CrossFit Games... Fittest Alive or Best at Exercising?

[digrar]

I understand that, but the people I know who did ironmans could smoke a WOD like it was nothing.

I generated most of my non sheep joke related hate and disagree points when making a similar comment about ironmen last year. I gathered from that experience that an element of people commenting at the time didn't agree that moving from point a to point b quickly over a variety of surfaces was the best measurement of fitness.

 

[SpongeBob*24]

I would have to say that it is all in your definition of a "FIT" person.

I wouldn't call the winner of the CF games the Fittest alive!
I also wouldn't call the winner of the IRON man the Fittest alive either.

I think the best athlete in the world would be a mix of a MMA fighter, CF competitor, IRON man finisher and a PARKOUR bad ass.....
But that's just me.......:-":wall::blkeye:

 

[JBS]

I generated most of my non sheep joke related hate and disagree points when making a similar comment about ironmen last year. I gathered from that experience that an element of people commenting at the time didn't agree that moving from point a to point b quickly over a variety of surfaces was the best measurement of fitness.

I do not believe in this without qualification.

There are Kenyans who can run 26 miles in 2 hours and 3 minutes. Yet they probably could not generate enough upper body strength to climb a rope, or bench press more than 50 to 100lbs. Simply refining one's fitness in one specialized way does not make them the fittest. I wholeheartedly agree with you it's a great measure of fitness, just not the only measure. What is a featherweight world champion marathoner if not the epitome of a specialized athlete? In his field he has achieved the pinnacle of success- but only in that narrow area of athleticism. Why should we attach a disproportionate amount of significance to his endeavors in a specialized field while being willing to dismiss other specialized athletes in the same breath? Take for instance an Olympic powerlifter who can squat 800lbs. (363 kg)...

Is he less fit? He's every bit as specialized. Yet he probably could not run a quarter mile. If your metric is sustained output then the Kenyan is far fitter. If your metric is the ability to generate maximum power in minimum time, the Kenyan champion is not even in contention, weighing roughly the same as the powerlifter's arm.

Are we talking fitness from a survival standpoint? From the perspective of combat? The term "fittest" is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it?

 

[TLDR20]

I do not believe in this without qualification.

There are Kenyans who can run 26 miles in 2 hours and 3 minutes. Yet they probably could not generate enough upper body strength to climb a rope, or bench press more than 50 to 100lbs. Simply refining one's fitness in one specialized way does not make them the fittest. I wholeheartedly agree with you it's a great measure of fitness, just not the only measure. What is a featherweight world champion marathoner if not the epitome of a specialized athlete? In his field he has achieved the pinnacle of success- but only in that narrow area of athleticism. Why should we attach a disproportionate amount of significance to his endeavors in a specialized field while being willing to dismiss other specialized athletes in the same breath? Take for instance an Olympic powerlifter who can squat 800lbs. (363 kg)...

Is he less fit? He's every bit as specialized. Yet he probably could not run a quarter mile. If your metric is sustained output then the Kenyan is far fitter. If your metric is the ability to generate maximum power in minimum time, the Kenyan champion is not even in contention, weighing roughly the same as the powerlifter's arm.

Are we talking fitness from a survival standpoint? From the perspective of combat? The term "fittest" is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it?

I think that is what everyone is saying dude.

 

[pardus]

One thing I have found since moving to the USA is people here (particularly in the Military) put much more emphasis on strength and size over fitness, endurance, speed.
Ive rarely seen a big muscular strong guy be as fit like "normal" or smaller sized guys.

I'd challenge any crossfitter to complete an SAS selection course.

 

[digrar]

PTIs regularly fail SASR selection, generally most guys are within 5 or 10% of each other physically going into the course, it's the muscle between the ears that gets bloke through.

 

[ZmanTX]

I would say Special Ops fitness/fitness training is probably the most well rounded type of fitness out there.

 

[DAVE101]

Fitness =/= athleticism.

Fitness is the ability to survive and reproduce. So to find the fittest alive you should also judge communication skills and physical appearance, kinda like a Ms. Universe pageant (assuming the woman is still fertile). I think "most athletic" would be better fitting and harder to argue for these CrossFit studs.

 

[Diamondback 2/2]

The Olympic's gets broken down by event.

I would say that Olympic events are probably the best measure (by event) of "world title" but doubt anyone winning gold in an event is truly the best in that event in the world. Just the best out of who got to show up and performed well during that individual event.

 

[x SF med]

Psoas, not mannequin.

You will now point to the psoas on your mannequin, please. :wall::troll:

 

[SkrewzLoose]

OK, we obviously need our resident expert to settle this.
Has anyone seen WillBrink lately??

You will now point to the psoas on your mannequin, please. :wall::troll:

Can a mannequin have a psoas?

 

[pardus]

Can a mannequin have a psoas?

Only a crossfit fanboy mannequin!

 

[SkrewzLoose]

Damn, all my mannequins are PJs. :wall:

 

[pardus]

Damn, all my mannequins are PJs. :wall:

I hope you got the hair right.

 

[JBS]

Fitness =/= athleticism.

Fitness is the ability to survive and reproduce. So to find the fittest alive you should also judge communication skills and physical appearance, kinda like a Ms. Universe pageant (assuming the woman is still fertile). I think "most athletic" would be better fitting and harder to argue for these CrossFit studs.

In survival and looking at it from that evolutionary standpoint, I would rate athleticism higher than communication. There's individual evolution and then evolution within a society. Communication and other more complex functions would fall more squarely into the evolution of a society than the fitness of an individual. It's like we're saying this individual is fitter therefore he is more worthy, or perhaps just more likely to survive. More precisely, physical fitness rather than mental acuity. In the grand scheme of things, higher intelligence will always trump physical attributes on average. So we should narrow the scope of discussion to strictly physical fitness.

 

[amlove21]

Damn, all my mannequins are PJs. :wall:

Well. Played. For those scoring at home, thats a cross thread, necro inside joke triple score.

Rich Froning and Sam Briggs (who I worked out with in England a couple times 3 years ago) are genetically super duper awesome. Fittest on Earth? No. They are the best at xfit. Impressive and all, but niche-impressive.

 

[0699]

In my desire to be crowned "fittest person alive", I just did a pushup.

 

[x SF med]

Well. Played. For those scoring at home, thats a cross thread, necro inside joke triple score.

Rich Froning and Sam Briggs (who I worked out with in England a couple times 3 years ago) are genetically super duper awesome. Fittest on Earth? No. They are the best at xfit. Impressive and all, but niche-impressive.

And all your mannequins are GI Joe's with life-like hair and kung-fu grip... dressed as SEALs and sitting in the space capsule... so you can pretend to be a space shuttle door gunner, movie star and fanboy.... and you are jealous... 'cuz GI Joe with life-like hair don't need no fiber based hair product.

 

[JBS]

Well. Played. For those scoring at home, thats a cross thread, necro inside joke triple score.

Rich Froning and Sam Briggs (who I worked out with in England a couple times 3 years ago) are genetically super duper awesome. Fittest on Earth? No. They are the best at xfit. Impressive and all, but niche-impressive.

I loved how Froning just fucked up every interviewer in the first year or so when he hit the public scene.

They'd interview a highly placed female about her diet, and she'd be like, "I eat tuna and chicken every day for breakfst lunch and dinner". And then they'd get someone else, and they'd say, "I only eat organic tilapia and whole grain harvested from a south facing field in France". Then Froning was posed the same diet question, and he's like "I eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chocolate milk all day". I laughed my ass off.

 

[digrar]

The Olympic's gets broken down by event.

I would say that Olympic events are probably the best measure (by event) of "world title" but doubt anyone winning gold in an event is truly the best in that event in the world. Just the best out of who got to show up and performed well during that individual event.

Decathletes have to be in the mix somewhere, strength throwing, jumping, running, middle distance running, hurdles. Probably light on for endurance activities.