Within the realm of fitness, few training methodologies have ignited as much debate, and enthusiasm, as CrossFit. CrossFit is characterised by its emphasis on continuously varied functional movements performed at a high intensity.
CrossFit workouts typically mix elements from Olympic weightlifting, endurance sports, and gymnastics. Yet, despite drawing from largely area of interest sports that require relatively high levels of skill, CrossFit has infiltrated mainstream fitness and promotes itself as an accessible form of coaching that anyone can do.
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With its surge in popularity, CrossFit has also faced criticism concerning the foundational principles upon which it was formulated, together with outright skepticism about its ability to be implemented in an efficient, secure, and sustainable fashion. Critics raise concerns concerning the potential injury risk of performing complex movements while under fatigue, the efficacy of attempting to improve all facets of fitness concurrently, and the seemingly random nature of the workouts.
Nonetheless, those that recurrently take part in CrossFit do see impressive physical advantages in multiple areas. And the feats achieved on the CrossFit Games annually proceed to be astonishing. So, does a training style that produces these results really deserve such a nasty rap?
Let’s review a number of the strengths and weaknesses of CrossFit as a training regimen for developing overall fitness. While doing so, we’d have the ability to reply the query of whether or not CrossFit is “bad” or if it holds as much as the claims of accessibility and appropriateness for everybody.
A Review of CrossFit Training
Strengths of CrossFit Training
Having been a longtime force within the fitness world for greater than twenty years, and still steadily growing in popularity, CrossFit brings several clear advantages to the table. While these same advantages could sometimes be found with other training methodologies, they’re inherently “built-in” to CrossFit training, delivering greater overall results.
Constructing Cardiovascular Fitness
Let’s face it, most individuals within the gym probably must do more aerobic work, aka “cardio.” Even should you are primarily excited by constructing strength or muscle, it could likely profit you to not only add cardiovascular training, but to do it via different methods, modalities, and intensities. (1) CrossFit excels at this.
Most of the time, a CrossFit workout would require you to row, bike, run, or jump rope. Even workouts that don’t have these specific elements will develop some aspect of aerobic fitness or endurance as a result of their structure, often by incorporating circuit-style training.
But in case your primary goals are developing strength and increasing muscle, won’t this hurt your progress and even cause you to lose your gains? Probably not. The truth is, there’s a very good probability it is going to help your long-term progress.
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The common fear that aerobic exercise will hurt strength, power, and muscle gain is rooted in what’s often called the interference effect. That is the notion that, if multiple physical qualities are developed concurrently, none of them are developed thoroughly because they interfere with one another on a physiological level. It’s a “jack of all trades, master of none” situation.
The effect is most pronounced if the qualities require vastly different physiological adaptations, which is the case with strength/power and aerobic adaptations. Nonetheless, if there may be one thing CrossFit has shown us, it’s that the interference effect just isn’t a difficulty for many trainees. Even fairly advanced trainees can experience significant gains in strength, power, and muscle while concurrently improving aerobic fitness. (2)
So if aerobic work isn’t hurting these gains, how is it helping them? Improving aerobic fitness will allow you to get well faster between sets, which may help you do more overall work (i.e. volume) in your sessions. This could have advantages no matter your training style or specific goal. It will probably help you get more reps in case your goal is hypertrophy and reduce the quantity of rest needed between heavy sets in case your goal is strength. The consequence in each scenarios is more high-quality work which may end up in a novel stimulus for brand new gains.
Sure, should you are already at a high level and wish to be elite in a selected strength sport reminiscent of bodybuilding, powerlifting, or Olympic weightlifting, your training needs to be specific toward those goals more often than not. But should you’re training for general fitness or to be greater, stronger, or leaner than most individuals, improving your aerobic fitness goes to be useful.
Emphasis on Body weight Movements
One other area that tends to get neglected in lots of peoples’ training is the usage of body weight exercises. Now, it’s not such as you’re going to construct the identical levels of muscle or one-rep max strength using body weight movements in comparison with utilizing external load. But your skill and talent in movements using external loads, like free weights, have little carryover to bodyweight-only movements and methods.
Not convinced? Try getting through the body weight exercise portion of the favored CrossFit workout “Murph” — complete a complete of 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 unweighted squats. The total workout bookends those 600 reps with a one-mile run before and after, and it’s typically performed wearing a weighted vest. But, for an eye-opener, try the exercises on their very own.
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Murph doesn’t care how much you bench or what your muscular endurance is like with heavy, high-rep squats. It should turn out to be apparent, in a short time, that those things don’t allow you to much. In the event you truly need to develop holistic fitness that helps you look good, feel good, and perform well under a wide range of circumstances, you need to recurrently include some body weight exercises in your regimen. (3)
Again, that is one area where CrossFit excels. It’s all but guaranteed that you simply shall be performing some type of unweighted squat, push-up, or pull-up every week. But it surely’s not only the fitness and work capability aspect of this that’s useful. Most of the body weight movements require a level of skill and total-body control which might be unique to them, and this is an element of the explanation why barbell-based movements don’t transfer well.
This is especially true of gymnastic-type movements like handstand work and plenty of pull-up variations including chest-to-bar pull-ups, muscle-ups, and even kipping pull-ups. Yep, you read that right: kipping, or incorporating lower body momentum and total-body involvement right into a pull-up, is an overall positive attribute. Most frequently, people’s disdain or outright hate for kipping is just based on a misunderstanding of what it’s.
Many individuals think that kipping is largely a variety of poor technique or a type of “cheating,” and that CrossFitters are only flopping around on the pull-up bar. To be fair, that will sometimes be the case, but it surely’s not the rule. In point of fact, kipping is borrowed straight from the gymnastics world. In the event you’ve ever watched a gymnast perform on the uneven bars, you’ve seen kipping. It’s how they get themselves onto the bars and pick up speed for various movements of their routine.
CrossFit has taken this and applied it to pull-up variations in addition to other movements. When done appropriately, these movements involve skill, coordination, and body control. And when incorporated as a part of a workout, they require facets of cardiovascular and muscular endurance that’s hard to copy with other movements.
Weaknesses of CrossFit Training
For as many advantages as Crossfit training can deliver, it’s also lacking in some arenas. No single training methodology can really be all-encompassing and general CrossFit training, like many other forms of training, has just a few holes in its game. Listed below are some gaps to concentrate on before getting into a Crossfit box.
Only One Gear
CrossFit workouts have two primary formats. One is “As Many Rounds as Possible” (AMRAP), where you attempt to finish a series of exercises for as many rounds as possible in a given period of time. The opposite is “rounds for time” where you aim to finish a set amount of rounds as fast as possible.
In each of those formats, training density is the goal — how much work you may accomplish per unit of time. This isn’t necessarily bad. The truth is, in lots of training programs, density is commonly an missed area for progression. But just like several training variable, at all times chasing the identical quality or consequence is a recipe for stagnation or, potentially, mental and physical burnout.
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To be clear, this just isn’t necessarily specific to CrossFit. This could be analogous to powerlifters at all times maxing out or bodybuilders at all times taking sets to failure. You’ll be able to get away with doing those things for a comparatively short time, but you finally should back off or switch gears to make maximum progress.
While there are definitely cases of trainees in those disciplines overdoing it, it’s generally accepted that a well-designed training system rotates through periods of relatively higher, more moderate, and lower workout intensities.
Not only that, but there are countless training methods and formats to perform those fluctuations in intensity. You just can’t train at the best gear on a regular basis. AMRAPs and rounds for time are very intense, high-gear formats. Even the “easy” days aren’t all that easy if you’re racing the clock to hit a PR performance.
CrossFit, as a general system, hasn’t gotten to the purpose where more moderate or low-intensity formats are a part of the WOD (workout of the day) repertoire. This will likely seemingly violate the “high-intensity” aspect of the core CrossFit philosophy, but incorporating the lower intensity work will help elevate and improve the high-intensity work without compromising results, while also allowing higher overall recovery. (4)
Lack of Movement Variety
One among the important thing tenets of CrossFit is that it’s “continuously varied.” After all, a part of that is in reference to the incontrovertible fact that workouts are continuously changing. But it surely’s also intended to reference movement variety.
From the surface looking in, CrossFit does appear to include a wide range of exercises, particularly should you’re relatively latest to strength training. The vast majority of people have likely not considered performing Olympic lifts and their variations frequently, for instance. In order that might be an entire latest library of movements. But should you train CrossFit consistently for some time, you’ll soon find that the movement menu is definitely relatively small.
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If you take a have a look at the exercises and the movement patterns which might be repeatedly performed, there are a variety of effective exercises, movement patterns, and pieces of apparatus that go unutilized. Incorporation these missing elements wouldn’t only add way more variety, but would also make the training more in keeping with one other CrossFit tenet: functionality.
Now, to be clear, a high degree of exercise variety doesn’t necessarily mean that a training program is useful or highly effective. Regularly changing exercises can present drawbacks of their very own, particularly for beginners. And there are countless examples of programs with relatively little movement variety which might be very effective at attaining results, whether that be for strength, muscle gain, or fat loss.
Nonetheless, those programs or training styles don’t hang their hat on being the gold standard of functional training. For CrossFit to be truly functional and continuously varied, there are some missing elements that may be useful to incorporate.
Missing Element 1: Lateral and Rotational Movements
Almost every movement in CrossFit is performed in what’s called the sagittal plane. These are movements which might be done forward or backward, and/or primarily require flexion and extension (bending and straightening) of the joints involved. This includes CrossFit staples like front squats, deadlifts, cleans, kettlebell swings, box jumps, push-ups, burpees, wall balls… the list goes on.
Our body is designed to do so much greater than just flex and extend. If we don’t do those things, we’ll step by step lose our ability to do them safely and efficiently. Nevermind the incontrovertible fact that life is multidirectional. We want the power to rotate, move side to side, and move diagonally, and we want to do all those things while also moving up and down or forward and backward. If we cannot move in those ways (i.e., if we don’t train it), we turn out to be less functional.
Missing Element 2: Unilateral Movements
Many of the movements utilized in CrossFit are bilateral, meaning they involve using each legs or each arms at the identical time in a symmetrical fashion. But just as life is multidirectional, it’s also predominantly unilateral, especially on the subject of the lower body.
Again, if we would like our training to be truly functional, it should recurrently incorporate unilateral lower body and upper body movements reminiscent of split squats, step-ups, single-leg squats, single-leg deadlift variations, single-arm pressing, and other single-arm and single-leg movements.
Missing Element 3: Horizontal Pulling
If you have a look at the overall movement patterns utilized in CrossFit, one in all the largest omissions is horizontal pulling, or rowing movements. Yes, the rowing machine is commonly utilized for metabolic conditioning, but that doesn’t provide enough resistance to really strengthen the muscles of your upper back.
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And despite the fact that pull-ups are performed frequently, one drawback of the kip is that it decreases the involvement of your upper back muscles, particularly the rhomboids, traps, and rear delts. The result’s that muscle groups which may be necessary for posture, shoulder health, overall performance, and having a well-rounded physique go understimulated.
Missing Element 4: More Equipment
On one hand, the incontrovertible fact that a CrossFit box can exist with minimal equipment is a profit, and this is an element of the explanation for its growth as a training style. Any sport that requires very specialized equipment has very limited growth potential. It’s one reason why there are more soccer players around the globe than there are golfers.
Then again, there are a variety of great pieces of exercise equipment that go underutilized or completely unutilized. These are items that may not only add variety and functionality, but would allow obligatory movement progressions for individuals who need them, improve their performance, and potentially reduce the danger of injury.
The medication ball is an awesome example. The incontrovertible fact that every CrossFit box has dozens of them, but almost exclusively uses them for wall balls is a little bit of a travesty. Medicine balls are supposed to be thrown and slammed to develop whole-body power. There are also countless variations through which to include lateral, rotational, and unilateral movements that may be easy to work into metcons.
Other equipment reminiscent of trap bars, safety squat bars, physioballs, landmines, and suspension trainers could all easily have their place in CrossFit. They might not only add to the functionality aspect, but provide movement variations that could be more appropriate for some people (e.g., trap bar deadlift vs. conventional barbell deadlift, landmine squat vs front squat, etc.).
Nonetheless, this stuff are nowhere to be seen in typical CrossFit programming or WODs and there’s no valid reason as to why. Possibly there could be logistical issues to each CrossFit affiliate having all, or most, of this stuff which might make affiliate programming difficult. It could also make the kind of “CrossFit Training” less recognizable, which isn’t useful for branding.
Nonetheless, it seems as if this stuff aren’t even regarded as options, which might not be useful for the vast majority of trainees on a broad scale.
Tips on how to Make the Most of CrossFit Training
If you ought to try CrossFit, or use it as your primary form of coaching, listed below are some suggestions. Note that these could apply to any training style.
Don’t Be Afraid to Back Off Some Days
It’s OK to not go all out in every WOD. It will probably be tempting to at all times attempt to beat your old PRs or challenge one in all your peers, but should you’re feeling run down, it’s way more effective to take heed to what your body is telling you and let off the gas on occasion.
Don’t Sacrifice Technique for Rounds or Time
In the event you’re not a competitor, it’s just not value it. The antithesis of functional training is consistently doing something that can harm your functionality down the road, reminiscent of using improper technique. Decelerate within the WODs, or pace yourself appropriately, and take a beat to do movements appropriately.
Switch Gears Periodically
Every on occasion, use a very different training style or have just one specific training goal for a month or two. Possibly it’s just constructing size or strength via bodybuilding or powerlifting-style training. Or perhaps you’re going to fiddle using only kettlebells for a month. Or do yoga, or pilates, or climbing the character trails in your area. These transient periods of drastic variation may be great mental and physical resets.
In Supplemental Training, Do the Opposite
In the event you resolve to do some supplemental workouts along along with your CrossFit training, do the alternative of what you usually do in a WOD. This implies taking longer rest times, doing lower intensity aerobic work, and performing different movements or utilizing different pieces of apparatus like mentioned earlier. Slot in some medicine ball slams, single-arm dumbbell rows, landmine presses, Russian twists, and other pieces which might be missing from the classic CrossFit puzzle.
Is CrossFit a Good Fit for You?
The bottomline is you could and can concurrently develop multiple qualities to a comparatively high level through CrossFit training. And in case your goal is well-rounded fitness — becoming stronger, leaner, and customarily more “in shape” than the common person — CrossFit is usually a implausible and effective option to achieve that. (5)
Nonetheless, the consistent high-intensity and competitive facets do make it unique from other training styles they usually warrant consideration for the way they’re approached long-term. Consider the strengths and weaknesses laid out above, consider them relative to your individual needs and goals, after which resolve if it’s the suitable training solution for you.
References
- Patel, H., Alkhawam, H., Madanieh, R., Shah, N., Kosmas, C. E., & Vittorio, T. J. (2017). Aerobic vs anaerobic exercise training effects on the cardiovascular system. World journal of cardiology, 9(2), 134–138. https://doi.org/10.4330/wjc.v9.i2.134
- Schumann, M., Feuerbacher, J. F., Sünkeler, M., Freitag, N., Rønnestad, B. R., Doma, K., & Lundberg, T. R. (2022). Compatibility of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training for Skeletal Muscle Size and Function: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Evaluation. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 52(3), 601–612. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01587-7
- Harrison, Jeffrey S CSCS, NSCA-CPT. Body weight Training: A Return To Basics. Strength and Conditioning Journal 32(2):p 52-55, April 2010. | DOI: 10.1519/SSC.0b013e3181d5575c
- Sousa, A. C., Marinho, D. A., Gil, M. H., Izquierdo, M., Rodríguez-Rosell, D., Neiva, H. P., & Marques, M. C. (2018). Concurrent Training Followed by Detraining: Does the Resistance Training Intensity Matter?. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 32(3), 632–642. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002237
- Claudino, J.G., Gabbett, T.J., Bourgeois, F. et al. CrossFit Overview: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Med – Open 4, 11 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-018-0124-5
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