CrossFit is a form of high-intensity power fitness (HIPT). CrossFit is about maximizing the amount of work done in the shortest amount of time, and its exercises focus on moving the largest loads the longest distances. Most of the exercises you do in a CrossFit class are borrowed from other sports like Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, gymnastics, track, and rowing. crossfit promoters claim it’s the best and fastest route to health, while skeptics point toward the risk of injury.
crossfit acronyms
WOD = Workout of the Day. This is the workout you’ll get when you attend a CrossFit class. it is also sometimes called a metcon (short for metabolic conditioning). WOD is the meat and potatoes of CrossFit training. You’ll perform a certain combination of exercises either for a set amount of time or until you’ve completed a specific number of reps. If you’re accustomed to 60 minutes of nonstop movement in your favorite bootcamp, you might be surprised to learn that most CrossFit workouts only last five to 15 minutes (and that anything longer is considered an endurance WOD).
Hero WOD = These workouts are named after first responders who have died in the line of duty. These workouts are especially difficult to remind CrossFitters of the sacrifices that these men and women made for their country.
AMRAP = As Many Rounds as Possible. Generally, the clock is set to a time cap and you want to complete as many rounds as possible of the workout before time runs out.
Box = A CrossFit gym with the bare necessities to perform all the WODs.
ATG = Ass to Grass. A term used for a full-depth squat.
Ladder = A series of exercises where you increase the number of reps by 1 each time they are performed. (i.e. 5 squats, then 6 squats, then 7 squats …)
RX = As Prescribed. Each WOD will have prescribed weights for you to use during the workout, but this is a suggestion. If you need to scale the workout to include lighter weights, do so.
Zone Diet = The diet that CrossFit endorses. This diet is based on macronutrients.
PR = Personal Record. This refers to when you reach your personal best in a given exercise. For example, completing a certain number of push-ups in a minute.
EMOM = Every Minute on the Minute. One exercise or a series of exercises is performed for a set number of reps each minute. The time remaining in that minute is rest. Once the minute is up, you begin again. This type of workout is beneficial because it can help drastically improve your recovery time, and helps raise your heart rate in a short time frame, giving you more bang for your buck.
SQ = Squat
A 2018 study titled “A 4-Year Analysis of the Incidence of Injuries Among CrossFit-Trained Participants” done by ‘Yuri Feito, PhD, MPH*, Evanette K. Burrows, MPH, Loni Philip Tabb, PhD‘ deemed CrossFit training relatively safe compared with more traditional training modalities. The researchers wrote: “Over the past several years, CrossFit training has been scrutinized in the mainstream media because of the supposed high incidence of injuries; however, these statements seem not to be supported by empirical evidence.”
meanwhile, One study done in 2014 titled “Injury Rate and Patterns Among CrossFit Athletes” done by ‘Benjamin M. Weisenthal, BA, Christopher A. Beck, MA, PhD, Michael D. Maloney, MD, Kenneth E. DeHaven, MD, Brian D. Giordano, MD‘ found that 20 percent of the CrossFit participants surveyed injured themselves while doing CrossFit endorsed workouts.
“The injury rate of CrossFit is about 20 percent, meaning 20 percent of people who perform CrossFit branded workouts regularly will be injured at some point, which is high for a recreational activity” says Cuyler Hudson, a physical therapist. “I personally see CrossFitters regularly in my physical therapy practice. Injuries will usually occur as an athlete fatigues, which causes their form to also fatigue, causing the load to be shifted from the areas it is supposed to be to areas that cannot handle the stress as well.”
While every workout will have suggested weights and movements, the majority of people at most CrossFit boxes do something called scaling. “Scaling allows anyone to complete the same workout simply by altering the weights and movements based on the athlete’s ability in order to produce the same level of intensity. there are former football players working out with people in their 70s and 80s and new moms.
Functional exercises are ones that mimic real-life movements, and usually require little or no equipment, like burpees, push-ups, and sit-ups, as well as movements with barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, jump ropes, pull-up bars, rings, and medicine balls. they can help you improve agility, balance, and flexibility.
There’s also a significant amount of competition, with reps and rounds and everything in between measured not just against yourself, but other participants. You might have a day in the box with a four-minute sprint workout one day, and then come in the next day for a 15-minute moderate-to-fast-paced workout featuring three movements that need to be repeated in a cycle or round until the time clock runs out. you have to keep in mind Your risk for injuries increases anytime you increase the intensity of your workouts or the amount of weight you’re lifting.
Almost all workouts have a time component to them, where you either have to finish a certain number of repetitions of exercises in a certain amount of time, or the time is fixed and you need to see how many repetitions you can do of an exercise.
For that reason, it’s super easy to sacrifice form in exchange for finishing the workout quicker. If you don’t have somebody spotting you or telling you to keep your form correct, then you’re in trouble.
in crossfit, You rarely do the same workout twice, which makes it incredibly difficult to track your progress. You might go down one week on squat strength and be disappointed, but it’s because you destroyed your legs two days earlier with 150 wall balls.
also, Due to the nature of competition, the motivating atmosphere, and people’s desire to do well, many people in CrossFit often push themselves beyond their personal limitations, but oftentimes they push themselves too far.
In some extreme cases with a very small portion of CrossFit trainers, an incredibly serious medical condition called rhabdomyolysis can take place.
When people push themselves too hard, too much, too fast, their muscle fibers break down and are released into the bloodstream, poisoning the kidneys.
When it comes to strength training, improper form (especially at high speeds with heavy weights) is the fastest way to get seriously injured.
If a CrossFit gym is run by inexperienced and unproven coaches(which definitely happens) then things like this happen and they happen frequently.
crossfit lifestyle also involves good food, in fact the definition of crossfit in it’s official site is “CrossFit is a lifestyle characterized by safe, effective exercise and sound nutrition.” most crossfit trainers have a diet close to paleo and keto but not all. crossfit community believes you should Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.
cross-fit training is intended to build core strength, coordination, flexibility, increase lean muscle mass, and safely progress towards higher-skill movements. since it is mostly a compount movement(movement of multiple joints together) it can help stamina and overall strength while helping you increase VO2 max, or the maximum amount of oxygen you can utilize during exercise.
since it is an intense approach, it can help you with weight loss or more specifically fat loss. On average, a 195-pound male or 165-pound female will burn 15 to 18 calories per minute and 13 to 15 calories per minute, respectively, during a CrossFit circuit while you burn 11 calories per minute and 9 calories per minute during traditional weightlifting using machines.
a team of exercise physiologists out of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse found that women who performed two different CrossFit workouts burned over 12 calories per minute and maintained an elevated heart rate throughout the entire session.
After a high-intensity workout, individuals will experience something called the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption effect (EPOC). it is a period of time after your workout where you’re consuming oxygen at a higher rate in order to bring your body back to rest. An increase in oxygen consumption requires energy, which means you continue to burn calories even after your workout is over.
cost wise, CrossFit boxes can be two or three times the monthly cost of a commercial gym, and this is just for the group classes, not use of the facilities any time you want.
generally, CrossFit classes last an hour, broken down into four different components: a warm-up, strength or skill, workout of the day or WOD, and cooldown or mobility session.
cross fit warm-up is basically foreplay to the WOD. It’s meant to prepare your joints for the movements ahead. The strength component has one goal, which is to make you stronger, but it can take different forms. For example, you might be tasked with sets of one repitition of the maximum you can deadlift or six sets of three power snatches. A skill workout is intended to help you improve your ability to do a specific exercise, like double unders, toes to bars, or handstand walking. Typically, the skill that you work on will make an appearance in the WOD.
CrossFit exercises can be modified to accommodate beginners or those new to fitness. You’ll still need to work with the trainers at your local box to start. You may want to work one-on-one with a trainer for longer until you feel comfortable and increase your fitness level.
According to the CrossFit site, crossfit is designed for universal scalability, making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience.
an essential element of CrossFit is the spirit of sports and competition. Many CrossFit gyms use strategic actions, like keeping a score board and posting winners to social media, as motivation rather than a reward system. So if you’re someone who is motivated by competition to push yourself physically, CrossFit may prove a great exercise for you that drives fast results.
by 2020, it is estimated that CrossFit is practiced by members of over 13,000 affiliated gyms in 120 countries. In the U.S. alone, there are over 7,000 gyms offering the program. It’s estimated that there are roughly 4 million CrossFitters, and its members are so devoted to the competitive approach to fitness that the community has even been described as cult-like.
CrossFit prides itself on not specializing, which means that anybody who is looking to specialize, like a powerlifter, will not get the best results following the standard CrossFit workout schedule. if you are an athlete training for a sport, you’d be better off finding a coach that is trained in getting great performances out of athletes in your specific sport.
If you’re interested in joining the regular CrossFit workout, you’ll most likely be required to go through the On Ramp/Elements course. The purpose of these is to teach you the nine foundational movements of CrossFit and all about proper form. No matter how experienced you are, these are valuable and worth the time and money.