Having provided an overview of the craze that’s sweeping the nation, I figured I should spend some time trying to break it down so you have a true sense of CrossFit.
I think of it as a blended sport, that just so happens to be a great way to get into the best shape of your life. It takes metabolic conditioning, both anaerobic (speed/power) and aerobic (endurance) both of which I’ll cover later, gymnastics and Olympic Power lifting blends them into an a$$kicking recipe for success at ANY age.
Some of the basic but powerful movements that are the foundation to this training program are dead lifts, squats, pull-ups, running (distance and sprints), jerks, cleans and snatches, rope climbing (fun and uber hard), sit-ups, jumping, throwing, swinging, lunging, slamming, push-ups and dips, presses and some dope hybrid movements like the muscle-up (which seems impossible), clean & jerk, “wall-ball†(one of my favs) and “thrustersâ€.
So, do you need to know what all these moves are right now?
Nope, but what you do need to know is that even though these are challenging and difficult, you CAN and WILL be able to do them in time! All of these functional movements are what make CrossFit so potent and effective in not only changing your body, mind and spirit but also pushing your fitness to awesome heights!
Maybe you are wondering what kinda stuff do you use in order to get there?
Well, some of the neat stuff/tools include:
- Medicine balls
- Sleds (for pushing while they piled with weight plates on them)
- Ropes (both to climb and swing),
- Gymnastics rings
- Barbells, Olympic plates, and dumbbells
- Pull-up bars
- Kettle bells
You’ll also find some random stuff like GIANT tires which are used for flipping and for slamming with a sledge hammer. Personally I find this to be SUPER fun for taking out your aggression when having a bad day…. almost as good as face punching, but not quiet! ; )
Focused & determined!
What’s the point?
All of this is focused into three main categories in order to measure production (fitness):
- weight/load
- distance/reps
- speed/intensity.
As long as you are pushing YOURSELF in these three areas, you will achieve your goals. The key to training in such a sport without risking injury is to know your limits and most of all, keep your form!!!!
With CrossFit you can compete with those who attend class with you and yourself.
But the key, and this is very important, is to make sure you don’t allow yourself to be pressured into pushing further than you can SAFELY go. And by “safely,” I mean that you don’t compromise your form/technique in order to keep up with everyone else. That’s a sure fire way to get hurt.
Plus, by keeping your form you will maximize the benefits of each movement and grow stronger and fitter!
I hope that this shines a little more light on what this neat sport is about, look for the next piece on conditioning aspect of CrossFit!
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Got a inspirational story? Comment below or email me:
— Ness
Ness@Jedemi.com
I'm Ness, the author of this post
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