If you haven't heard of CrossFit it is the world's hottest training system. CROSSFIT mixes Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, calisthenics, gymnastics, sprints, plyometrics, and exercises like rope climbing, tire flipping and sled pushing. The workouts are short, intense, and constantly changing.
CrossFit Affiliates are popping up at the rate of Starbucks now. Do a Google search for CrossFit in your city and I'll guarantee at least 3 pop up- more if you live in a major city.
The set up is simple- each 'box' as they call their gyms, is mostly open space, with a rubber floor, high ceiling, and equipment—barbells and plates, kettlebells, medicine balls, jump ropes, rowing machines and gymnastic rings. They do not look anything like a traditional gym. No mirrors, no machines to isolate muscles, no stationary bikes, no display cases full of expensive powders and bars.
The highlight of each class is the workout of the day, or WOD. (A lot of these have been given women's names—anybody up for a Cindy? How about a Fran?)
I do not CrossFit. Never have, never will. I don't own a Box nor do I aspire to. My training business will never become an affiliate. With all that being said, I do not hate CrossFit. They preach functional fitness as do I. They believe workouts should be short and intense so do I. They have found away to get women not only lifting weights but heavy weight. They have created a following unmatched by any other training system. I respect what they have built. With any global phenomenon there will be detractors and skeptics- CrossFit has their fair share.
My belief is that EXERCISE WORKS. CrossFit, bootcamps, bodybuilding, spinning, yoga, P90X, sports, it all works.
In this month's Men's Health magazine they have a great story on CrossFit called 'INSIDE THE CULT OF CROSSFIT' It's a long one so I will highlight some of the points I think are important but if you have ever thought of trying CrossFit you should read the whole thing.
The workouts aren't typically programmed. You jump from one hard thing to the next, with the goal of becoming better at doing hard things. The approach mystifies many fitness experts.
There's a randomness to the exercises in CrossFit that's really not ideal for the average fitness enthusiast, says David Pearson, Ph.D., an associate professor of exercise science at Ball State University. "But if you needed to run into a burning building, hoist a wood beam, and then run out with a person over your shoulder, this might be the best program for you."
There's a randomness to the exercises in CrossFit that's really not ideal for the average fitness enthusiast, says David Pearson, Ph.D., an associate professor of exercise science at Ball State University. "But if you needed to run into a burning building, hoist a wood beam, and then run out with a person over your shoulder, this might be the best program for you."
It took a while for the public to catch on—just 18 affiliates were open in 2005. But since then, growth has been exponential. Today there are more than 3,000 affiliates.
The CrossFit Games, an annual competition, boldly claims that its champions are the "fittest human beings on earth."
"Fitness" has neither an official meaning nor a governing body, much less agreed-upon checkpoints. But if there's one thing every non-CrossFit-affiliated expert I spoke with agrees on, it's this: CrossFit's one-size-fits-all methods are flawed, perhaps dangerously so.
It's not just the intensity of the workouts that worries experts. It's the fact you're doing technically complex lifts for high reps in a state of fatigue, when form is guaranteed to break down. "It takes time to perfect certain movements, especially the Olympic lifts," says trainer Joe Dowdell, founder of Peak Performance in New York. "Not spending enough time teaching people how to perform these movements correctly is dangerous."
Rhabdomyolysis is another health concern that's become associated with CrossFit over the years. "Rhabdo" can occur when muscles are worked so hard that the fibers break down, releasing the protein myoglobin into the bloodstream. In extreme cases, it can lead to kidney damage or even kidney failure. It's commonly seen in people with crush injuries, such as those from auto accidents.
Makimba Mimms was awarded $300,000 in damages from his local gym, the CrossFit affiliate training company, and his trainer for injuries he sustained during a CrossFit workout in 2005. Those injuries included rhabdomyolysis.Rather than refute the association with potentially fatal injury—or at least try to change the subject—CrossFit has used it as proof of its intensity. The WOD that nearly killed Mimms was renamed "Makimba" and recategorized as a children's workout.
But CrossFit's embrace of its worst qualities goes even further. One of its unofficial cartoon mascots is "Uncle Rhabdo," depicted as a beat-up clown connected to a dialysis machine, with what appears to be a kidney, his large intestine, and a copious amount of blood spilling out of his shorts and onto the floor around him. The other, Pukie the Clown, is shown crawling away from a loaded barbell and gymnastic rings, clutching his chest and projectile vomiting. The Phillie Phanatic they ain't.
If you're thinking of trying CrossFit, try it. Do some research first. Find a reputable affiliate with experienced and qualified trainers. Let me know how it goes.
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