We’re not going to be starting a war on which system is better and why it is. The simple fact is that CrossFit has made a big impact and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere too soon. There are a lot of people who have been getting into exercise through this particularly high-intensity system and that’s only a good thing, so long as they’re responsible about it. So instead, we’re going to look here at why CrossFit has made such an impact and why it won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
The diversity
It’s in the name itself. It’s a system that makes the diversity of exercises, the cross section of different workouts that a lot of people might miss out on by focusing too much on specific parts of a regime. Instead, it is about creating a full-body program, often involving the same exercise no more than once a week. Many people who are new to exercise use it for exactly the reason that they don’t have to construct an intricate plan to make sure they’re not missing anything. A CrossFit plan tends to include it all from the start.
The equipment
CrossFit involves some equipment that you might not have imagined seeing before, but that equipment is another secret to its success. Equipment like the plyometric box provides a simple but crucial function for the workouts while being accessible and easy for even garage gyms to stock up on. That’s a crucial feature of a lot of different CrossFit equipment as well. It doesn’t rely on the more convoluted machines that can be a barrier to access for a lot of people who want to get into fitness. It involves simple tools like kettlebells, sandbags, and even more of a focus on bodyweight exercise.
The lingo
If you’re a gym goer and hear the noise from the CrossFit section, the language they use to structure their workout might seem strange and even funny in parts. The gym is a ‘box’, everyone’s doing a ‘WOD’ and so on. However, that language isn’t just flashy marketing to help people feel included in an exclusive club. It also helps instructors and beginners alike better structure different exercises and figure out where they fit in. They find out there are baseline exercises to find a baseline for their overall performance. There are EMOMs (every minute on the minute) to punctuate workouts and offer a brief respite. And so on and so forth. It serves as an easy way to translate and regiment different workouts into a vocabulary that allows beginners to understand where in their workout they are.
There will definitely be naysayers to the system, but the same rules remain for CrossFit as any other. So long as people can do it safely and they get results from it, why should they change their ways? It doesn’t look like it will be going away anytime soon. Perhaps it’s worth giving it a bit more thought before getting into judging it.