Crossfit is the exciting and trendy way to ‘fitness’ with people all over the world joining Crossfit boxes and getting fitter everyday. Some experts in health and fitness are celebrating this form of exercise (now regarded as a competitive sport) while others are disregarding it completely – naming it dangerous. Here are some pros and cons to help you decide if Crossfit is right for you.

What Is Crossfit?

Crossfit has been defined as:

‘Constantly varied functional movements executed at high intensity across broad time and modal domains’

The programmes or ‘WODs’ (workout of the day) include power lifting, heavy strength training, gymnastics and callisthenics which is body weight exercises. The idea is to be great at all forms of fitness from running, swimming, jumping, squatting and lifting. All is explained in the Crossfit tag line: ‘Forging Elite Fitness’. Many of the WODs are under a time constraint – meaning the faster you go the fitter you are which is a great way to measure your fitness.

Pros

Inclusive Community

One thing that Crossfit is known for is their inclusive community from teenagers to pensioners in their 90s you will see a whole range of people joining the trend. There is no better feeling than smashing your personal best with friends and peers cheering you on from the side and that is why people enjoy it so much.

Overall Health

With Crossfit’s competitive nature people and wanting to better themselves and the best part is – it has nothing to do with looks. People want to feel fitter and stronger rather than look toned and lean in the Crossfit community. People are improving their diets to be better at the sport and by surrounding themselves with others in the Box who are on the same wavelength this makes having a healthier, active lifestyle much easier. People in the Crossfit community drink less alcohol, consume more nutritionally rich foods and water and sleep not only more but better.  The idea of functional fitness is to be better at life. Small things like walking or lifting a heavy box or evening pulling yourself up can be a challenge for many, especially in their old age. As we age we lose muscle mass so if we train functionally – even in our old age we should be able to face these issues head on. Risks of diabetes, cancers and arthritis have been proven to lower when someones trains functionally.

Opportunities

Many people have made crossfit not only their sport, but their career. With the introduction of the Crossfit Games in 2007 athletes from all over the world have competed in order to be named fittest on earth. In order to be ‘fittest on earth’ people have dedicated their lives to training, giving up work to spend all day in the gym. This has given normal people who enjoy fitness opportunities and new career. Athletes in the games have opened up their own gyms, fitness clothing brands, health food companies and gained sponsorship deals from the likes of Reebok, Nike and Adidas.

Cons

Risk Of Injury

Go hard or go home. If you’re not on the floor fighting for you breath, sweating from every pour and feel like you’re about to die – then you haven’t done Crossfit right. Pushing yourself to your limits is what people love about this sport,. however lifting or running outwith your capacity is what causes injuries. For example if you have loaded too much weight onto the barbell your deadlift PB could end up with you knocking your back out – so just be careful and be aware of your own limits.

Price

Crossfit is expensive. Unfortunately, because you are given so much support (and because its the trendy thing to do…supply and demand…) Crossfit can sometimes be double or triple the price of ordinary gyms.

Lack Of Personalisation

Each day a workout is announced from HQ – the WOD. This workout goes out to the whole Crossfit community so there it does not suit your individual needs – however work outs can be scaled to your skill set/ experience.