Fitness and nutrition are the two domains that most people intend to address and improve in the attempt to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle. There are several methods that target this topic, and the abundance thereof, which exist in the form of programs, globo gym memberships, and whatever else is currently being advertised, is certainly overwhelming and even discouraging. However, many people have tried the plethora of options out there, and it turns out that there still seem to be a large number of dissatisfied customers. For me, that is where CrossFit comes in, as it is a program that addresses both fitness and nutrition exceptionally well.
Now, you’ve probably heard of CrossFit already, and if you have, I have no doubt that you’ve been disparagingly exposed to its negatives, which in reality may be gross exaggerations. There are many stories out there of injuries and the horrible experiences that some people have encountered while entrusting their lifestyle goals to CrossFit. I will try to address this issue and unveil the reality behind these claims as well as the fundamental purpose of the sport and what it entails as a concept.
First, CrossFit consists of two things: the physical, competitive fitness sport that is participated in and the philosophy it attempts to convey. The physical aspect consists of constantly varied workouts that are intended to combine three fitness domains: gymnastics, weightlifting, and monostructural. Gymnastics consists of any movement involving one’s own bodyweight – i.e. pull-ups, push-ups, handstand walks, muscle ups, etc. – whereas weightlifting, consists of any movement that involves external weight – i.e. front squats, snatches, cleans, etc. On the other hand, monostructural movements involve everything else, such as running, jumping rope, swimming, plyometrics, etc.
This allows us to understand what makes CrossFit unique. CrossFit’s aim, in combining all of these domains within any given workout, is to constantly vary the type of training that your body experiences in order to force your body to adapt to different movements all the while keeping the same end goal in mind: fitness. This regimen not only improves your fitness but also aims to improve basic motor skills, which is evident with the prominence of calisthenics within programing, as well as maximizing your form in every other skill whether it be low skill like the back squat or high skill like the snatch. Ultimately, muscular, aerobic, and anaerobic conditioning are purposefully targeted. A globo gym membership experience lacks all of this. That type of programming results in building of muscle at the expense of performance and fitness. Nevertheless, the physical competitive nature of the sport itself is supplemented by the community feel that is provided in your box, or gym, which is a big departure from your average globo gym.
Second is the philosophy behind CrossFit. What separates this sport from any other type of fitness regimen is the foundational logic developed in its conception. CrossFit is a program that seeks to set a fine line between intensity and volume wherein intensity is prioritized. In fact, to a certain degree, CrossFit completely disregards volume in its programming. In this context, volume is defined as what you do, and intensity is defined as how you do it. The formula known as (force x distance / time) is what defines intensity. Simply put, intensity is all about doing more work in a shorter amount of time, whereas prioritizing volume achieves the opposite.
Fitness and performance stagnate when volume is prioritized. This is simply due to the fact that higher volume does not allow someone to improve and specialize on form because of the amount of additional movements involved. However, prioritizing intensity involves performing a low number of movements in a shorter amount of time, which allows for form and technique to be maximally stressed and in turn improves both form and fitness levels.
Form is a fundamental aspect of any athletic endeavor, and real progress cannot be made unless form is diligently honed. Consequently, constantly varied workouts provide participants with an opportunity to perform and hone their form and technique in high stress and high intensity situations, which maximizes both their form and fitness simultaneously. From personal experience, my own personal interest in the subject, and research, the problem with many other fitness and workout regimens is that volume is prioritized over intensity, especially at globo gyms where there isn’t a constantly varied and intense approach. In fact, it is quite the opposite wherein the participant attempts to fit in as many reps and exercises into building one area of the body, which actually keeps the participant in their respective comfort zone without providing too much intensity.
The philosophy that CrossFit aims to develop is that fitness and performance is maximally achieved when volume is a supplement to intensity, not vice versa, and the only way that athletic performance in any sport can be maximized is through this principle. Intensity can be simplified in the way of understanding it as work. In short, think of it this way: there are two workout programs where one has you working out for 90 minutes at 60% and the other that has you working out for 60 minutes at 90%. CrossFit is the second one, and in the end, over a period of time, the second one is going to make you a better athlete than the first.
With this being said, the problem within the CrossFit community at the moment is that there are too many people falling into the hype and cliché narratives that accompany CrossFit. People see the CrossFit Games on ESPN every year and think that it’s something that they should try, and even though CrossFit’s natural growth is attracting potential new members, there is a preponderance of box owners that aren’t experienced or trained well enough to lead the communities that are entrusting them with such a large responsibility. The CrossFit brand is growing beyond control to a point where it seems that there is a loss of centralization and standardization regarding the fundamentals of form, periodization, and intensity that formulates the fundamental fabric of its philosophy. This, in turn, is leading members and coaches to forget, ignore, or even not know the fundamental components of CrossFit, which is leading to a disappointing number of injuries and an overwhelmingly disappointing number of bad experiences.
The foundational principles of CrossFit are exceptionally brilliant and noteworthy but it is the people who are coming into the community without the skills and willingness to acquire those skills in educating and coaching their members that are giving CrossFit a bad reputation. It also goes without saying that this can be a lucrative endeavor, so a situation exists where people open boxes and develop brands but prioritize being fitness entrepreneurs instead of coaches. Now, in order to join a box that follows the foundational principles and is worthwhile requires quite a bit of research and experimenting, which is something not everyone has the time to do, and this is where the reputation being presently constructed is playing a role in potential members’ final decisions.