VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: Maciej Szukała

General development cross training over the last few years has gained enormous popularity. From many sports centers, they are effectively replacing traditional bodybuilding and fitness classes. Is it right? What is this sport discipline about? Find out how to create a crossftiy training plan and if it is a good choice for you.

Crossfitis a beautiful, yet demanding sport that often tests the limits of what is possible for exercisers. It is difficult to find an equally universal training system that would develop the body in such a harmonious and coherent way. Find out what crossfit is and whether there are contraindications for this type of training.

Where did the crossfit training system come from?

The functional training system was established at the beginning of the 21st century in the United States. It combined elements of strength and endurance sports and work with the weight of your own body, as well as plyometry, gymnastics and powerlifting.

Crossfit was rapidly adapted to the needs of police training, but over time it also found its way into the military, special forces and fire brigades. It was promoted on a larger scale by the Reebok company, a well-known manufacturer of footwear and sportswear.

Today, crossfit is part of organized classes at every major gym. Many people also implement its elements into their daily training plans (exercises with kettlebells you can do at home without any problems!).

Where can you train crossfit?

Theoretically, crossfit should be performed in the so-called crossfit boxes. It is a specially designated area where devices and training equipment are located. There you will find, among others:

  • a specially designed cage (the so-called Rack) with a system of pull-up bars, grips for barbell bars and a rope for climbing,
  • medicine balls,
  • sandbags,
  • kettlebells weights,
  • rowing ergometers,
  • TRX tapes,
  • plyometric boxes,
  • farmer griffins.

Of course, these are only the most popular equipment and you don't have to use all the elements during each training session. It all depends on the purpose of the class and your level of advancement.

A characteristic element of the crossfit box issemi-flexible floor and encapsulated load for bumper barbells. This allows you to safely drop virtually any weight from any height.

An obligatory element of the cross training room is also a blackboard and a stopwatch. The board is used to record the training plan, and the clock is used to measure the time of work and breaks.

Contrary to appearances, crossfit training can also be successfully performed outdoors. Nothing prevents you from combining running training with elements of the gym and calisthenics in good weather. All you need is a bit of ingenuity, a not too high wall instead of a box and a few large stones instead of weights and balls.

What features and skills improve crossfit training

Crossfit focuses primarily on functionality. Of course, physical strength and muscle mass are also of great importance here, but they are not an end in themselves. Rather, they are a means to an end, but what is that end?

The skillful combination of functional movements into one unit makes you faster, stronger, more agile and more enduring by practicing crossfit, but without prioritizing any of these features. What's more, a very large variety of available exercises makes cross workouts very diverse and it is much more difficult to get bored with them than in a traditional gym.

Contrary to popular sports such as running or bodybuilding, functional training develops all areas of fitness. Crossfit theory covers 10 basic areas of fitness. They are:

  • performance,
  • endurance,
  • strength,
  • flexibility,
  • power,
  • speed,
  • coordination,
  • agility,
  • balance,
  • accuracy.

While it is easy to find a sport that shapes some of the above-mentioned features, few activities are as universal as exercising in crossfit boxes.

How is crossfit training arranged?

The great advantage of crossfit is its scalability. This means that you can adjust practically every training to your level of advancement, because what matters is which features you are currently shaping.

Not only that, the correct exercise technique is much more important than a heavy load. Due to the huge variety of training stimuli, the exerciser must maintain full control over each movement, otherwise the risk of stagnation and even injury increases.

There are 3 types of muscle work in crossfit:

  • metabolic - accelerate the burning of unnecessary fat,
  • strength - increase strength and muscle mass by causingmicrodamages in muscle fibers,
  • gymnastic - strengthen joints and ligaments.

In the methodology of cross training, cardio sessions and resistance training are not distinguished as such. Almost every exercise has multiple functions, and the workouts often consist of circuits of several consecutive exercises.

Also, the individual repetitions and exercises are programmed differently than in the gym. While bodybuilders are used to counting reps, sets, and measuring breaks, crossfit athletes use several systems to measure exercise volume and intensity. The most popular of them are:

  • AMRAP (As Many Rounds / Reps As Possible) - the number of rounds or repetitions that you are able to complete in a given time,
  • EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute) - each exercise or series is performed in a certain number of repetitions (eg 6). After completing the series, you rest for a full minute and repeat the effort a set number of times.
  • Tabata - consists in performing the exercise with maximum intensity for a specified period of time, and then taking a break of a specified length; the whole cycle is repeated several times.
  • RFT (Rounds For Time) - exercise rounds are performed on time.
  • FT (For Time) - the assumed number of repetitions is performed on time.
  • BI / BO (But In / Buy Out) - a given exercise or series of exercises is performed at the beginning of the training (or at its end) on time.

Crossfit trainers often combine two or three types of training intensity and volume measurement. In this way, it is easy to choose the individual components of the effort and get the desired effect.

What is WOD?

In the context of crossfit, you have certainly come across the abbreviation WOD (Workout Of The Day). This is a training planned for the day. Depending on the degree of development and complexity, it may last from 5 to 30 minutes (of course without counting the initial warm-up, rolling, stretching and mobility exercises).

There are hundreds of different WODs. Some of them are "official", the so-called WOD-s benchmark. This means that they will always have the same scheme and will be implemented in exactly the same way around the world. Each of these workouts has its own names (some of them are female names, but there are also hurricane names or the names of American soldiers).

The second part of the WODs are simply training patterns prepared by qualified personal trainers. With a little practice, you will be able to create a simple functional training scheme yourself.

How often to train crossfit?

Beginners are not recommendedmore than 2-3 workouts a week. Due to the high intensity of the exercises and the complicated technique of many movements, you should also consider using a light weight and focus primarily on feeling the movement. Only when the body learns it, start lengthening the WODs and adding kilos on the bar.

After 5-6 months of regular training, you can move to the intermediate level and increase the frequency of training to 3 or 4 a week. In training methodology, it is believed that this number of training sessions is sufficient to sustain steady progress for many years, provided the training is scaled.

Experienced people who have been training crossfit for several years usually do 5-6 workouts a week. This, however, places a heavy strain on muscles and joints and requires a good oxygen base.

What does crossfit training give?

Crossfit workouts affect your body on many levels:

  • contribute to weight reduction,
  • improve overall fitness,
  • strengthen muscles and connective tissue structures,
  • increase cardiovascular capacity,
  • contribute to the improvement of joint mobility,
  • improve coordination and speed.

The popularity of the training method is also due to the fact that crossfit brings effects quickly. Thanks to various stimuli, your body must quickly adapt to new requirements.

For many people, the sport is unique in its teamwork. In fitness clubs, all WODs are performed in a group, which stimulates the spirit of competition and makes participants try harder.

Is crossfit training for everyone?

Although at first glance it may seem that crossfit is intended only for young, athletic people, in reality it is completely different. A huge selection of WODs and training methods, as well as transparent rules for performing exercises and scalability of the difficulty level make crossfit practically possible for everyone to train.

It is enough to properly select the weight and type of exercise, and age, sex or excessive body weight will cease to be a problem. However, you need to remember two things.

Orthopedic problems

If you have suffered from fractures, knee, elbow or shoulder injuries in the past, consult a crossfit trainer, or even better an orthopedist, about the possibility of exercising.

Many movements performed in this discipline burden the indicated joints, so it may be necessary to skip some exercises or replace them with other versions.

Problems with the circulatory and respiratory system

Due to the highthe intensity of many WODs, the heart and vascular system are heavily loaded during classes. This is especially true of timed circuits or a combination of static-dynamic exercises. Before going to crossfit classes, see a cardiologist and do the necessary examinations. This way you take care of your he alth.

On internet forums you can find a lot of warnings that crossfit is injurious. We calm down! Injuries apply almost exclusively to competitors taking part in competitions where heavy weights are used, and the competition forces them to drastically leave the comfort zone.

In fact, almost all exercises are based solely on natural movements and activities.

Why are diet and supplementation in functional training particularly important?

You can be very successful in many sports without taking too much attention to your diet. Due to the degree of development of crossfit, engaging all muscle groups and many skills, it is worth getting interested in he althy eating.

A balanced diet consisting of complex carbohydrates, unsaturated fats and proteins with high bioavailability guarantees the reconstruction of the depleted body reserves and post-exercise supercompensation. The Paleo diet and the Zone Diet are also particularly popular with crossfit competitors.

In turn, the most effective supplementation in this sport includes:

  • protein supplements,
  • creatine monohydrate (or its other, more stable form, e.g. malate),
  • caffeine,
  • EPA and DHA fatty acids,
  • beta-alanine,
  • citrulline,
  • glutamine,
  • HMB.

Each of these supplements has been thoroughly tested not only for effectiveness, but also for safety for he alth in short and long-term use.

Remember, however, that dietary supplements are an addition to he althy eating. They perfectly complement deficiencies, but never replace ordinary food.

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