Just a little Crossfit

If you see a very very strong girl or guy that is not a bodybuilder, she or he probably is a CrossFitter. They flip tires, climb ropes, snatch, clean and jerk, do pull-ups, dips, push-ups, press to handstand, flip and split. They are enthusiasts, they love challenge and they like to go extreme. Let me tell you right away, I am not one of them. I wish I was, really. But even though I would say I work out really hard – no way I could ever make it to their games. Look at their workout plans!

It simply is too exhausting! 40 Burpees? No thanks. I’ll do 20 and then give myself a break to catch my breath. And that is exactly what a real CrossFitter would never do: “Pick it up! Finish it out! Two minutes to go!” he would be cheered up. A personal trainer told me about his student who was exhausted to the point that he was about to throw up when doing bar fixes, but  he repressed it and finished his set before he ran to the restroom to vomit. “I do give them a little sticker if they puke,” explains Hollis Molloy, a trainer at CrossFit Santa Cruz to Brooke Ross in the article “The Controversy behind CrossFit” that he published on LIVESTRONG.COM. “Back in the day, we used to give them shirts and the availability of the shirt ran out.”

“Problems arise when CrossFit athletes and their trainers simply don’t know when—or choose not—to pull the plug”, says Brooke. ”Certain exercises implemented by CrossFit (Olympic lifts, specifically) are meant to be done in moderation. But CrossFit preaches pushing to the edge of every set, every rep, until there’s nothing left in the tank. And while training to muscular failure is notoriously debatable, one thing is certain: Regularly pushing your body to failure can lead to serious health risks.”

On their official website CROSSFIT.COM CrossFit founder Greg Glassman, who by the way is completely out of shape himself, says: “A regimen of constantly varied, functional movements performed at high intensity in a communal environment leads to health and fitness.”  In 1991 the former gymnast mixed Olympic-like lifts with multi-joint exercises and cardio training and laid the foundation for one of the biggest  movements in sports history.

Even though I am not a CrossFitter, I try to integrate some moves into my functional training plans. They are very effective and spare me the post-workout cardio I find so boring. Box Jumps and Burpees in different variations are my favorites. I also like CrossFit’s attitude towards nutrition: “Eat meat (no thanks) and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.”

But mostly I agree with the following instructions:

1. Keep Workouts short and intense.

2. Regularly play and learn new Sports. Routine is the Enemy.

3. If you are not an experienced CrossFitter, make sure you get professional help.