Crossfit is one of the modalities that has been gaining popularity since it was created and implemented at the beginning of the 21st century. This training method promotes physical fitness through the development of aerobic capacity, strength, speed, coordination and agility, among other components.
At the base of Crossfit is the performance of functional exercises, with or without load, which are complemented with aerobic conditioning exercises. What unites them? All of them are performed with high intensity (ie: many repetitions in a short time).
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) points out numerous benefits in applying Crossfit training, but also mentions that there is a high risk of injury in this type of training. These injuries can be the result of the main Crossfit exercise errors , since if you perform exercises excessively, they can lead to injury, whether ligament or musculoskeletal.
In this way, it is fundamental to know, in advance, the necessary technical requirements of the exercises to carry them out safely, drastically reducing the probability of injury (1).
IS CROSSFIT SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE?
Factors such as strength, cardiovascular resistance, coordination, agility, balance, mobility and flexibility are essential attributes for those who are athletes and for those who are not , because the needs of a non-athlete for an athlete must vary according to the degree of difficulty and not with the type of training. In this way, anyone can benefit from the stimuli developed by Crossfit (2, 3).
For example, the squat is a movement that develops the functionality and mobility of the lower limbs, which is beneficial in everyday life.
With the right dose and proper guidance to each person’s needs, Crossfit can be used to safely optimize certain movements that are usually performed by professional athletes (4, 5).
5 MAIN MISTAKES IN CROSSFIT EXERCISES?
1.Knee valgus in barbell squats
One of the main errors in crossfit exercises is the occurrence of knee valgus. If there is no alignment of the knees with the feet during a squat, there is a high probability that the knees will rotate inwards during the execution of the squat.
One of the main causes in this situation of lack of knee control is the fact that the glutes are not properly activated, causing instability in the knee. For this, it is essential to learn how to correctly perform the “hinge” in order to bring about a general activation of the muscles that will be involved and to standardize an execution movement.
2.Incomplete Knee Extension in Rowing
During rowing, the most common error to verify is, during the propulsion phase, not having a complete extension of the knees, which will result in less explosion in the row, and therefore less efficiency in the exercise.
3.Incorrect head alignment in Toes to Bar
During the Toes to Bar, the objective will be to raise the legs until the tip of the toes lightly touches the bar. One of the most common mistakes in this exercise will be the position of the head. During the entire exercise, the head must be aligned with the trunk so that there is no hyperextension of the neck or, more commonly, excessive flexion of the neck.
In this way, when raising the legs to the bar, we must slightly raise the head in order to look at the bar when the feet touch it. This way we guarantee an ideal alignment between our head, neck and torso.
4.Keeping the bar too far away from the body in the Hang Clean
The Hang Clean is one of the most complex Crossfit exercises, which is why many errors result. The hang clean consists of several phases:
- Preparation.
- First Pull.
- Second Pull.
- Thrid Pull/ bar reception.
- Recovery.
The most common error arises between the third and fourth phase. During the second pull, at the same time that we pull the bar towards our shoulders, we squat down to place ourselves under it. Often what happens in this phase is that we keep the bar at a very great distance from our torso/chest, making our reception too unstable, which could lead to a serious injury.
5.Arms too high in Double Unders
Double Unders is an exercise that consists of jumping with a rope, but with a particularity in which the rope has to pass under the feet twice in the same jump.
The position of the arms is a crucial factor. It’s important to have your elbows close to your body, wrists low and slightly in front of your elbows. If the position of the arms is far from the body or if the wrists are too high, the distance between the rope and the ground will decrease, possibly interrupting a sequence of movements or the rope coming into contact with the feet.
It is common for the arms to reach a high level of fatigue during Double Unders and the cause of this, most of the time, is the arm being too tense or turning the wrist during the exercise, moving away from the body. There are ropes suitable for this exercise that have bearings that facilitate rotation, allowing the movement to be performed only with the wrists.