Why CrossFit

You'll notice that in my posts so far I have stated that I will be using the CrossFit method of training. The main reason for this is that it suits my lifestyle very well, which I'll go into more detail about later, but for now I'll just be discussing what CrossFit is and why I think it's a good way for me to reach my goals.

So what is CrossFit?

For those that don't know, it is a very intense form of working out (basically circuit training), and despite popular belief has actually been around for a long time. It uses a combination of resistance and cardiovascular work combined into one workout to create a very high intensity workout. The training sessions progress and also utilise lesser intensity type training. If you follow the CrossFit website, as I will, you'll be doing 3 day's of working out, followed by one day of rest and then repeating.

What is high intensity training? 

Well is just what it says on the tin and is often performed in short periods of time, for example, most CrossFit workouts rarely last 20 minutes in time. I can almost hear people saying "but surely 20 minutes isn't long enough?" Well if you just poodle along then no, a less than 20 minute workout isn't going to improve your fitness that much but studies have shown that if you put in 100% effort for a short time, then the benefits can be great. Combine that with longer sessions of steady state exercise and you're on to a winner. A study over at www.bodyrecomposition.com showed that this type of training can be beneficial, especially when combined with longer, lower intensity training sessions. But there is a bad thing to this type of training, in my opinion. If you do a 10 minute high intensity interval workout such as one of the CrossFit workout's, but really can't be bothered to put in the effort, then you won't gain much from it. You really have to give this training your all to gain from the cardiovascular side of things. Another thing to consider if you're reading this thinking you might give CrossFit a go is that some of the lifts that are performed during a workout are very advanced lifts. I have been lifting weights for about 12 years now on and off and have very good form so transitioning to this type of training for me was pretty easy. A beginner with no experience in this type of weight lifting could find themselves injured very quickly. I'd recommend anyone starting CrossFit to take it very, very slowly to start with, practising the lifts as you go.

Other forms of exercise I will be undertaking is walking/Tabbing (a TAB is a military term for basically walking somewhere with lots of weight on your back) and eventually running. I won't be doing much running to start with, only what is involved in the CrossFit workouts, until I get a bit lighter due to a knee injury from my Army days. It's not a severe injury but at the weight I'm at now I just don't want to put too much shock through it by doing too much running.

So why CrossFit?

Well aside from some of the benefits listed above, it really does fit into my lifestyle really well. I have a wife, 3 kids and a dog, and I make time for them all as much as I can. Combine this with up to 14 hour days adding on 2 hours of travelling each day, and you don't need to be a mathematician to see that I don't get a lot of spare time. The hours are due to me working in the personal security industry and working shifts, so when I'm working nights I'm lucky if I get 5.5 hours sleep on a training day. I simply don't have the time to do 1 hour training sessions. Another aspect that draws me to this type of training, and particularly the CrossFit way, is the challenge of it. The workouts are very hard and very intense, and because it is a different workout each day, it never gets stale. I finish a workout knowing I've given it everything I could, rather than just going through the motions.