My CrossFit piece for the Chicago Tribune that was published last month had a couple of problems with it. Problem #1 was that it was premium content, and a lot of people couldnt read it. Problem #2 was that a lot was cut due to print constraints. But the 30 days exclusive are up, so here it is, unedited, for all to read. Is CrossFit Right for You? CrossFit gets almost as much hate as Nickelback, and neither appear to be going anywhere. I’ve had my own criticisms, and shared #CrossFail videos on social media. I prefer solo exercise to a class environment, and have a couple of bulging lumbar discs to boot, so CrossFit isn’t for me. Is it for you? Here’s what you need to know to make an informed decision. In past columns I’ve examined the paltry percentage of people who exercise. We don’t move enough and we eat too much. Waistlines expand and health issues compound. People need to be motivated to change. CrossFit excels at motivation like nothing I’ve seen. That’s a plus that cannot be overstated. “I remember that first workout I did,” said 25-year-old Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, the Quebecer who won the women’s individual division in the 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games. “I knew no one and it was intimidating, but when I walked in everyone said hi to me.” She explained how in regular gyms people wear headphones and barely talk to one another, but at CrossFit, “everyone introduced themselves and were cheering me on in my first workout.” Camille says most of her friends these days are CrossFitters. It’s also how she met her husband. In a previous column I told of how this “true group” concept – where it’s largely the same people exercising together all the time – has the highest adherence rates for physical activity, so I’m not surprised at CrossFit’s continued popularity. Everyone I spoke with gives CrossFit the highest marks for motivation. On top of this, CrossFit has an ingrained competitive component that get’s people to push themselves, generating impressive results. What kind of results? That requires explanation. “CrossFit is a fine concept within a specific set of goals,” says Brad Schoenfeld, an assistant professor of exercise science at Lehman College in New York City. “It is very good for general fitness. It will give you some strength, some power, and some muscular endurance, and will help you lose body fat.” Schoenfeld told me it’s like being an exercise “Jack of all trades,” but that CrossFit wouldn’t be good to optimize a given fitness component. It’s not going to make you excel at track and field or on the football gridiron. And for those seeking bulk, it won’t maximize muscular hypertrophy. Improving general fitness sounds great for most people, but Schoenfeld does have some criticisms about CrossFit’s approach. “The body is a 3-dimensional being, and the problem with most CrossFit centers I see is the training is primarily in one plane of movement.” He explained that most CrossFit movements are in the sagittal plane (up and down or forward and back) and this can create strength imbalances. Most of the negative attention directed towards CrossFit is in regards to injury, but all movement comes with risk. For me, qualifying for the Boston Marathon was far from pain free. I also broke my arm skiing, and tore my shoulder while swimming. Regardless, the couch is worse. “I see injuries more in people who are inactive than in people who are active,” said Craig Liebenson, who spent four years as team chiropractor for the L.A. Clippers and is director of Los Angeles Sports and Spine. Dr. Brian Giordano, a sports medicine surgeon in Rochester, NY who has also participated in CrossFit, recently published a study in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine on CrossFit injury rates, and found some interesting trends. “There is a higher prevalence of male injuries vs. females,” Dr. Giordano told me. This is because, “Females were more likely to seek out supervision and trainer involvement.” Guys can be dumb that way. He was surprised, however, to find that there wasn’t a higher rate of injury in older populations. Overall, the study reported an injury rate of 19.4%, which is comparable to gymnastics, power lifting and Olympic weightlifting – all of which are fairly extreme activities. Russell Berger at CrossFit HQ declined to be interviewed for this piece, but Leblanc-Bazinet was happy to address the injury issue. “I don’t agree with everything,” she said, “but look at your ‘Globogym’ and tell me you never see someone and wonder: what is he doing?” Yes, I’ve seen extreme silliness in traditional weightlifting many times. “I think there are good and bad CrossFit gyms.” Camille then explained the focus on mechanics, consistency and intensity, which was echoed by Courtney Shephard, a head trainer (as well as a trainer of CrossFit trainers) at CrossFit Verve in Denver. “CrossFit is based on functional movement,” Shepard, who is a former paramedic who has been doing CrossFit since 2007, told me. “We want to teach you good body mechanics and have you moving properly, consistently, then we add intensity.” I asked her about the videos showing CrossFit encouraging poor form in the quest for “one more rep,” and she replied, “I can’t watch those videos. It bothers me and it’s not something I instill in my athletes.” Both Shepard and Leblanc-Bazinet also said that those videos are not always filmed in official CrossFit gyms, and that those people have no formal training. “Any fitness program that is designed to be 100% safe will also be 100% ineffective,” Shepard said, and I agree. But they endeavor to mitigate risk at CrossFit Verve. “Injury prevention is huge. At the beginning of every class we ask if anyone is injured.” They’ll modify workouts if necessary to prevent exacerbating problems and follow up over time, desiring to be part of the rehab process. But Brad Schoenfeld was critical of CrossFit’s all out all the time approach to fitness, saying it can lead to overtraining. Shepard did say, “When you come to Verve, we want your maximal effort no matter what the workout is.” Then she amended that if someone seemed in an over-trained state, she would tell them to take it easy that day. Craig Liebensen’s criticisms of CrossFit run deeper, seeing it as fundamentally flawed. “It’s a recipe for disaster,” he said. “This combination of complex movement, high load, high reps and high speed. The inherent risk is extreme.” I’m inclined to agree with Liebenson, and it’s why I won’t be taking my bulging lumbar discs to a CrossFit gym any time soon. Like Leblanc-Bazinet and Shepard stated, Liebenson believes that there are both good and bad CrossFit gyms, and therefore it’s buyer beware. But this combination of complexity, volume, high weight and high velocity is troubling. Add to this Schoenfeld’s comments about a lack of periodization (consistent all out effort without a “de-loading” period to allow the body time to recover), gives me pause. Admittedly, I don’t permit my children to play contact sports, so perhaps I’m risk averse. Dr. Giordano said his team’s purpose in doing the CrossFit injury study was to give it information it needed to improve. The activity holds much promise, and a few tweaks could make it something I’d recommend. And finally, Liebenson also expressed concern about trainer quality, stating that CrossFit’s certification course doesn’t give them the experience they need to identify improper form. Schoenfeld agreed, stating, “You go for a two-day course and all of a sudden you’re teaching CrossFit? To me, that’s kind of frightening.” He then added, “The whole fitness industry is like the Wild West. Anyone can hang a shingle and call themselves a trainer.” With CrossFit, as will all fitness regimens, it’s not just buyer beware, but beware what your body is telling you. You don’t want today’s intensity to result in tomorrow’s injury.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 16:51:29 +0000
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