Crossfit’s Huge Appeal
As a fitness brand, CrossFit has been established as one of the most popular group exercise trends in the last 15 years.
Crossfit is a team encouraged, high-intensity workout program that consists of quick tempo powerlifting lifts, calisthenics, and circuit training designed to burn fat and build muscle simultaneously.
In spite of client feedback and consumer reporting the many pros and cons to CrossFit’s training philosophy, the company has a high attrition rate with plenty of repeat customers. A good explanation for this could be the positive, motivational encouragement new weightlifters receive from fellow teammates.
One of the biggest reasons why people quit exercising after starting for a few months is because of lack of motivation. Because we can’t have immediate results from exercise, we become discouraged and lose interest just as fast as we started.
Is working in group environments the secret to encouraging others to exercise more often? Is there a better approach to encourage self-motivated weightlifters?
Why CrossFit is So Popular
The internet has made the world around us become smaller by allowing us to communicate easier and faster than ever.
Social media has shown its value over the last decade by becoming the most prevalent form of media used by young adults globally today.
The average person not only has more than one social media account, but they spend at least 22 minutes a day regularly on Facebook alone.
Psychologists have known for decades that humans have unmet needs for social belonging and it explains the reasons behind our day to day behavior.
With regards to CrossFit’s popularity, it may have a large following because of our subconscious need to engage with other humans to encourage and motivate us.
Working out by yourself is difficult only because of the months of self-discipline needed before you can see any results.
Novice weightlifters quit exercising when they realize the benefits from working out aren’t instantaneous and require months of hard work to lose fat or gain muscle.
CrossFit and other group exercise programs serve this population well, however, large group training programs come with a major downside.
Exercising in groups are fun and engaging, but they don’t address specific problems and concerns for the client. If you have problems gaining muscle or losing fat for your exact body type, a group instructor won’t do anything to change your physique.
Whenever you exercise in large group settings, you’re at greater risk for an injury that can take months to recover from. Individuals with muscular impingements and tense muscles tissue should be professionally diagnosed before starting any kind of training program.
Ideally, group exercise programs aren’t a good idea for someone new to fitness as exercise physiology takes several years to understand and execute properly.
Athletic and personal trainers teach these techniques to clients in intervals so they can gain the most functionality and benefit from their training program.
The Wrap Up
I advocate group exercise programs like CrossFit and those similar to it, however these programs were strictly designed for people to get motivation from working in group settings. Group training can be fun, but may not be address specific goals and milestones desired to be achieved with one-on-one training/coaching.