Weightlifting bias within Crossfit.
I have been coaching Weightlifting at Crossfit facilities for the last five years, I have seen many changes, going from a near certain money maker, to a highly competitive market.
People coaching
Who you have "Coaching" in your box, certainly makes a difference between you being a good or bad facility. I coach at really good boxes, with staff that don't hesitate to send people to the right coach, I have mentored for a couple of these coaches, they have made excellent coaches in their own right. They would have done so anyway, I expedited their learning and instilled confidence.
The challenge
The one thing that has never changed is that people find Weightlifting one of the most challenging components that make up Crossfit. Of course this is of no surprise to me, having learned my Weightlifting over a very long period. Firstly to learn the lifts themselves takes years and I mean "Years".
So it is no surprise that I am constantly told "I can't get my head round Snatch" or "I struggle with my lifting"
To put into context the difference between my learning Weightlifting and yours, I would have trained 12 to 16 hours per week, once at national level. A high percentage of this is technical work. I am guessing your not national level, so need not concern yourself with this amount of training. But certainly need to more lifting, if you're struggling, book into the Weightlifting sessions as much as possible.
"Good" and "Different"
If you look around your box at the "good Crossfitters" I bet they are "good" with a Barbell. There also exists a certain body type that doesn't lend itself to Metcon work or HIIT. I have seen workouts of around 40 mins before, if you are of a certain body type you won't relish these. There is a natural migration to Weightlifting by the "Big and Strong" populace. It is a natural progression.
I think Crossfit is now more than happy for people to book mainly into "lifting" sessions.
With all type of strength training being so popular and Crossfit likely to be your first "structured" experience, I think it an excellent move. It is also now a very good source of lifters for my sport, Weightlifting.
Transferability
Now we have in a small part covered genetics, lets look at Weightliftings transferability to Crossfit
If you drop into mine or my friend Seth Roose's classes, you will learn "full depth" lifts.
Snatch
Clean
Squats
All done to full depth
Think of one example such as a "Wallball" pretty similar to a clean, followed by a pushing overhead movement. Or a push press, which again exists in Weightlifting training. So it is easy to understand that a Clean and Press using "critical overload" would greatly enhance your Wallballs.
Any extension movement, such as box jumps, are so much easier if you can utilise power. Which is why Weightlifters are some of the most powerful people on earth.
Here's the thing
Weightlifting transfers to Crossit better than Crossfit transfers to Weightlifting.
