CrossFit training can help you get in shape, and it's not as dangerous as many people think. This type of exercise may not be the best way to gain muscle mass, strength, or lose fat, which is why not many of us even engage in it. So if your main goal is to build muscle, achieve a slim figure, or increase your cardiovascular endurance, you may want to stick with traditional strength or cardio training. However, to know whether CrossFit training is the best way to improve your overall fitness, you can find some useful information in this regard in this post.
Change your lifestyle through CrossFit training
Crossfit training can not only transform your body but also change your perspective on life. The way you see the world can also be the life-changing power you need to make it happen.Through the right training programSo it wouldn't be so difficult to stay fit in the long term. Such training has been extremely successful over the last decade and there are over 13,000 gyms offering CrossFit training around the world. Crossfitters are some of the most passionate athletes you will ever meet.
But is it all that true believers claim to be? Is it really the best way to get fit? Does it transform mere working out into something transcendent, or is CrossFit training just a fad? Does it actually offer nothing more than increased risk of injury and overtraining, as most critics claim? Well, the long story in short: depending on your trainer, Crossfit can help you significantly improve your lifestyle.
What is a CrossFit workout?
CrossFit is a high-intensity training program that focuses on performing a variety of strength and aerobic exercises, ranging from push-ups to sprints to cleans and jerks. The exercises are typically grouped into “Workouts of the Day” or “WODs,” which typically last 5 to 15 minutes. Performance is recorded and evaluated to promote friendly competition and measure progress. In most WODs, you perform one exercise at a time without resting as quickly as possible for a set number of “rounds.” In other cases, you complete as many laps as possible while racing against the clock.
As you can see, such gyms are equipped with squat racks, dumbbells, medicine balls, kettlebells, gymnastics machines, Olympic weightlifters, ropes, rowing machines and other variations for exercises. This is one of the most important advantages of CrossFit training: most gyms offer everything you need for proper strength training. What you do with all of this is of course crucial, but the first step is having the right hardware. Most gyms excel in this regard. However, CrossFit's meteoric rise can be attributed to much more than workouts and well-stocked gyms. It's the culture that made it so popular.
Health Benefits
Let's first look at the positive aspects of this sport. Your trainer can tell you exactly what you need to do each day. Most people don't have an overarching workout plan and show up at the gym a few days a week. There they train whatever is most tempting or least painful at the moment. It's usually a series of randomly selected exercises and repetitions that they do until they run out of time. This can be called exercise and is better than nothing. However, it is certainly not a training that requires a logical structure and orderly progression, as well as leading to desired results.
However, when you show up for a CrossFit workout, the instructor will tell you exactly what to do, how to perform the exercises, and when to stop. If the instructor also knows something about the program, it means that every major muscle group in your body gets its fair share of punishment. Instructors can also customize the training to suit your abilities and needs. For example, if your strength is in your upper body, you can swap the dumbbell for a bench press. For example, if you like running, you could do a combination or do another type of cardio like rowing. Most CrossFit gyms also track the progress of your training. This is essential to avoid plateaus in strength and weight gain.
It's about dumbbells
Your main goal as a natural weightlifter should be increasing your total body strength. It's best to focus on barbell exercises that involve multiple joints and muscle groups, such as squats or bench presses. However, many people don't prioritize or do these exercises, and that's one of the main reasons why many of them are stuck. Well, one of the first things you learn when you join a CrossFit workout is exactly these fitness methods. CrossFit also pushes you to work harder than you could on your own. Most people hate being uncomfortable, and the more uncomfortable they are, the more they want to stop whatever is causing them discomfort immediately.
This mentality is not suitable for CrossFit training. Although it can be taken to dangerous extremes, CrossFit's mindset is one of the reasons it works. So when you do a CrossFit workout, you should expect to train heavier, harder, faster or longer. Not everyone needs or wants these types of competitive environments, but for those who struggle to stay motivated, it can help them stay on the right track.
Additionally, when you join a workout, you will be surrounded by many people who really love such fitness. Not only will you spend a lot more time moving than the average person, but you'll also eat better. This also means you are less likely to give up unhealthy habits such as smoking or drinking.
Disadvantages of CrossFit training
Compared to the overwhelming number of nonsensical training programs, they can be far worse than CrossFit. If you want to be reasonably strong and good on the Olympic tracks with decent endurance and flexibility and a class environment is important to you then this could be perfect for you. If you want to lose fat, gain muscle, and get healthy as quickly and efficiently as possible, this is not the best way. For this reason, Crossfit is not the most efficient way to get fit. The idea is that by performing a variety of exercises you can achieve the best overall fitness. This is also the best option to have an aesthetic body.
Well, the Oxford English Dictionary defines fitness as “the condition of being physically fit and healthy.” And fit is defined as “being in good health as a result of regular physical exercise.” With these definitions we can measure our fitness level in different ways. However, in CrossFit terms, fitness also has another definition – increased work capacity across wide time and modality ranges. Basically, you're as fit as you can get with CrossFit. Clever and practical.
Efficiency
It is often claimed that CrossFit workouts are the best way to gain muscle and strength and increase endurance at the same time. This theory seems plausible at first glance due to the nature of the training - it is essentiallyhigh-intensity interval training, which, however, quickly becomes noticeable when you consult the scientific literature. If you try to do everything at once, you'll get poor results across the board.
This has been shown in a number of studies. For example, in 2009, researchers at RMIT University worked with well-trained athletes and found that "combining resistance exercise and cardio in the same session can disrupt genes for anabolism." In layman's terms, combining endurance and strength training seems to give "mixed signals “ to send to the muscles. It also impairs their ability to adapt and is suboptimal for maximizing muscle and strength gains and aerobic fitness.
Fat loss
Many people believe that such workouts are necessary because of the great challenges they poseBurning a lot of caloriesand represent the best option for fat loss. A CrossFit workout is high-intensity, but also short. For this reason, women can burn from 60 to 120 calories per exercise session, and men can burn from 110 to 170 calories per session.
Although this may be impressive given the duration of the workout, you can burn the same amount of calories with a 30-minute walk. It is also rather negligible in the larger context of weight loss, as half a kilo of fat contains about 3,500 calories. You can burn a little more energy through physical activity every day if you want to lose fat effectively.
Conclusion
Should you do CrossFit training? Well, that depends on your goals. If you want to get fitter and have fun with a group of like-minded people as well as a good trainer and know how to avoid overtraining and injuries, Crossfit is not a bad choice. However, if building muscle, losing fat, or improving your aerobic fitness are your main goals, it's not exactly right for you. You will be better served with a more traditional approach to strength and/or cardiovascular training.
However, overall, this sport has motivated millions of people to start training. CrossFit introduced them to rigorous barbell training and helped them lose fat, gain muscle, and become healthier. On the other hand, it has significant drawbacks and is not the safest or most effective way to do these things. So if you're looking for something more like a sport than a streamlined training program, and if you like competition and want to see how hard you can use the envelope in your training, you'll probably enjoy Crossfit.
