Are you familiar with Crossfit? I imagine you will have heard at least something about the much loved and much maligned fitness craze that has been sweeping the world over the last few years.
Hundreds of thousands of people have joined the Crossfit cult. Perhaps even more. And just as soon as they start sharing their sweat and pain with relative strangers it seems they’re hooked. Not only can they not stop indulging in their new fitness craze, but the perception is they cannot stop singing its praises.
Take a walk down the hall though, and the Crossfit enthusiasts are deemed too intense, elitist and what’s more there are questions about the safety and legitimacy of Crossfit as a form of training.
So today I thought we would kick into 20 reasons why people love… and hate… Crossfit. Check them out and make your own mind up about how to get rid of belly fat!
Right lets start with why people LOVE Crossfit.
First and foremost they like the physical results they are achieving. Pretty obvious – if you get results from your chosen fitness pursuit you are going to be pretty fond of it.
Number two. The focus on overall fitness goals not unique body parts. Many people get confused with too much focus on split training, or individual muscles and groups. You could say that Crossfit simplifies this approach by focusing on cross functional movements not body parts. Crossfitters will claim that it is the most functional training available.
Support. Passionate supporters of Crossfit love the competitively supportive environment that accompanies the training. Is there a better way to get you through your training and achieve your goals?
Variety of workouts. Variety is the spice of life, and fitness so it seems. Have you ever become stale in your workouts, or even bored? Crossfit seems to add significant variety to your training to keep the motivation levels high.
Avoid Cherry Picking Workouts. Ever turned up at the gym thinking you would just pick the lowest impact workout to tick the box then you are done for the day? With Crossfit you can think again.
Pushing boundaries. The evangalists love the way that you are pushed beyond your comfort zone with challenging but exciting programs and exercises – learning limits and then moving beyond them.
Competitive Spirit. There is a competitive element within Crossfit that has seen it progress from fitness pastime to a point where many refer to it as their chosen sport.
Social. Does early morning socialising before and after an intense workout appeal to you? If so, it could be your calling. There seems to be a strong social aspect to CrossFit that keeps individuals coming back for more.
No need to plan. Just turn up and workout. While this can be said for many group exercise options, CrossFit workouts are not only planned for you, it is also more intensive training than many other group exercise options.
The ability to scale workouts to your level – but still be part of the group is often seen as a key benefit of the CrossFit approach. Whether you are more advanced than the group, or just a beginner, it is relatively easy to customize the training to your ability.
No need to be self conscious. This is closely linked to the supportive environment we talked about earlier… you will also rarely see a lycra clad individual prancing around with loads of make up on at a CrossFit class.
Fun. This one is pretty straight forward. CrossFitters seem to really enjoy their training. The amount of talk post workout is testament to this.
When it comes to fitness and exercise it is common to avoid some of the exercises that you don’t like or have the perception you are no good at. CrossFit gives you the opportunity to have a crack at things you are traditionally not so good at.
Celebrating personal records. CrossFit gyms claim to provide a truly motivational and encouraging atmosphere by celebrating every personal record and milestone you accomplish.
Training the core. Core strength is vitally important. But CrossFit isn’t about do crunches, crunches and more crunches. The idea behind CrossFit is that the range of lifts you complete require enough midline stabilization that you are constantly working out your engine room. Loads of additional core exercises are not necessary.
Fueling your body like an athlete. A key part of the training is learning to load up your body like a top athlete – even though in some cases you may not have felt like an athlete before.
OK Now. Why is it that some people absolutely HATE Crossfit and even despise Crossfitters?
Well some peoples are just haters. You know what they say ‘Haters going to hate hate hate’. But there are perhaps some legitimate reasons why Crossfit participants can draw unnecessary criticism toward themselves or their sport. Lets look at them now.
The first rule of CrossFit is that you have to talk about CrossFit! Some – tongue in cheek – compare it to the reverse of Fight Club. Many CrossFitters like to talk about their sport constantly to friends – causing condemnation of their fitness endeavor. You can hear too much off a good thing.
Speaking of sport. The athletes among us don’t seem to like that CrossFit is bandied about by many as a sport. Their view? It’s a conditioning program that was designed to get people fitter and leaner. Many become frustrated with claims that top CrossFitters call themselves ‘elite athletes’.
The next reason CrossFit gets a bad name is the volume of equipment occupied. There is nothing more annoying than heading into the gym to train and a CrossFit enthusiast is doing their circuit workout involving every rack in the gym so you struggle to complete your own training.
And the final reason some turn their nose up at CrossFit is the cost. For many the cost of CrossFit is prohibitive, so it is easy to bag it as an available form of exercise.
Now while CrossFitters can sometimes be overly intense, many repeatedly trying to drum it in to you that CrossFit is the most functional form of training ever! Yes ever. There is no doubting that if you are looking at how to get rid of belly fat – then many cross fitters are a good example with outstanding results and they absolutely love their chosen recreational pursuit. At the end of the day it is each to their own. if you don’t like it, don’t do it I suppose!
