Crossfit first came onto the fitness scene about 5 years ago, and at that time, most people thought this was an exercise fad that wouldn’t last. Little did they know that Crossfit would become one of the fastest-growing sports worldwide. Today there are over 13,000 Crossfit affiliate gyms (also know as “boxes”) in 142 countries across 7 continents. With those kinds of stats, it’s fairly safe to say that Crossfit is here to stay.
This fitness regime, which combines functional movements with olympic lifting and weight training has gotten a bit of a reputation for being pretty hard-core, even dangerous. It’s true that the work-outs (or “WODs” in CF lingo) are physically challenging and are meant to test your limits and maximize efficiency and with this kind of challenge comes increased risks and can leave participants prone to injury. There are of course steps you can take to minimize these risks, like knowing these ten common Crossfit mistakes…
1. Not Starting Small
When you first start Crossfit, it’s important to build a solid foundation on which you can build your skills. This is still important even if you’re coming from another fitness routine or consider yourself an athletic person.
It’s understandable for people to want to jump right in, after all there’s a lot of excitement about starting something new, but without learning the functional foundations of Crossfit movements, you risk injuring yourself and potentially doing long-term damage. Most Crossfit gyms offer a series of beginner classes where participants can learn the basics before they can participate in regular classes. Take advantage of these, even though you may feel like you’re above it.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
