“I had a friend that did CrossFit and got hurt.”
If you know more than 50 people, you have probably heard that statement before (whether it’s true or not). On the topic of injuries, it is hard to argue a vague statement like “XYZ can be dangerous.” As if it were to imply that another option is less dangerous. Lets be real “Even if you do everything 100% right, whether it be running, swimming, CrossFit, powerlifting, bodybuilding…you are STILL going to get hurt.” That is the cost of using your body.
When people hear “xyz is dangerous” they can:
A) Let that affect their decision and sway their opinion.
B) Look at it from your own perspective and consider what matters to you. If you steer clear of something because of your fear of it being dangerous. Yes, you may avoid the risk of an acute injury doing that activity, but you now run the risk and almost guaranteed injury or illness with whatever you do instead.
Examples:
Doing CrossFit will increase your risk of muscle strain, sprain, or other musculoskeletal injuries.
Riding a Bike will Increase your risk of being involved in a vehicle-pedestrian collusion. (Have you seen the data on this for your city? Google {city-name + motor vehicle police reports} and go from there. (Spoiler alert- it is bad)
Your child playing basketball will increase the risk of achilles and ACL/MCL tears.
Sitting on the couch exposing yourself to western ads and marketing will drastically increase your risk of chronic disease. (I can also tell you that going to globo-fitness and reading the paper while you ride a bike, will probably bring you the same thing).
A couple million people will die of chronic disease this year.
Somewhere around 70% of the population will die due to chronic disease. This is closely associated with sedentary lifestyle and over-eating (mostly over-eating carbohydrate, just like mom, dad, and Uncle Sam suggest). The number of people who die from chronic disease is twice that of all other causes combined.
If we make you a strong person in general as well as strong while your heart-rate is elevated, and show you how to eat meat, veggies, nuts, seeds, some fruit, and little or no sugar…You will probably have the best chance available, to not end up in that group statistic.
I can’t promise you that you wont find a way to hurt yourself doing CrossFit, walking out of your front door, or anything else for that matter, but I do promise you what a lot of us consider to be the best defense against chronic disease there is.
Eat well, let us teach you to move well, and you will understand why people choose this life everyday over the alternatives.
This topic was inspired by a podcast where Greg Glassman was interviewed by Lewis Howes.
*Let’s also not forget the thousands of people who have been doing CrossFit for years, and have no injury complaints.