CrossFit in the self-test: This is how fit the workout makes

2020-08-22T18:49:15.094Z

Fitness? Swim? Do gymnastics? To jog? There are many sports I play - but which ones are really effective? Allegedly CrossFit, the new trend from the USA. Time for a self-experiment - and a tough fight against myself.

“Can 13 minutes really be that long?” I ask myself when the voice in the background becomes loud again: “Another 40 seconds, let's go, nobody gives up.” I kneel in front of the wall, I have a four kilogram medicine ball in it Hand that I have to throw in the air ten more times. My legs are already heavy, my hands are slippery, I puff. But I want to do it. And indeed. When I hear: “The time is up, you made it”, the medicine ball falls to the floor after my tenth throw from the deep squat. I did not give up!

CrossFit: training concept from the 1990s

Today is not my first CrossFit class. I've tried the sport two or three times before. The training concept was developed back in the 1990s - by a Californian fitness trainer named Greg Glassman. It has been a brand since 2000. There are now more than 10,000 fitness studios around the world that have dedicated themselves to this training method - and around 200 of them are in Germany, especially since the sport, which has long been a trend in the USA and England, is slowly becoming popular here too. Incidentally, the CrossFit fitness studios call themselves “boxes”. And my “box” is in Munich's Westend.

I am now familiar with some of the common moves. And yet today's training was something new for me - as always. “Be prepared for the unprepared” is the guiding principle in CrossFit. And Christoph Reiner, one of three managing directors of the “CrossFitBewegt” studio, says: “If someone calls and asks what we are doing today, they don't get any information. Everyone does everything here - that's what's special. "

"Squats" are squats

When I enter the training room attached to the physiotherapy rooms, my first look is at the white board: There I see what to expect today - but then I can't really classify the specialized Chinese. I already knew that for squats they say “squats”, for lunges “lunges”. But today:

Skill: KB swing
A: Ring-Holds Knee to Chest 8 x 20sec.
B: AMRAP 13 20DU / 40SU
15 KB deadlifts
5 burpee box jumps
10 wall balls

No matter what it is, it looks exhausting - and an hour later I can say: it is.

The mood is good in the “box” - there are now four of these boxes in Munich. Loud music can be heard from the speakers, people laugh, joke, cheer up, cheer.

Rowing and jumping rope as "warm up"

A short "warm up" - rowing 400 meters, jumping rope 100 times and some coordination exercises - is followed by the "Skill of the Week". Every week this is a different exercise, the technique of which you learn. Today on the program: the kettlebell swing. Translated: bring a ball-dumbbell up through your legs from the swing. That goes in the back, the arms burn on the final repetitions. But giving up, I know, isn't.

Burpee box jumps: push-ups, then step onto a wooden box - or jump. Five repetitions.

The sport should not only build muscles, but also improve coordination, flexibility, speed, rapid strength, maximum strength and strength endurance. The fitness trend combines elements of weightlifting and gymnastics with exercises with your own body weight.
For me, the pull-up bar continues - and now it's going to be tough. We have to hold ourselves eight times for 20 seconds, with our legs held up, girls bent, boys stretched. If someone gives up, the entire group - today we are nine, a maximum of ten participants can register per hour - have to complete punitive exercises. My hands hurt, the abdominal muscles become noticeable. But I don't want to punish the others. So I'll hold on - like the other eight.

CrossFit training in a group

Felix Knoblauch hangs next to me on the pole, he's trained, you can tell by looking at him: “I do CrossFit as a supplement to competitive sport,” says the Bundesliga hockey player. Why? "My torso has become more stable, I am more flexible and therefore less prone to injury - and it challenges me." Even him, although he does sport every day. That calms me down somehow.

Done: At the end, each participant enters their result - an incentive for the next time.

45 minutes have now passed. But the worst part of the hour is yet to come. The “workout” closes every CrossFit unit, today it's 13 minutes with the following content: 40 jump rope (or 20 times swing the rope twice), 15 kettlebell deadlifts (swing up to over the head), five push-ups followed by a jump a wooden box and ten wallballs (throw medicine balls against the wall from your crouch). And the whole thing, of course, AMRAP, which means: “As Many Rounds As Possible”. So: as many laps as possible.

The first round goes well, the second too. From then on, however, every movement becomes torture, but Reiner's voice drives you. You fight against yourself. Today! Win! I!

I did five laps. When I write my result on the white board, I am proud. The sweat is dripping from my forehead. But I know: I'll be back.

By Hanna Schmalenbach

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT CROSSFIT

What do you need for cross-fit? And: how exhausting is it? We asked trainer Christoph Reiner - who makes us fit for CrossFit.

They say: CrossFit is the toughest workout in the world. Is that correct?

Trainer Christoph Reiner in his Munich studio.

At least it's a very tough one. CrossFit is challenging because it is complex and variable. Because it is three-dimensional, because it contains elements of strength, endurance, flexibility and gymnastic exercises. In CrossFit you should have skills in all of these disciplines - and not stand out in any particular. -

Is it more effective than a normal workout in the gym?

In any case. Because it teaches everyday movements. A banal example: I do the deadlift every day, for example when I am lifting a crate of drinks. I can pump up individual muscles in the gym, but I don't become athletic through mere strength exercises.

CrossFit means "Back to the roots of fitness". Back to the roots. Then what's new?

The exercises aren't new, but the idea of being good at all of the components. There is no one-sided burden. You get a different stimulus every day. You are challenged, you can work off - and you are not alone, but among people.

Can anyone do CrossFit?

It's actually a sport for athletic people - but anyone can start with us. We teach techniques, develop beginners and offer courses for beginners. We cater to our customers based on the intensity. At every course I look to see who is more likely to reach the limit than others. I react to that.

Does CrossFit also reduce weight?

Yes. Perhaps someone who is overweight at the start of training has to cut back on certain exercises such as pull-ups. But exercise boosts your metabolism - and that reduces weight. Those who stay tuned quickly have a big impact.

How often should you do CrossFit?

You have to do CrossFit regularly. At least two times a week, three times would be better. If you only come once a week and don't do any other sport on the side, you won't notice much.

How is CrossFit training structured?

You have a “skill of the week” every week: you learn, for example, the technique for a pull-up, a push-up, and the advanced a handstand. Then mobility is trained, followed by a short strength part. And then the "workout of the day", either for a limited period or for a number of repetitions.

How much do the individual units vary?

Think of it this way: We trainers have a pool of 40 or 50 exercises that we choose from every day. I've never given the same workout twice.

Interview: Hanna Schmalenbach

CrossFitMoves

Special combination: The studio at Westendstraße 185 in Munich offers physiotherapy and CrossFit. Information is available on the Internet at: www.crossfitbewegt.com