The Crossfit fad is real. The upstart culture of crazed workout enthusiasts has seeped into the exercise community and transformed contemporary ideology of fitness. The intensity of Crossfit is enticing to those who seek new challenges, but will it destroy your body? Like all workout programs, Crossfit has its pros and cons. The challenges of its vigorous intensity and potential for frequent injury are met with the benefits of improved muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance. Determining whether the pros outweigh the cons is ultimately up to you.

Concept

The basic concept of Crossfit is to enhance the body’s appearance and functionality, as nature intended. The program’s style of exercise varies tremendously from the conventional thought process of fitness. It incorporates an extreme emphasis on nutrition, and promotes a diet consisting of fruits and vegetables, lean protein and complex carbohydrates. Even though consumption of healthy foods isn’t revolutionary in terms of fitness ideology, its emphasis is relatively vacant from most complete exercise programs. Crossfit embodies the notion that human beings are carved from nature, and should therefore exercise and eat accordingly.

Pros

The Crossfit training program provides individuals with the unique combination of training difficulty, nutritional emphasis and community. Even though you don’t need to become a Crossfit participant in order to reap each of those benefits, the incorporated challenge of Crossfit training is unparalleled in the greater realm of fitness. Crossfit’s vigorous training program includes high doses of high-intensity interval training, which forces participants to exercise at peak exertion for short intervals of time. The program’s self-touted degree of difficulty makes for a rewarding exercise experience at an affordable cost, if you can handle the pressure.

Cons

The inevitability of contracting an injury is paramount within the Crossfit community. The program’s challenging technique and high levels of intensity increase natural susceptibility to the likes of herniated disks and tendon ruptures, among other injuries. Crossfit incorporates a six-week safety course for first-time participants, but demonstrating perfect form during complicated weightlifting exercises doesn’t completely eliminate the potential for serious injury. All Crossfit workouts should be approached with some degree of caution, although the health benefits of completing the program are legitimate. The program’s emphasis on nutrition and high-intensity interval training will help you reach an optimal level of overall fitness. Even though Crossfit won’t destroy your body, your chances of becoming injured in some capacity are greater than performing more conventional modes of exercise.