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Knock #3:
It's a lame conditioning tool.
Performing a ton of high-rep, lightweight snatches and clean and jerks will jack your heart rate up into the stratosphere. While this might seem like a great outcome for conditioning-minded athletes and met-con junkies, it's not without its critics.
First is the act of conditioning itself. According to coaches like Rippetoe, getting strong and getting in condition should not be done simultaneously – at least not for optimal results – since conditioning interferes with strength acquisition.
"If conditioning is important to you, being stronger should be more important, and getting strong is made a slower process if you try to do conditioning," says Rip. "There will be time for conditioning, later. After you get strong."
The solution, says Rippetoe, is not to use the Olympic lifts at all for conditioning. "Push the Prowler, run some hills, or do some sprints," says Rip. "They're easier to dose accurately, and they don't make you look like an inexperienced fool."
Counter-Knock:
So what if it's a lame conditioning tool?
There are safer and more effective conditioning tools. So what? The average Joe wants to lose fat and get a little stronger, so conditioning is a higher priority.
"However, there are only so many available training hours, and high-rep Olympic lifts can be very effective for improving conditioning levels in normal working-type populations," says Tsypkin.
Few people actually enjoy or get a "high" from pushing a Prowler or dragging a sled, and most working stiffs don't have the time for multiple daily sessions or a multitude of fitness commitments. Also, people like it – as evidenced by the popularity of fitness systems like CrossFit among average Joes – even if they know it's not ideal.
Who does prowler pushes multiple times a day? !
No prowler or sled around? Then sprints up a slight incline is FREE.
This "So What? " article