The Truth About Crossfit

We come clean about the most misunderstood sport in recent years.

- Estelle Low

By now you would have an idea of what Crossfit is about: high-intensity movements that include jumping on boxes, flipping tyres and climbing ropes.

Meet a few Crossfitters and you’ll see that they’re all buff and sculpted in the right places. they are also stronger than the average person, and that means being able to do handstands, lift barbells as heavy as themselves, and leap over the wall if need be. in advertisements and on hisInstagram, they are portrayed as rugged, gritty people with sixpack abs who are out to torture themselves. or outdo everyone else.

Intimidated? i was, until i got my first taste of Crossfit at a Reebok event.

It was fun, beginner-friendly and liberating, to say the least. my body will probably ache, but i will not hesitate to do it again.

What is Crossfit, really? it is a branded fitness programme founded by former gymnast Greg Glassman in 2000. seeing the importance of cross training, which hones different aspects of fitness, Greg created Crossfit to optimise physical competence in 10 disciplines: cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy.

As such, Crossfit workouts are supervaried and unpredictable. you could be doing burpees one moment and deadlifts the next. the following day, you get a completely different workout that targets other areas of fitness.

Beyond physical activities, Crossfit promotes a lifestyle of regular exercise, a high-protein and low-carb diet, and as little sugar as possible.

In Greg’s words: “eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise, but not body fat.