Crossfit - Right For You?

Do you want to take on some intense, wind and soul-sucking WOD’s (workouts of the day) that are meant to exceed the fittest of athletic standards? We have one word for you – CROSSFIT.

It’s Like Cross Training on Steroids

CrossFit’s basic premise is to use an odd blend of aerobics, Olympic-style weight lifting and gymnastic moves to give the body an overall balanced fitness fix. The results, if you have the wherewithal to endure the journey, are spectacular. That is, injuries aside, with more on that later.

In order to accomplish this overall bodily proficiency, participants strive to achieve competence in the 10 key fitness domains of flexibility, speed, strength, respiratory endurance, cardiovascular strength, accuracy, stamina, power, balance, coordination, and agility. But make no mistake, this is extreme, no frills, Military boot-camp style training at its best.

Emergency Room Visits be Damned

As with all good things, there is a dark side to the CrossFit fitness regimen. Many participants come to find it an addiction that makes them want to do increasingly more and more at every session. In doing so, the chance of pushing excess endurance into the realm of real risk and the potential injuries that follow becomes an unfortunate reality for some.

One benefit of the accumulated wear and tear of CrossFit pushing bodies to the max, day in and day out, is the client surge that both therapists and chiropractors see as a result of the Crossfit toll.

No Apologies Necessary

Crossfit co-founder, Gress Glassman, had this to say of the injury factor, “If you find the notion of falling off the rings and breaking your neck so foreign to you, then we don’t want you in our ranks. [CrossFit] can kill you. I’ve always been completely honest about that.”

The bottom line: I did CrossFit for almost 2 years, but removed myself from it at age 52 after a series of minor injuries. The camaraderie and addiction to a new standard of fitness is both real and enticing, and even after “retiring”, my body is still at an exceptionally high level of vitality  thanks to my CrossFit experiences, none of which I would trade in.

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better

Fitness is obviously an important component of overall health and beauty, yet it remains just that, a component. Food choices, skin health, what we nourish our mind and soul with, as well as our emotional and relational happiness quotient, are but a few of the additional considerations. As always, balance is our friend.

As for CrossFit, the only way to figure out if it is for you is to give it a try. Age, fitness levels, ability to dig deep, get dirty and push to places previously not known will most likely dictate whether or not you stick and stay.

It’s like anything else with risk vs. reward – only you can decide if it’s right for you!

      “Our warm-up is your workout.”

                                          Crossfit motto 

   

PS: I gave you my CrossFit story – please share with us your take, positive or negative, based on your experiences.

Also, what is your view on America’s obsession with our physical appearance? Do we run deep enough?