5 Reasons to Sign Up for CrossFit Classes

You’ve likely heard your gym buff office mates talk about workout jargon you can’t relate to, one of which may have been CrossFit. If you’re not too familiar, CrossFit is very popular with fitness enthusiasts and for a number of reasons.

CrossFit merges Olympic lifting, interval training, plyometrics, gymnastics, calisthenics, strongman and other forms of exercise, creating a unique and dynamic sport. CrossFit members tend to be enthusiastic and competitive but they also share a special camaraderie among each other. 

When you look at yourself in the mirror, are you dismayed or enthralled by what you see? Maybe you’ve accumulated excess fat around your waist over a long period of time. If so, it’s probably time you take action!

Thankfully, CrossFit fitness centers can be found in just about every town across America, so finding one and signing up is going to be easy. CrossFit includes several pricing and class options too which makes it financially accessible for most.

However, is CrossFit really the right workout choice for you? Here are five reasons why you may want to consider signing up.

#1. CrossFit Covers 10 Important Fitness Domains

Strength and power aren’t the only ones mainly covered when you do CrossFit exercises. There are 10 of them including these two. What are the other important domains you need to work on? These include cardiovascular and respiratory, strength, stamina, flexibility, coordination, speed, accuracy, balance and agility. Read more about that in this article.

#2. CrossFit Will Prepare Your Body for Any Physical Activity and Sports Competition

This type of workout isn’t only meant for weightlifters—it’s also great for all kinds of physical activity and sports. So, athletes of any sort can do this set of exercises to train and prepare their body for the upcoming competition. Simply put, CrossFit is very versatile because it’s meant to train and develop any kind of athlete. How cool is that?

#3. CrossFit is Effective for Weight Loss and It Yields Fast Results

We need intense cardio to burn those excess fats and calories in our body. But doing cardio that can effectively get rid of those can take you a couple of hours to minutes. That could also mean some kilometers you need to pass either through treadmill or outdoor run. What’s good about CrossFit is that it doesn’t need to be coupled up with separate intense cardio workouts.

Yes, you get to burn that pesky bulk around your abdominal region without burning too much time on the treadmill. Through time, even simple individuals can have the same fitness abilities that athletes have.

Another compelling reason why it’s an effective weight management program is that you are able to build lean muscle mass which in turn could help prevent the body from storing harmful unwanted fat.

#4. CrossFit Can Be Performed Indoors or Outdoors and Even Without Gym Equipment

Who needs to drive to the gym the earliest possible before you head to work in the morning when you can build a home gym without any equipment needed? As mentioned, you can start doing this set of exercises by just taking advantage of your own bodyweight.

After a reasonable amount of time, you can gradually add weights and equipment to your routine and increase the intensity of the workout.

#5. CrossFit Will Motivate You to Eat Healthier and Live an Overall Healthier Lifestyle

Experts say you can always start with any kind of diet as long as it’s well-balanced and comes from natural sources. The key here is to eat healthy. But to effectively see results in shorter amount of time, you may consider switching to a paleo-like diet that is recommended for most athletes. That would mean you’d rely on healthy fats, proteins, lean meats, a generous number of veggies and fruits and few carbs. Check out more information about that here: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/paleo-diet/art-20111182

The Bottom Line

CrossFit is a great option for just about anyone serious about their fitness, but it isn’t going to be for everyone.

Beginners may want to start out with a traditional gym membership and hire a personal trainer to guide them. However, once a beginner hits a particular baseline and achieved some of their health and fitness goals, CrossFit is a great potential progression path.

That being said, and whether you’re a beginner or not, before starting any new workout or diet, always have yourself checked by your trusted physician. Beginners may be more prone to injuries and health issues if they’re not in the proper condition to start CrossFit, which can definitely be more on the demanding side.

If you’re healthy though and you’re a good fit for this kind of routine, you’ll have fun and will be thrilled with all the challenges that lie ahead with CrossFit.

About Jason Spencer

Jason Spencer has a tremendous enthusiasm for all facets of health, fitness and physical performance that stems from an athletic lifestyle from childhood. Jason was fortunate enough to compete in collegiate football and learned to love the challenges that physical activity placed on the body. As Jason progressed through his higher education and became increasingly aware of how science is applied to physical activity and how it reveals the benefits of exercise, he realized very quickly that he wanted to pursue a career that gives him the opportunity to teach others to compete, challenge, and push themselves towards something more valuable to them than anything else; health, fitness and self worth. Being a fitness professional allows Jason to do this for them and he is always incredibly grateful for that. Jason has a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. Neuroscience and his acquired knowledge of the nervous system and muscle stimulation techniques has been extremely instrumental towards building a unique ability and feel for training the body for optimal form and function. As a personal trainer he is certified with ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine). He's also a strength & conditioning specialist with NSCA (National Strength & Conditioning Association). He has additional certifications in both kettlebell principles & techniques (Equinox), and Flexibility & Corrective Exercise (Swedish Institute of Health Sciences in NY). Jason has worked as a trainer and conditioning specialist in a variety of fitness facilities over the years such as: LA Fitness in Piscataway, NJ, the YMCA in Metuchen, NJ, and Equinox Fitness Clubs in New York, NY. He also does private in-home sessions all over the Manhattan area.