Where did CrossFit come from?
Since childhood, we regularly hear the advice of elders about the benefits and necessity of doing sports. We are convinced that a healthy mind can live only in a healthy body, that sport is a real cure for degradation, as well as a means for a full-scale fight against alcoholism and drug addiction. One of the modern sports branches is CrossFit.
In the early 1980s, young coach Greg Glassman set up a small gym in his garage. There he practiced intensive training with a minute rest between sets.
The main idea is the result in the shortest possible time. Thus, the foundations of the most popular form of fitness today, CrossFit, were laid. Word of the effectiveness of Glassman’s method soon reached Hollywood celebrities, and Greg began to prepare stars for filming and red carpets. Today, CrossFit is practiced in tens of thousands of gyms around the world.
What is modern CrossFit?
It is a powerful, fast (no more than 45 minutes) circular training (exercises are repeated in a circle as if closing in a chain), which provides for the execution of a certain set of exercises in a minimum amount of time, improves overall muscle development and burns excess calories quickly. However, there are no fundamental differences from conventional circular training. There are no competitive exercises in CrossFit. At tournaments, athletes can carry out different exercises and their combinations. Preparation includes the study of different physical qualities on different days of training. For instance, such a combination: power and dexterity, endurance and dexterity, endurance and power.
These workouts do not use isolated exercises either on fitness equipment or with free weights. Even more complex weights cannot be dispensed with. Get ready to do rows, snatches, jerks, cleans, and their combo with kettlebells, barbells, and dumbbells.
What are the benefits of CrossFit?
The main advantage of such training is total physical development. However, with the help of such a system of loads, you can quickly lose weight, because in just one workout you will burn about 1000 calories! You can achieve the desired effect in a fairly short period of time if you also add proper nutrition to this.
While doing CrossFit, you will notice that your body is changing – the muscles become firm and embossed, the body becomes more toned, beautiful, and slender. At the same time, you will become agile, fast and enduring, and after each workout, you will be proud of yourself.
How to start training?
CrossFit gives a significant load on the whole body, so training for beginners seems quite difficult. Also, many experts believe that focusing not on the technique, but on speed and heavyweight, mainly harms athletes instead of having a positive impact, since there is a high risk of damage and cardiovascular diseases.
To start workouts, you should prepare your body in advance and add some physical activity. Morning exercises will not be enough, so we connect special exercises: push-ups from the floor from the legs, squats with dumbbells, lunges, twists, dumbbell rows. Perform each exercise 10-15 times 3-4 sets without stopping in the circuit mode. As a cardio exercise, jump rope for 2-3 minutes. Watch your health and pulse!
Do you need special nutrition for CrossFit?
It is also worth noting the importance of proper nutrition when doing CrossFit. It is recommended to eat more vegetables, herbs, nuts, dried fruits, and meat. In addition, sugar-containing and carbohydrate-containing foods should be excluded from the diet. Such nutrition provides the necessary amount of energy, but doesn’t lead to the appearance of body fat.
What are the main benefits of CrossFit?
Such pieces of training are good for both physical improvement and endurance, combining exercises from several sports at once. Thus, during the workout, absolutely all muscles are engaged in the workout process. Due to the fact that CrossFit groups are so diverse, their effect is more noticeable in everyday life. In addition to enhancing general physical well-being and appearance, regular exercise makes it easier to climb stairs, grocery bags feel less heavy, and catching a bus leaving a stop is not difficult.
The CrossFit essence lies in performing training from different sports branches, which the athlete combines with each other in a wide variety of variations. Also, a new program is developed for each new training. Firstly, it provides a permanent improvement to the physical ability of the body and power because there is no getting used to certain types of loads, and secondly, this prevents the risk that training can get boring because of their monotony. Many people give up sports just because most training systems use a standard combination of well-defined exercises, aimed at achieving the desired result. However, not everyone is able to perform monotonous exercises from time to time for a long time.
What are the drawbacks of this training system?
Since it combines different disciplines but is not aimed at achieving high results in any particular area, but is intended to provide general body strengthening, people involved in CrossFit cannot gain impressive achievements in a particular specialization. Their level of training in each direction will be rather amateur, they will not be able to compete on equal terms with professionals.
The variety of activities in CrossFit helps to upgrade the tone of the body, the appearance of muscle relief. However, if the goal of an athlete is large muscles, then he should choose another sport.
Is CrossFit worth trying?
The same features of CrossFit can turn into both positive and negative effects for an athlete. Thus, training must be taken as seriously and responsibly as possible and try to comply with the measure. In this case, the positive effect of the classes will not be long in coming, and possible unpleasant consequences can be avoided.