If you have been
anywhere near a gymnasium or read the fitness magazines lately, surely you have
discovered CrossFit!
It's one of the most recent and most popular crazes in the
fitness world right now. It's tough, it's extreme and its devotees are almost
"cultish" in the fight for turning everyday couch potatoes into
hardcore exercise machines!
As they power through
their workouts, lifting heavy weights, climbing ropes and swinging kettle bells
like crazy, the true devotees of CrossFit call themselves the fittest men and
women on The planet!
All is not well in the
movement...
The emergence of the
high intensity CrossFit come from the front line of the military elite and has
transferred into the suburbs coming with a warning from health and fitness
experts that the craze is causing serious injuries.
The problem however
arises from regular, everyday folks, specifically those that are far from being
in great shape, forcing themselves to the limit. Celebrity personal trainer and
fitness guru, Lee Campbell, who has previously worked as an army trainer says
Crossfit is injury plagued and that specifically there is an escalating trend
towards shoulder injuries and for some, reconstructive surgery is needed to fix
the damage.
But Is CrossFit The
Problem?
The danger of CrossFit
however...
is not the activities
itself but more so attributed to poor technique and a lack of supervision which
is taking an ever increasing toll on not just shoulders, but hips, knees and
naturally the back.
CrossFit is not new by
any means. Much so that it was actually stopped by many practicing divisions back
in the 1990's because of the injury toll among the men... and these were men in
great shape! Picture such high intensity and high demand workouts being done by
the regular Joe and Jill Average?! Is it any wonder that injuries are on the
rise?
And CrossFit Trainers
themselves are not immune with many physiotherapists actually training the
trainers in how to treat their own minor muscle complaints.
Body Leadership
Australia physio, Paul Trevethan, also concurs that the high intensity and
largely competitive attributes of the CrossFit regime increases the chance of
injury. He also does admit that injuries are mainly coming from the "lower
level athlete that comes in and goes gung-ho.".
So Do The Benefits
Outweigh The Dangers Of CrossFit?
Look, when you take it
all into account, CrossFit is an amazing method that creates amazing results.
Having said that, it really is NOT a beginner or even intermediate level
exercise program. It was designed for our elite forces so that in itself should
give you some perspective into what is required to properly but also safely
complete such a program.
The injury risk can
seem to be high and no one would deny the more than ideal frequency rate of
especially shoulder injuries however the negative talk about CrossFit is way
over the top when it comes to the opinion of many CrossFit trainers like Matt
Noonan and Aidan Rich, an Australian Physiotherapy spokesperson.
While Mr Rich
recognized that there was an occurrence of shoulder injuries, the health and
wellness benefits far over-shadowed the negatives. Trainer Matt Noonan also
agrees that the injury threat is low so long as clients were taught the
appropriate technique and that they were closely supervised.
At the end of the day,
CrossFit is an excellent program but it needs to be attempted by those in great
shape, looking to get even more out of their fitness objectives and enjoy
greater results. If you are performing at a high standard and want a new
challenge then absolutely go for it. However anyone who is at beginner or
intermediate level need to reassess their goals and physical capabilities
before trying CrossFit.
As always when in the
gym, perfect form and working out under supervision is just so important and
should never ever be discounted. The same goes double for CrossFit training but
done properly and done right, CrossFit will challenge you like no other workout
program and I urge you to have a go if you feel up to it.
Again as always, talk
with your regular medical doctor or physician whenever you are about to begin a
new workout regime!
Getting into shape and
improving your strength and fitness is different for everybody and there is not
any "one size fits all" fitness program. It's also not about beating
anyone else but yourself and the you that was yesterday, or last week or even a
year ago!
Learn loads more about
some of the best fitness training programs out there as well as the best ways
to Buy Home Gym Equipment
[http://www.weightsbenchandweights.com/buying-home-gym-equipment//] plus the
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