i went through so much pain googling "crossfit memes"
so many stupid acronyms, jesus. and of course they all overlay the VERY few jacked crossfitters "look at this guy cleaning 350 pounds! THATS crossfit!"
the WORST is everyone "has a friend that does crossfit, he does it to train for MMA and hes bigger than you bodybuilders are" like yeah, sure they are, cool story[/QUO
I didn't realize we were into the anti-CrossFit portion of the forum; however, I was going to recommend that you drop into a nearby CF Affiliate to help you with your power cleans. Many (not all, so do your research) CF gyms have coaches that have taken the USA Weightlifting Coaches Course; I've also taken it, and it is a very worthwhile weekend class. Not sure where you live, but I might be able to direct you to a place.
The concept of CrossFit is sound; like everything else, the people usually ruin it. Just like the influx of douchebags happened in the sport of triathlon about ten years ago, we've all been seeing the same thing on a greater scale with CF. Add to that, you only need a weekend 'cert' and three grand, and boom you can start your own CF gym.
You bring up a great point- just look at the trainer's credentials. Most list them on their boxes' website or just ask. Most of the ones I have met were personal trainers before hand, were experienced power lifters, college athletes, etc. And maybe it is just me, but I think the failure rate of so many of the early boxes has started to kill the 'weekend and a grand (sure as HELL wasn't 3k when we chipped in for my brother to go). A bad CF coach will not be able to maintain their clientele. Like you would with a doctor, dentist, chiropractor, etc., you look at the qualifications of the person you are trusting with your body. Simple as that.
And yeah, the douche bag factor in CrossFit has jumped, but that unfortunately comes with the territory. Makes me glad I don't go to a commercial box (although Cleveland has some good ones).