Gotta love California marketing. They're trying to go against proven methods, and I guess that's one way to be innovative, but no one doing CrossFit and CrossFit Endurance (caveat: unless they're ex pro level athlete in an endurance sport competing in my age group *cry like a little biatch*) is going to place top 3 overall at any race. If you want to be overall fit, cool, do CF+CFE. If you want to be competitive at endurance sports you need the specificity. Crossfit Orangeville has some competitive MTB athletes but I guarantee you they're not only doing what's on crossfit.com and crossfitendurance.com These one size fits all plans fit only a small portion of the population and we all know that.
First hand looking at the Marine Corps, which has gotten into crossfit in a big way and has helped boost this crossfit culture, certain Marines will still be fat and slow even if they crossfit. Only crossfitting doesn't get you an 18min 3mi unless you're genetically gifted, and the new combat fitness test is a joke as well. A Master Gunnery Sergeant who's been in the Marines for over 20 years once told me, "Yea, everyone's all into this crossfit shit with the short workouts and intensity, and you know what? Marines are still going to be fat, we'll just think we're cool"
To echo what others have said, I think it's important to weight train but for people looking to combine weight training and endurance, I'd point them towards Mark Twight (of
Gym Jones fame) or Rob Shaul (
www.mtnathlete.com or
www.militaryathlete.com ). The cult of crossfit is getting out of hand, but I do appreciate what they're doing in a way, trying to bring fitness and nutritional insight to the masses. It works......for the masses.
http://www.facebook.com/ReconFoundationTeam http://www.facebook.com/MarineReconFoundation http://www.reconfoundation.org