Don"t Sacrifice Getting Strong !!!!

The other day, I was talking to an old gym member of mine, who is now a co-worker.  I hope my frustration didn't show through, and hurt his feelings.  He was the typical member who always had great intentions, but could never follow through and get into a groove.  Ever. 

It was always about lifting "heavy", and overtraining on the bench press.  He would be injured quite regularly, and would not ever want to be innovative with his training.  Always interested, but could never get his head around things.  That's OK.  He's a great guy and friend. 

But it has now happened.  The whole "Cross Fit" revolution has now gotten to him.  Just as we have convinced seniors that walking through a park with poles is like the fountain of youth, he now joins in with group training, and brags about never having to lift a weight.

There is nothing wrong with doing some aerobic bodyweight stuff in a 1000 square foot room.
BUT PLEASE !!!!!

Don't go 180 degrees.  You need to stay strong.  If your "Cross Fit" training exercises are getting you to muscular failure in 45-90 seconds, then OK.  But if all you're doing is bouncing around from station to station, and being told to move to the next station every 30 seconds or so, you are leaving a huge blank in your conditioning.

You must get some exercises in your routine that absolutely stagger you.  And I don't mean deadlifting 40% of your 1RM for a set that will last for 2 minutes.  Of course you will evenually run out of ATP, and be forced to stop.  But don't take pride in the fact that you are bailing out of hard work. 
Have I ever advocated training at 90% of your 1RM (singlr rep maximum) for sets of 2-3 reps?
Have I ever advocated weights only?
Have I ever said that there isn't a place for softer training, every now and again?
Have I always advocated safety, good form, and working into things?
The answer is, NO, NO, NO, and YES.

This whole "New Wave" of training is nothing but a grab to entice people to get active.  Fair enough.
If you want to pay money to have people put you through an aerobic workout, that's your call.  You are doing something productive, and it is a positive thing.  BUT, it is nowhere near the complete package.
Don't be fooled.  Don't be soft.