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
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So,
there has been lots of speculation about why there have been so many Pectoral
tears at CrossFit Regionals.
Having
just been part of Athletes Services at Meridian Regionals our main aim was to
reduce Pectoral tears.
The Men
seemed to be getting the tears and not the women.
The
exercise in question was Kipping Ring Dips.
Julien
Pineu is a CrossFit Coach at CrossFit Invictus (He also does Strongman)
but he
knows a thing or two about Training and discusses the differences between
Athletes in the Americas and in Europe.
Julien talks
about two factors:
Homeostasis and
Hormesis
Hormesis is
favourable response to stress.
Homeostasis is
the body seeking to gain balance.
"All the
programs out there are based on hormesis; how am I going to create the right
amount of stress to elicit the response that I want.
Most athletes
develop problems because they focus on programmes that give them results in a
specific areas, but longer term it will always lead to injuries, or at least
getting stuck because they don’t take into account evolution and how the body
actually works.
So the problem
is more the way that the athlete looks at training, rather than the training
itself.
Secondary to
this, for CrossFit specifically, the main problem I see is latissimus Dorsi and
Hamstrings.
The certain
planes of movement that CrossFit tends to work within, lead athletes toward
imbalances in these areas."
Julien Pineau,
the Bulletproofbodies Team Salute you!
Pay particular attention to the failed snatch
somersault which displays the danger of amateur athletes having a go without
proper coaching and progression.
Watch
out for your hair ladies when bailing on a back squat!
My
particular favorite is the Wall Ball in the face!
Simple
things like putting collars on the barbell, can avoid the noisy embarrassment
of them clattering to the floor.
CrossFit
does not cause injury, impatience with your ability level does.
So,
take it slow.
You
cannot get fit in one workout, just like you can't live your life in one day.
So did you get frustrated
with your Double Unders during 10 rounds of 17.5?
Although this is a basic
CrossFit skill, when you fatigue you go to your default setting and start
making mistakes you would not make if you were fresh.
·Wear long socks/knee sleeves to protect the shins when Deadlifting
Mobilise
·Overhead Shoulder Mobility in preparation for Handstand Push Ups HaHamstrings and lower back for Deadlifts
·Hip flexors, Quads and calf Stretches for that deep squat when catching the wall ball
Pre-Activation
·Light Squats for the Wall Balls
·Light Toe Touches for Deadlifts Scapula elevation & Depression in Hand stand
WOD
·Concentrate on your Technique, don't get a no rep, especially on the HSPU's
·Pace yourself on the Deadlifts and break them up early to This WOD is all about the new standard on the HSPU's , so be realistic and don't expect to the second round of Dealifts if you have not got HSPU's for 55 reps!
It’s the Reebok CrossFit Open
2017 and 17.3 surprised us with a brutal couplet of Chest to Bar Pull Ups and
Increasingly heavy Snatch
Your job is to push your body
hard and stay injury free over the next 3 weeks.
There are
plenty of videos showing you how to optimise your performance for this workout.
However, we at Bulletproofbodies are about injury prevention, which includes taping:
Hands
Arms and Shoulders with the unique Spiral method
Lower Back
The Open workout 17.3 consists of the following:
8 minutes to complete:
6 Chest to Bar Pull Ups
6 Squat Snatches at 43 kg
For three rounds
7 Chest to Bar Pull Ups
5 Snatch at 61 kg
If completed then:
8 Chest to Bar Pull ups
4 Squat Snatches at 84 kg
For three rounds
9 Chest to Bar Pull Ups
3 Squat Snatches at 102 kg
For three rounds
10 Chest to Bar Pull Ups
2 Squat Snatches at 111 kg
For three rounds
11 Chest to Bar Pull Ups
1 Squat Snatch at 120 kg
Bullet Points
Preparation
·Tape the hands, arms/shoulders, low back
·Wear long socks/knee sleeves to protect the shins when Snatching
Mobilise
·Overhead Shoulder Mobility in preparation for Snatching
·Hip flexors, Quads and calf Stretches for that deep overhead squat catching position
·Shoulder extension for the chest to bar movement
Pre-Activation
·Light Squats for the Warm Up
·Practice Band-Assisted Pull Ups
WOD
·Concentrate on your Squat Snatch Technique, don't miss a lift!
·Pace yourself on the C2B Pull Ups and break them up early to This WOD is all about the Snatch, so be realistic and don't expect to PB during the Workout
