Crossfit Endurance - It May Not Work (Page 2)

Not exactly.  There are solid principles behind Crossfit.  The problem is the message out of home base and the fact many of the "boxes" practice it in a very distorted manner.  If you find a box that goes say heavy Oly lifts up front and then movements that are safe to do in a circuit for time after the Oly lifts you can see safe and quick results. 

So it really depends on the trainer you have then? CF seems to be sort of franchised and I wonder what kind of qualifications these guys have if that is the advice they give

A good trainer is critical (for any program).  CF utilizes a certification system that they run.  From what I can tell, $1000/weekend course for a level 1 certification.  Same price again to do the level 2 certification, which IIRC, would qualify you to have the opportunity to franchise a box.  So I have serious questions about the quality of certification.  But that's a can of worms with the entire fitness industry.

The CF methods really aren't anything new - but it is marketed well.  

What I would look for (if I were going to do CF) - level 2 CF cert (because they would have to have their certification) + CSCS (certified strength and conditioning specialist) and/or USAW certification (USA weightlifting) + BS in kinesiology/exercise science + several years of experience.  I would also want to see a required beginners course with WODs posted with scaling recommendations.

I agree - many certifications are pretty worthless.  I specify CSCS or USAW specifically because of the  Olympic and powerlifting moves often used in WODs.  These are technical lifts with high injury potential.  

NASM is great for general fitness (their OPT is awesome for beginning trainers because it helps them understand putting workouts together).  Their PES (performance enhancement specialist) gets more into the advanced lifting techniques, but isn't as extensive as CSCS.  ACSM certifications focus on general population (PT) to clinical (Clinical Exercise Specialist and Physiologist) and special populations but don't have much emphasis on Olympic or powerlifting.  ACE has similar issues.

I'm biased toward a BS because I am a college professor.  BUT there are a lot of things students coming out of college programs should get that you just can't get from certification programs.  I have just seen too many trainers with little to no understanding of basic exercise physiology, motor learning, and biomechanics prescribing workouts that range from harmless and ineffective to ineffective with high injury potential.

If you want to get right down to it, neither the certification nor BS are actually necessary, nor do they tell you much about the trainer other than they can jump through hoops.  The important thing is to evaluate the trainer very closely.  Unfortunately most people don't know what to look for, so saying look for these qualifications is the easiest thing to do.

(Sorry about the soapbox.  Since this is my field, I get kind of uppity.  I'm not saying people without college degrees in kinesiology/exercise science shouldn't be training.  I'm saying that it's an easy thing to look for.)

That certainly would support the crossfit "constant variation" thing that's in their basic doctrine.

I agree 100% with the bold part.  I actually prefer a BS when hiring a less experienced trainer, but have found that someone without the degree, but years of experience and continuing education can be equally, or even more, qualified.  I have both working for me, and honestly, both groups do an excellent job.

Late to the party, and perhaps irrelevant to where the conversation went, but... of the 10 high level triathletes I know who have tried CFE for a season, 9 of them had average finishes 10-15% slower than previous seasons, and the 10th had to cancel season due to injury (not CF related).  

Also further food for thought- Brian MacKenzie, the CFE "founder", was a decent ultra runner before he started CFE himself, and since then has DNFed every ultra he's participated in.

This is all separate from my viewpoints on CrossFit itself (I personally hugely respect those who excel at the sport, and it truly is its own sport...  and a challenging one at that!), but says a bit about CFE.

I have agreed with all the benefits of cross fit but I find it very tough to do, there is no consistency in my workout.

CrossFit TYPE workouts, absolutely.  Well programmed incorporation of bodyweight movements, compound lifts, explosive training, etc. will absolutely make nearly anybody a more well-rounded athlete.  But CrossFit itself, I would not recommend for anybody OTHER than a CrossFitter.  The fact that their WODs are designed to be challenging and designed to NOT follow programming (i.e. "be ready for anything") means it is not ideal for incorporating into any other athlete's training.  Simply choosing a collection of movements at random to perform on a given day with no thought given to long term progression, weekly volume and intensity (of both the strength training and endurance component of the athlete's program) is the surest way to overtax certain systems and undertrain others.