The Key to Crossfit Success

Bottom Line:

If you’re into Crossfit, you know how addictive it can become. That mix of high-intensity interval training and competition can help drive your motivation and commitment and lead you to achieve amazing changes to your body. That consistency becomes the key to your success – to getting the results you’re after, but what do you do when you’re injured?

Why it Matters:

Injuries often occur when your body doesn’t have the correct balance of strength and flexibility. Muscles tears, sprain and strains, and even painful arthritic changes can flare up for a number of reasons, such as attempting to lift too much weight at once or not having enough flexibility to support that weight through a full range of motion. How can you reduce your likelihood of injury? Researchers have discovered that a combination of proper warm up/cool down, a full range of motion and progressive intensity training can help reduce injuries when strength training.

• Take a few minutes to stretch before and after your workout.
• Increase the weight you lift slowly and focus on quality reps vs. max weight.
• Use good posture and ergonomics during your workouts – don’t “cheat” and increase your risk of injury.

Next Steps:

One of the most effective ways to improve your spinal mobility and flexibility is through Chiropractic care. Adjustments to your spine and extremities have been shown to increase their range of motion and may help you find that perfect balance of strength and flexibility. Before your next workout, be sure to get adjusted. Have questions? Just ask!

Short-term effect of spinal manipulation on pain perception, spinal mobility, and full height recovery in male subjects with degenerative disk disease: a randomized controlled trial. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2014. Progressive resistance strength training and the related injuries in older adults: the susceptibility of the shoulder. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research 2014.