Even if you’re not an avid gym-goer, you’ve probably heard of the new trend in fitness called CrossFit. Many times, these trends turn out to be fads that fitness junkies latch on to for some time before they find the next fitness trend that promises even better results. CrossFit, however, is unlike the trends you’ve heard of before. It definitely won’t be going away anytime soon because it’s doing exactly what it markets, “forging elite fitness.” In fact, many people are categorizing it as an entirely new sport.
CrossFit is a fitness regime that was founded by a man named Greg Glassman over many years. He knew that in order to be healthy, you have to eat balanced meals and use your body intensely for short stints of time (working out). Glassman wanted to be able to measure fitness with his regime, but he also had the goal of utilizing only functional movements to get there. Putting them all together, Glassman created CrossFit, a regime that uses only functional movements at intense intervals over a short period of time. Apart from an amazing workout, CrossFit has created an all-inclusive community. There’s something about performing such hard workouts together that makes group sessions that much more close-knit. This being said, CrossFit isn’t only for elite athletes or so-called gym rats. The program is extremely scalable so people of all fitness levels can take part in the workouts. The intricate system includes workout substitutes and modifications for those who need an extra boost for some of the tougher exercises.
Most people who do CrossFit join a gym specifically utilized for the program. CrossFit trainers are highly qualified to teach proper functional movements, safety, and can be very motivating. You can find CrossFit gyms like CrossFit West Hollywood, to CrossFit on college campuses, and even rural Crossfit gyms designed as warehouses. In order to get started with your CrossFit journey, you should start by locating the nearest affiliate gym near you. Presently, there are more than 13,000 gyms that offer CrossFit classes across the globe, a number that is growing by the day. These locations will provide the trainers as well as the equipment, so all you need to do is show up ready to put in work.
If you’re more of an independent exerciser, you can visit CrossFit’s website for the workout of the day (WOD) and perform the exercises on your own. To understand the break down of the workouts, you can read the exercise and demos page on the website. Most people prefer to perform these vigorous workouts in a group for motivational reasons as well as a trainer to help them through the more intense exercises.
Many people find that once they begin CrossFit, they become addicted. A large number of people actually decide to turn fitness and the CrossFit regime into a lifestyle. For those committed members, CrossFit and Reebok sponsor the CrossFit games, a scaled-down version of the Olympics. The way the CrossFit games work is as follows. The games are divided up into categories for individual athletes, teams, and according to age group. The goal of the CrossFit games is to find the fittest people on the Earth. Just like the fitness regime, the games are created by a ton of functional movements combined together to make up the most physically challenging test in the world. There are three stages in the CrossFit games:
- The Open: this stage lasts 5-weeks and includes 5 workouts. It’s held in CrossFit affiliate gyms across the world. You must be 14 to submit your scores of the workouts and attempt to qualify for the second stage of the competition.
- Regionals: this is a 3-day competition that’s held live. The Regional stage takes place over the course of the allotted days during the months of May and June. The top athletes of 2 different regions then compete to earn qualifying spots for the last stage of the CrossFit games.
- 40 men, 40 women, and 40 teams make it to the last stage of the CrossFit games. Athletes don’t know what the test of fitness is going to be until the day of competition. This means there’s no way for them to prepare for it ahead of time, a true test of fitness.
The moral of the story is that CrossFit is NOT a fad. It is instead a growing sport and true test of elite fitness. With that, anyone can become a CrossFitter, and everyone should.