This summer I discovered one of the latest fitness crazes to storm the world: CrossFit, or for the edgy individual, also known as XFit. During the summer my experience of CrossFit involved twenty minute work outs which pushed you to your limit. When I returned from my holiday I wanted to find out more about this craze.
So what is CrossFit?
The craze was started in America in 2000 and it was quickly taken up across the continent. It is essentially a strength and conditioning program which includes weight training dispersed with short bursts of cardio. It has been renowned for reducing body fat to levels which you would usually only find in an elite athlete. Since 2007 the CrossFit Games have been introduced. They claim to be out to find the ‘Fittest on Earth’ and the Games have been named the ‘fastest growing sport on Earth’ by Forbes.
An innovative creation has been the CrossFit WOD – workout of the day – this gives you a short workout to do. This idea has hit the motivational jackpot; no need for a personal trainer to give you a daily training routine, now you can go online, look up the WOD and voila!
From the United States, CrossFit has travelled to Europe. Now you can find a CrossFit community in most cities in England, Nottingham included: http://www.crossfitnottingham.com. CrossFit Nottingham offers free taster sessions where you will receive some personal coaching to show you how to complete the WOD. Admittedly, if you want to join the community, it’s not cheap, but if you have the right motivation, then it’s easy to go to your local gym to complete the WOD.
Here’s my WOD:
5 Burpees
10 Pressups (on your knees if necessary)
15 Squats
Repeat every minute, on the minute for 20 minutes.
Explanation
You go through the three exercises 20 times, and the faster you do them, the more rest you will have. If it takes you 30 seconds to complete the burpees, pressups and squats then you will have a 30 second rest. Once you reach the next minute, start again. The aim is to try and be consistent. If it takes you 30 seconds the first time, try not to let this time creep up. By the end of the workout, you don’t want to be taking 50 seconds to complete the reps. The advantage of the workout is that you are exercising at a high intensity for a short amount of time before you get a rest so you should be able to push yourself and maintain your original time. Ensure that you have a stopwatch next to you. The most important thing to remember is to maintain full range of movement. Good Luck!
Photo Sources
http://treasurecoastcrossfit.c…
Edited by Faiza Peeran