Crossfit; Dangerous, safe or a good test to see if your body is mechanically sound? CrossFit is a growing brand of exercise regimens that has captured the imagination of many Americans looking to improve their fitness. Some of the extreme looking training has had a great effect on many while leaving some on the injured list. Is CrossFit safe, or perhaps, because some of the maneuvers that it teaches look scary and difficult, are you prone to injure yourself? A recent Newsweek article looks into the safety of CrossFit’s procedures and the pros and cons. It is important to understand that if your body is not mechanically sound, doing CrossFit is very likely to result in pain and injury. If you are considering trying CrossFit, it is a good idea to visit your sports chiropractor first. Why should you visit your sports chiropractor? Most sports chiropractors are not learning styles of active evaluation. Active evaluation uses protocols of test, treat, and test to work on a problem and resolve it much faster than traditional methods are capable of. Your chiropractor can also test to see you your arms and your core respond to resistance. If for instance, you are incapable of doing a squat without losing your balance or having difficulty getting out of a chair with just the weight of their hands on your shoulders, you are not likely to succeed in CrossFit simply because your body is not handling the load or gravity very well. Loading it further is surely not a good idea in your current state of function. On the other hand, your sports chiropractor can give you corrective remedial exercises and use tools such as Active Release Techniques (r), a style of Myofascial Release or Graston to improve the way your body mechanics functions, thereby helping you prepare to succeed and thrive while doing CrossFit. Getting injured in CrossFit activities is a great diagnostic test, but a painful learning experience. Seeing your chiropractor first is a smart way to make sure you are fully capable to succeed with CrossFit. Check out the article from Newsweek here Is CrossFit Dangerous? By Brendan Greeley In early 2012, 54 members of Fit Club, a gym in Columbus, Ohio, went to a lab at Ohio State University. The volunteers, all of whom followed the intense group workout regimen known as CrossFit, left blood samples, tested their maximum oxygen capacity, and had their body fat measured. They went through a round of measured workouts at Fit Club, too. Then, for 70 days, they performed a routine of Olympic lifts with a barbell, did calisthenics and strength work on gymnastics rings, and swung teapot-shaped weights over their heads. Forty-three subjects returned to the lab for analysis. The results were remarkable. The academic article that followed, “CrossFit-Based High-Intensity Power Training Improves Maximal Aerobic Fitness and Body Composition,” shed scientific light on why CrossFit has grown from 250 affiliate gyms in 2007 to more than 10,000 today. At all levels of fitness, the Ohio volunteers lost body fat and increased oxygen capacity. “It was pretty impressive,” says Mitch Potterf, the gym’s owner. “People had improved quite a bit.” read more