With
all the fitness training programs becoming popular nowadays, it’s
worth taking a closer look into each of them. One of the programs
that’s been gaining popularity recently is CrossFit. If you’ve
seen YouTube videos of CrossFit buffs, you probably noticed one
thing--supreme intensity. Needless to say, it’s not for everyone.
CrossFit
doesn’t involve gym equipment. You won’t see free weights. No
machines. But you will experience a serious training that will
condition your body to eventually be able to do anything. It’s all
about functional strength.
Is
it good for you?
Although
the public has an impression of CrossFit as a wildly intense workout
that is impossible for beginners, the truth is it’s great for
different types of people. You won’t start at the high intensity
stage of the program. That’s designed for advanced individuals.
Your fitness level will be assessed and the right scale is set for
you. The thing about CrossFit is it’s a single type of workout, but
it’s scalable. If you can’t hold 140 lbs in a squat position, you
can start with lighter weights. You start with the number of reps you
can do. Eventually, this will become a high intensity program, but
it’s one that doesn’t and shouldn’t sacrifice your health.
In
the end, you will have to decide whether you want to progress or
switch to other types of workout. Fitness fanatics tend to stick to
the program and see best results.
What
are the risks?
For
people who are asking whether CrossFit training is dangerous. It can
be. Just like any type of fitness program, there are risks involved.
Doing
exercises in bad form
The
main feature of CrossFit training is doing as many reps as possible
within a specified span of time. This can be daunting, even
troublesome for beginners, who have yet to master doing certain
exercises in the right form. You can crank out high reps of push-ups,
but in the wrong form, you could injure your rotator cuffs or tear
your triceps tendon. The solution is always have someone watch over
your form when you do the exercises. More importantly, once you could
no longer do an exercise in the right form, stop! 10 push-ups done in
proper form is much better than 25 bad ones.
Overtraining
The
tendency of people on CrossFit training program is to push themselves
way beyond their limits until something snaps. This shouldn’t be
the case, as in any type of fitness program. Whether you’re into
running or weight training, if you push yourself too hard, you are
likely to injure something.
The
problem with many CrossFit enthusiasts is they often encourage young
beginners to push themselves too far, too soon. Many beginners and
even intermediate members tend to show off too and do more than they
should, and this behavior is often encouraged, causing many
CrossFitters to have different types of injuries at some point.
