Muscle And Strength Building Benefits Of CrossFit Training
Muscle And Strength Building Benefits Of CrossFit Training
CrossFit training makes it possible to build muscle, strength, and perfect functional movement. The more lean muscle mass a body has the better it is able to burn fat and calories even when at rest, provide strength and optimal performance in everyday activities and also keep us strong and functional as we age.
Building strength and muscle will not happen overnight and there are no magic short cuts, or secret potions to achieve these goals. It takes consistent hard work and a proper diet to do this.
Common Stereotypes Are Untrue
You do not have to work out for hours on end every single day. You do not even need to workout every day; in fact, this is ill advised, as it can lead to exhaustion, muscle, and tissue damage. What is important is to be consistent in your training, eat a proper diet and to challenge the body with variety in movements in order to keep it guessing and growing on a constant basis.
How Can You Build Muscle With CrossFit?
CrossFit alone will not help you to build muscle and tone up. As mentioned above, you need to combine CrossFit with a healthy diet. This means eating the right carbs (e.g. sweet potatoes, legumes, and whole grains) and the right kind of fat, e.g., olive oil, fish, avocados, almonds.
You also need to eat lean proteins, such as skinless chicken or turkey. Hydrate with water, not soda. So, devise a diet plan that includes a healthy diet and take up CrossFit.
CrossFit Exercises That Will Help You To Build Muscle And Tone Up
CrossFit teaches functional movement, which is exercise that mimic activities we do on a daily basis in our lives. The majority of the exercises used in CrossFit are the strength training variety, and include the use of barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, sand bags, and tires.
One of the biggest reasons CrossFit is so effective is because the workout changes daily, known as the WOD or workout of the day. This constant variation provides for great gains in building strength and muscle growth, which for both men and women is a necessary element of the overall fitness equation.
Examples Of Muscle Building CrossFit Moves
• Muscle ups, which is a pull up, then a dip works muscles in the upper body.
• The wall ball works the core, leg, and shoulders muscles – all at the same time.
• Kettlebell swings will build the hamstring and glute muscles and burn body fat.
• Rope climbing works the upper body, including the, back, lats, and arms.
• Burpees, which are a combination of a pushup, squat, and a jump, work the arms, legs, abs and shoulders, and burn large amounts of fat.
• The Olympic lifts, the Snatch, and the Clean and Jerk further develop strength and build muscle.
Of course, there are many other exercises that focus on strength building, and because the workout changes daily, the body will never get the chance to adapt to any one set of movements.
WOD Example
As previously mentioned WOD stands for “Workout Of The Day” and is exclusive to CrossFit training.
The WOD is posted every day to CrossFit’s website and implemented by CrossFit box (gym) trainers. The workouts are always unique and named after women and war heroes. Here is an example of a WOD.
• Barbell thruster: do 8 to 12 reps and perform 3 or 4 sets.
• Wall Ball: do 20 reps for 3 or 4 sets, and rest for 30 to 60 seconds between reps.
• Overhead Kettlebell Swings: do 12 to 15 reps for 3 to 4 sets.
• Box Jump: do 5 reps for 3 sets.
• Rope: climb up and down the rope at least once. Begin with one climb, but keep adding more as you get stronger. This is a tough skill to acquire, and takes a lot of upper body strength so it is best to build it up slowly.
• Row for ten minutes.
• Burpees: these are tough and will most likely take time to learn and perfect. The Burpee is a combination of 3 moves done in sequence: a push up, a squat and a vertical jump. Start with just one, and do one more every time you work out.
