There is a fever in the fitness industry call Crossfit that really is overrated at least in most cases:
Lots of false “Fitness gurus” who are here just to want to make money and really don’t care about their client’s body or much less any worries about the acknowledgement of previous injuries.
I Have the displeasure to work in a PHONY gym and watch this Guy that went to college for 6 years (exercise physiology) and is a certified Crossfit level one , and what I saw in there was just absurd.
I am Certified PHYSIOTRAINER tm. (www.physiotraining.net) and I have to turn my head when I see a crossfit class:
I not saying that all crossfit instructors are the same, remember there is good and bad trainers. Based on extensive research this is what I discovered couple of problems:
MOST IMPORTANT ONE: lots of exercises using momentum, any decent fitness instructor know: we can’t build muscle without perfect form, special the pull ups (can you imagine if a client have a herniated disk on the lumbar region, pain, pain and pain…)I also realize that they are mixing Olympic lifting in the workouts, which is a great workout but not for a group class, why? Simple: Olympic lifting require a great knowledge of body posture techniques and lots of care with the amount of weight used in those bars.
Another problem is the lack of OVERLOAD PRINCIPLE.
OVERLOAD PRINCIPLE:
The name “TheOverloadPrinciple” represents the most important and misunderstood principle of physical training.
The human body is involved in a constant process of adapting to stresses or lack of stresses placed upon it. When you stress the body in a manner it’s unaccustomed to (overload), the body will react by causing physiological changes (adaptation) to be able to handle that stress in a better way the next time it occurs.
Every tissue in the body adapts to different kinds of stress. So if for example you want your muscles to grow, you must create the right kind of “overload” in the target muscle so it will adapt by increasing in size. If for example you want a muscle to just get stronger and not bigger, you must create overload in the target system which in this case is mostly neurological.
Simply stated if you do not achieve “OVERLOAD” during your workout you will not improve.
The biggest problem with almost every training program is that it does cause little or no overload in the target system such as muscles, nerves, lungs, hart, bones, tendons etc……
How do you know if you reached overload in your target system? How do you know if your training made any sense? The answer………..Your Personal Point of Overload (PPO)
When you apply all the prescribed principles in our programs, you know exactly when you reached your Personal Point of Overload (PPO). You know exactly when you stressed your body enough, forcing it to adapt to the stresses which where place upon it.
With your Personal Point of Overload PPO you know exactly:
- how many sets to perform
- when to increase weights
- when you reached OVERLOAD in the target system
- all your personal training variables
- what to do to reach OVERLOAD at every workout
In Resume:
I see people going to those classes and no increasing any weight after each set (the workouts are too fast and no time to be loading bumper plates) so no overload principle. “But Giulio we increase in reps and we do fast” – says my student and I reply: “my dear friend ok but your body eventually will get used to and you will feel no progress after 3 to 5 weeks.
Another Major problem is the overuse of BOXJUMPS (plyometrics):
I see the workouts and realized that they do in almost all workouts – WRONG AGAIN
Plyometrics: three mistakes that increase your risk of injury
Mistake number 1: Skipping the prerequisites
Plyometric training shouldn’t be done in isolation, but as part of a complete training program that includes strength training. You don’t need to be able to squat a certain amount, but you do need to have a basic level of strength. Athletes will be better prepared by focusing on functional single leg strength 
rather than overemphasizing their maximum squat strength.
Also, before doing medium and high intensity plyometrics, the athlete must have proper landing mechanics. If the knees cave inward when landing, more strength is needed.
Any athlete can begin with low intensity plyometric exercises but medium and high intensity plyos should not be done until the pre-reqs are satisfied.
Mistake number 2: Too much volume
The volume of plyometric exercises that should be done first depends on the intensity of the exercise. Low intensity plyos such as jumping rope, and warm up type plyos (like butt kicks and high knees) can be done in high volume. The volume of moderate and high intensity plyometrics, however, must be monitored carefully to avoid too much stress on the joints and ligaments.
The general way to measure volume in a plyometric program is by ground contacts (how many times you land). Even elite athletes do not exceed 120 ground contacts of high intensity plyos per week.
The exact volume of ground contacts will depend on your training age (how often, how much, and how recently you’ve done plyometric work in the past) and the intensity of the plyometric exercises.
A very general guideline is to choose 3 appropriate exercises and perform 3-5 sets of 5 reps as a plyometric module that can be done 2-3 times per week. Vary the exercises so that you are not doing the same exercise more than once per week.
Mistake number 3: Improper progression
Doing high intensity plyometrics before adapting to low and medium level plyomtrics increases your risk of injury. Though a program may prescribe doing certain exercises for a certain number of weeks, the athlete should not progress to more complicated or intense exercises until the basics have been mastered. Any other strategy is asking for injury. Athletes should be able to perform every exercises and reps with maximum intensity, good form, and body control.
And if you are a BJJ fighter you have to be aware that if your bouts are 5, 6, 8 or 10 minutes, why over train with those crazy 30, 40 minutes workouts? To get injured! That’s the only thing id good for.
How about those average joes that really want to work out hard like us but have no idea of human anatomy, in that Gym that I used to turn my head away I seen so many stupid injuries like:
- People doing clean and jerk and dropping the bar in their own heads;
- Lots of shoulder injuries due to the upside down shoulder presses (like handstand)
- Knees injuries due to the excess of plyometric and jump ropes in a daily bases
- Lots of low back injuries due to the box jump (no techniques on landing)
- And more knees injuries due to the bad posture on squats (lifting the heels during
the movement)
- And the list goes on and on….
So people please consider those facts and take a look at your Crossfit instructor and check if he really knows what he is doing.
I am not condemning Crossfit, its ok to be (or try) to be hardcore or in better shape, but watch out for those false gurus who only want to take your money.
Please make sure he/she will correct your bad posture (every time, not once) or keep taking pictures of you saying how hardcore are you (basically butt kissing you or your wallet), and make sure he/she practice what he/she preaches!
Have a nice healthy workout guys and injury safe!
Any questions, drop a line
By:
GIULIO TIMOTEO – C.Physiotrainier, C.S.N., C.Knee and shoulder Rehab Specialist, C. Brazilian jiu-jitsu 1st degree Black Belt, C.T and Co-founder of PHYSIOTRAING Tm.
www.physiotraining.net
