It’s hard to imagine someone didn’t hear of CrossFit Pros and Cons in the last decade. Maybe you took a class or tried a part or even a whole of their well-known WODs (workout of the day), or even used a specific movement such as a CrossFit burpee, the kipping pull-up, jump box, air squats.
Anyway, you get the point – it’s kind of viral, popular, cool, etc.
Maybe it will be interesting for you that it’s not new at all. Actually, since last year CrossFit is not a teenager anymore, because it was initially created and developed by Greg Glassman and Lauren Jenai in 2000.
I’m giving you my checklist of CrossFit – how it works and why it’s so effective and popular, what’s good for you and what could harm you, how to recognize the expert among CrossFit coaches (because it appears they are not so many at all), and most of all I’ll be happy if you take the steps I share to make your CrossFit or any other training activity mindful and better for your health and wellness!
What exactly is CrossFit?
It’s a branded fitness regimen that incorporates Olympic weightlifting, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), plyometrics, powerlifting, gymnastics, kettlebell a.k.a. гиревой (comes from Russian) sport, calisthenics, strongman and many more. What?! You mix and match all these and call it a sport?!
Not, not exactly. There’s a plan behind and a well-organized structure and most of all – branding and spreading the idea that it makes you superhuman.
And in some cases, it does make you. You just have to survive the protocols, keep yourself healthy, and your mind crystal clear about your abilities.
The main benefits of CrossFit are – ok, it will be a long list – improves your strength, makes you a better athlete, builds muscles, burns fat, tests yourself, functional fitness, improve mental health… Hmm, it sounds like a typical gym activity doesn’t it?
To make all this more useful -Especially, in case of a dilemma between CrossFit pros and cons and anything else where you lift some weights – I’ll divide the list into two:
Benefits of Well-Organized Weight Training (incl. CrossFit Pros)
1. Weights and CrossFit will improve your strength
Any physical activity that involves lifting more than 60% of your muscle abilities is actually a strength improvement. What is more – if you lift a weight which is more than 80% of your max – or sure you are doing a strength workout. Watch out, lifting a weight that is over 90% of your optimal level is beneficial for your strength. But the muscle effort you put in these 1-3 reps are similar, the main difference is the work of your nerve system and the speed of nerve impulse that comes from the brain and goes to the muscle. The faster it moves the stronger you are.
2. They are a Muscles factory
Building muscles is an area occupied by weight lifters and bodybuilders. But it’s true that CrossFit builds up muscles and an athletic body, similar to functional and calisthenics. You’ll be pleased to see how CrossFit athletes look like.
It needs to be said that almost any serious weight lifter or the guy who pumps 5 times a week and eats well has a more aesthetic body shape and is not necessarily weaker as an athlete.
3. Makes you a Better athlete
Because CrossFit is a mix of many varieties of training it may affect your abilities to do more things with your body. The same would be true if by training in the gym you use some free weights or bodyweight exercises, such as death lifts, thrusters, pull-ups, dips, etc.
Today the workouts are very different from just passing through several fitness machines. Maybe the CrossFit phenomenon is a part of this change, but I believe it’s due more to the globalization of the world.
Faster exchanging of experience among all area of sport. You can see it from the highest athlete levels through Olympic sport to sport for all and youth sport as well. Increased demand for Conditional training, the resurrection of calisthenic, HIIT workouts recently getting popular, the attention that all sports pay on Mobility routines are a huge piece of the pie that makes the real Athlete of today.
4. Burn fat
The fat-burning effect of weight lifting is not huge but the long-term efficiency is tremendous. Many strength-focused activities are beneficial for your weight loss and fat burning process. I’ve spoken about it here and you can have a look at this research.
There’s no huge difference in calorie consumption between CrossFit and weight focused gym activity. The HIIT workouts, Spinning, and other aerobic activities on the other side are slightly ahead, but some of them have weaknesses in terms of muscle growth.
Actually, you can check this quickly here
5. Push the limits
Go into any gym and ask anybody what’s his weight on the bench. Even if you speak with someone in the pub and the gym topic arises – almost no way to skip the bench question, pull-ups, or something like that, and there you comparing your abilities.
Aside from the Olympic principles that said the most important thing is to participate in almost any sport you’ll test, reach, or meet your limits sooner or later.
P.S.
Ask any Olympian how easy it was to participate the games?
6. Functional Fitness
That’s lovely! When somebody starts explaining how functional is CrossFit or functional training and, in the end, you believe this guy and you go to the Class and get 50 burpees for a warm-up. I have heard that first hand from some of my clients.
The science behind the advertisement – CrossFit is focused on compound and multi-joint movements which are highly beneficial for your everyday life. But when you put the pressure of doing it for a set amount of time and overburden your joints with countless repetitions – it becomes a game-changer. And if you are looking for functional fitness – go to a functional fitness or a calisthenics class, or search for a good coach and discuss your goals.
Of course, an option would be CrossFit, just keep in mind the proper form of the exercises and the pace of performing them if you want a functional body above all.
7. Improve Mental Health
Stress is everywhere, at work, at home, on the streets, in the news and you need something to take your attention away from it.
Tadaam! Better Mental Health is one of the main aims of sport for all at all. So, weight lifting or CrossFit, HIIT workouts, Functional training – all of them are activities that need your full attention and focus to do it right. Exactly that change of focus is beneficial for freeing your mind from daily tasks and commitments.
8. CrossFit and Weight Lifting are Good for Weight Loss
It’s really hard to think of any physical activity that cannot be beneficial for weight loss. Strength focused activities are not an exception.
It’s all about your calorie balance – intake versus outtake. If it’s equal or negative and you add any activities you’ve got weight loss. You can quickly calculate the needed intake here.
9. Better Sleep after all
Many types of research show that exercising could make your sleep better. There’s some fundamental science behind this statement.
A simple and easy way to explain is this one – when you’re training your body temperature increases and so it’s a signal to your body to awake. That’s why straight after a workout you may feel more energized and alive than before. As time passes after the workout – let’s say at least 90 minutes after a workout (it depends on the intensity of the workout) – your body temperature goes down which could help eventual falling asleep.
10. It may improve your flexibility
If you ask a CrossFit or a Personal Trainer if you should do stretching and flexibility exercises – no doubt 10 out of 10 would answer “Yes, for sure!”. If they are truly professional and take care of their business, that is natural.
So, I don’t see a reason to skip this very important part of your sport adventure. And as I mentioned before – today’s workouts are a reflection of the best that happens around the world and anyone who is dedicated enough to their sport activates won’t miss any chance to make it better.
Now let’s take a look at things that are more CrossFit related, as well as some exceptions.
Pros typical for CrossFit training
1. Convenient
One of the main advantages of CrossFit training is that it’s a method of training spread worldwide and if you are used to it – you could find a Class almost anywhere and anytime. So, if you can’t manage in time for any reason but you really want to do the workout today -just look for a Class and a level that fits you and do it.
More over if the Coach is good enough they would help you do the WOD which is convenient for you. For example, if you struggle with Olympic lifting, your workout will likely not include Olympic lifting.
2. Keep things fresh and exciting
This one I could say is kind of the rocket science innovation of CrossFit. There are no two workouts exactly alike. And whenever you step on the CrossFit box you never know what you’ll be doing today.
Maybe that sounds familiar to people I work with. And I’m pretty sure it’s similar with many fitness pros with at least 5-6 years’ experience. You have no chance to stay interesting – as a coach – and at the same time build up the workouts if your eyes are not wide open for what happens around you.
If there are 10 factors that lead to the physical and functional progress of someone, the variety of workouts is 9th in the row, but still, people need variety to keep them on track and awake.
Here’s where CrossFit nails it with their WODs which are always changing.
3. Gym strong is not a real strong
How could that be possible? if you are able to lift X weight on the biceps curl, that doesn’t necessarily mean you are able to do X pull-ups, granted. The pull-ups are more obvious, more functional and there is more real physical power in them.
Aside from some gym nerds who would be surprised that you make isolated triceps extension with X weight, the rest of the world be much more impressed by the girl that makes 10 pull-ups. And it is real example and she’ll be light years ahead!
CrossFit Pros that may be exaggerated:
1. It’ Fun
Let’s get back to that 50 burpees for a warm-up. You must have a specific sense of humor to call it fun. Yes at some point you’ll appreciate the variety of WODs. You’ll cherish that in one moment you are running, the other you are making a handstand against the wall and after that hitting a medicine ball to the ground. But if you are a newbie don’t go to a class with the expectation that it’s fun.
Better go with the setting that it will be a challenge you for good so you’ll keep your good taste in the end.
2. Learn from the best
They say that the Coaches in CrossFit are qualified. I’ll tell you the following – for a Coach Level 1 you should pass a two-day course. If you are looking for a Coach Level 2 – there are only 5 in Bulgaria in the CrossFit database.
Just to give you an idea what a Fitness Coach like me has been through – for comparison I’ll share the education that I and many of my colleagues have gone through:
- Scholarship – Sport school – 5 years
- Bachelor Degree in Sports Science – 4 years
- Master Degree in Sports Science – 2 years
- I won’t list the two-day qualification courses on the go, once I started working with trainees.
The important outtake for you is to Pay attention who is the coach you are trusting and what their background is.
3. It makes you tough
Seriously?! Did you ever visit a boxing club? Did you ever practice karate? Please, go to any of these places and tell them you are tough. Promise you by the end of the workout you’ll find what you are made of.
Some of CrossFit’s exercises are indeed taken from the military routines but they won’t make you Ironman by themselves. Building a good shape and strong will are two ways that may cross at some points but they are not always parallel.
Stay calm, be athletic, you may not be a superhero. It’s enough to feel like it.
How safe is CrossFit?
CrossFit is a high-intensity form of exercise. Your risk for injuries increases anytime you increase the intensity of your workouts or the amount of weight you’re lifting.
Common CrossFit injuries are:
- Lower back pain
- Knee injuries
- Tennis Elbow
- And don’t forget the familiar with CrossFit – Uncle Rhabdo. (comes from rhabdomyolysis)
If you are new to CrossFit a good idea is to start work with trained fitness professionals to guide you and make sure you are executing the exercises properly. Having a bad form of the movement and at the same time aiming higher speed is literally the Highway to Hell or just get injured.
Pregnancy is not the period to be on top of the WODs protocol at all. So if you decide to continue while you are pregnant, do 3 things in this order – consult your doctor, tell your coach, slow down your pace and reduce the weights you lift.
CrossFit Pros and Cons – The Takeaway
I’m not here to discourage you to start this great Adventure called CrossFit. I’m warning you – prepare for the difficulties that will come.
A shortlist:
- CrossFit isn’t safe if you’re injured or have other health concerns. Make sure you get cleared by your doctor first or work with a physical therapist before starting CrossFit.
- Find a good coach to teach you the basic movements, especially Olympic and Gymnastic ones. The risk you want to receive enough attention in a group of 20+ people is not small at all
- This one is really difficult – try to look for a smaller group and a good coach. The latter is obligatory. He or she should not be there by accident
- Beginners should go at a slower pace and increase weight gradually until their fitness level improves enough to test themselves
So, here’s my CrossFit pros and cons checklist to come to its end. I hope it will be the beginning of yours or at least the beginning of a mindful and better sports experience which I believe everyone deserves! Until next time, sweat out, happiness in!
