We are NOT a CrossFit affiliate, nor do we do CrossFit-type training of any kind.

With that said, what we do happens to jive with CrossFit very well.  Over the years I’ve had the pleasure to work with a lot of the local CrossFitters. These people have come from some of the great local CrossFit clubs in town, and others have been the hardcore “at home” practitioners who did the workouts of the day from HQ in their own garage gyms.

In fact, a few of the current members of my competitive Olympic weightlifting team are active in CrossFit and have found the two to be a great match.

I think there are a number of reasons why what we do here at PDX Weightlifting, and what CrossFit does, go so well together.

1- Finesse

The first is that our training is very heavily focused on the Olympic lifts themselves.  The Olympic lifts don’t tend to create the levels of muscular fatigue that other strength lifts do – especially when done for low repetitions as they are here.

The Oly lifts are primarily about technique, focus, finesse, and patience.  These qualities will only aid a CrossFitter in their quest for higher levels of fitness.  I like to liken the Olympic lifts to a martial art.

I tell people to not think of Olympic lifting like you would other strength lifts (like squats), but like Kung Fu.  You can’t be good at Kung Fu without putting in a lot of focus on technique and quality over quantity.

Because these “higher” qualities are the central focus of our training, you can do a lot of work without killing your nervous system.

2- Synergy

CrossFit gives you a solid foundation of fitness from which to build a massive amount of explosive strength – but ONLY if you also work on building that explosive strength. That’s where we come in.

While CrossFit is designed to be generalist – to make you above average at a wide range of skills – what we do at PDX Weightlifting is very focused.

We are here to make you the strongest and most explosive version of yourself that you can possibly be.  For that to happen, we hone in on the key elements in your training routine that will cause your body to respond and become massively strong and powerful in a short period of time.

And by a stroke of good luck, and some basic human physiology, the generalist approach of CrossFit and the specialist approach at PDX Weightlifting don’t step on each others toes.  Instead, they complement one another.

3- Experience

The third thing is that I’ve simply become accustomed to working with people who also do a lot of CrossFit workouts during the week.  Because if this, I’m experienced at creating strength-focused routines for people who spend their week doing all manner of CrossFit craziness that results (for them) in a lot of muscular fatigue, soreness, and cardiovascular exhaustion.

I’ve learned what people who practice CrossFit can and can’t do here and still be successful.   Your body can handle a lot, but you’re not a machine.  Push the wrong elements at the wrong times, and you will not get stronger – you’ll get weaker.

But, if you push the right elements at the right times, then you’ll reap the benefits of being a part of a great fitness system like CrossFit, while having the strength and power levels of a serious strength athlete.

Greg Glassman (the founder of CrossFit) has always encouraged his participants to become engaged in other sports.  Here at PDX Weightlifting, you can do exactly that by getting serious about strength athletics.

Want to squat double body weight?

Want to snatch body weight?

Clean and jerk 1.5 to 2 times bodyweight?

Deadlift MORE than double body weight?

These things only happen with specialization.   Now you can enjoy the overall fitness and health of CrossFit and the hardcore power and strength levels of a PDX Weightlifting member.

For more about my feelings about the connection of CrossFit with Olympic weightlifting see my article here about the new hybrid CrossFit/USAW Open.