You’ve probably heard about a fitness craze called CrossFit that is sweeping the nation (and the world), but do you know what it is?

DESCRIPTION

CrossFit is a brand of strength and conditioning that mixes gymnastics, weightlifting, powerlifting, medicine ball training, rowing, and sprinting to increase a person’s proficiency in stamina, flexibility, accuracy, cardiovascular endurance, strength, speed, power, agility, coordination, and balance. Workouts may require the use of bodyweight exercises only, or equipment like climbing ropes, hanging rings, pullup bars, kettlebells, jump ropes, barbells, and dumbbells. Participants sometimes pull or carry odd objects like loaded weight platforms.

Practitioners may train at home or at gyms affiliated with CrossFit. These gyms are called “boxes.” Classes generally include a warm-up, skill development, and workout. Workouts are usually in reference to a “Workout of the Day” or “WOD” and people may do this workout at home since the WOD is posted on the CrossFit website. There are also WOD generators from which people can choose.

People from all walks of life do CrossFit: housewives, business people, retirees, college students, fire fighters, military outfits, elite athletes, and law enforcement personnel.

HISTORY

Founded in 1995 by Greg Glassman, the first gym was opened in Santa Cruz, California and has grown to close to 3,500 gyms by 2012. In 2007, an annual “CrossFit Games” allow people from around the world to compete for cash prizes. Reebok currently sponsors the Games, and 2011’s four champions (in Men, Women, Masters Men and Masters Women) each won $250,000.

THEORY

CrossFit is based on several general principles:

1)     Powerlifters tend to be stronger than other athletes.

2)     Olympic lifters tend to be more powerful than other athletes.

3)     Gymnasts tend to learn new sports faster than other athletes.

4)     Sprinters tend to have more cardiovascular endurance than other athletes.

5)     Endurance athletes tend to be weak when it comes to power, strength, and   speed.

6)     High-carb diets make you fat and weak.

7)     Athletes tend to be able to run, punch, jump, and throw better than bodybuilders.

8)     To optimize physical capacity, a person must train at unsustainable intervals.

9)     Segmented capacity is the result of segmented training.

To find a CrossFit Box near you, go to http://www.crossfit.com/cf-affiliates/

**The writer is not affiliated in any way with CrossFit.

 

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