Madeeha Syed

Everything You Need To Know About Crossfit

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Overview

If you&rsquo;re into fitness, it&rsquo;s nearly impossible that you missed the word CrossFit being thrown around on every social media app, at the local gym and between your groups of friends. Almost everyone has been talking about it and swears by its efficacy. 
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What Is Crossfit

It&rsquo;s a form of high-intensity interval training that includes constantly varied functional movements performed at a high intensity. It came into the fitness scene in 2000 and was developed by Greg Glassman.

In the CrossFit world, fitness means &ldquo;increased work capacity across broad times and modal domains,&rdquo; which basically just means improving your overall fitness as compared to only working on either strength or endurance exclusively. This is why it consistently mixes weight training (squats, deadlifts, power cleans etc.), gymnastic drills (handstand pushups, pull ups, dips etc.) and endurance workouts (running, biking, rowing etc.) as well as aspects of calisthenics, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strongman in as many combinations as possible. 
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The proponents of CrossFit claim that if you train similarly every single day then your body becomes adapted to your workouts and stops progressing and improving much in that area, however, if you constantly varying the exercises, the time and the format, it allows you to break through that adaption and continue to improve throughout your journey. Constantly varied workout doesn&rsquo;t mean random and there definitely is a method to the madness.

Gyms associated with CrossFit-certified coaches are called a &ldquo;box&rdquo; and have the minimum equipment required to perform the WOD (workout of the day) which may or may not be preceded by strength training. However, CrossFit does like to prioritize intensity over strength. 
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It aims to work on 10 aspects of fitness which are:

<ul>
	<li>Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance</li>
	<li>Stamina</li>
	<li>strength</li>
	<li>flexibility</li>
	<li>speed,</li>
	<li>coordination, agility and balance</li>
</ul>

 
You will gain the following benefits:

<ul>
	<li>Improved muscle strength and endurance</li>
	<li>Improved stamina and flexibility</li>
	<li>Improved aerobic fitness</li>
	<li>Improved balance and flexibility </li>
	<li>Burns more calories 
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Although it might seem like a typical person who&rsquo;d be good at CrossFit and who CrossFit will be good for is a fairly young individual who already has some experience going to the gym. However, that is not true. Anyone, old or young can partake in CrossFit and perform activities based on their own needs, range of motion and capacity. 
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Limitations And Risks

As with any high-intensity workout, there is a risk of injury associated with CrossFit workouts. According to surveys conducted on CrossFit athletes, the rate of injury is at least 20 percent which is considered too high for a recreational activity.

It&rsquo;s been criticized for causing more injuries than any other sporting activity. In May 2018, The Journal of Sports Rehabilitation published an article that says it has a similar or lower risk of injury as many common forms of exercise and strength training routines. You can mitigate this risk by ensuring proper form, knowing your capacity and following your instructor&rsquo;s advice. 
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Another risk factor is the development of exertional rhabdomyolysis which means the stress your muscles are being put through can lead to their breakdown on a much larger scale. This can lead to kidney injury as products released from muscle breakdown leak out into the urine.

As with every new trend, CrossFit also has some naysayers with some very valid critique. For example, since CrossFit requires you to do as many reps as you can in a short amount of time. Eventually, with time, your body does get better at performing that range of motion at a higher frequency but it fails to progress to performing more advanced variations of the same motion in the future since there&#39;s no focus on progression training, technique and form. This mistake is rooted in confusing speed for high-intensity but do remember more reps don&rsquo;t mean better results. 
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Conclusion

Any kind of physical activity is better than sitting at home or in the office all day. You can assess what works for you only when you attempt it. CrossFit is known worldwide for having benefited people from all walks of life and has even been adopted in some form by the police, military and firefighters. At the end of the day, if you choose to start on this path, work with a trained professional at first and start gradually. Improper form, impatience and lack of progressive overloading can lead to injury with any kind of exercise and that is true for CrossFit as well. 
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