CrossFit: A Young Man’s Game?
Answer: Yes. No. Probably.
Just a few May Gray weeks ago, we covered Millennials and their workout preferences. While it was intended to focus on the ladies, it spoke for the generation, a major point being that Millennials believe in the idea of community. If a company can nail that, according to the research, it’s going to have a lot of brand ambassadors. Think Nike, Under Armour, Lululemon and… CrossFit.
These four have created more than just a brand, they have created a lifestyle. Whether you’re on board or not, they’re going to be sticking around for a while and in the ever-changing world of fitness, that says a lot. We’re going to assume you’re well-versed in the workout apparel and athleisure wear, but what do you know about CrossFit? If you’ve done any workouts that involve ‘functional training,’ or taken any of our HIIT or bootcamp classes, you’ve had a taste of CrossFit.
What is CrossFit?
CrossFit is constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. All CrossFit workouts are based on functional movements, and these movements reflect the best aspects of gymnastics, weightlifting, running, rowing and more. These are the core movements of life. They move the largest loads the longest distances, so they are ideal for maximizing the amount of work done in the shortest time. Intensity is essential for results and is measurable as work divided by time—or power. The more work you do in less time, or the higher the power output, the more intense the effort. By employing a constantly varied approach to training, functional movements and intensity lead to dramatic gains in fitness. – crossfit.com
Functional movements have been all the rage the last decade or so when the industry began to promote movements that incorporate the full body and mimic our activities of daily living (squatting, bending over, putting groceries in the cabinets, etc). The muscle-isolating machines have their place in building strength, but the functional movement movement helped people realize that since we live in three dimensions, we should probably move in 3D.
CrossFit took this idea, shoved it in a Box (capitalized, as the gyms are known as Boxes) and communities began to build. Harnessing the social media that Millennials feel so comfortable in, CrossFit branched out to include over four million people (about the size of Los Angeles) and is still growing.
CrossFit, Good or Bad?
Depending on who you ask, you’re going to get both answers. One of the biggest gripes you’ll hear from Personal Trainers is that since most anyone can get a license, you can get subpar coaches (or people looking for a quick buck) running the Boxes. This becomes problematic when the coaches cannot properly coach the Workout of the Day (posted daily; each Box uses the same workout). When you’re pushing a lot of weight around in complex movements, you want to make sure that form is perfect.
Not surprisingly, an entire industry of doctors has popped up around the scene. The Washington Post interviewed Shane Nho, an orthopedic surgeon at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, who noticed a spike in hip, shoulder and knee injuries as CrossFit gyms sprung up several years ago. The article goes on to mention that unconditioned participants are among the most likely to be injured, so if you’re working your way towards CrossFit from zero, our HIIT classes are a great place to start.
CrossFit has, however, helped change the face of fitness, elevating the idea that you don’t have to spend three hours every day in the gym on split workouts. You could get in, work your buns off and get out. The community aspect is often the stepping stone for beginners, so while it’s not for everybody, it’s got its appeal. And if you join, you can start talking about CrossFit everywhere you go (a common joke for the Cult of CrossFit).
So… CrossFit: A Young Man’s Game?
We’re sticking with our original answer of ‘Probably.’ Like everything else in the world, there are exceptions, but CrossFit seems to be perfectly tailored for the Millennial crowd.
Will La Jolla Sports Club Become a Box?
Nope.
But I’m interested in learning some of the basics of CrossFit, is there someone who can help me out?
Yep. Use our ‘Ask a Trainer‘ form to get started today!
OK, that’s it for this week, check back next week when we figure out how to tackle ‘dad body’ that a lot of Generation X dads are dealing with.
Until then, have a great rest of the week / end!
// Your La Jolla Sports Club team
