How CrossFit has ruined the fitness industry

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past 17 years....you have likely heard of CrossFit. But don't worry, if you have recently come out from under your rock (welcome back) please read on and we will catch you up on what you have missed since the year 2000 (hint: it rhymes with the Smardashians)... 

Poor ol' gluten gets a bad rap.

CrossFit, not unlike "gluten", has exploded in notoriety in the late 2000's and early 2010's. Likely, someone you know CrossFits (yes, it's also a verb....he CrossFits, I CrossFits, you CrossFits....you get the idea). The likelihood that someone you know is a "CrossFitter" is almost as high as the chance that person has told you about CrossFit....relentlessly. It's not a perfect science (i.e. it's not at all science), but you can bet that someone who does CrossFit may literally explode if they are unable tell other people about CrossFit. It's like reverse Fight Club.

To be clear, nobody has a neutral opinion on CrossFit. If you dare bring up the word in a circle of personal trainers, coaches, gym owners, or with your obnoxious neighbours Janice and Phil....everyone either loves CrossFit with a fiery passion that consumes them or loathes CrossFit...immensely. The word CrossFit itself has the power to polarize the opinions of two people. I  dare you to find someone who feels nothing when they hear the word CrossFit.

Hint: before you leave me a comment about how your Great Grandma ain't feel nothin towards CrossFit....find someone who has an inkling about what CrossFit is and then test my hypothesis. Side note: Do Great Grandma a favour and have her read this article then watch as she forms an extreme opinion about CrossFit...hah you owe me 5 bucks. 

In today's post we dig into what CrossFit is and how it has ruined the fitness industry as we knew it.

This image was taken straight from the CrossFit website and succinctly captures CrossFit's approach to fitness. As you can see CrossFit combines several sports and types of exercise into a basic workout structure of "constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity". You should know that CrossFit gyms are referred to as "boxes" and clients as "athletes". CrossFit boxes look nothing like globo gyms and not surprisingly, CrossFit athletes look nothing like regular people. CrossFit boxes offer classes (usually 1 hour in length) where athletes perform a "workout of the day" or "WOD". If your spidey sense is tingling and you are starting to catch on to some of the sexual innuendos of the CrossFit world (box...WOD)....you are officially catching on, welcome aboard. 

Up to this point I may not have told you anything you don't already know. Again, the CrossFitter in your life has likely answered every question you never asked them about CrossFit..and then some. Has CrossFit really ruined the fitness industry? Well, yes actually. CrossFit has majorly disrupted the classic gym-going experience. To illustrate my point, let's paint a picture of what life for the average gym goer was like before CrossFit came on the scene.....

If you owned a gym membership in the late 90s and early 2000's (while CrossFit was slowly taking over the world) you probably have the following fond memories of your gym-going experience:

1. Signing a 10 page document written in size 8 font that explained how your monthly membership fee (while seeming so cheap for only $39.99 per month...which explains why you walked into this gym in the first place) would renew annually for no less than 80 years at which time you will likely be dead but wouldn't have to worry as your children and your children's children would assume the payments. Now of course, you were likely too embarrassed to ask for a magnifying glass to actually read every line of said contract. So now (years later) you are still paying that $39.99/month wondering how it is possible that negotiating with your cell pone provider is actually less difficult than trying to cancel your gym membership. 

CrossFit boxes (for the most part) don't make their members sign contracts. You can sign up for month-to-month billing or a year at a time for a reduced rate. If you want to leave, they let you. A lot of gyms are now taking after CrossFit and offering more flexible contracts that don't demand your first born child in exchange for a membership cancellation. 

WHAT is that person doing and why can't I look away?!

2. Watching people who have no idea what they are doing. Before CrossFit introduced the idea of supervised weightlifting classes, people-watching on the gym floor was a real sport. You could find endless entertainment watching people invent new ways of using machines and misusing equipment left, right, and centre. Sure, there may have been a personal trainer roaming the bench press area who was supposed to be available for spotting, exercise advice, and for the safety of members....but you were more likely to find them organizing and reorganizing the weight plates to pass the time. Hey, we've all organized a few weight plates during a personal training shift ok?

Not everyone wants or needs supervision to lift weights properly. Those who do now have the option of joining a CrossFit box where they can learn challenging gymnastic and olympic lifting movements not usually seen or even allowed at most globo gyms. For those of us who really enjoyed people watching at the gym, sadly there is just less variety now. CrossFit boxes seem to have stolen all the people doing the most interesting (and sometimes questionable) things at the gym. Perhaps this is the reason cardio machines now offer TVs for entertainment...

3. Unsightly nakedness. We have all been the victim of the overly comfortable change room permanent resident. This person seems to be in the change room (and nude) every time you go to the gym. How is that even possible? A built-in sauna sounds like such a great perk to joining a globo gym, and it is! Until you realize that sauna bench has probably seen more risqué nudity than it would care to share with you. 

Most CrossFit boxes have bare bones change rooms and although you may be exposed to some nudity....it's not likely to be as overt as the guy who likes to stretch by the lockers...while he lotions. Sadly if you joined a CrossFit box you would have to kiss this sweet memory goodbye.  

4. Useless machines. You are probably familiar with feeling intrigued and yet utterly confused as you stand for an uncomfortably long amount of time in front of a new machine trying to decipher just exactly how it might work. What do those knobs do? If I sat on this would it move? What if I just push here.....wait nope that's not a good sound....someone is now waiting for me to finish whatever it is I am supposed to be doing with this contraption....ok play it cool...fake an injury and hobble to the change room...fwef....never using that machine again. 

CrossFit does not let useless machines take up precious floor space that could otherwise be used for productive exercise. Thanks to CrossFit many globo gyms have created a bigger free weight space and have made more interesting equipment like kettelbells and battle ropes available to their members. There may be some equipment at a CrossFit box you don't know how to use but thankfully you will be coached through each exercise and not left to fend for yourself. 

5. Weights not being put away. I was always a big fan of stumbling around the gym floor hoping to catch a third degree ankle sprain from tripping on a stray weight plate. I looked forward to wandering aimlessly hoping to find the match to my lonely 15lb dumbbell. Or my favourite still, reaching for the 20lb dumbbells in the spot that is clearly labelled 20lbs...and finding nothing or better yet, dumbbells that weigh anything BUT 20lbs. 

For safety reasons CrossFit boxes can't afford to have equipment strewn all over the place. Most boxes are very neatly organized and the members who train there feel a sense of pride from keeping their box clean (har har). You can't have barbells and medicine balls rolling around while someone is swinging from the rings or climbing a 15 foot rope. Most gyms taking after CrossFit boxes now provide a wide open space for members to exercise free of the dangers of cluttered benches and misplaced equipment. 

6. Mirrors. There are few things as great as watching yourself and others grunt, sweat, and groan under fluorescent lighting in the floor-to-ceiling mirrors of most globo gyms. I mean, who doesn't want to catch a glimpse of Chad the body builder flexing at himself in the mirror? Mirrors seem important for checking form while you exercise and yet no one really seems to be caught up on proper form do they? 

Mirrors enable performance anxiety and social comparison. So caught up on how we look when performing an exercise instead of how we feel, we often opt out of awkward looking exercises (pull-throughs or hip thrusts anyone?) for fear of being stared at or being made fun of. Which is super great, because as we know exercise is all about how you look and what other people think right?! Wrong. CrossFit boxes have no mirrors. Imagine that? Exercising and feeling without seeing. Coaches correct form and cue technique while you are forced to develop bodily awareness. The focus is on form not looks. 

If you're clever, and I think you are, you may be realizing that this post is not really about CrossFit ruining the fitness industry for the worse....it's about how CrossFit has disrupted the worst parts of the fitness industry....for the better.

Consider the following:

Have you ever felt extremely uncomfortable exercising at a gym? Ever felt like you don't belong? CrossFit accepts all body types, all ages and ability levels. The workouts are scaled to your ability to encourage everyone to compete together. No one feels out of place.

Ever dreaded working out alone? It's not easy to be accountable only to yourself. Sometimes you need the push of meeting someone to workout with. Maybe you're the only one of your friends who is really into weightlifting. You will find your people at CrossFit. At each box their is a group of people who like lifting heavy things, challenging themselves to learn new skills, and support each other through tough workouts.

Tired of being the only girl who lifts heavy weights at your gym? CrossFit collects some of the strongest and most dedicated weightlifters around. You will see women of all sizes and shapes pouring their soul into picking heavy things up and putting them down. It is truly empowering to be surrounded with other women pursuing more. At CrossFit it's about the weight you put on the bar, not on the scale. 

Bored of thinking up your own workouts or exercises every time you go to the gym? Show up to a class and let the coach boss you around for an hour. No need to worry about programming or progression. It is nearly impossible to beat the variety of workouts CrossFit provides.

Ever considered exercise as a sport? Probably not. Thanks to CrossFit, those of us who never really found our feet playing sports can explore our athleticism in a new way. There is no reason you can't become a better exerciser. Sounds ridiculous but CrossFit has turned working out into a competitive sport. Setting goals in terms of developing new skills, increasing strength, and improving performance is within reach for all of us. 

How about wanting to workout with your child, significant other, parent, or grandparent? CrossFit has created an exercise prescription tailored to each athlete's ability level, meaning everyone works out together regardless of age or gender. Few other exercise classes have the power to bring together different sexes and generations in a cohesive and supportive environment. Sounds too good to be true right?

There are certainly a few downsides to joining a CrossFit box... 

For one, it is expensive. Most boxes charge upwards of $20 for a single class and more than $100 a month for a membership. The price is justified based on the fact that you are joining coached classes and not just using the equipment to workout on your own. Most boxes will offer discounts to students and emergency services personnel however for the rest of us, an expensive gym membership may not be feasible.

Another downside to joining CrossFit is that although the workouts are scalable, they are not individualized. For those training for a specific event such as a marathon or recovering from an injury, the group-based dynamic may not be the best approach. Some, not all boxes offer personal training with their CrossFit coaches. Depending on your needs, you may have to seek out a fitness professional with additional expertise and training outside of your CrossFit box.

CrossFit is by definition non-specific. The point of CrossFit is to generally prepare athletes for a range of sporting events and athletic pursuits. If you are training for something specific, a competition or race for example, you should seriously consider how your training will contribute to that goal. Specific goals require specific training. To learn more about training specificity check out my blog article on the subject by clicking here.

Unfortunately not all CrossFit boxes are as meticulous at coaching proper form as they should be. Some coaches have only a weekend of training under their belt before they are fully certified to coach challenging and risky movements like the ring muscle up or olympic weightlifting snatch. When in doubt, try out more than one box before you decide on which is right for you. Watching a class or two before participating can be very eye opening. If the coach appears distracted or disengaged while his athletes complete the workout, walk away. You want a coach that is always watching, cueing, correcting, and motivating his athletes. At the end of the day, you deserve a safe and fun experience while you are doing CrossFit and you need to find a box that feels right for you.

Lastly, CrossFit is competitive. Very competitive. Each workout is scored and results are written on a public display. For some this is incredibly motivating, for others it is a complete distraction and encourages rushed exercise and poor form. There is a certain level of personal responsibility when it comes to joining a CrossFit box. Though the coaches are looking out for you, they are not mind readers. If the weight is too heavy or the movement doesn't feel right, speak up! Also, don't get caught up in the "race" to finish the workout, at the end of the day you are your biggest competitor.

In summary

CrossFit has only ruined the worst parts of the fitness industry. It has smashed female and aging stereotypes while changing the way we view fitness. CrossFit boxes provide a competitive yet encouraging environment that welcomes all ability levels. It is the overhaul the fitness industry needed. Whether you dabble in CrossFit or not, your gym experience has likely been influenced by CrossFit in one way or another. Your gym may include a large free weight section, bumper plates, kettelbells, or offer bootcamps that let you push sleds, slam medicine balls, and climb ropes. Thanks to CrossFit, functional fitness has received more attention than ever and people are being exposed to the wonderful sports of gymnastics and olympic weightlifting. As always, I would encourage you to explore what gym or fitness program works for you, what you like, and most importantly whatever gets (and keeps) you moving.

Sincerely,

Coach P.

Ps. Believe it or not, I don't even do CrossFit! I have in the past and it was great but now I am pursuing a new love, triathlon, and can't get enough of that swim-bike-run.