Our Social Media is full of images of Crossfitters and their lifestyle. The fitness regimen is fairly new, created in 2000 by the American athlete Greg Glassman.
Like many forms of exercising, CrossFit has become a way of life. It involves a certain type of diet, training and also a support group that can be found online.
CrossFit exercises
It is difficult to define what consists of a CrossFit routine, as it mixes elements of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Weightlifting, Gymnastics, Callisthenics and many other exercises.
On the official CrossFit website, you can find daily challenges called “Workout of the Day” that are posted there for the community.
On a gym, you can find CrossFit classes that involve: weightlifting, interacting with several types of equipment, do press series, squats, push-up and many other activities that are never boring.
weightlifting, interacting with several types of equipment, do press series, squats, push-up and many other activities that are never boring.
How to start?
As this is a HIIT form of exercise, it is advised to start trying out CrossFit in beginners classes if you do not have experience with exercising a lot.
Despite the beautiful Instagram photos and how happy the athletes look, CrossFit demands a lot from a person’s body and you must have the correct training before diving into it.
The CrossFit Training
As we have clarified, CrossFit is not a steady training or mix of exercises. It can vary on a daily basis and that is what makes it so entertaining and engaging. Even though it involves a series of HIIT workouts and high-level skills, CrossFit can be made by everyone despite their age and weight or body shape. As per the official guidelines, every workout can be adjusted. That means that whether the person is under 50kg or over 100kg, there will be a specific training for him/her.
The goal is that the CrossFit trainer (called “coach”) tailor the exercise for the individual. That is why the assessments are so important when you want to try CrossFit. The variation can happen on the number of repetitions, weight, and velocity of the process. It is what they call “scaling.”
By adjusting those workouts, trainers are able to have in the gym beginners and experient athletes that want to adhere to this new way of exercising.
Usually, workouts can be found on the CrossFit platform. The Workout Of the Day (WOD) it is a starting point for those who want to know how it looks like and it is exactly what it looks like: a challenge. In general, if you only do each day’s WOD, CrossFit coaches states that it will help you reach an improved level of fitness.
CrossFit Diet
A CrossFit diet, as stated on its official website, has a slogan: Off the carbs, off the couch. The nutrition plan consists of consuming macronutrients from whole plant foods, lean proteins and healthy fats.
The diet is focused on controlling blood sugar, which can reduce your risk of chronic diseases, such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Basically, divide your plate into thirds and fill it with:
- lean protein (skinless chicken breast, fish, lean beef and low-fat dairy);
- healthy carbs (vegetables and fruits with a low glycemic index);
- monounsaturated fat (avocados and nuts).
On another hand, the diet plan requests athlets to avoid high-glycemic fruits (bananas, dates, figs, mangos and raisins), juice, grain-based foods, starchy vegetables and, as we could imagine, sweets and desserts. It is recommended to stay in this diet for only 4 weeks with the supervision of a nutritionist.
CrossFit Lifestyle
Being a CrossFitter it is way more than just following a diet and going to the 5-days a week training. The CrossFit community not only has several rules but also their own language.
We have selected 5 abbreviations and terms used by the CrossFitters in order to assist you with getting to know their universe.
AMRAP (As Many Rounds as Possible)
It is one type of workout where you try to complete as many rounds as possible before a certain amount of time runs out.
BTWD (Beyond the White Board)
Online platform where you can log your CrossFit workouts and results.
CTB or C2B (Chest to Bar)
Pull-up where athletes pull their chest all the way to the bar.
Pood (Pd)
The weight of kettlebells. (1 pood is 36 pounds)
WOD (workout of the day)
The official workout performed at a CrossFit gym on a given day. It can also be found on their main website,
Be careful
As a very demanding type of training, CrossFit must always be made under the correct supervision. There is a lot of online content being produced and a lot of information is shared. However, only affiliated gyms and partners offer the proper training. As long as you follow the steps, as the CrossFitters usually say, YBF _ an encouraging abbreviation used withing the community of “You’ll Be Fine”.
