Crossfit – Breeding Ground for Injury? | PhitZone

Crossfit: This ain’t your mommas workout.

Injuries can be avoided.

Slice and dice it however you like, Crossfit is probably the hottest fitness trend in the land. But, is that a good thing.

Right up front, I’m not anti-Crossfit. I happen to believe that there are some good things coming out of Crossfit.

Read on, grasshopper

In fact, I love that Crossfit (What is Crossfit?) has inspired so many people to train so hard. Training with intensity is a good thing, no matter how you slice it.

People keep going back. Say what you will, but I doubt that any other gym/training system can make that boast.

For any fitness professional, that is the ultimate goal. Not only from a business standpoint, but from a health perspective.

I believe that it has to do with the constant changes in the routines. The same ol’ routine at the gym is mind-numbing. Crossfit has found a way to make every single day unique. You may never do the exact same workout on a day-to-day basis.

Crossfit’s training protocol is focused on general all-around fitness, and performance. For that, again I give kudos.

I just mentioned how Crossfit’s training protocol is good for general fitness, but now watch this.

Like with P90X, if you aren’t already in decent physical conditioning, you’re at risk hurting yourself. I don’t mean that you think that you’re conditioned enough, but that you are in good enough shape to complete the Workout of the Day (WOD) without killing yourself.

The exercises and intensity of the WOD require some existing strength, conditioning, and knowledge of some advanced, and some not-so-advanced exercises.

When I trained using a similar modus operandi – methods, if you will – my form would get sloppy, and cheating was inevitable. A shoulder strain, and pinched nerve in my back were my rewards.

Let’s start with the pull-up. A relatively simple (I didn’t say easy) exercise. Hang from a bar, and pull yourself up. But as Daniel McPherson points out (scroll down to #2), Crossfit uses a modified pull-up that utilizes momentum. This makes the exercise pointless, and opens up the possibility of injuring a shoulder.

Do you know how to do a proper Power Clean? If not, don’t feel bad because the average gym-goer doesn’t. Lifts of this caliber require a knowledge that can only come from proper coaching.

A coach’s greatest asset is his sense of responsibility. – Knute Rockne

The typical instructor at Crossfit, while certified to teach their system, aren’t necessarily lifting coaches. For that matter, they don’t even need to be Certified Personal Trainers (CPT). [I know some very good trainers at Crossfit. This is not meant to paint them with a broad brush.]

This is where, as my U.K. friend likes to say, things go pear shaped (I don’t get it either, but it’s fun to say.)

You don’t know what you don’t know.

If you don’t have a working knowledge of a lift, and the person that is yelling encouragement just wants you to complete the lift as prescribed by the WOD, the odds of using poor form goes drastically up.

The WOD outlines that you perform certain exercise movements, using specific weights for a given number of repetitions (reps).

Let’s take the Power Snatch as an example. This is an Olympic lift. It requires good, basic form. This lift is meant to build power.

Power building lifts, such as the squat and deadlift, are meant to be done using heavy weight for small number of reps (1-5).

If you try to lift those heavy weights for 20-30 reps, at some point form will go out the window due to fatigue. Injury odds go drastically up.

The Red Badge of Courage – Not!

The sad part of it all is that I’ve heard from some people that have been injured while performing the Crossfit WOD, and they wear it as a badge of honor.

I’ve hurt myself in the gym (always due to breaking form), and it is nothing to be proud of. Nagging injuries can cause discomfort and pain, and sometimes requires surgery (ask Becca about her shoulder surgery, and the ten months of rehab before she could exercise with it again).

Injuries are nothing to be proud of, no matter how much chicks may dig scars (at least according to Shane Falco – The Replacements).

Crossfit’s exercise protocols have resulted in lawsuits, and controversy.

I am going to leave it at this – If you are an athlete, or person that is already in great conditioning, and have a proper understanding of how to perform these exercises, then have fun and train safe.

If you’re a newbie, or even intermediate level gym frequenter, stay out of Crossfit – unless you have good insurance, or like to use your injury as a pick up line at the next ‘Ladies Night’.

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Photo: Gabriel Doyle

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