What is CrossFit Training and Is It Good for You?

Plenty of people will have heard of CrossFit, and in the past decade or so it has become a true international phenomenon.

Unless you dig a little deeper, you might assume that it is just some fitness fad; another flash in the pan that will eventually disappear. In truth, it is a seriously compelling alternative to standard workout formulas, so here is a look at what it involves and why it benefits those looking to get in shape.

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Brief introduction

Before learning how to start CrossFit, it is worth learning a little more about its origins and its aims. The movement began back in the year 2000, when founder Greg Glassman set out to rewrite the book on physical fitness through a combination of different disciplines.

One of its most appealing aspects is the variety it offers, as well as the structure it provides to those who participate in its daily workout regimes. Rather than forcing you to repeat the same small set of routines over and over again, day after day, CrossFit instead incorporates all sorts of activities, which have been inspired by tried and tested athletic pursuits.

From weightlifting and powerlifting to gymnastics and bodyweight-based calisthenics, participants can face a cavalcade of activities, even within the course of the same workout.

What brings all of these elements together is the idea that CrossFit focuses on a high intensity approach to exercising. Rather than allowing participants to go at their own pace, or to take significant rest periods between sets, the aim is to maintain a greater level of energy and overall intenseness, emphasizing maximal exertion.

Health benefits

There is no doubt that CrossFit fans can accurately claim that their approach to training delivers results. The intensity is arguably key here, since HIIT has been proven more effective at burning calories and building muscle in less time than equivalent aerobic and resistance training techniques.

This should make sense to anyone who has actually tried out CrossFit, because the routines can feel very hardcore and you can expect to be pouring sweat and breathing heavily almost immediately.

Anyone who is willing to withstand the short bursts of intense effort that CrossFit involves, and who does not want to spend hours in the gym to get notable results in terms of weight loss as well as muscle gain, will find that this form of workout is attractive.

Community & competitive aspects

Another of the selling points of CrossFit is that it is built around the idea of working out in groups, and the gyms that run the program tend to become hubs for socializing as much as they are for exercise.

Then there is the competitive element of CrossFit; regional and international competitions are run to find the best practitioners from any of the thousands of affiliated gyms, and there is even the CrossFit Games which claim to play host to some of the fittest people on the planet.

You do not need to have ambitions of carrying out CrossFit competitively if you just want to get involved for your own health and happiness, but it is nice to have that option.

The caveats

Aside from the aforementioned intensity of the CrossFit experience, it is worth noting that the broad scope of the disciplines involved means that it is not the best choice for anyone who has particular aims in mind. Other types of workout are better for attaining a particular physique or reaching a set goal in terms of performance and endurance.

So if you are happy to push yourself and you just want to get seriously fit in an all-round kind of way, CrossFit could be for you.