CrossFit: An Objective Look At The World's Fastest Growing Sport/Fitness Trend

Crossfit has absolutely exploded in recent years as a fitness craze, recreational activity, and sport.  The Crossfit Games, the annual competition pitting the best Crossfitters in the world against one another in a number of grueling events has achieved mainstream status through a lucrative sponsorship deal with Reebok, as well as ESPN 2 coverage and replays throughout the year.  In a broader sense, Crossfit has become wildly popular with fitness enthusiasts of all ages, and in my own experience, most people who try Crossfit become absolutely addicted.  They tell anyone and everyone they can find about Crossfit and gush about how it’s the best workout ever.

Admittedly, my outlook on Crossfit has been relatively negative over the years.  As someone whose goal is to be a strength and conditioning professional, serious Olympic weightlifter, and possibly a weightlifting coach one day, some of the things I’ve seen in Crossfit have made me cringe.  30-rep snatch workouts for time?  People dropping barbells on their head (it’s on Youtube)?  Kipping and butterfly pull-ups?  Safe to say for all the good Crossfit has done for fitness and weightlifting there are a number of serious drawbacks. 

I’ve decided to write this article from a completely unbiased, objective perspective.  I will seek to not inject any of my own thoughts or opinions, and to simply list and describe the pros and cons of Crossfit, so that you can formulate your own opinions.

Lucas Parker is an elite Crossfitter who has also
competed at a high level of weightlifting.  345 lb split jerk
at the 2013 Games...and an awesome beard.

Pros

I’ll even start with the pros so that some of my Crossfit friends can’t point to me starting out with the negatives as a bias.  Actually, hell, no one probably reads this thing anyway so, yeah.  Anyway, here we go:

1) Entertainment

Many people hate Crossfit and refuse to give it a chance, but the fact of the matter is, when it comes to the Crossfit Open and Regional Season, and especially when the Games come around, I pay attention.  As a sport in itself, Crossfit is extremely entertaining.  Recently, I came to the realization that Crossfit is much like the X Games but with fitness.  Watching these athletes compete at the highest level is not only impressive, but also captivating.  While some of the workouts may be uninteresting, (hitting blocks across a slide isn’t that cool, nor is a triathlon) some of the workouts are nothing short of unbelievable.  1,000 meter rows, handstand pushups, handstand walks, clean and jerks, 400+ pound deadlifts, pistol squats, muscle ups etc. all in the same day? Incredible.  The upshot is that Crossfit can be pretty fun to watch at its highest level, and I imagine as the sport becomes more lucrative and continues to grow, the presentation of the Crossfit Games will also improve.

2) Exposure for the Sport of Weightlifting

Rich Froning, 300 lb snatch

There is nothing more impressive, powerful, athletic, and elegant than a masterfully executed snatch or clean & jerk.  Unfortunately, in today’s American society, it seems all anyone cares about is how big their biceps and chest are.  This sad state of affairs could be an article topic all on its own, but it is what it is.  However, with the rise in popularity of Crossfit, has come a rise in visibility and popularity of Olympic weightlifting in the United States.  Perennially we have struggled as a country to produce Olympic weightlifters that can compete on the international stage.  While there are a number of great weightlifters in our country, the reality is there just hasn’t been enough attention paid to weightlifting to draw out enough athletes and enough funding to make us a strong international competitor.  However, because athletes are starting to lift at a younger age, sometimes through Crossfit, and athletes learn the lifts through Crossfit and get good at them, there are a number of rising young weightlifters in our country.  After watching the American Open of Weightlifting a couple months ago, it became quite clear:  there are a number of elite Crossfitters who are becoming seriously competitive Olympic Weightlifters.  Rich Froning, Lucas Parker, and Aja Barto have all lifted some serious numbers in the snatch and clean & jerk, and while none of them are even close to the elite levels of weightlifting, the point is that the future looks bright for American Weightlifting, thanks in part (maybe large part) to the popularity of Crossfit.

3) Community

I have never taken a Crossfit class and the likelihood is I never will.  However, having observed Crossfit competitions, spoken to Crossfitters from around the tri-state region, and done research of my own for a sports marketing project, I have come to the realization that the Crossfit community is a large, strong, and relatively positive one.  Coaches, competitors, and even fitness enthusiasts support one another, help one another, and push one another to achieve.  As someone who feels that there is not enough support and positivity towards fitness, working out, weightlifting, and physical health, this is great.  It’s great that so many people are getting off the couch and away from the television to improve themselves mentally and physically through exercise, meet new people, and find passion, motivation, and self-esteem in a positive activity and environment.

4) Activity

Two of the biggest obstacles that people face everyday that stops them from working out or trying to be healthy and physically active are lack of motivation from having no one to work out with and push them, and a lack of knowledge in terms of where to begin and what to do.  Crossfit solves both of these problems.  Crossfit is an institution that gives individuals a gym worth of people of all ages and ability levels to train with.  Having a group of people training with you and around you, feeling your pain, and fighting to finish and succeed with you can be a powerfully motivating factor, and can lead individuals to stay with training and working out on a regular basis.  Additionally, Crossfit has its own system of programming, and as in any environment, each coach approaches programming in his or her own way.  However, no matter where you go, each Crossfit gym will have a coach, and will likely have classes set up to get the individual started.  Having a starting point, a path, a goal, and a support group can do wonders for a person’s commitment and confidence.

5) Intensity

There is really nothing that bothers me more than people who go into the gym a few times a week and hop on the treadmill for an hour, do a few weight exercises, then leave and swear up and down that they work out.  The simple fact is, the harder you work, the greater your results will be, (to an extent).  Crossfit creates an environment of intensity and hard work that is a breath of fresh air in the face of classic boring cardio work and traditional fitness.  Additionally, Crossfit teaches and incorporates a number of functional movements that, when TAUGHT AND PROGRAMMED PROPERLY, can significantly improve the movement, fitness, health, and strength of individuals of all ages.  Young athletes can learn proper movement patterns and basic strength exercises like squats, pushups, pull-ups, and Olympic movements, while older Crossfitters can improve their health and movement patterns so that even as they age they can prevent injuries and do the things they want to do.

While I’ve never done a Crossfit “WOD” the exact way it’s written, I have used hybrid training and circuit training for years.  This type of training combines various disciplines to maximize athletic, strength, and/or conditioning results.  It provides the opportunity for you to mix up your workouts, get a great deal of work done in a relatively short amount of time, challenge your mental and physical toughness, and have some fun with training! 

Cons

Before you start thinking, “Wow, Justin’s a Crossfit convert,” it’s time to look at the flip side of the coin.  Some of Crossfit’s pros can also be negative, inefficient, and flat out dangerous when implemented improperly or in the wrong situation.

1) Programming

Dangerous form for the sake
of moving more weight.  A clean should
never look like this

Programming is the systematic design of workouts over a period of time to maximize performance and help athletes or individuals reach their goal or goals.  At best, Crossfit programming is chaotic, at worst; it can be hazardous and detrimental to the individual’s progress.  As someone who wants to work in strength and conditioning on a professional level, a great deal of my class work and research has been centered around understanding movements, what their purpose is, and how to implement them properly into a program.  Certain movements, like the Olympic lifts, box jumps, and power lifts like deadlifts and squats were created to improve power and strength.  Additionally, in the case of the Olympic lifts and power lifts, these are movements that are competed in, in a sport of their own, with the Olympic lifts being the most technically difficult lifts in the world.  They are not meant to be performed for extremely high reps, and they are not meant to be done in conjunction with other strength movements like pushups, handstand pushups, running, etc.  They are meant to be performed using heavy weight, for reps no greater then five, and ideally less.  The chaotic, constantly changing nature of Crossfit programming, which often lacks progression, structure, and purpose, does not maximize movements, and puts individuals at a risk of injury due to fatigue or technical breakdown.  While I’ve brought this point up to many Crossfitters who swear their coaches pay close attention to basic programming principles, the reality is I’ve seen some excellent Crossfit coaches who know hot to create well thought out and properly designed programs, but I’ve seen more erratic, senseless programming.

2) Lack of Proper Technical Coaching/Prioritizing Weight or Speed Over Technique

Crossfitters tell me all the time that their box and their coaches preach technique and coach it hard and coach it well.  Unfortunately, Crossfit coaches are not Olympic Weightlifting, Powerlifting, or gymnastic coaches, yet Crossfit utilizes complex movements from all three of these disciplines.  The result: bad form is rampant.  The fact of the matter is, even when you watch the Crossfit Games, the highest level the sport is competed at, you will see athletes performing cleans by trying to pull the bar as high as they can with their arms, then catch it with their hips tucked under them and their feet almost as wide as the plates on the bar.  This starfish-looking position is incorrect, inefficient, and flat out dangerous.  Additionally, you’ll see athletes pressing out and falling all over trying to do high rep snatches as fast as possible, as well as horribly pressed out and unsafe jerks.

Now, sometimes Crossfit coaches really do coach technique, and athletes learn it through hard work and attention to detail.  However, even though they know the technique, it all goes out the window in the competitive environment of Crossfit.  Some “benchmark” workouts include Isabel, 30 snatches from the ground as fast as possible at 135 pounds, and King Kong, which combines 455 pound deadlifts with muscle ups, 250 pound cleans and handstand pushups (for men).  Whether athletes know how to properly perform these movements individually or not, when it comes time to race against the clock or each other, technique goes out the window in favor the fastest reps possible.

Other times, coaches simply don’t teach technique or stress its importance.  If you can’t do one good snatch, deadlift, jerk, clean, squat, pushup, etc. you should not be doing them under load in a competitive environment!  Regardless of the reason, the end result is dangerous technique being practiced by Crossfitters around the world.  This is certainly not the case with everyone who participates in Crossfit, but it is there.

This is not just a mean-hearted or overblown criticism of Crossfit.  Recently, a Crossfitter from Colorado was paralyzed when he failed on a snatch in competition and the bar landed on his back, severing his spine, (Google it).  He may never walk again.  I don’t know what caused him to fail, but I think it’s safe to assume he was pushing the weight or time of the competitive workout, and failed to properly miss his rep, (yes there is a right way to miss a snatch).  The point is, there is nothing inherently dangerous about these movements when they are performed properly.  Unfortunately, there are just too many cases where they are not.

Despite the fact that Rob Orlando may be considered an
elite Crossfitter, this is a horrendous power clean.  Feet too wide,
one knee inside the toes, starfish style.

3) Crossfit is NOT for everyone

Straight up, Crossfit is not for everyone.  Crossfit advertises itself as a new way to get fit and have fun doing it that is great for people of all ages, athletic backgrounds and fitness levels.  I’m sorry, but if you are 60, never played sports, are out of shape, and have never done any serious training, you should not be doing Crossfit.  Crossfit requires a high level of physical preparedness, and jumping right into it with no experience in basic fitness or physical endurance is a recipe for disaster. 

It’s great to encourage older individuals to become active.  I fully support the idea that no matter how old you are, you can benefit from proper movement training, endurance exercises and resistance training.  People of all ages, from kids to senior citizens should be able to control their own bodyweight in movements like bodyweight squats, pushups, lunges, pull ups, sit ups, movements that require a hip hinge and running with proper form.  These movements build a base of strength and endurance, and help to ingrain proper movement patterns when taught properly.  Before anyone picks up a barbell or any weight for that matter, they should MASTER these basic movements. 

It is a serious problem when young kids are performing improper snatches before he/she can even perform a proper bodyweight squat, or when a middle-aged individual, just trying to change a sedentary lifestyle, is loading up a barbell to do deadlifts when he/she can’t perform a proper hip-hinge. 

The movements utilized in Crossfit are technical and require strength, coordination and athleticism.  They are not to be taken lightly.  A good coach understands the risk of injury, and makes sure that every athlete he or she works with is properly prepared before moving on to more advanced movements and workouts.  To put it simply, you must crawl before you can walk.

4) Cost

Crossfit is ridiculously over priced. Period.

5) Ignorance

When you talk to a Crossfitter, they will more often then not swear up and down that Crossfit is the greatest thing on the planet.  To the regular Crossfitter, Crossfit is the greatest workout ever put to paper.  That’s fine, I completely understand how it is to be passionate about something.  Where I lose patience, is when people talk about movements, or styles of working out as being native to Crossfit.  I’ve had people walk up to me while I was doing high-rep bodyweight circuits in the gym or teaching movements like the snatch, clean, jerk, and/or push press, and say, “Are you doing Crossfit now??” or “Oh, that’s Crossfit right?”  Again, this isn’t the case with every Crossfitter, but it is there.  No, Crossfit did not invent ANY of the movements it utilizes.  And no, Crossfit did not invent circuit training or hybrid training.  For decades, athletes and fitness enthusiasts have been doing double unders, Turkish get ups, snatches, jerks, muscle ups, toes to bar, etc. as part of their training.  Additionally, the concept of combining movements into circuits for conditioning and doing high-rep sets to improve strength-endurance and work capacity is NOTHING new.  Crossfit gave it a name, but the type of training done in Crossfit has been around forever.

Conclusion

Snatch sequence from Christmas Abbott,
CrossFit Games competitor and
weightlifter, at the 2013 American Open

With each passing year, Crossfit grows in popularity, visibility and value.  It is getting harder and harder to call Crossfit a fad, because the reality is I believe it is here to stay.  Now that Crossfit has a major sponsor like Reebok and coverage on ESPN it has reached mainstream status.  I’ll admit, as a sport on its own, Crossfit is entertaining.  Some of the feats of strength and endurance performed by elite Crossfitters are admittedly incredible.  Additionally, some of the athletes that compete in Crossfit have also shown an ability to compete at a serious level nationally in weightlifting.  I have a great deal of respect for Crossfit athletes who take the various disciplines used in Crossfit seriously, (Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics, powerlifting, strongman, etc.) and commit the time to perform the movements properly. 

However, while there are a number of upsides to Crossfit, the reality is, when done improperly, with the wrong coaches, in the wrong situation, it can be extremely dangerous and inefficient.  Crossfit is not for athletes in other sports trying to improve their power and strength for their sport.  Crossfit is not for adults who haven’t been taught proper movements patterns and basic bodyweight control.

This article is not meant to praise or bash Crossfit, it is simply a way to get my thoughts on Crossfit on paper, and hopefully educate people about the positives and negatives of Crossfit.  Whether you participate in Crossfit, watch it, or hate it is up to you, I just hope this will help you as a reader gain a better understanding of the various perspectives on Crossfit, and why they exist.  For my part, I am indifferent.  I won’t be competing or even training in Crossfit, but as I’ve articulated some of my training is similar to the training utilized in Crossfit, and I will admit that I follow the sport at its highest level.  To each his/her own, just make sure you’re not doing it due to a lack of education about what Crossfit really is.