This week’s Friday Focus looks at how CrossFit has become one of the world’s most popular ways to stay fit, and why so many fitness professionals recommend it!
CrossFit is a high-intensity fitness programme which originated in California, incorporating elements from different sports and types of exercise to create a complete and comprehensive way to work out.
The programme was created by Greg Glassman and Lauren Jenai in 2000 and has since become one of the biggest and most controversial phenomena’s in the fitness industry. This is because it gives people a variety of ways to train, whether it be HIIT or olympic weight training exercises, CrossFit has something for everybody.
One of the biggest reasons CrossFit is so effective is the high intensity aspect of the programme. The workouts tend to take up to an hour, and contain HIIT circuits and weight training, making them extremely intense.
Another reason it is so good for getting fit is the convenience of it. People can become so focused on work that they do not have time to go for long workouts and plan their regimes, however with CrossFit this is done for them in the form of pre-written WODS. Anyone of all abilities can turn up and smash a CrossFit session for an hour, and go home feeling like they’ve had a great workout. The time saving and simplicity aspect of the programme is what sets it apart from most other programmes.
The WODS target different body parts and aerobic levels, subsequently your body will very rarely get into a habit and plateau, because the work it is doing is always changing. This kind of training is extremely effective, as one of the biggest obstacles people who train face is plateauing and struggling to improve.
CrossFit is a very intense style of working out, however it should not be seen as an elite club. Anyone can go to CrossFit, and this is something that the programmes founder Greg Glassman has spoken about extensively. There is a family culture within the CrossFit community, much like other sports such as football or rugby. The people you train with can quite often become friends and quite quickly you start to feel the camaraderie within the sport.
CrossFit is focused on these main sectors: stamina, coordination, strength, balance, accuracy, power, speed, flexibility, agility, endurance. Because of this it provides a complete body workout, not only working every muscle group, but also gives you a number of different ways to work. This, in turn, helps with every part of your health, physically and mentally.
By entering into a CrossFit group, you should find yourself surrounded by fitness-weary, motivated and hardworking individuals. This has an immense positive impact on your overall lifestyle and health. As we all know it is easier to make sacrifices if the person next to you is as well, which is why CrossFit is so popular.
CrossFit has taken over the world of fitness since it’s launch, with more than 13,000 gyms using the programme in more than 120 countries. If you’re looking for a varied and extremely efficient way of working out, then CrossFit could be a great fit for you!