Uncovering CrossFit

Two women lay on the gym floor stretching out on a Wednesday morning. Quickly, they start their series of circuits once the timer starts. They start on a row machine for 10 seconds, followed by 20 box jumps, finish with kettlebell raises and repeat until eight minutes is over. This is just one small part of a new way to workout called CrossFit.

CrossFit was officially started in 2000 and since has exploded onto the fitness scene. Gyms, or boxes as they are called in the CrossFit world, have seemed to multiple overnight with everyone and their mother trying this high intensity way of working out. CrossFit games where the best of the best athletes come together to compete have grown to be a worldwide event.

CrossFit is an incredibly fast growing, fast paced workout not for the faint of heart. Everyday there is a new workout packed with high intensity interval training that focuses on a different part of the body each day.

Variety, intensity and camaraderie help to set the sport apart from weightlifting, bodybuilding or just going to the gym in general. Coaches push clients to their full potential on regular basis trying to meet new goals.

Despite all the recent press about the sport, not all of it has been positive. Concerns over serious injuries and sacrificing proper technique for more reputations at a higher weight have many athletes worried if the CrossFit culture has become too aggressive.

Two popular cases of CrossFit athletes injured are Brad Hawley and Kevin Ogar. Hawley lost his grip during an exercise known as toes to bar, where an athlete brings his toes to the bar he is hanging on to, and resulted in a fractured skull. Ogar failed to complete an Olympic lift correctly and now has a paralyzed spine. Both cases were highly publicized by ESPN and other networks. While these two cases in particular were highly talked about in the CrossFit community, other controversial problems are also talked about regularly.

Rhabdomyolysis, or Rhabdo for short, is a very serious condition that results from working out too hard with no rest. Cells leak out protein and then explode which is very damaging for livers. This is not common at all for normal athletes, but is common enough in CrossFit that there is a cartoon clown about it. Even with this condition as a common name in the CrossFit community, the percent of athletes who actually get this condition is extremely low.

With all of the bad press, it is easy to confuse CrossFit as a community obsessed with results and injuries are just minor details. While injuries do occur in CrossFit, they are not a prevalent as one might think.

“It’s very misleading. The National Strength and Conditioning Association released a statement saying the CrossFit injury rate was very high but that statement was retracted. It’s no more dangerous than any other exercise. You just need to modify it to fit your needs and make sure your coach is competent,” said Todd Whitehead, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Whitehead is not only a professor certified in training, but he also practices CrossFit on a regular basis since January. He highly recommends CrossFit and believes it is a good way to try different activities.

“I like the workouts but temper them. Any exercise I find uncomfortable, I modify. The problem is not everyone modifies for a variety of reasons including pride. It should be based on your ability and what you’re comfortable with,” Whitehead said.

While CrossFit is growing at an unprecedented rate, there are still many people reluctant to step in to “the box” for the first time. Whitehead admits that at first he was hesitant to try a sport with such an intense reputation.

“I was guilty of using just what I had seen to judge CrossFit before I started. I thought it would be very dangerous until I got involved. I did what a lot of people do and used a snippet of information as opposed to the whole article,” Whitehead said.

When thinking about a sport where exercises like handstand pushups and rope climbing are commonly found as part of the workout of the day, many people only think of professional athletes as being able to do them.

“Anyone and everybody is welcome to our gym. We’ve got athletes ranging from freshmen in college all the way to 50 and 60 year olds. Anybody and everybody can do CrossFit. Our main population is that college kid or that young professional,” Corey Bartowiak, CrossFit Nac coach, said.

Despite age or ability differences, many CrossFitters cite the community as a distinctive benefit compared to a regular gym.

“Everyone reaches out like ‘Hey try this’. You see similar athletes push each other to become better,” Joshua Swann, CrossFit Nac coach, said.

Although with that friendly spirit, a competitive edge also comes out sometimes. During workouts, clients push each other along with themselves to hit new goals constantly.

CrossFit games are also another way for athletes to compete but on a bigger level. The games are a yearly event that has stretched to cover states, countries and even the world.

“I like that’s it’s a challenge. It kind of fills a competitive void. It differs from any other gym with the support and high intensity interval training,” Bartowiak said.

Due to the community, determination to be better and variety, once most people start CrossFit they generally enjoy working out.

“Once people are in they’re usually hooked. They love it. They realize they can do a lot more than they think.” Swann said.

Dispelling myths about the sport is a frequent thing coaches must do. With so much information about who does CrossFit, how they do it and what the chances are of getting hurt available it can be hard to figure out what is true.

“I think a lot of people only see the CrossFit that’s on TV, that’s the best of the best of the best of it. For every one of them there are tens of thousands of people doing CrossFit that are just your average everyday Joes,” Bartowiak said.

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