I should point out to begin with that I call this assessment "uninformed" because I have never tried CrossFit: my only exposure to it thus far has been through reading about it or about the exploits of those who have tried or are using it. Furthermore, I have no formal training in the fitness field and, as merely a casual fitness practitioner, am far from being in a position to offer anything approaching an authoritative appraisal of CrossFit--even if at a distance. I nonetheless do hold that I have perfectly valid reasons for not using it, though those reasons are quite unique to me and my own philosophy and situation. Your mileage may vary. Thus, the following.I learned about CrossFit some years ago, when I was initially planning out my current fitness regime. Though it had some attractive features--namely the fact that the regime makes use of both calisthenics and weights--I quickly ruled it out as viable option for me.
One of the main reasons I decided against using it was because it incorporates lower-body exercises--not a bad thing in and of itself, of course, just bad for me because, as I've written previously, I get all the lower-body exercise I need and want from bicycling. Taking on other lower-body exercises would be apt to interfere with my cycling endeavors, and is therefore something I do not want or intend to do.
And, as I am not looking for lower-body exercises other than cycling, I am also not looking for other forms of aerobic activity than cycling. So, the aerobic activities that the CrossFit program entails were also something that holds no interest for me: I get all the aerobic conditioning I need and want from bicycling.
Another major reason I did not opt to get involved in this form of fitness is convenience: there is no CrossFit affiliate anywhere near where I live, so in order to participate in a group setting, I would have to drive (or perhaps bike?) some distance, and in my pragmatic considerations, having to drive anywhere in order to participate in fitness activities is a non sequitur: if one were to walk, run, cycle, or use some other means of self-propulsion to get there, wouldn't that serve as the only activity needed to attain fitness? Perhaps if there were an affiliate within a short walking distance I would have tried CrossFit. But barring that scenario it is simply quite impracticable for me.
And my reasons for not undertaking CrossFit on my own as opposed to at an affiliate, are also pragmatic: I could only see myself doing CrossFit at an affiliate because I do not own, nor do I wish to invest in, the equipment required to execute the routines. I don't have an olympic weight set and certainly don't want to purchase and store one, and I don't see how a number of the exercises they prescribe (squats, deadlifts) could be done without one. So Crossfit was ruled out for me on those scores as well.
Finally, I should point out that CrossFit seems to be a community-centered fitness regimen. In other words, it cultivates and seems heavily reliant on, a community of exercise enthusiasts who urge along one another. Now I certainly don't intend to demean communal fitness programs: I can see many advantages to having exercise partners and a social context for fitness endeavors. But for me this is not needed. I have an exercise partner and to date, we have been all we both need for inspiration to continue exercising. I certainly can't fault anyone who does not have a good exercise partner from seeking out one or more, but for me it is simply not needed. So, CrossFit loses on that score for my purposes as well.
This is a concise synopsis of my own rationale for foregoing the CrossFit regimen. These things having been said, I can certainly see some virtues in the program. First and foremost among these is undoubtedly the comradery aspect of the program: having a fitness partner or partners can be a huge incentive to, if not beginning an exercise regimen, certainly to sustaining one. The incorporation of body-weight exercises and more calisthenic-oriented ones such as rowing, as well as the wide selection of exercises they prescribe, seems also a big plus in my view (variation) even though, as I said, the lower-body exercises are a detraction for me.
None of the reasons I list as obstacles to involvement in CrossFit are likely to apply as they do in my circumstance to the situations of others. So this review, while spelling out what I consider to be valid and substantial reasons for not getting involved in CrossFit, will not likely serve as a deterrent for many who are considering taking up this regimen. But it may, at the least, provide some food for thought for those casting about for a fitness regimen and may thus, ultimately, be of service to someone. And this is, in part, why I offer my thoughts on the matter.
There you have my uninformed assessment of CrossFit.
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