Crossfit: Fitness For All

The most effective way I have found to achieve health and fitness goals is to become part of a CrossFit community. “CrossFit is a lifestyle characterized by safe, effective exercise and sound nutrition. CrossFit can be used to accomplish any goal, from improved health to weight loss to better performance…” (“What is CrossFit”). The constantly varied, high-intensity, functional workouts characterized by CrossFit will improve speed, strength, and agility which can prove to be beneficial in movements that are used in everyday life. In addition to the workouts, the lifestyle and community aspects of CrossFit make it the key to overall health, fitness, and wellness.

I was first introduced to CrossFit as a competitive athlete, looking to improve my paddling. Trying out for a spot on the USA National Dragonboat team required intense training both on and off the water. A major factor in achieving a sufficient time during the 500m trial in a boat, is to improve strength to weight ratio through a specific exercise regimen. “CrossFit is a mix of aerobic and anaerobic exercise regimes with the stated goal of improving fitness and physical performance…” (Dominski). “CrossFit aims to develop components of physical fitness related to health and motor performance: aerobic capacity, muscular strength and endurance, stamina, flexibility, speed, coordination, accuracy, agility, balance, and power.” (Lichtenstein) “…It is growing in popularity and has a strong community known to motivate and push the participants to maximal performance.” (Dominski).

The CrossFit program starts off with mobility work such as resistance bands and stretches to warmup. This helps activate accessory muscles, and gets participants ready for the more strenuous workout to follow. The next part of class involves strength training with barbell lifts such as squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses. Each individual records the amounts of weight used for each of these movements to keep track of progress over time. After strength training the class moves into the workout which usually targets metabolic conditioning. The figure below (Tibana) provides a visual aide, and helps break down how each fundamental aspect of CrossFit workouts can be beneficial, and the minimal risk involved. The strength and power exercises (including, but not limited to: squats, deadlifts, cleans, snatches, and presses) promote an increase in muscle size and power, and enhance neural adaptations. Cardiovascular exercises (some of which include: row and ski ergometers, jumping rope and double unders, running, and fan bicycle) help increase cardiorespiratory performace and cardio-metabolic adaptations. Body weight and gymnastics exercises (such as pullups, muscleups, and handstands) help increase coordination, agility, balance and accuracy, and encourage neurological adaptations.

The variation of daily workouts helps prevent athletes from plateauing, which is when the body becomes accustomed to repeated workouts; and strength, speed, weight loss, or muscle gain stops improving. When an athlete hits a plateau, chances are their body adapted to the training demands that were placed on it. It’s normal. This adaptation even has widely recognized scientific names, including the principle of specificity and specific adaptations to imposed demands, more simply known as SAID. For the athlete, it basically says that change and progress aren’t going to accelerate unless the demands change.

Although the CrossFit workouts can be quite intense, the best part is that they can be altered to anybody’s abilities. There are endless modifications available to accommodate athletes of all levels, even those that do not consider themselves an athlete! Athletes with limitations such as lack of experience, illness, or decreased range of motion can scale CrossFit workouts to match their capabilities while still preserving the intended targets of the exercises. By doing this everyone can participate in CrossFit despite personal limitations, and continue to make progress by gradually increasing work capacity. Even shortly after having hip surgery I was able to participate with modifications to the exercises. The main goal of scaling workouts in this manner is in the long run to bring athletes to the point of eventually accomplishing the “prescribed” exercises, or as close to it as possible. Since the program is based on long term progress, most members will keep returning and continue to improve. Gunnlaugsdóttir explains, “Scaling options are the reason why everyone, in whatever shape they might be, can do CrossFit. Scaling basically means that you change the intensity of the workout to your fitness level. There is a scaling option for every single exercise. For example, you can always use a lighter weight in a weightlifting session or use elastic bands to help you with pull ups, muscle ups, squats and more, do fewer reps or just anything to help you finish the workout with your skill level. Even crossfitters that have been doing the sport for a longer time have to scale occasionally. Perhaps due to injury, or they don’t have enough strength in them that day to keep that weight for a whole wod. Some of the benchmark WODs have heavy loads that not everyone can handle. Scaling can also mean that you do fewer rounds with the same intensity and weights, or just fewer reps of that particular exercise that you have not mastered yet… For most beginners scaling is necessary to survive the workout. With time and more CrossFit session you will be able to Rx before you know it. There is no shame in scaling, ask your coach about the scaling options for you.”

This long term commitment of members brings in the next point which demonstrates how CrossFit is the ideal exercise program, and that is the aspect of the community. With the same people returning over a longer period of time, members become not only workout partners but also friends. Having workout buddies helps individuals to feel more motivated and be more consistent. Members of the CrossFit community encourage each other, and in turn work harder to continuously achieve better results.

“Compared with other forms of resistance training, motivational characteristics of individuals engaged in CrossFit training seem to be different, whereby those engaged in CrossFit training exude a high level of self-determination, and may experience a greater sense of satisfaction and pleasure.” (Dominski). Friends help to hold each other accountable to continue returning to class, and ultimately achieve the common goals of the group. “When you work out with a partner you’re more likely to be more consistent. When someone else is counting on you to show up you don’t want to let them down.” (CDC).

With events, such as “Friday Night Lights” during the CrossFit Open competition attending the gym becomes a social gathering as well. One CrossFit enthusiast explains this event, “Basically, every Thursday for 5 weeks, CrossFit HQ releases a workout. As Open competitors, we have until Monday at 5pm PT to do the workout however many times we want and submit our scores to “the man” (CF HQ aka Dave Castro aka Greg Glassman). But Friday Night Lights is our chance to complete this workout as a gym family. How will it work? Every Friday evening, the gym will be set up with whatever is needed for the workout. You will already be assigned to a heat, and another member or coach will be assigned to be your official judge. Their job is to count your reps and make sure they are each to standard. You will come in, warm-up, and compete when it’s time for your heat. You will most likely lay on the ground for a while afterwards, and then get up and cheer your head off for the next heat… Friday Night Lights is one of the biggest community-cultivating events of the entire year. Sure you’re participating in a worldwide event (no big deal), but you’re doing it with your buds, pals, workout comrades, arch nemeses, and for some -- significant others by your side. CrossFit technically is more of an individual sport, but as a gym, we are a team. There will be cheering. There will be a DJ. There will be matching shirts. There will probably be food and beer…” (Crossfitrenew). This makes participation more fun, especially for those members who might not actually enjoy exercising so much. The CDC even recommends fitness community; “When you work out with a partner you’re more likely to be more adventurous. It’s easier to try new things with a buddy. You may just find an activity you love, one that feels more like fun and less like a workout.” As a reward for coming to the work out members get to spend time with other friends in the community, and celebrate the victories no matter how large or small.

According to Dominski, “The CrossFit training shows peculiar characteristics including the sense of community promoted by the training group mode with a supportive and tight-knit community, the functionality and scalability of movements and exercises, the motivational and the competition environment including self-challenge not only through breaking of personal fitness records, but also among the pairs. Furthermore, it is recognized that the CrossFit environment emphasizes the body’s function over its appearance, differing from traditional resistance training modalities. CrossFit encourages individuals to change their behavior, influencing the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, involving general practitioners of varying levels of fitness and athletes as a sport modality.” Although CrossFit might not be for everybody, it certainly can be for anybody. For those who might be intimidated it is highly recommended to at least give it a try. Just like searching for a proper social niche, each CrossFit box has its own unique qualities. Whatever the health or fitness goals for the individual are, there is a CrossFit box to meet the needs of each person.

Works Cited

“3 Reasons to Work Out With a Friend.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23 Apr. 2021, www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/spotlights/workout-buddy.html.

Dominski, Fábio Hech, et al. “Psychological Variables of CrossFit Participants: A Systematic

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“Friday Night Lights: What and Why – CrossFit Renew.” CrossFitRenew.Com, www.crossfitrenew.com/2018/01/09/friday-night-lights-what-and-why.

Gunnlaugsdóttir, Guðrún. “What Is Scaling in CrossFit?” BOXROX, 16 Apr. 2018, www.boxrox.com/what-is-scaling-in-crossfit/#:%7E:text=Scaling%20options%20are%20the%20reason,option%20for%20every%20single%20exercise.

Lichtenstein MB, Jensen TT (2016) Exercise addiction in CrossFit: prevalence and psychometric

properties of the Exercise Addiction Inventory. Addict Behav Rep 3:33–37

National Academy of Sports Medicine. (2018) NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training,

6th ed. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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“What Is CrossFit?” CrossFit, 2021, www.crossfit.com/what-is-crossfit.