CrossFit, Building Bone Health

Resistance is power - and that is just what CrossFit portrays.

Since being founded in 2000 by Greg Glassman, the trend of CrossFit fitness has only grown from hundreds to thousands of locations across America. It seems most everyone has either fallen in love or fallen out of love with the high-intensity workouts that CrossFit brings to the table.

Orthopedic experts have learned there are great benefits to the impact these exercises have made to bone health, but, while CrossFit is sure to bring a high-impact work out to participants, they ask, is it causing more harm than good to the body?

Safely Starting CrossFit

As with starting any new exercise regimen, the unknown can be scary. When you look up CrossFit on Google, you are immediately welcomed with photos of CrossFit- doers lifting barbells bigger than themselves over their head or lifting weights that one could only imagine in their dreams. In truth, the idea of CrossFit can be intimidating, but that doesn’t mean it has to lead to a serious injury.

While there is risk in any physical activity a person participates in, if the exercises involved in a CrossFit session are performed correctly and with caution, the risk of injury when participating in CrossFit is not any higher than any other type of work out. Therefore, if you decide you want to give CrossFit a try, just make sure you are listening to your body, and you are following the direction of a coach/professional who can help you safely through each high-intensity workout.

Protect Your Bones While Building Bone Health

As we age, our bone health becomes more and more important to focus on in our everyday health goals. Performing strength-training and weight-bearing exercises like those in CrossFit can help to increase our bone density. However, when working out in a manner like CrossFit, orthopedists still push safety, especially since several CrossFit exercises are repetitive and can lead to several orthopedic injuries. The orthopedic experts at Lemak Health offer three tips to protect your bones while engaging in CrossFit exercises.

First, you want to make sure that you are learning the basics of each exercise in CrossFit. You do not want to go full-force immediately when performing the activities, as that could put you at an increased risk of injury. Therefore Lemak Health recommends you take the time to focus and work on each movement slowly so that you can build up to a higher-intensity and greater repetition safely.

Second, don’t be afraid to ask questions of your coach and/or CrossFit trainer. He or she is specialized in the CrossFit workouts and can give you the best advice when it comes to performing each exercise safely and efficiently. The last thing he or she is going to want is for you to get injured during your work out. Listen closely to your CrossFit coach's advice and follow the exercise to the “T” every time.

Finally, take care of your body both during your time at a CrossFit session and while at home. Getting proper rest, eat a healthy diet, and listen to your body during and before your workout. These are all important aspects of preventing an orthopedic injury.

Remember, the key is to avoid any orthopedic injury while having fun with your work out at the same time.

Did a recent CrossFit session leave you feeling in more pain than usual? Contact Lemak Health today to find an orthopedic doctor who can evaluate your injury and get you feeling as good as new!