> a lot of my coworkers do it and my unit's PT seems to be going in that direction
You probably remember when P90x was infiltrating various units like a virus also.
You probably remember when P90x was infiltrating various units like a virus also.
The biggest difference is that P90X is mostly bodyweight, and while you can make yourself really sore, you're unlikely to do lasting damage to yourself with it. Meanwhile, Crossfit does heavy weight. Sometimes it's perfectly fine; I have no problem with PT sessions where we do circuit courses. But I definitely have a problem when they're like, "Okay, first we're gonna do 500m on the rowing machine with the damper set to 10. Then we're gonna do 2 minutes of military press with a 95-pound barbell. Then we're gonna do 2 minutes of deadlift." People with absolutely no idea of what they're doing are applying High-Intensity Training concepts to exercises that should be done slowly and methodically. There is no justification for doing deadlifts quickly. None.
Then they wonder why people need surgery.
Of course, the PT that old-school SNCOs would have us do wasn't much better. "Okay, we're gonna run 5 miles today, then 6 miles tomorrow, then 5 miles the day after... Whaddya mean, people's knees aren't working anymore?"
That being said, I've also worked with a lieutenant who could do a 14-minute 3-mile. Dude probably couldn't do 135 on the bench press, but he could definitely run.