Extreme fitness fad met with skepticism
By Sarah Turnbull and Roberta Bell
Ottawa has witnessed a boom in the popularity of CrossFit workouts in the past two years but many coaches and gym-goers say these exercises can be dangerous if not executed properly.
Rideau CrossFit held an introductory class for people who never experienced it.
Developed in 2000 by Californian Greg Glassman for military and police conditioning, CrossFit is a strength and conditioning exercise regimen that focuses primarily on core stability, flexibility, and strength training.
CrossFit is considered a high-intensity workout as it pushes gym-goers to the ultimate fitness test. The training involves power lifting of heavy weights and also requires members to do push-ups, burpees and jump rope at a high speed with multiple repetitions.
While the physical results can be impressive, form and technique are critical to prevent injury.
Ryan Grant, a certified pedorthist and pedorthic technician sees many clients with injuries resulting from intensive CrossFit exercises. He works with people’s biomechanical issues and irregular feet patterns at SoleFit, an orthopedic clinic in Ottawa.
He said serious problems can occur when people enter a CrossFit gym without knowing their own physical abilities or limits, or when they don’t check their attitude at the door.
“Where the problems come in, is when someone takes their competitive nature into it and says, ‘I’m going to do as many as I can of one exercise and lift as much as I can because the person next to me is lifting a high weight,’” Grant said.
Jonathan Alcombrack is a registered sports massage therapist who has also treated a number of clients who suffered injuries from doing CrossFit. Contrary to Grant, Alcombrack said he believes people are more susceptible to these dangers if they do not receive informed technical advice from coaches.
“Injury is dependent on who is training you in CrossFit,” Alcombrack said. “It is not for everyone.”
Joyce Li, who works out at Rideau CrossFit in Ottawa South, agreed.
“Having someone there who’s going to coach you and guide you
Joyce Li gets instruction from Mark Singer at Rideau CrossFit.
through to make sure your doing things properly is key,” Li said.
Everett Sloan, a certified CrossFit trainer and owner of Bytown Crossfit—one of the 11 CrossFit gyms that have popped up in the Ottawa area in recent years— said coaches should tailor a CrossFit regime to each individual.
“CrossFit is scaled to relative ability, relative intensity,” Sloan said. “What’s hard for the senior citizen is not going to be hard for the 18-year-old track star.”
Although no mandatory certification is needed in order to work out at a CrossFit gym, Sloan said members are encouraged to take a basic foundations course to become familiar with the exercise.
Mark Singer, a certified coach at Rideau CrossFit, said if a client cannot do a certain movement, they can perform alternative exercises that better suit their abilities.
“We would never ask a client to do a movement that was beyond their capacity,” Singer said.
Health benefits aside, CrossFit gym-goers say they enjoy the social aspect of the training as well.
“It’s not like when you go to the gym and you throw your headphones in and you ignore everyone,” Sloan said. “At CrossFit, you’re expected to partake in the community.”
Nat Bosc, member at Rideau CrossFit
Joyce Li, member at Rideau CrossFit