Crossfit training is exactly that. Crossing various types of workouts in order to maximize the exercise. It involves muscle and strength training, aerobics, endurance and balance testing, and flexibility to increase agility. It can be very extensive and is not recommended for beginners.
Training with crossfit is often thought of as a strength and conditioning methodology of exercise. There are crossfit machines that claim to have this ability, but do lack some components and no machine can handle it all. CrossFit routines maintain that the best way to work the body is to never focus on just one area, but rather by focusing on the entire body. CrossFit uses “free weights, kettlebells, gymnastics rings, pull-up bars and many calisthenics exercises. CrossFit may call on athletes to skip, run, row, climb ropes, jump up on boxes, flip giant tires, and carry odd objects. They can also squat and bounce medicine balls against walls.” (Wikipedia, 2008, para.3)
According to Crossfit.com, "CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide." This means the best of the best are doing the Crossfit program and that only boosts its popularity.
The routines can be excoriating, but the results by far surpass any other type of exercise. The intensity of the routine speeds up metabolism and shocks the muscles in the body. This shocking keeps the body guessing and does not allow for the body to hit any comfortable spots. Once the body gets comfortable with a routine or exercise, it responds differently and is not affected as it should be. Crossfit training does not allow this to happen.
Besides the shocking power of Crossfit training there are many other benefits. It allows the user to hit all of the muscles in the body at once utilizing the body for maximum performance in less time. Breaking up routines is fine if you’re a beginner, but when it comes to time to get in shape and cut the body up you need to be able to sculpt the body all at the same time. If you do not, then certain muscles will not receive the same attention and the body may not be proportioned. Crossfit training is recommended by many personal trainers.
Wikipedia. (2008). Crossfit Training. Retrieved on May 16, 2008.
Crossfit.com (2008). About Cross Fit. Retrieved on May 18, 2008.
