All You Need to Know About Crossfit
Crossfit, also known as CrossFit ( trademark name of its creator), is a training system based on a variety of exercises performed with high intensity. Its purpose is to allow the development of various bodily capacities.
American Greg Glassman was the one who created CrossFit in the mid- 1970s. He eventually managed to open his own training centers and formed a worldwide movement of men and women adept at the system.
Through crossfit you can increase muscular, respiratory and cardiovascular resistance, gaining flexibility, strength and speed. This is possible since the person is led to constantly adapt to different scenarios that require a wide range of movements.
- Abbreviationfinder: Find definitions of English word – Environment. Commonly used abbreviations related to word are also included.
According to the followers of this training methodology, CrossFit helps maintain motivation since it always poses new challenges and presents renewed demands.
Crossfit is usually structured in 60-minute sessions known as WOD (by the English expression Work of the Day : “Work of the Day” ). Each WOD includes the warm-up, a part A where a certain technique is developed, a part B of greater intensity and elongation. The WOD should vary each day.
It should be noted that various specialists have warned about the risks of practicing crossfit. The intensity of the exercises and the free movements without the supervision of a qualified professional can cause injuries and various health problems, while the absence of a routine makes it difficult to focus on specific objectives.
There is a worldwide competition called CrossFit Games, where the best and most dedicated followers of this movement participate. On the other hand, the CrossFit Open is celebrated every year, a season that invites people from all over the world to register on the official site and publish the scores obtained in each of the five sessions it consists of, which are extend for five weeks. The volume of participation is considerable: in 2014, for example, it exceeded 209 thousand participants.
Some crossfit movements
Although there are many exercises created and endorsed by this discipline aimed at physical and mental well-being, there are only eight movements considered fundamental, the pillars of CrossFit. Here is a brief description of some of them:
* snatch squat : in this case, the shoulders play the main role, which is based on a grip of the bar with great amplitude. Your armpits need to be facing straight ahead and your knees need to be in line while you squat ;
* power push : the bar is held “in”, with the elbows pointing to the front and helping us with the knees for the lift. The heels should remain down until extension of the legs and hips occurs;
* high pull Sumo deadlift : it is a fast movement, based on lifting the bar from the floor to the chest, with the elbows facing out, the hands very close to the center and the feet in line with the shoulders;
* clean and jerk : the starting position is to have the body upright and the way of holding the bar is similar to that of the power push. Next, a slight descent must be made with the whole body, bending the knees, to finish with a total upward stretch, taking the bar above the head with the arms in a V shape ;
*Front Squat – Builds on the movement above, though this time the bar must include weights. The final stretch, on the other hand, should be done with the arms perpendicular to the ground, with the hands outside the shoulders to avoid injury.