The sport of Crossfit is in the midst of sweeping the nation in what seems like the blink of an eye. Within a year, the Crossfit Games, an annual competition that sees top athletes doing various competitive workouts in an effort to win the title of “Fittest on Earth” along with a significant monetary prize, was broadcast on the main television channels. It has been introduced to the working class and people have given up their “cookie cutter” gym memberships and will be joining their first Crossfit class as soon as possible. The concept behind this intriguing new exercise program is fascinatingly addictive; you are placed in a group with a few of your peers, all with varying fitness levels, and are challenged to complete a workout within an allotted time limit or for as fast as they are able to go. This program is great because it shows people that they can keep up with some of the fittest people out there and eliminates the “exercise alone” concept that most people fear when starting an exercise program. Now unfortunately there is a pretty high injury rate with Crossfit. While this is one of the only drawbacks, it’s a pretty big drawback, as you can probably see. With Crossfit keeping the physical therapy profession alive, some people are beginning to doubt Crossfit’s ability to deliver such great results without the high injury rate that occurs. There is a way though, and that is to add a few things to your training regiment that will keep you in good shape and significantly reduce your chances of injury.
The first important thing is to start a strengthening regiment. There is now lifting within Crossfit, but adding your own strength building regiment is great for two reasons. Doing those big Olympic lifts will complement all the difficult and intricate lifts that can be incorporated into some of the workouts. It’s also a great way to practice your form and get it perfect without being under the sometimes stressful time constraints during training. Another great thing you can do is take a yoga class at least once a week instead of a Crossfit class. With your strength gains going haywire, you’ll need to stay flexible. Flexibility is going to be one of the most important things you can get to prevent injuries. Yoga is also relaxing and can de-stress you. The last thing you can do to help lower your chances of injury is to adjust your diet. Lots of protein and green vegetables can keep your muscles from gaining too much lactic acid and keep you running at peak efficiency.
