competitions don’t emphasize these tests: they are not areas where CrossFit athletes typically excel.
Work Capacity vs. Speed: Work capacity—the ability to work hard for extended periods—is a central goal in CrossFit and is often seen as a positive trait. However, in sports like hockey, excessive focus on work capacity can lead to a decline in top-end speed. This leaves athletes chasing the puck instead of controlling it. Athletic training instead focuses on getting faster and raising the ceiling for speed. When top speed improves, submaximal efforts become easier to sustain. For example, if an athlete’s max speed is 20 mph, maintaining 18 mph may be difficult to repeat. But if that same athlete increases their max speed to 22 mph, running at 18 mph becomes much easier and more repeatable.
Mismatch in Physical Demands: CrossFit favors body types built for repetitive lifting and endurance—shorter limbs, longer torsos, and compact builds. Athletes, on the other hand, often have longer limbs that generate more force and peak velocity but are less suited to the high-repetition, fatigue-oriented demands of CrossFit.
The Body Type Factor
The ideal body type for CrossFit differs significantly from what’s advantageous in most sports. CrossFit athletes often resemble powerlifters or Olympic lifters, with shorter limbs and longer torsos. This provides a mechanical advantage for moving heavy weights over shorter distances and maintaining endurance over time.
Athletes in most sports, however, tend to have longer limbs and greater leverage. While this makes them highly effective at generating force and achieving high velocities, it also means they expend more energy to perform movements like lifting weights or running. This difference in biomechanics is why CrossFit athletes struggle to excel in traditional sports and why athletes often find CrossFit’s demands counterproductive.
Conclusion
CrossFit is a specialized sport with its own rules, standards, and demands. While it can build general fitness, it is not suited for training athletes who aim to improve sport-specific performance. Athletes require tailored programs that address their sport’s unique demands, emphasize proper biomechanics, and prioritize performance indicators like speed, power, and agility.
CrossFit coaches excel at preparing individuals for CrossFit competitions. However, expecting them to train athletes for advanced levels in other sports undermines the depth of knowledge required in sport-specific training. Athletes and parents should seek coaches with expertise in their respective sports to ensure training programs are effective, safe, and performance-enhancing.
By focusing on what truly matters for athletes—strength, speed, power, and sport-specific skills—we can build programs that translate directly to success on the field, court, or ice. After all, training isn’t just about working hard—it’s about working smart and purposefully.
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