Crossfit or No Crossfit

Is Crossfit a good sports performance training option or should we avoid Crossfit? I get asked this question all the time.  I used to quickly say, “no” and suggest athletes that are participating at a competitive level should not participate in Crossfit, solely because of the number of injuries I would see from athletes that would participate in Crossfit training programs.  But then, my mind was opened to the benefits of Crossfit exercise selections, and realized it wasn’t a Crossfit exercise that caused the injuries, it was the poor training techniques taught to these adolescent athletes that was causing the surplus of injuries from those high school athletes that went to Crossfit (and then came to me for their injury care).

So, here’s my new opinion about being an athlete and doing “Crossfit exercises”….  I LOVE THEM!  I can’t believe I just said that, but I really have a new-found respect for the exercise selections from many Crossfit programs that I have been exposed to.  I am a Certified Sports & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and with this certification, program design and Olympic lifting exercises is quite a bit of the focus of this certification.  But, I also am a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) and have been working on the sports-injury side of athletics for many years.  With the combination of being a CSCS and an ATC, I get exposed to many athletes that have been doing exercises wrong for a long time and result in non-contact injuries that could be prevented if their strength programs balanced out their body, rather than imbalancing their biomechnanics needed for cutting and jumping movements in sports.

Therefore, now that I have properly educated myself on what Crossfit training is really about, I have one thing to say: Yes do participate in Crossfit, but ONLY after you have the right firing pattern in your biomechanics to ensure when you do a hang clean, snatch, back squat, etc you are helping your athleticism and not setting yourself up for an injury as serious as an ACL tear or a low back injury or knee cap dislocation.  And after you have this optimal firing pattern of the muscles in your body, be sure to do Crossfit programs in addition to injury prevention programs, hip mobility programs and comprehensive speed development programs all together.

If you would like to know how to make the most out of your Crossfit program and get the most optimal athletic development, as well as prevent injuries, please do not hesitate to call and schedule a consultation today!  This will be the best decision you ever do. Crossfit already is designed for some pretty powerful results, but let us make sure your body has the proper foundation and muscle firing patterns first, and you will be totally amazed by your results!

One of our more recent athletes said, “Wow, I have been doing Crossfit programs for a few years, but what you just did to my body in 2 weeks is absolutely insane. I have never felt my glutes and abs work the way they do now my Crossfit program….my squat and bench just PR’d by 20 lbs in two weeks!”

….And now…..Efficient Movement Crossfit Scottsdale is coming soon!  Call to learn more (602) 358-8862.

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