“Crossfit”, although it may seem like a new and revolutionary practice, has been training in this way for decades in highly demanding individual sports such as athletics or also in contact sports such as boxing.
Crossfit is still a high intensity activity with short breaks which initially allows us to work on the alactic anaerobic systemWhen our ATP, the most basic and fastest energy obtaining system, has been depleted, we begin to work with glucose through the anaerobic lactic system and oxidizing the body’s glucose, and at the end of the training there is a great activation of the aerobic system with fat oxidation. It must be taken into account that these systems are always active, it is just that at certain times they work in large ranges.
The 5 advantages of Crossfit
1. Work of the cardiorespiratory system
Even though it is an activity with a high impact of force, we force the cardiorespiratory system to function at its limit with the consequent modification in our physiological system.
Greater production of erythropoietin which is responsible for the production of red blood cells and these transport oxygen, therefore greater transport of oxygen to our muscles and organs.
Growth of the chambers of the heart and hypertrophy of its walls, with this we achieve that more blood moves with each beat, since the heart can pump more blood with each beat and the blood circulates more strongly. With this we can notice that our heart rate at rest has decreased and when we start practicing sports it rises more quickly.
The alveoli that are responsible for capturing the oxygen we breathe work more efficiently, therefore they capture a higher % than sedentary people.
The exchange zone works more effectively, this zone is the one that exchanges the substances in this case oxygen and carbon dioxide between the venules with the pulmonary system.
2. Resistance to muscle fatigue
We not only achieve resistance to physiological fatigue, but also to muscle fatigue. By working at the muscular level repeatedly and with short or no breaks, we get our muscles used to high-intensity work maintained over time, taking into account that the higher the intensity, the shorter the time we will be able to maintain the effort.
3. Muscle hypertrophy
For people who may be interested, with Crossfit we achieve a slight sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and a moderate sarcomeric hypertrophy so that we will have a fairly rocky hypertrophy as it contains many myofibrils per muscle fiber.
4. Fat Burner
By doing this type of training we will ensure that after training the body is burning more calories in the form of fat, up to 72 hours later.
5. Full motivation
A sport that allows us to measure ourselves and improve ourselves in each session will keep us motivated and fulfilled, with this we will release even more endorphins than doing other types of sports and will allow us to maintain a more stable psychological state.
The 5 disadvantages of Crossfit
1. Injuries
Some of the exercises proposed can be highly harmful to our joints and even tendons.
2. Special material
Not all gyms are adapted for CrossFit work, depending on the city, it will be difficult for us to find a gym that allows us to train this modality. So, if your goal is to train CrossFit, you should go to a center that allows you to develop your routines with complete guarantee.
3. Non-specialized assistants
In many centers, the way to perform basic weight lifting exercises such as the clean & jerkand when done incorrectly they can be highly damaging to the spine, which is why you should try to put yourself in the hands of a good professional.
4. Overtraining
If we do not monitor the workloads, or those who direct us do not take them into account, it is easy to fall into overtraining: that is, we have exceeded the limit of exercise load that our body can assimilate. If we notice headaches, loss of appetite or insomnia, I recommend taking a week of complete rest to regain strength and thus avoid injuries or health problems.
5. Wear and danger of breaking
By pushing the body to the limit, in the last minutes of training our intramuscular and intermuscular coordination will be impaired, this leads to poor execution of movements and exercises, therefore a danger to our back, muscles and joints. Try to put heavy load exercises at the beginning of training to avoid this inconvenience.
