[Imerso]

Yeah it's basically just conditioning work rebranded. Nothing new that boxers, rugby players, an so on, didn't do before. It's a little bit a "response" to the strength and size centered lifting, or simple endurance cardio.

I think the problem and criticism is that many of those programs aren't programs at all, and they aren't based on anything, not even personal experience. If you look at any elite crossfitter his training is more likely to look like traditional strength training with proper form lifting, plus maybe WOD for the conditioning part, than pure crossfit WOD centered training. Centering the training in whatever weaknesses he may have, and so on. And of course whatever exercise they are planning to compete on.

Of course if your trainer is a good trainer you are going to get that, in a normal gym or in a crossfit gym. The problem is that as a program the base crossfit program doesn't offer much to a novice, except for the community and the encouragement that comes with it to pursue high intensity training. But outside of that the program itself won't offer any proper guiding unless you have a trainer that provides that guiding outside the program.