CrossFit in The Australian Newspaper

An article in The Australian newspaper on Friday featured a piece about CrossFit.

Written by David Ferguson for Murdoch’s News Corporation, the piece title, “Classes can be a dangerous fad to follow,” gave a less than glowing review about a variety of workout styles, one of which was CrossFit.

Ferguson’s main contention was CrossFit’s “obsession with speed,” because he believes it “comes at a great cost to technique and general safety, meaning strain on tendons, ligaments and muscles and, as always, greater risk of injury.”

He cites kipping pull-ups as his case and point. As he states:

“Crossfit’s obsession with speed means pull-ups can transform into a messy, lurching style (affectionately referred to as kipping) which allows for a greater number of reps in a shorter time. This places great wear and tear on muscles and joints (scapula, deltoid, rotator cuff, elbow, wrist) via the constant jolting and catching needed to effectively “kip” a pull-up.”

What do you think? Does Ferguson have a valid argument?