CrossFit has become the latest buzz word in fitness and has built a worldwide following among both men and women. For those who are bored with going to the gym or are looking for better results or a new type of workout, CrossFit could be just the motivation needed to get up off the coach and get moving.
The father of CrossFit
The father of CrossFit is Greg Glassman, an American fitness fundi who developed this fitness regimen over several decades and now runs a company by the same name. The company offers accredited training seminars and have websites where it shares workouts and training tips for followers. Gyms across the world can become affiliated with CrossFit. The company also hosts the CrossFit Games where the fittest man and woman on earth are crowned.
What CrossFit is and what it aims for
Coach Greg, as Glassman is known, describes CrossFit as a core strength and conditioning programme. The programme does not single out a specific area of fitness, but rather aims to optimise physical fitness in all of the ten recognised fitness areas, the ten areas being stamina, strength, flexibility, speed, power, coordination, agility, balance, accuracy, and cardiovascular and respiratory endurance.
The aim is to build a broad, general and inclusive fitness – it aims to make you functionally fit and ready for whatever life throws at you.
How CrossFit works
The CrossFit workout is a vigorous workout combining aerobics, weight training and gymnastics. The workouts are fast-paced and intense and a set of exercises are repeated through a set timeframe, sometimes as short as 15 minutes.
The exercises are done in groups, but each participant competes against him or herself, the aim being to better your own performance and get to your own best fitness and shape possible.
The workouts are done under the watchful eye of a specialised CrossFit instructor, who teaches and motivates but also ensures that participants maintain the correct posture and form throughout.
Sources
www.crossfit.com
www.news.com.au
www.thecrossfitchamber.com.au