Top 11 CrossFit Pros and Cons 2020

I guarantee that any fitness enthusiast that has even moderate knowledge of the latest exercise trends is conversant with CrossFit. CrossFit, originally created in the year 2000, has emerged as one of the most popular exercise phenomena around the globe. There are millions of individuals who log onto the CrossFit website to perform the WOD posted (WOD stands for Work of the Day). These WODs are often created by their local gyms, also known as “box.” There is an unbridled enthusiasm when it comes to CrossFit with all the never-ending amount of people signing up. Let’s start by defining what CrossFit it.

What is CrossFit?

CrossFit can be defined in the following ways:

A fitness program using weightlifting, cardio-based exercises, and gymnastics with the sole aim of creating athletes that are well-rounded and fit. It is a class-based exercise regimen that encourages goal-setting, team participation, and challenges. Another way to define CrossFit is that it is a training method that incorporates elements of strength, endurance, and mobility, unlike the majority of other sports.

In a nutshell, CrossFit can be thought of as the ultimate all-rounder sporting activity. If you enjoy taking part in a number of sports, CrossFit could be the best thing for you.

Pros and Cons of CrossFit

Ever since it exploded onto the scene roughly 15 years ago, CrossFitMelbourne has amassed a significant amount of followers. But there are also people who criticise it a lot. But the question is, is the criticism warranted or fair? There are millions of people who swear by CrossFit, so how can it possibly be bad? In this section, we take a step back and give you a balanced and level-headed rundown on CrossFit, its pros and cons.

Pros

1.  CrossFit is Safe

Safety may not be the first thing that comes to mind when we talk of CrossFit, but it has been shown time and again that CrossFit isn’t dangerous. In fact, after you get a good coach to give instructions and learn how to pace yourself, the chances of you picking the injury will be significantly low. Several death cases occur on treadmills every year in the U.S., and lots of others more are injured.

Despite the sanitized appearance of and the seemingly perfect and hazard-free environment, ordinary gyms are accident black spots. There are lots of inexperienced people who all follow different programs. There is no semblance of coordination. Communication stopped being important, and it is not a wonder that accidents happen.

On the other hand, CrossFit is highly focused. Everybody works together by coordinating constantly and communicating. Despite all the talk about the high-intensity nature of CrossFit and the unfortunate accidents that have occurred, this exercise regime is largely safe. CrossFit is always in the spotlight, albeit unfairly, and this is due to its meteoric rise and its growing number of extremely passionate students. The people who participate in CrossFit are the ones who aren’t safety-conscious, but CrossFit is safe.

Some people are just downright careless, and when your ego makes you want to try something that’s beyond your capabilities, you know you are treading on dangerous grounds.

Injury rates, while comparable with lifting at the Olympics, is significantly lower than in contact sports, for instance, rugby.

2.      CrossFit is a Challenging and Motivating Sport

Ask any CrossFit enthusiast about going back to an ordinary gym, and you will see that most of them feel quite unsettled about it. The low-energy, anonymity, and air-conditioning of gyms tend to be stifling for these people. In the case of CrossFit, there aren’t mobile phones, mirrors, hiding in the corner or machines.

Classes are organized around finishing tasks and everybody is encouraged. It is true there is a bit of cheering and whooping but it isn’t enough to put you off. The energy is very real. Classmates are generally helpful and generous. There is a feeling that everyone wants to achieve their best.

You are never quite sure what your class might be like. One day it could be clean and jerk practice, the next day a 2-km run while wearing a weight jacket.  Sometimes it could be kettlebell swings and pull-ups, or a maximum number of deadlift tests. It features an endless list of variations in exercise, durations, and intensity. In fact, the CrossFit Moto is Constantly Varied, which sums it up so nicely.

3.  Mobility & Flexibility Improvements

Weightlifting and gymnastics are so far the only sports that promote mobility training. But did you know that CrossFit incorporates both these disciplines? Mobility is quite important. As we advance in age and tend to sit more behind our desks at work, our bodies become accustomed to our new unnatural movement patterns.  Movement patterns here simply refer to limited movement or no movement at all.

Suppose that an average rugby player, footballer, jogger or tennis expert goes to exercise after spending a day sitting. Limited mobility in training or lack of it is akin to walking into a fire from a cold tub. The body should be ready for movement, but most of the time it isn’t.  Since CrossFit works on flexibility and mobility, this will help you a great deal during your exercising and working times. CrossFit does wonderfully on these two aspects.

4.  Constant Improvements & Goal Setting

Do you like learning new things, setting high goals, or checking boxes on your bucket list? If so, then you will find CrossFit an excellent training regime. With CrossFit, there is always something new you can learn, and the sense accomplishment you get can be genuinely life-changing.

After mastering the handstand holds against the wall, the next step for you is to move to the handstand walks. When you can comfortably do a power snatch with great form, you can set the next goal to be a heavy squat snatch. Although pull-ups are definitely great, muscle ups are equally good. What about running a 4-minute mile carrying a weight vest?

Contrary to traditional training and gym exercises, CrossFit provides you with the chance to develop your mobility, Olympic lifting, and gymnastics skills. For a lot of people, this is the motivation needed to improve their health and bodies beyond their expectations.

5.      Sociable

Most CrossFit Gyms are highly sociable. To push each other to accomplish the often tough workouts, CrossFit gyms use high amounts of camaraderie in the gyms. Your chances of forging real friendships here are more than there are at commercial gyms where people just tend to focus on achieving their individual goals.

6.      Great overall fitness

The one thing with CrossFit is that it is composed of several exercises that make you roundly fit. It is a mix of jumping, weightlifting, gymnastics, and rowing exercises among other things. These workouts have different amounts of exercises and movements that you have to complete in a given time duration.

7.      Suitable for all ability levels

CrossFit workouts are able to be scaled up or down to meet the experience, fitness levels etc of an individual person. It’s one of the best ways to introduce weight training especially to a person who has never been involved in a cardio exercise or you want to give individual new ideas of working out if they have reached the plateau stage.

Cons

1.      Injury risk

CrossFit often gets the stick for the injury risk that users face. A lot of its controversial reputation comes from the online videos in which users are coached to push themselves to complete the exercises. Some of the exercises could put you at risk of being injured. Certain workouts require performing a high number of reps in a very short time. The time pressure and fatigue can make participants neglect their techniques.

2.      It is not specific

CrossFit workouts are highly varied. While many people see this as a bonus, people with specific sports goals or targets may want an option that is more focused. Such people argue that it is better to concentrate their skills on a specific sport as opposed to just using CrossFit to become a well-rounded participant.

3.      It is a high-intensity workout

Although high-intensity exercises can be great, not everyone has the willpower or motivation to complete every workout knowing that they have to push themselves beyond the limit. In the end, people will skip lessons or make excuses about why they can’t make today’s workouts.

Bottom Line: Should you CrossFit?

The popularity of CrossFit has shot up in the recent past, and there is a good reason for this. CrossFit can be challenging and also rewarding at the same time. You will get vastly improved health and also make friendships as a bonus.  If you are contemplating giving it a try, you just need to ensure that you get a proper coach and always be in form.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding CrossFit Melbourne, but this shouldn’t deter you from taking part in the sport if you are interested.  If you are already experienced with workout routines and are conversant with safety techniques, this form of exercise won’t pose a threat to you but instead, give you lots of advantages.

But if you are completely new to muscle development and physical fitness, you should consider other options. This is because the risk of injury will be quite high. CrossFit works perfectly for individuals who can successfully regulate their workout routines and ensure that they are responsible for the process.