Mar 22, 20203 min read

CrossFit is Safe and Effective

I am not a CrossFit athlete, but I’ve treated many CrossFit athletes. Earlier in my career, I had a blast poking fun at “WODs” and “AMRAPs” and “MetCons.” If you were “kipping,” you were not safe from jokes. And it’s been said that you could actually hear my eyes rolling when someone mentioned “ROMWODs.”

However, over the years, I have worked with many more CrossFit athletes, and thanks to courses offered by thebarbellphysio.com/ and the like, I have focused my education on the physical therapy and coaching implications for these athletes. Do I still enjoy poking fun at their random love of pancakes? Sure. But I have truly grown to appreciate Crossfit as a safe and effective exercise modality with a strong emphasis on community.

Let’s get this out of the way: CrossFit is as safe as any other form of similar training. A recent review study (Meyer et al., 2017) concluded that injury rates among CrossFit athletes are similar to that of gymnastics, powerlifting, and Olympic lifting.

So CrossFit is as safe as other similar types of high-intensity exercise, but that doesn’t mean new-comers should ask for trouble. As with all types of athletics, injury rates drop when CrossFit is practiced regularly and coached by an expert. The converse is also true.

Do people become injured in Crossfit? Sure. Injury rates in the CrossFit population are about 20% (Weisenthal et al., 2014), or 1 in 5. The most common injuries occur to the shoulders, low back, and knees. Again, that rate is similar to power-lifting, Olympic lifting, and gymnastics. But, to give this some context, injury rates in runners vary from 20% to almost 80%. That’s 4 in 5!

The inevitable next question is “how do injury rates in CrossFit compare to ‘conventional’ weight lifting and/or cardio?” Well, trying to define ‘conventional’ in the context of exercise is nearly impossible due to wild variability.

However, I have specialized in treating fitness-related injuries for the majority of my career and can share some insight. I have observed injuries in the “typical gym-goer” population to follow a similar pattern to CrossFit. Those who have been poorly coached, those with previous injuries (Chachula et al., 2016) and those who are overtraining are most likely to suffer an injury, and the most common injuries that I treat are shoulder, low back, and knee injuries.

So where does the misconception come from? In my opinion, the newest trend out there usually receives the most attention when something does go wrong. Remember when Pokémon Go was a thing and we kept hearing about people getting hurt while chasing imaginary squirrels? Guess what? Those people are still tripping over curbs and falling in holes, but now it’s just the norm. CrossFit is still novel compared to more “conventional” cardio and weight-lifting. Not to mention that a continual spotlight is placed on the sport because of the televised CrossFit Games. Also, though typically mild, the majority of CrossFit injuries are acute (The Meyer et al., 2017.) So in the rare instance that a not-so-mild injury does occur during the CrossFit Games, the dam breaks and a deluge of Memes and YouTube clips floods the fitness world.

It would be great if that spotlight could focus on the benefits of CrossFit, which speak for themselves. Smith et al., 2013, observed a 1.8% improvement in aerobic capacity and a 3.7% reduction in body fat in participating over a 10-week period. In less than 3 months, a 2% improvement in aerobic capacity is good, but a 3.7% reduction in body fat is PHENOMENAL. CrossFit has also been shown to increase a specific type of brain chemical that improves physical performance, body composition and muscle size (Sanchis-Gomar et al., 2012.)

The truth is, CrossFit is safe, effective and fun when practiced regularly and coached by an expert. Workouts are well balanced in terms of strength, coordination, flexibility, and cardio and perhaps most importantly, CrossFit gyms or “boxes” typically create strong, welcoming and supportive communities that are unparalleled in the fitness world.

So will I be snatching or chucking medicine balls at inanimate objects anytime soon? Honestly, I hope so, and I know that it’s safe and offers a ton of benefits. Plus, the idea of finishing up a workout and enjoying an IPA after class with my friends sounds amazing.

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