There’s a definite CrossFit culture that has swept the globe and continued to grow and develop. CrossFitters who visit other boxes when they travel know that for the most part, the format and the general flow of a WOD will be the same wherever they go. There’s a culture.
But how does this CrossFit Gym culture differ from the general gym/weightlifting culture?
According to an article in the Huffington Post by Brian Ainsley Horn, traditional weightlifters “select their own workouts and design their own programs,” either training alone or with a personal trainer.
By comparison, CrossFit is built around community. According to Kathryn Walsh of LiveStrong.com, “The program has a devoted group of followers who offer one another tips and support on the company’s web site as well as at CrossFit events and centers around the country.”
CrossFitters follow the predetermined WOD–“workout of the day,” in case you didn’t know–designed by the trainers of their box to focus on a certain grouping of muscles that day.
It’s personal training versus interpersonal training.
Traditional weight training involves performing a certain number of lifts (aka repetitions or “reps”) to form a set, and one to three sets of a particular exercise.
According to Horn, CrossFit, on the other hand, “was designed to meet more generalized goals of achieving overall fitness. Many CrossFit moves incorporate standard weight lifting moves, but the focus is not only on increasing weight, but also on getting more repetitions in a certain amount of time.”
Plain and simple, though, it comes down to fitness goals.
In an October 2016 study comparing and contrasting CrossFit and traditional workouts, researchers found that CrossFit amplifies VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen a person can access during the peak of exercise), provides better body composition, and improves aerobic capacity and endurance.
What would you say are the biggest differences between CrossFit and traditional weight training? Comment below!