Studies indicate that physical activity is good for health. And there are many options to keep your mind and body healthy. The CrossFit® e functional training are two examples. Often these two activities are associated, but they are not at all equal. Do you know the differences?
There is still a lot of confusion about their similarities and diversity. And it's completely normal since the two have similar movements, but they work at different intensity and focus. To shed some light, we decided to explain what the differences are between the two types of training.
Index
The CrossFit®
It is a unique workout, complete and different from the others, as it is entirely adaptable to the person who practices it, regardless of their physical shape or age. It is also recommended for those who are sedentary and want to start exercising. However, it takes the courage to take on a business "heavier" and with which to overcome one's limits.
The purpose is train the force and promote the fitness, improving the athlete's skills a little at a time. It is result-oriented and based on three principles:
- Functional Movements: they are exercises very similar to the movements we do daily, using multiple muscle groups in a single action;
- High intensity: designed to develop a better physical shape;
- Constant variation: has a varied movement and combines the athlete's physical abilities such as cardiorespiratory, physical, muscular endurance, strength, agility, speed, power and precision, thus improving the quality of life of those who practice it.
Therefore, the main feature is that the exercises are performed ad high intensity, with explosiveness and heavy loads. Between a rep and the other there is little time, we try to finish a WOD in a time limit and this helps to lose weight because it causes the burning of fat.
Furthermore, crossfit combines gymnastics and exercise movements weightlifting; this promotes flexibility, motor coordination and balance.
Functional
Functional training aims to improve functional capacity, or the ability to perform normal activities of daily life with efficiency, autonomy and independence.
Precisely for this reason, it is a mode widely used by competitive athletes, in physiotherapy treatments and lately as a course in gyms.
The exercises are usually multi-jointed; this means that you work with more joints and muscles in one exercise and can require a lot of flexibility and balance.
This type of training causes the brain to think to perform the movement, increasing motor coordination and body awareness.
It can be done by anyone and its main objective is to improve physical conditions such as:
- Power;
- Resistance;
- Agility;
- Coordination;
Even with all these benefits, this type of activity can have some disadvantages. Because it is a high performance exercise and requires the most from our muscles; it can often lead to muscle fatigue and risk of injury. It is therefore very important to respect your limits and look for a good coach.
So what are the differences?
As we said above, CrossFit® works with high intensity exercises and heavy loads. It is not wrong to say that it is a type of functional training, but with one greater variety of skills.
Functional training is based on people's movements, that is, the actions they have to perform in their routine. Therefore, the strength and volume of training are based on theindividuality of each.
Do you like both types of training and don't know how to choose the ideal one?
Here's a tip: it's important to focus on your goals and see which one will help you reach them faster. So if you're looking heavier workouts with fast results, that they work on explosiveness and high intensity, crossfit is your choice. But if you're looking for something lighter is uses body movement, choose the functional.