THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO SURPASS ALL YOUR LIMITS
Leaving your comfort zone will no longer be a problem if you try CrossFit, the sport that comes from the United States to become one of the most popular.
CrossFit is one of the trendy sports, gaining more followers every day who seek in it a way to train while keeping their body healthy and overcoming new personal challenges. Besides the benefits for your physical health, CrossFit will help your mental health and face life in a different way.
What is CrossFit
CrossFit was invented by Greg Glassman, this American realized that all sports only promote one of our abilities and that there is none in the world that combines and develops them all. Therefore, he decided to create a new one that took exercises to develop different abilities such as speed, strength, or flexibility from competitive sports.
It was in the year 2000 when he founded CrossFit Inc., a company that earns more than 100 million dollars annually. There are about 13,000 gyms affiliated with the company that pay for the use of the brand and the certification offered by the company. In Spain, there are already many of these centers, so you can attend one of these training sessions to watch people training and decide if you want to sign up or not.
Is it for me? What does it consist of?
CrossFit is a high-intensity training that combines many disciplines such as weightlifting, running, shot put... etc., with training almost of a military type. In fact, one of the most famous exercises, which you will have to do no matter what if you want to do CrossFit, comes precisely from the tests practiced by soldiers during the Second World War. The Burpees, a kind of combination between push-ups and jumps, will be your best friend or your worst enemy during the sessions.
Despite what you might be thinking, it is not an exercise dedicated only to very fit people; it is accessible to all levels and to people who have not done any physical activity for a long time. You just need to be aware of your limits and overcome them with each session. Keep in mind that you will never be alone and that your group and your coach will always be with you to support and help you perform the exercise. If you cannot do some because you lack enough strength or balance, for example, there are adapted exercises that will help you until you manage to perform the full exercise.
Generally, sessions usually last about an hour and are divided into three parts. The same scheme is always followed, although the exercises included in each will change every day, so you can never know in advance what awaits you:
- Warm-up: usually consists of a few minutes of cardiovascular exercise such as long-distance running, skipping rope, or stretching.
- Weightlifting techniques and strength progression: some exercises with lifts or squats to prepare you for the grand finale.
- WOD (Workout of the Day): this is the most important part of the training and usually lasts about 20 minutes. The exercises are intense. You must repeat as many sets of combined exercises as possible within the set time. They usually include all kinds of exercises such as pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, weightlifting, tire dragging, medicine ball throws... etc.
Many of its critics say that the training is very hard and causes many injuries, which is not true since fewer injuries occur than with the practice of any other sport. You just have to be clear about your limits and perform the exercises wisely.
Benefits for your mind
Besides the physical importance that CrossFit has for your health, as it is effective in weight loss processes, it is also very beneficial for your mental health. Various studies have shown that practicing this discipline encourages social relationships since it is done in groups and all the companions support each other; it is not about competing against others, the competition you do is with yourself.
Therefore, its practice will lead you to the overcoming of your limits since its main goal is for you to perform at your maximum capacity in each session to surpass yourself in the next. In this way, you can develop a greater mental strength, increase your sense of personal achievement, which will generate much more confidence in you and a considerable improvement in your work capacity. Also, it will help you leave your comfort zones to overcome yourself in each session.
On the other hand, scientific studies support that practicing CrossFit is linked, thanks to this need to surpass one’s own limits, to the generation of a substance in our brain. Through the exercises performed, you can increase your levels of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This is a protein capable of growing the levels of neurons in your brain.
The cost of practicing this sport is not cheap, but if you try it, you will surely love it. When you start doing it, you will notice satisfactory results both physically and mentally in a short time. Dare to try it and surpass all your limits!
