The Size of Health and Fitness…
Pictured above are some of the fittest people on the planet. All of them were 2009 CrossFit Games competitors. Take some time and click on each image. Look at the different body types. Notice the variety of body types. Notice the lack of extremes. These people aren’t carrying lots of excess body fat, but neither are they carrying too little body fat. Some of these people would be considered obese or borderline obese according to the Body Mass Index(BMI), again, a ridiculous invention. Weston A. Price, my favorite health and nutrition source, recommends that for optimum health people should avoid being overweight, but just as critically, avoid being underweight. I have found this same principle to be true for maximum performance in the gym. Studies in the 70′s, 80′s and 90′s show that people with a BMI of 25, which is moderately overweight according to today’s BMI, had the greatest longevity. Post your thoughts on the pictures above and the concept of body size as it relates to health and fitness to comments.
All Classes
Clean, 1 rep
Bench press, 1 rep
Clean is from the ground, power or squat.
Post total to comments.
Filed under: Olympic Lifts, Power Lifts
My thoughts are that all those people look like Crossfitters!
Functional shape, not one purpose (Bobybuilding, Gymnastics, O Lifter, etc.) but constantly varied. What Casey said.
Amazing! I guess because muscle weighs so much more than fat it messes up the BMI calculations. These bodies look amazing and strong….totally something to strive for!!
Bench – 195
OHS – 125 (10 lb PR)
Power Clean – 170 (10 lb PR)
When looking at the images, I can appreciate the time, effort, and dedication that it took to build these strong bodies!
When looking at the images of the women, I also think about the fact that as a society we are bombarded by images of an underweight body for women as being the ideal. For the majority of us women, that ideal is unobtainable (or can be obtained through unhealthy measures). I look forward to a day when strong, healthy women are more represented as an ideal to strive for. I know as a teenager and young woman, it would have been inspirational to see more mainstream images of healthy/fit women as a cultural ideal (maybe I was just reading the wrong magazines way back when I was a teenager?)
(p.s. I understand that some people’s bodies are naturally more muscular than others and some are naturally more lean…but just reflecting on the majority of us)
Amen to everything Amanda said.
JV
Performance and aesthetics are the two goals for most non-competitive crossfitter’s. I bet that there could be some blurred lines when it comes to wanting to lean down enough for looks but start losing out on performance. All of these athletes above are definitely at their fighting weights and not underweight would be my guess.
The guy who is standing with his shift off with black shorts looks really strong but not really cut. I would love to see this guy perform at some body weight exercises both at this weight and a little leaner. Obviously all of these athletes are “no joke” and I would not want to run into them in a gym somewhere.
How is paleo going for everyone? Just ask Casey or Andrea how much diet plays into both performance and aesthetics. Let’s continue to push Snohomish Crossfitters’!!!!!! It’s definitely encouraging to work out with you guys in the gym. See you soon!
Its funny that you mention the guy in the black shorts. He won the Crossfit Games in 2008 and didn’t do too badly in 2009.
Great thoughts Ryan. Yes Khalipa is one of the legendary CF monsters. 1st in ’08, 5th in ’09. Definitely strength is his forte, but he has no problem busting out muscle ups and pull ups. He is a freak. Could he get better if he were leaner? Maybe at some of those body weight movements? Possibly. Would he lose some strength? Possibly. Which is better for over all performance in CF? Who knows? It just depends on the day. It is up to everyone to figure that out for themselves. I have been 15 pounds lighter than I am right now. 5k was the same. Cindy was maybe a round or 2 better then. Total was approximately 110 pounds less. Snatch was about 20 pounds less and C&J was about 30 pounds less. So for me in this little experiment I have found that i like being a bit heavier, but again, I encourage everyone to find out what is the best and healthiest weight for them. Refuse to be put into a box when it comes to this. Everyone is different.
JV
Jeff makes a great point about finding out what works best for you. What works best for you body. As humans we will tend to drift towards what we are more comfortable with. The challenge is to actually to commit to an experiment on your body, lean out, put some weight on, but everytime you try a new realm, be patient. Take your time, have a plan, meticulous record keeping on how you feel, and how you perform will help you decide where you want to land…CFS has some great people and you have great trainers. Tap into the resource that is your coach and make it happen!
Thanks for the shout out Ryan, I only eat Paleo to try and keep up with you! As for the CF bodies, I’m so impressed with how much dedication has gone into making them look so good and be competitive. As I’m learning, it’s not just about the WODS, it’s all the other time spent too– thinking about nutrition, getting the right amount of sleep, being mentally strong, etc. I’m also really appreciative that there are so many different body types represented. One that I’m not noticing is the string bean marathon body, this was the one body type I was attracted to when I joined CF. Since, I’ve seen the light and do realize how undernourished that body style looks. I guess I’m still on a journey trying to figure out my personal goals.
Bench 80#
Power clean: 102#!! This was a huge day for me as I was stuck on 95# for 2 months! I finally got it!
Good for you on the PR Andrea!!!!
Andrea,
Your 102# power clean was truly inspiring. That is what CF is all about. Doing things you have never done before.
JV