In the last decade, CrossFit® has entered the fitness market as a fascinating mix of metabolic conditioning, force free body and strength with overloads that is what is technically defined "Strength & Conditioning training".
Index
Definition of CrossFit®
The definition of CrossFit® is "Functional training, constantly varied, high intensity". Now onfunctional workout we have already told everything and more but remembering the general principles we can say that functional means all those specific sports movements and energy systems or actions of daily life (pick up a vase from the ground, carry a suitcase over your head in a train compartment).
In the case of athletic skills, we speak of motor patterns through the integration between the neuro-motor engrams that is, the set of motor experiences memorized by the athlete as programming through the repetition of one specific pattern or motor gesture, or the motor experience.
It implies the so-called system feed-forward responsible for direct neuro-motor activation, integrated with fine skills through specific adjustment movements based on the motor engram and, ultimately, adaptive stimuli with respect to the external environment.
Functional movements
Functional movements activate muscle chains generating high strength and are identified as multi-joint movements or, in the case of fitness, called fundamental exercises.
Muscle isolation exercises, on the other hand, are usually placed in one advanced programming for competitors, as a support to the fundamental ones, to improve the strength of one or more deficient muscles (complementary exercises such as leg extension, curl or french press with dumbbells).
Injuries in CrossFit®
Let's now examine the accident statistics recorded in CrossFit® through scientific studies.
A 2020 article states that compared to the current body of evidence, in an adult population, the risk of injury is higher among novice participants (first 8 weeks of activity) than among more experienced participants.
Injury rates in advanced athletes (common class), through a broad systematic review, range from 0,74 to 3,3 (injured athletes) per 1000 hours of exposure. A study referring to the so-called "pediatric sample" (pediatric visit in sports medicine) has highlighted a progressive increase over the years in the percentage of injuries related to CrossFit®.
The damaged portions included head (0,08%), trunk / spine (25,2%), upper limbs (27,0%) and lower limbs (47,0%). The most affected joints were knee (27%), spine (24,3%) and shoulder (16,5%).
A 2018 American study had a very large sample size, with 3049 adult participants, who reported having practiced CrossFit® between 2013 and 2017. 30,5% of the athletes interviewed said they had suffered a accident in the first 12 months of training.
In order, the lesions involved the shoulders (39%), the back (36%), the knees (15%), the elbows (12%) and the wrists (11%). However, an article from 2019 reports the following: the data were collected for a period of 12 months using a questionnaire administered directly at the affiliated CrossFit® boxes in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Of the 414 participants, 157 (37,9%) reported having suffered an injury while practicing CrossFit®. Be careful though, the probability of injury for athletes who had practiced CrossFit® for more than 12 months was 82,2%!
In addition the probability of injury was 5 times higher among competitive athletes (who competes). On the other hand, no evidence was found of an association between the occurrence of injuries during CrossFit® practice and one of the following characteristics of the athlete: age, gender, other sports, weight and height.
The incidence of injuries was similar to that of other disciplines including Olympic weightlifting (WL), strength training in the weight room and gymnastics.
An interesting study produced by the University of Bari has shown that the training time in CrossFit® it is a determining factor in tendinitis (greater frequency or volume of work per week). In addition, participation in the On-Ramp program seemed to protect against injury.
Several studies report the order of accidents with the highest incidence rate among young boys on the knees followed by the lumbar spine, while among adults the shoulders would be followed by the lumbar spine.
In conclusion…
Summarizing it can be said that, statistically, the extremes of the curve represented by the newbies (first 8 weeks) and competitors are more injured.
But why do you get injured?
Assuming that trauma is an unwanted event that depends on infinite factors, according to my experience as Coach CrossFit®, graduate in Motor Sciences and Osteopath, the factors predisposing to a trauma in CrossFit® are:
1. Poor joint mobility (especially of delicate joints such as shoulder, hip and lumbar spine)
If I have little mobility, I have little compensation in that specific joint.
The muscle will start from a shortening condition and develop less strength. Example get stuck in doing Overhead Squat without having a suitable shoulder flexion.
If I add load on a weak joint I will only make the situation worse;
2. Technique
Poor technique in gymnastic or WL movements (especially in ballistic or power work).
The bad technical management inserted in a strong organic fatigue, for example a muscle up badly stuck after running 400m at full speed, it can easily lead to trauma;
3. Too hot
want everything immediately. Translated, it means having to respect the principle of "graduality" and "scalability", that is, from simple to complex and from lighter to heavier.
Work volume and intensity should increase over the months. As seen scientifically, athletes who run an ON-RAMP program are less likely to get hurt.
Before accessing advanced classes it is better to have those experiences;
4. Little heating
Insufficient joint heating; here there is little to add!
5. Past trauma
Do not consider or manage any previous trauma. For example, if I have suffered an important ankle sprain, I will have to pay attention to running on unstable terrain and probably in one Squat I will have difficulty descending below the parallel due to the lack of dorsiflexion mobility;
6. Don't rely on professionals
Having a coach not technically prepared. A coach who simply takes Level 1 without delving into anatomy and biomechanics concepts will be led to work roughly, risking to cause damage.
CrossFit® is not harmful, but who teaches it!
CrossFit® is a stimulating sport and can lead to aesthetic results and high performance, considering that eliminating the possibility of accidents is impossible, what you can do is be more and more aware of what you are doing!
Marco Dalessandro
Degree in Motor Sciences and Master's Degree in Sciences of motor education and adapted physical activities
Four-year diploma of Shiatsu operator
Diploma Osteopath DO e MCB massage therapist
Inferno OCR Elite athlete
CrossFit trainer LV2 / Kids
Facebook page: Marco Dalessandro
Instagram: @marco_ocr_elite e @m_dalessandro_osteopata
We have activated a lot of discounts on Amazon: from 30 to 70% on all sports categories! It's all on our dedicated channel ????
SUBSCRIBE HERE TO THE TELEGRAM CHANNEL