Compiled by Jerrican Tan, 2 CrossFit Coaches & 3 international fitness presenters (find out who they are)
Crossfit (or popularly known through the acronym for workout of the day – WOD) has been the recent buzz word in the fitness industry e.g. workouts, programs and apparels. Many have ditched their `thought-to-be-boring’ workout for this commonly viewed as high intensity workout. Women who had deep fear of bulking up are now taking medical certificates to attend sessions at CrossFit boxes. Even fitness trainers swear by this workout and have been seen copying developing this `high intensity’ workout for either themselves or their clients. Some just feel good talking about it or wearing their apparels.
So, looks like CrossFit is taking over the fitness world. Does CrossFit work or is it just a trend? I know some exercise professionals have expressed their concern towards people beginning this programme as increased exercise related injuries have been reported. This article intends to help general public and fitness professionals to make better decision when starting a CrossFit programme and supports fitness professionals to better discover the purpose when suggesting `CrossFit’ workouts.
So what’s CrossFit?
`CrossFit is an all round strength and conditioning program. It is constantly varied, utilizes functional movement and performed at high intensity. To achieve this, the training program uses a combination of gymnastics, weightlifting and metabolic conditioning. Although many people regard CrossFit as very high level and intense, the truth is, the program is very inclusive. Movements, load and intensity are always scaled based on an individual’s fitness and skill levels, with the aim of achieving high levels of fitness’ – according to Jonathan Wong, ACE CPT, CrossFit Coach, pioneer of CrossFit in Malaysia who founded Pushmore a renowned CrossFit box. Jonathan Wong had his first crush on CrossFit in year 2007. `In the first few months of following the programming, I saw rapid improvements in overall strength and conditioning. As compared to the mix of circuit training and body building movements I was doing previously, this was giving much better results in a shorter period of time’
It is interesting to know that health and fitness industry has evolved intensely ever since its birth. Initially it was racquet games, weight lifting, aerobics, bodybuilding, functional training and then now people are talking about high intensity training, CrossFit and stability/mobility training. Hence, is CrossFit a trend that will go away one day?
`CrossFit is not a new training methodology’, as mentioned by Fabio Comana, MA, MS, CSCS, ACE CPT, NASM CPT, NASM CES, faculty instructor at San Diego State University, and University of California, San Diego, National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), an international fitness presenter and who was the original creator of the ACE IFT Model.
`CrossFit style of training is essentially one of many variations of what we call higher-intensity, high work-rate type programs that have become popularized over the past 7 – 8 years, but have been around for several decades:
- HIIT research pioneers like Gibala and La Forgia have been investigating this type of exercise since the mid-1990’s.
- Military and tactical teams (e.g., SEALS) have been utilizing this type of training for decades – key difference is that their training is very task-specific whereas CF is very generalist
- Sports teams (e.g., Australian and South African rugby) have been training their athletes with these types of workouts for the past 10 – 15 years – key difference is that their training is very task-specific whereas CF is very generalist’, – Fabio added
Marcel Daane, MSc, CSCS, Director of Organizational Performance, Anytime Fitness Asia also the programme creator of the M.E.T method ( a transformational coaching system that strives to enable long-term behavior change through synchronizing the brain with the body by keeping the complete human being in mind thus laying the foundation to improve emotional and cognitive function while simultaneously developing a fitter, stronger, and more dynamic body), believes CrossFit is a well packaged brand that utilizes a number of training methodologies that have long been proven to be effective stand-alone training systems, such as body-weight training, Olympic Lifting, Kettlebell Training, etc that have been packaged into a series of different workouts.
`I think, what gives CrossFit staying power above a fitness trend is the fact that they utilise training methods that have been around for more than a century and have long since withstood the test of time. If anything, I think one area where CrossFit has succeeded more than any other brand is in the development of a strong and loyal culture. In many ways, one could say that CrossFit is like the Apple of Workouts, where Apple developed a loyal following of consumers by having an extremely strong brand and utilised unique ways how to communicate their brain proposition, CrossFit too has developed a strong and dedicated following of loyal consumers.’ – said Marcel
Does it really give results?
`CrossFit is effective because it is utilizes constantly varied, functional movements, done at high intensity. These factors cause the body to respond rapidly to training because of the imposed demands put upon it. CrossFit training sessions are always quantified based on performance, so it keeps a participant focused on specific goals to achieve for that day. The combined use of gymnastics and weightlifting is key as well. These two sports require large amounts of focus and strength, thus stimulating both the nervous system and muscular system, creating a higher physiological response than just traditional single station or circuit training.’ – Jonathan Wong, proudly shared.
Sam Tan, CrossFit Coach, ACE CPT, founder of X45, a CrossFit box based in Kota Kinabalu Sabah, thinks CrossFit is an excellent way to get regular people into strength & conditioning, such as himself. Sam is aware that CrossFit has totally revolutionized the fitness industry. It gets results really quickly and provides an excellent fitness base for people. Sam first tried CrossFit in the year 2007 when he was in the USA. Back then, he had no idea it was CrossFit but only knows it was Murph (one of the WOD – CrossFit names their workouts after names) and Sam will always remember that it hurts.
`What CrossFit has successfully done is that it brings high-intensity exercise to a bigger audience, and it has made effective compound exercises like deadlifts, squats and pull-ups more known to the general public. Crossfit has made functional lifting and gymnastic movements cool. If done properly with a good understanding of form and technique, CrossFit can get you fast results’ – Simran Latif, CSCS, ACE CPT, International
Program Director for Original Bootcamp Malaysia and Viper Challenge.
Simran used to be a gym member at Pushmore but stopped going because he ran out of time and money. Marcel highlighted that results in any training system are dependent on whether or not the appropriate training variables are being applied for each unique individual at the right time to allow for just enough overload to enable super compensation followed by adequate recovery to prevent over-training. If a CrossFit coach is able to apply these fundamental training principles to a client, then results could be expected, and I’m sure there are plenty of CrossFit coaches out there who are dedicated at helping their members achieve those results.
However, what results do we want? Performing regular Zumba workout does gives us results in terms of cardiovascular fitness and health benefits. Following a 6 months bodybuilding programming will give you muscular strength and size results. What is your training purpose?
Fabio mentioned that almost any intense workout that is performed consistently can deliver results and as they tackle multiple parameters of fitness (e.g., reactivity, power, strength, flexibility, etc.) in comparison to just resistance training or cardio, the overall improvements to physical fitness are more impressive. `Again, nothing unique to CrossFit here, considering how research demonstrates that more integrated approaches to training performed more frequently (i.e., training multiple parameter of fitness more frequently throughout the week) leads to better results. Their shorter bouts of exercise training is also consistent with research over the past 20 years that demonstrates that efficacy of shorter exercise is effective (i.e., a few minutes)’
CrossFit is definitely not for everyone and it varies according to needs, training status, preference and can be potentially harmful to people. Should you have challenge on stability, mobility and movements, you will find CrossFit bit tough but if appropriate scaling is done then there shouldn’t be any issues. Fitness experts believe most will find it tough to sustain a CrossFit session. ` A lot of CrossFit workouts are done against a time component, or striving to hit a certain number of repetitions/rounds of different exercises. The biggest challenge would be keeping form under heavy weight (if you are lifting heavy weight), it’s always going to be hard to keep the movement integrity when you don’t have rest between sets. However, the body is a resilient machine and if you teach it to work under intense conditions, it can adapt. The key is consistency and good amounts of recovery (Sleep and food).’ – Simran said.
CrossFit coach, Jonathan Wong agrees that if CrossFit is done incorrectly, without good coaching and understanding of the program, a participant has a high potential for injury. Sam Tan urges that everyone should give it a shot at some point as part of his or her own personal pursuit of fitness.
`There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all in any training or nutrition regimen. We are all created as unique individuals and therefore require a unique approach to our training and diet. What, in my opinion, makes for a great coach, is the one who is able to identify what the unique needs are for each client and is able to incorporate those unique needs into an effective training and nutrition program specifically designed for that person. Is CrossFit therefore for everyone, absolutely not, but neither is any other form of training.’ – Marcel added.
Marcel warns that `the challenge would be to sustain a CrossFit workout without compensation due to CNS and PNF fatigue, which are load and volume dependent. High load and high volume workouts exhaust the nervous system before anything else, thus resulting in a decreased capacity for muscle to be able to contract when required (either concentrically during acceleration, eccentrically during deceleration, or isometrically for the posture muscles).’
`The fatigue that is perceived by the brain stimulates the brain to switch off critical neurological pathways in the body, in an attempt to conserve energy as a survival reflex (which is typically seen in a fight or flight response). Conducting a properly performed sequence of complex neurological movement patterns, such as Olympic Lifting and Kettlebell Training is nearly impossible at high fatigue, thus increasing the risk for injury, but also by teaching the body to utilise the wrong neurological pathways, thus learning how to move incorrectly, This is known as Neuroplasticity, which is the restructuring of neurons due to repeated exposure also known as Hebb’s rule (What fires together, wires together) and is the fundamental rule in the neuroscience of learning’ – Marcel added
`In other words, the challenge would be to sustain an exhaustive workout without the body and brain adapting by learning how to move incorrectly.’ – said Marcel
Fabio Comana added that `as CrossFit-type workouts emphasize AMRAP (movement quantity) v. movement quality, and because many CrossFit level 1 instructors lack the adequate knowledge of human movement science and human physiology, the risk of chronic repetitive-type injuries and general injury remains much higher than what should be appropriate for our industry’.
`I am certain that these types of workouts help explain why injury rates in exercise in health club-type settings have increased 4% between 1997 and 2007 in the US. While CrossFit may draw attention to Rhabomyolisis (with Uncle Rhabdo) by making light of it, they unfortunately, do not go about educating their instructors adequately on the human physiology associated with this condition. In their defense however, some CrossFit-affiliates have taken it upon themselves to better prepare their instructors, and clients to proper training’ – he shared.
Fabio further added that CrossFit training is notoriously sagittal plane dominant – as life moves us 3-dimensionally, our training should mimic patterns in all three planes. Here is where I see a shortcoming in most CrossFit WODs’
A WOD, or a workout is an itinerary of what to do for an exercise session today. It is usually derived from a programme. A programme (a master plan) is systematic of progressing a client and can be months or years. A good programme usually takes into account knowledge exercise science, programming guidelines, experience and common sense.
Unfortunately, many personal trainers now create WOD (which they associate it with CrossFit) to train themselves and their clients without having a programme. This means that there is a high possibility the trainer does not fully understand purpose behind the workouts they give.
So, what’s your purpose? Fabio added that `do you care about movement quantity or quality, which differentiates a good from a poor trainer. I can train a monkey to string a series of exercises together, but the real art of training is understanding why?’
Jonathan highlighted that `programming and coaching CrossFit is something that can only be done better through knowledge and experience. I am glad that there are many trainers and athletes training using CrossFit to train. However, that being said, I have seen many new initiates in the program attempting to progress to advance skills and high intensity too quickly, thus setting themselves up for potential injury.’
Fabio said that `A good trainer never confuses maximal effort with maximal performance, as they are completely different. For example:
- Maximal performance would be your best 40-yard (36m) sprint time (e.g., 5 seconds).
- Maximal Effort would be you pushing as hard as possible under conditions of fatigue, but completing same 40-yard dash in 7-seconds, where you are now no longer sprinting, but striding’
This changes the purpose of the training and imposes different biological stresses upon the body (e.g., taxing different energy systems) = different biological outcomes. So again, what is your purpose? Many trainers possess a distorted view of exercise as a means to burn calories (hence AMRAP), but that should not be emphasized as the reason for exercise – we have become caught up on the world of quick promises for weight loss and neglect movement quality. For example, your 50 KB swings (30 – 40 seconds of work) will dump large amounts of hydrogen and lactate into circulation, then I switch to the upper body for 50 push-ups which will also dump more hydrogen and lactate in circulation, and then do what – return back to my KB swings? While they may believe this give my glutes some recovery – where is my energy system recovery that is more generalized through the blood system’
So, are you interested in functional training, gymnastic, weight lifting and metabolic conditioning? a.k.a CrossFit?
If you are, you should consider CrossFit! But hold your fire…
Exercisers intending to begin a CrossFit should perform a bit of research first. Jonathan Wong advises you to ask the following questions:-
- Are the coaches CrossFit Level 1 certified?
- What are the credentials of the head coach?
- Is the training facility a CrossFit affiliate?
- How are the sessions run?
- Do they have a Foundation/Introduction program for beginners?
- Do they have on-going athlete/skill development workshop/programs?
`A good facility will be able to answer all these questions positively. Be vary of vague or non-committal answers.’ Jonathan Wong added.
Sam Tan also mentioned that `don’t do it alone. Find a gym, a team, or a group to train with. As human beings we work, perform, and learn better with others. Find coaches who know what they’re doing. Coaches whom who trust; who train a team that makes you feel like you belong. The pursuit of fitness, like most things in life, is not quick or easy. Invest in your training. Invest in your team. The rewards are incredible, and nothing beats the feeling of getting under a bar to squat your new Personal Best.’
Marcel recommends that `your coach at the CrossFit Center has more certifications than just CrossFit as the CrossFit certification process is very basic and may not be sufficient to cater to your individual needs. I would recommend a CrossFit Coach with a NSCA-CSCS certification or equivalent level certification from one of the other NCCA certifying agencies’
Fabio warns `be smart – don’t just talk to the CrossFit tribe as they will obviously tell you how wonderful it is. Determine first whether this is something you ready to do – perhaps take time to first prepare your body physically (stability-mobility training), and lastly determine whether this all you will do (hope not) or if it is one of many formats or training patterns you will include as part of your overall training (I hope so) to avoid many of the drawbacks associated with CrossFit-type programs’
Good luck folks!
Jerrican would like to express his heartfelt thanks to Fabio Comana, Sam Tan, Marcel, Simran and Jonathan Wong for their contribution towards this article.
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