What is Crossfit
You might have caught the name mentioned, but possibly do not know anything about it so provided here is a brief summary on what the concept details. CrossFit itself is together an exercise programme in addition to a fitness establishment (CrossFit, Inc.), started by Greg and Lauren Glassman well over a decade ago (2000).
CrossFit claims to be a strength and conditioning programme involving regularly mixed functional actions performed at great intensity. It supposedly fuses strength training, explosive plyometrics, speed training, Olympic- and power-style weight lifting, kettle bells, body weight exercises, gymnastics, and aerobic endurance exercise in one setting.The objective, of course, is to train its practitioners in General Physical Preparedness (or the ten general physical abilities accepted by physiologists), namely: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, strength, flexibility, power, agility, coordination, balance, stamina, and accuracy In other words, the goal is to coach individuals to perform ‘well’ at any, and every single charge conceivable. At its centre is the workout of the day, or WOD’s, as they’re universally referred to, which are posted daily on the company’s website. Some of which are explicitly termed so after women or military heroes, such The Barbara (five circuits of twenty pull-ups, thirty press-ups, forty sit-ups, and fifty body weight squats executed in order, while resting at the conclusion of each course for a three minute period).
Training this way necessitates one to train three to five days per week, with workouts being highly intense and short (habitually lasting anywhere from five to fifteen minutes).The exercises utilised characteristically encompass the entire body in pushing, rowing, running and squatting movements. Such examples could be variants of sit-ups, press-ups, pull-ups, power cleans, burpees, etc. It might seem daunting, but all workouts are entirely scalable depending on your capabilities. Another significant point to make is that these workouts are intended to take place in a group environment. This is debatable CrossFit’s main strength, constructing a community-based setting of encouragement and instruction.The majority of CrossFit fitness centres or ‘affiliates’ as they have a habit of being referred to, offer free preparatory lessons, so you can attempt them for yourself. Nevertheless,keep in mind that it is very possible to perform the WOD in a typical gym setting, on your own.
So, who is CrossFitaimed at?
Well, any person truly looking to take his or her training up a notch, increase his or her overall fitness, fat loss and to bring a hint of competitiveness are quite welcome. It is important to note, however, that only in an ideal world will one be able to excel in all aspects of physical fitness. Regrettably, this is not the case as the body can only adapt to a specific number of stimuli at a time.
This is to say that CrossFit may not be ideal and quite likely even harmful, for those training for athletics, sports or something with a particular objective in mind, like Powerlifting (focuses on strength-speed and speed-strength) or Olympic Weightlifting (focuses primarily on power and speed-strength). To cut a long story short, if you’re not competing and are considering becoming better at various aspects of fitness and/or a change in body composition,CrossFit is worth a try. The ideal thing to do is to try a class and see for yourself. As with all modes of training there are pros and cons, in this case its strength and weakness happen to be the same thing. That is, it trains all areas of physical fitness, but excels and none in particular.
Bibliography
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“CrossFit Review.” WebMD – Better information. Better health. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/crossfit-review?page=2>
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Longe, Jacqueline L. “Volume I: CrossFit.” The GaleEncyclopedia of Fitness. Detroit: Gale, CengageLearning, 2012.
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Rippetoe, Mark, Lon Kilgore, and Glenn Pendlay. “The Physiology of Adaptation.” Practical Programming for Strength Training. Second Edition. Wichita Falls,Texas: Aasgaard Company, 2009.
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Siff, Mel Cunningham, and Yuri VitalievitchVerkhoshansky. Supertraining. 6th – Expanded Version. Denver: Supertraining International, 2009.
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“What is CrossFit? Basic Introduction. “Irish Fitness – Helping You with Your Fitness, Weight Loss, Exercise and Nutrition Goals. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. www.irishfitness.ie/What-is-Crossfit.html
