Listen "090 The Hierarchy of Evidence"
Episode Synopsis
Send us a texthttps://www.paulbweber.com/complete-athlete-processI see a problem with how evidence is valued in the CrossFit community. It seems like personal experience and understanding of "the methodology" are all that matter in the eyes of many CrossFitters. This belief is difficult to defend. First, you must believe that personal experience is more valuable than any other source of insight. So-and-so has the answers because he's jacked, won the CrossFit Games, etc. That's valuable experience, no doubt. But it has to be weighed against evidence from other sources. Sources that are, in almost every case, stronger than personal experience. Second, you must believe that theory is capable of explaining all problems related to training. Have a problem? Constantly varied. Functional movement. High intensity. This is a high burden of proof to place on a theory. "The methodology" is not sufficient to be considered evidence. It is only a theory. In order for "the methodology" to produce evidence it has to be tested, like any other theory.When people contradict a statement based on "the methodology" I have to end the conversation. We are not valuing evidence the same way, so there's no progress that can be made. I believe there's a hierarchy of evidence. Insight can come from many places. The stronger the evidence, the more suggestive power it has. Personal experience is at the bottom of this hierarchy. Promising? Yes. Conclusive? Not very. Above personal experience is "expert opinion." This is where a lot of coaches live. Expert opinion is stronger, in most cases, than personal experience because the sample size is larger. Above personal experience and expert opinion we have scientific literature. I have heard the belief that because there isn't much literature on CrossFit, we can't learn much from research. We certainly have to be careful in our interpretation and application of all research, but there are loads of studies that apply to CrossFit. Studies on elite athletes in other sportsConcurrent training studiesStudies that help us better understand exercise physiologyThese, when carefully interpreted and applied, can be a strong source of insight for those who do CrossFit. Ideally, you have all three sources of insight to support how you train. Personal experience suggests it, experts suggest it, research supports it. That's what will lead to the best guidance for athletes, and the best future performances in our sport. If you're a coach, constantly go after all three sources of insight. Train - get your personal experience.Coach - get your clinical experience. Learn - practice understanding, interpreting and applying research. Everything has to be put to the test. And not just once - over and over again. My promise to you is to constantly put everything I teach to the test. I don't exist only in the realm of theory. I train myself and I train clients, I have skin in the game. I invite you to join me and seek insight that can help athletes in CrossFit. I invite you to test everything. We start Thursday, September 26th.https://www.paulbweber.com/complete-athlete-process
More episodes of the podcast The Paul Weber Podcast
141 My 3 Year Bodybuilding Experiment
19/12/2025
139 Long Term Conditioning
04/12/2025
138 Long Term Gymnastics Development
27/11/2025
137 Long Term Strength Development
20/11/2025
135 Hybrid vs. Mixed Training
30/10/2025
134 7 Common Conditioning Mistakes
22/10/2025
133 The Zone 2 Episode
16/10/2025
132 The Conditioning Biased Athlete
09/10/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.