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what is CrossFit?

what is CrossFit?

 

Today I'm going to tell you about a discipline that's becoming increasingly popular in the fitness world. This discipline was born in the 70s, but didn't officially see its first center open until 1995 in the USA. Since the 2000s, the discipline has gone from strength to strength.

The origins of crossfit

This discipline is none other than Cross Fit or Cross Training. Cross Fit is a form of cross-training. It combines several disciplines, with the aim of improving physical fitness.

The different skills stimulated by Cross Fit are cardiovascular endurance, strength, power, resistance (muscular endurance), flexibility, balance and agility.

To work on these different skills, participants will use poly-articular, functional, body-building, weight-lifting and gymnastic movements, as well as certain athletic disciplines such as running (sprinting, half-distance and long-distance running)... Anything to stimulate and improve physical fitness.

The equipment used is as varied as the number of sports that make up Cross Fit. You'll be using bars, dumbbells, kettlebells, weighted carts, bags, ropes, chains, truck tires, as well as simple bodyweight exercises and rope climbs...

Methods and techniques

The range of exercises is so wide and the equipment so diverse that it would take too long to list them all.

The principle is to link up a number of exercises without resting, and to repeat the circuit several times. The circuit, called a WOD (Workout Of the Day), will be different for each session and must be performed at high intensity. It should be composed so that different skills are worked on.

Dimitry Klokov, crossfit champion

Cross Fit program

Exercises

There are many different workout formats, for example:

  • Decreasing series (21-15-9, 21-18-15-12-9-6-3, etc.)

  • AMRAP (as many rounds as possible)

  • Maximum format (1-1-1-1-1, 3-2-2-1-1-1, etc.)

  • Bear complex" based on a precise sequence in which the load is increased with each round

  • Pyramid (1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1)

Objectives

These workouts have different objectives:

Skills, with the aim of learning training techniques.

Strength, the aim being to develop maximum strength capacity on one or more exercises.

Metcons (METabolic CONditioning), the aim being to perform a WOD at maximum intensity in order to finish it as quickly as possible.

Cardio, the aim of which is to develop endurance capacity.

Frequency

The number of sessions per week must take into account the recovery time needed to allow the body to develop and avoid overtraining. That's why it's common to see 3 to 4 sessions per week, with a rest day in between.

Having practised hard-core bodybuilding for many years, I've sometimes grown weary of doing the same exercises over and over again, with the same type of cardio work.

This discipline is designed to be fun, thanks to the multitude of possible exercises and their sequences, but it also enables complete muscular development and a diversity of skills.

High-intensity circuit training is also an excellent way of boosting the metabolism of exercisers, increasing the body's capacity to burn fat.

Coach's opinion on cross fit

Today,Ido a weekly workout that tends towards this type of session, even if it's not Cross Fit in the strict sense of the word.

Even if this discipline does not allow the same muscular development as bodybuilding, it remains compatible with the products offered by Megagear because an increase in strength, muscle volume, dryness and cardiovascular capacity will be induced by this type of training and this will be accelerated by consuming these supplements!

If you'd like to diversify your workout and stimulate your body in a different way, but still want to be fit, powerful and muscular, then try Cross Fit - you won't regret it.

Author Alexandre CARPENTIER

Bodybuilding Champion N.A.C 2012

Alexandre shares his experience of bodybuilding with MegaGear blog readers

 
Posted in: Bodywork