NSCA Sues CrossFit Over Injury Claims in Devor Study

It is rare when I admit I might have been wrong. But when I am wrong, I admit to it.

A year ago when I did a video stating injury rates in CrossFit, I might have jumped the gun. The study was emailed to me by MENSA member and good friend PLUS Tiger Fitness contributor Bruce Kneller. It was about to be published in the NSCA. I just read the stats and went HAM on this, meaning I went hard on CrossFit:

New Crossfit Study | Crossfit NOT More Effective Than Conventional Weight Training and Cardio

Then I did it again here:

Why Crossfit is Losing Popularity

BUT I am not that much of a bodybuilding meathead, I have tried Crossfit!

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So, was I wrong? Partly. At least in the study thing I might be wrong. Here is what is going down?

The NSCA has filed suit for Trade Libel, Defamation and Unfair Business Practices in the State of California. Basically, CrossFit exposed why they feel NSCA is a shady organization and why this study is false. In all of these charges, NSCA must prove 100% that the statements were false to win. I read over their case. Let me summarize it then offer an opinion.

See Video on this here!

NSCA Sues Crossfit Over Injury Claims in Devor Study

Referenced from the article:

?Publicly available records from Ohio State University reveal that the original Devor Study did not include injury data, and the Editorial office of the JSCR pressured the author to introduce the fabricated data. The NSCA then ignored CrossFit's repeated attempts to inform them of this fabricated data and published the study anyway.?

So CrossFit saw the study, obtained public record that injury data was fabricated, then told NSCA but the NSCA published it anyway.

?We warned the NSCA?s board and the NSCA?s editor in chief William Kraemer about the study?s flaws (and the study participant?s claims that they were never injured) before they published it in November 2013. Hence, they knew of the problems with the study before they published it. For example, they knew that Steven Devor could not say whether the alleged injuries resulted from training at a CrossFit affiliate or falling from a ladder. The NSCA admits this fact.?

So to summarize, the actual injuries were not 100% proven to be from CrossFit.

We can pretty much say that they are stating that the NSCA and ACSM are shady, coerced the study, and that Gatorade and other big companies are funding them and are not fans of CrossFit calling their beverages ?sugar water? so they are out to get CrossFit, hence the conflict of interest.

The Way I See It

Looking at this, and reviewing other opinions and articles on the subject, CrossFit will win this case. The bottom line is, they need to show it is all false. If CrossFit has these documents and events backing their statements, then it will be tossed out after hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

The Devor Study, although published, shows that just because a study is published and appears to have great data doesn't mean that the study is ironclad and it could still be fudged to state a conclusion that the author wants to see.

My Opinion on CrossFit

The program is only as good as the trainer. Like I said in the videos, combining a very complex movement done for speed, weight and time is a dangerous combination that I feel is very susceptible to injury. However, if a Crossfit instructor stresses the use of good form over good stats, less weight for more safety, then we are in a good place.

However, when teaching large classes of 10-30 people and trying to teach non-athletes the proper way to do a very complex movement such as a snatch or a clean, you are asking for trouble!

Who Should Do CrossFit

I encourage you to try it. Try everything and see what you like the most. If looking for the best program for lean mass gain and fat loss, this might not be for you. But if looking for a program that combines cardio and weights, burns a lot of calories and increases your metabolic expenditure, this is a great choice!

Just make sure you get one on one attention and that your form is 100% on point before starting doing WOD?s and other CrossFit challenges.

Is Crossfit for You?

Since I am all about optimizing lean mass gain, it isn't for me but I add in components of CrossFit activities to my cardio regiment. If looking for increase your functionality and cardiovascular endurance, try CrossFit out. Because the best program is the one that you will enjoy and stick to, and that's not a game!