What to Know
about Crossfit
Cassie Smith
October 13, 2022
When you train CrossFit, you’re training to get better at pretty much everything, not be the best at one thing. To a CrossFit coach and athlete, the person who is the most “fit” might be the person who could compete in a 5K run, powerlifting meet, rope-climbing contest, and swim meet and finish strong in each.
So what is CrossFit?
CrossFit has been around in one form or another for over 20 years. But ask anyone who does it what, exactly, CrossFit “is,” and you’ll still usually get a “Well…” This intense and occasionally controversial training style has always been tough to pin down or define. But that’s the point: It defies easy characterization, and it helps create athletes that do the same. Are you Cross-curious? I don’t blame you. I’ve been in it for years—and stuck with it for years, including competing at the CrossFit games in 2015. Here’s what you need to know about CrossFit two decades into its history.
What Is CrossFit Training?
Created at the turn of the century by coaches Greg Glassman and Lauren Jenai, CrossFit is a fitness system meant to help people develop an “increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains.” This means that CrossFit isn’t necessarily designed to get you better at one way of training, but rather, to always be ready for anything in the gym and out.
To do this, CrossFit athletes utilizes a wide range of tools and exercises, including:
- Olympic lifting (snatch and clean and jerk)
- Powerlifting-style barbell lifts (squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press)
- Bodyweight training
Explosive kettlebell training - Gymnastics training
When you train CrossFit, you’re training to get better at pretty much everything, not be the best at one thing. To a CrossFit coach and athlete, the person who is the most “fit” might be the person who could compete in a 5K run, powerlifting meet, rope-climbing contest, and swim meet and finish strong in each.
CrossFit alone probably isn’t going to make you huge, but it is a great way to stay lean, versatile, and athletic while you add muscle.
What Are CrossFit Workouts Like For Beginners?
There are as many different ways to approach CrossFit as there are CrossFit gyms or “boxes”—and there are over 15,000 boxes at last count. If you try a class, you’ll most likely do a workout of the day (WOD), which usually includes some type of “met-con” or metabolic conditioning session. This is a combination of strength training and conditioning, often involving performing as many rounds or reps as you can in a given amount of time.
The movements, rounds, reps, and other details always vary, so you never know what to expect. One day you could run 400s and do pull-ups. The next day you could be doing kettlebell swings, burpees, and box jumps. There are even some WODs that resemble bodybuilding workouts. An example is Lynne, where you alternate max-rep sets of bench press and pull-ups for 5 rounds. But CrossFit goes beyond that. Good boxes will invest time to coach you on how to improve your form for both big compound lifts and Olympic lifts, skills like double-unders and kipping pull-ups, and even running and rowing techniques.
“
A nylon lifting belt is an essential CrossFit accessory to provide extra support while remaining flexible and comfortable through a varied and challenging WOD.
Is A CrossFit Box Better Than A Gym?
Not necessarily better, but maybe more fun. A CrossFit box is like a lifting playground. Instead of a maze of tightly packed exercise machines and dumbbell racks, you’ll find a smaller array of barbells, bumper plates, lifting platforms, climbing ropes, rings, medicine balls, kettlebells, and a whole lot of pull-up bars, all built around a large open space.
You’ll also get more in-depth personal training and the freedom to lift how you want. In a CrossFit box, you don’t have to worry about dropping your heavy deadlift, getting yelled at for grunting, or being kicked out for being too awesome. And the lifting community in an established box is both supportive and competitive in the best way.
CrossFit alone probably isn’t going to make you huge, but it is a great way to stay lean, versatile, and athletic while you add muscle.
How Often Should I Do CrossFit?
A minimum of 2-3 times a week is enough to make serious progress, but if you really enjoy CrossFit, you can go 4-5 days a week. Find your optimal training frequency and stick with it.
Remember, you don’t always have to push yourself to the limit. Some days you can focus more on cultivating skills. On other days, you can even do some functional bodybuilding. This is now more common in boxes than ever before!
Read More
What you need to know
about crossfit
CrossFit became a super popular workout a few years ago when box gyms began popping up not only across the country, but the world. CrossFit is practiced by members of over 13,000 affiliated gyms in 120 countries.
Nutrition rules that will fuel your workout
Your body is a machine. And, like all machines, it needs the right fuel to run well — especially if you are active. But what foods should you eat to benefit your workout? And when?
Why you need to lift heavy for fat loss
Your body is a machine. And, like all machines, it needs the right fuel to run well — especially if you are active. But what foods should you eat to benefit your workout? And when?
STAY
IN TOUCH
Be the first to see inspiring content, news and exclusive offers. You may unsubscribe at any time.
