CrossFit has exploded in popularity since the early 2010s. It strays from many of the typical strategies for fitness that you’d typically see in other workout varieties such as bodybuilding or strongman, and even hosts its own competitions to see who’s the best at the standard CrossFit exercises.
While it’s typically taken in the form of classes at registered CrossFit gyms, you can do a lot of their exercises at any typical gym. The main point of CrossFit is to combine various different kinds of workouts into one routine, while focusing on what’s referred to as “functional fitness.”
This means that instead of just sticking to weightlifting or running, you do a bit of both and then some more. It’s less about seeing how much weight you can lift, and more about building yourself up across the board to be better at handling standard daily things.
Functional fitness means that you’re lifting with a purpose. Instead of just trying to look like the strongest person or lift the most on a certain exercise, you’re trying to do things that will help you in real life.
You’ll be better at moving around, better with balance, and better at using your whole body to do certain things rather than just isolating it to your biceps or legs. For example, if you’re lifting a box in real life, you’re not just going to use your legs or back or arms.
You’re going to use a bit of everything to get the box up easily. CrossFit tends to attract many beginners, because their gyms may be less intimidating than ones that solely focus on lifting weights.
Since it’s a class, it’s easier for beginners to learn what to do and what not to do. Often, when beginners go to gyms full of people that’ve been working out for years, they fear that they’re going to make a fool out of themselves, and they get inside their own heads for the whole workout.
One of the biggest selling points for CrossFit is that it’s just simply more enjoyable. They try to create a fun, engaging environment with a friendly community that allows you to exercise in a way that you’ll look forward to. It’s less about dragging yourself to the same old gym and waiting for benches to open up and more about seeing what you can manage to do that day in terms of reaching new goals.
