Perhaps it's the sense of community that is responsible for the rapidity with which Crossfit has become a global fitness phenomenon. "It's that which keeps me coming back consistently, along with the fast and positive changes to my body composition." When it works, though, it really works, as 32-year-old property developer, Will Midlane, who started training at Crossfit South London when it opened in March, knows: "There's something unique and inspiring about the power of group energy that I have never seen replicated in any other gym," he says. Jon Denoris, trainer and founder of bespoke fitness studio Club 51 in London's Mayfair, agrees that there's a potential risk with this type of training: "I think people got bored with the 'machine-driven' exercise protocols and prefer the tribal – almost cultish – nature of Crossfit," he says, adding: "I must admit, although I'm all for training hard where appropriate, I'm a little wary of the apparent lack of attention to the detail of programme design within these formats many Crossfitters take a typically 'alpha' competitive approach and so the risk of injury and drop out is (I believe) high." There's some anecdotal evidence, however, that overuse injuries are not uncommon amongst Crossfitters and an unobservant or undertrained coach could cause members more harm than good – for example by promoting heavy lifting over good technique. Controversy hit a peak when women were reported to be " working out so hard they wet themselves", prompting a debate over whether this was stress urinary incontinence worsened by Crossfit's intense regime or just the result of a weak pelvic floor completely unrelated to Crossfit and best tackled by other means. Some declare the inevitable machismo associated with workouts that leave people floor-bound, sometimes vomiting, both ridiculous and unsafe. This training will test your body and mind to its limits.īut, as with anything extreme (not to mention addictive), Crossfit is steeped in controversy. Crossfit not only defines itself as "constantly varied, functional movements, done at high intensity" but also "scalable to all levels" (using bands, lighter weights and easier variations of traditional exercises to cater for beginners), so it doesn't matter if you're an overweight city worker nursing an injury or an ironman athlete. Other training tools include kettlebells, skipping ropes, medicine balls and rowing machines.įor those of us who wouldn't dream of doing a single handstand push-up, the organisers are quick to say you don't have to be an athlete to be welcomed into the community and achieve the sleek and muscular Crossfit physique. Then there are big, compound lifts – including the ones you never dreamed you could do, such as "snatch" or "clean and jerk" – and plyometric movements, such as the box jump.
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Handstand pressups are a favourite, along with pull ups on the bars or rings. Perhaps best described as "gymnastics meets Olympic lifting", Crossfit training involves tough bodyweight manoeuvres. To an onlooker it might look a bit overfriendly, but in the wacky and cultish world of Crossfit, hand-slaps and roars are commonplace. Once we have lain together, heaving, on the floor for a few minutes, we embrace, sharing more sweat than I have ever done with anybody I'm in an actual relationship with. First a warm up akin to most people's full workout, then mobility exercises, heavy squats and now this final push. We met an hour ago, but already I've been through a lot with this woman.
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I've never been a team player, nor the kind to whoop my way through exercise, but standing here in a huge south London warehouse in London's newest Crossfit space, I find myself aggressively screaming encouragement at my partner as she completes the final set of our team workout.