In recent years, CrossFit has gained immense popularity around the world. From all sports, many athletes flock to improve in various physical skills. It has a number of advantages that distinguish this sport from the rest. With the help of intense load and wide functionality, an athlete can achieve high results in a minimum time.
Such training develops willpower and motivates you to complete the workout completely.
Indeed, CrossFit consists of a huge variety of exercises, including movements from bodybuilding, athletics, gymnastics, etc. But therein lies the danger of CrossFit. We have selected the 3 most dangerous elements in CrossFit, which give a large unnatural load on the musculoskeletal system.
Snatch – famous weightlifting element
The snatch is one of two competitive movements in Olympic weightlifting. The exercise perfectly demonstrates the power and flexibility of the athlete. The danger of this movement is considerable since it makes completely unnatural demands on the flexibility of the hand. In the upper phase of the exercise, the bar is raised above the head on outstretched arms, while the grip of the bar is carried out with the arms as wide apart as possible, which creates a huge load on the joints of the hand. The fact is that in the course of evolution, a styloid process of the ulna has developed in humans to limit the movement of the hand so that it is more rigid. When jerking the bar overhead, especially when squatting in this position, a load is created opposite to the restriction of the styloid process, which provokes inflammation of the tendons of the wrist.
Pistol Squats – hardest CrossFit movement
To do pistol squats, you need to have considerable strength not only in quadriceps, biceps, and gluteal muscles but also in stabilizing muscles, that is, the ability to keep balance. When performing this movement, the knee joint is strongly pushed forward, which creates a lot of stress in the ligaments of the knee, in particular in the patella tendon and the anterior cruciate ligament, which can lead to tendinitis of the knee joint (inflammation of the tendons), especially with a sharp squat and subsequent rebound from the calf muscle.
Exits on the horizontal bar
Exiting on the horizontal bar is a complex, spectacular and dangerous element in CrossFit. To do it successfully, your latissimus dorsi muscles must be very strong, as well as well-developed forearm muscles. When performing a power exit on the horizontal bar, excessive pronation of the forearms and hands occurs, which creates an unnatural load on the tendons and can cause medial epicondylitis.
So, we’ve made an overview of the 3 most dangerous elements in CrossFit. But this does not mean that they cannot be done in any case. Pay special attention to them, master the correct technique, pay attention to any discomfort that occurs when performing these movements.