Why is CrossFit Effective?

Define effective: results. So, why does CrossFit drive results?

Let’s dive in.

…and by the way, we’ll skip why people love it (though results are part of that) and focus on what actually happens when you train consistently.

Because CrossFit works – and it works for specific reasons.

1 – CrossFit Improves Your Cardiovascular Endurance

You may have heard of terms like:

• VO2 max
• HIIT (high intensity interval training)

CrossFit lives right in that world.

Here’s what makes it effective: you’re not doing one type of cardio. You are training short workouts, medium-length workouts, longer endurance workouts.

This combines to improve your ability to delivery and utilize oxygen and improves your cardiovascular efficiency.

In short? You get better at handling stress over time.

I feel like that carries weight somewhere in real life…

2 – CrossFit Builds Strength & Muscle

Looking for a way to raise your testosterone and growth hormone production in a way that facilitates muscle growth (and a secondary effect, strength gains).

Do these 3 things:

First, lift weights at an intensity that is challenging which tells your body, “get stronger.”

Second, lift weights using compound movements such as deadlifts, squats, presses, pulls, or lunges. These movements involve multiple joints and muscle groups.

Third, do movements that carry over to real life activities.

When you combine these things, what you’re telling your body is that you’re looking to shed what is unnecessary and build what is necessary.

Yes, lose body fat and increase muscle. And because there is a correlation between the amount of skeletal muscle mass you have and strength, you’ll get stronger at the same time.

3 – CrossFit Improves Your Metabolism

Muscle requires energy to contract.

This means, more or less, that the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn – even at rest.

But there’s another piece to the puzzle, here:

EPOC (excess post oxygen consumption)

This is what happens after a workout and here’s my favorite way to describe it:
If you’ve ever felt extra hungry after a workout, if you’ve stayed warm or “revved up” for hours,” that’s EPOC at work.

Your body is working to return to your baseline and in that process, your metabolism stays elevated for HOURS.

Not 10 minutes.

Not an hour.

Up to 8 to 10 hours. 12 hours. It just depends on your training.

4 – CrossFit Improves Consistency (This One Is Important)

This is where CrossFit separates itself.

The best program in the world doesn’t matter if you don’t stick with it.

CrossFit is known for being done in a group setting (though I started as Personal Training).

There are real biological and psychological factors at play, here:

• Endorphins
  • These block physical pain and feel good when you’re done
• Dopamine
  • This is your natural, “checked an item off my checklist” hormone
  • You feel good, here, too
• Serotonin
  • You build relationships with the people you’re in class with
  • Or with your Personal Trainer if you’re training 1-on-1
• Oxytocin
  • High-fives, connection, and shared effort
  • This one, and serotonin, you need other people

These things, in combination, create a fantastic feedback loop:

You workout -> you feel good -> you come back -> you workout… and so on

This is a hugely important way that consistency is built.

And consistency is what drives long-term results.

So, Why is CrossFit Effective?

It checks a lot of the boxes that people, in general, need:

• Strength
• Conditioning
• Improved metabolism
• Consistency
• Community

And yes – it’s also fun!

Do You Really Need 60 Minutes of Constant Sweat?

Let’s talk about this.

There is an idea floating around, usually from group fitness circles, that you need to sweat, move, and burn for an hour straight. In fact, it’s so perpetuated that these same folks will say, “I didn’t get a good workout because I only did something for 30 minutes.”

And in all fairness, doing this is light years ahead of doing nothing!

But if you’re already training 3 to 5 days per week, more is not necessarily the answer.

The answer might lie in bringing more Intensity.

Rather than doing 60 minutes of moderate work, focus on the following:

• Shorter, more focused sessions
• Higher intensity
• Better structure

Intensity drives adaptation, after all.

In other words, intensity drives results.

Final Thought

Lots of different training modalities work.

I am simply partial to the ones that can be done with efficiency, effectiveness, and entertainment value.

You don’t need more time. You need a plan, structure, and accountability.

If you’ve got questions about getting started, improving your results, or figuring out which approach works best for you, you can email me at [email protected]. Hope to get to talk to you soon!