9/10 Myth Busting Monday

Meg and the noon class row hard. Today you'll row hard and run fast. Have fun!

The Myth that CrossFit is Dangerous

There's nothing quite like owning a business and having people tell you that the very thing to which I have devoted my energy and passion is dangerous and "not for them." I don't know how or why CrossFit earned such a negative perception for so many people. Of course, the myth that it's dangerous is primarily held by those who haven't tried CrossFit. 
What most folks fail to realize is that CrossFit is a sport. Yes, it's exercise. Yes, it's a fitness program. However, it was born during the big cross-training wave that swept across the fitness industry in the mid 1990s. Greg Glassman, and a small committed cadre of folks in Santa Cruz, figured out that if they borrowed all of the best training methods from sports like rowing, football, track and field, gymnastics, wrestling, boxing, Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, volleyball, soccer, skiing, etc., and put them together in a constantly varied high intensity workout, that they would have a very potent strength and conditioning program. What is exactly the definition of CrossFit: Constantly varied high intensity functional movement. And, it is the sport of fitness. 
Most folks think of joining a gym as a fitness pursuit, and gyms like Access, Fuel, Orange Theory, and group classes like Pure Barre, and Les Miles are focused on a particular type of fitness. However, CrossFit, being a sport, is focused on a broader definition of fitness and therefore uses a broader quiver of movements. If you've never been an athlete, you might never have been exposed to plyometrics, interval training, sprints, weightlifting, or worked on physical skills such as agility, balance, coordination, speed and power. All of these movements and skills have a learning curve and those who don't respect the learning curve can get themselves into trouble. This is why we prioritize practice over performance. 
I have been an athlete all my life. I started in tumbling classes when I was a toddler, moved onto the parallel bars and balance beam when I was in grade school, started rowing in high school and even dabbled in spring-board diving. I have cut-open my head on the diving board, broken my ribs while rowing in college, seriously injured both ankles in a rappelling fall in the Marine Corps, and I have never injured myself during my 8 years of practicing CrossFit. I have been so sore I had trouble going down stairs, but sore muscles are not an injury. 
The difference between injury and soreness might be a point where most folks go sideways in their misbelief in the dangers of CrossFit. If you've never pushed yourself in the pursuit of physical achievement, you might not know the pain and euphoria of the metabolic by-products on high-intensity movement. I have met many people who, after deadlifting or squatting, or running very, very hard, describe the pain in their muscles and ask me if I think they've "tweaked" something. Nope, what you're feeling is called hard work, and it's a common by product of CrossFit. 
Now, that's not to say some people don't get injured. But, I have witnessed more people getting injured in the summer recreation soccer, volleyball and softball leagues in Bozeman than I ever have in my 7 years as a CrossFit Coach. I have seen more muscles torn, more ankles twisted and more ligaments shredded by folks this summer, and yet, oddly enough, no one is shouting and waving their hands about the dangers of the summer rec. leagues. 
​CrossFit is the most effective program around for getting you stronger, faster, and fitter for a full and active life. Our Coaches are experts in modifying and adapting the movements to suit anyone's current fitness level and range of motion. Want to do something dangerous? Sit on your ass and don't move your body. But, if you still don't believe me, read this article. See you in class!

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