Know your fitness regime -- CrossFit

Find out more about CrossFit, the fitness regime that has taken the world by storm despite being dangerous.

Despite being extremely dangerous with six reported cases of rhabdomyolysis, CrossFit has earned international acclaim with as many as 7,000 affiliated gyms worldwide. Loyal participants of CrossFit are not deterred by its dangers, instead they flaunt it. Uncle Rhabdo is a humorous cartoon (popular among CrossFitters) in which a clown is shown in a dying state with his kidneys on the floor depicting rhabdomyolosis a condition where your muscle fibre breaks and enters the bloodstream leading to kidney poisoning. 'I met pukey', an axiom flaunted on T-shirts worn by CrossFitters means, 'I worked out so hard that I puked.' Sounds interesting yet dangerous? Here is all you need to know on CrossFit.

What is CrossFit?

Founded by Greg Glassman, CrossFit is a fitness regime that is aimed at optimising physical competence in these 10 areas:

• Cardiovascular and Respiratory Endurance,
• Stamina,
• Strength,
• Flexibility,
• Power,
• Speed,
• Coordination,
• Agility,
• Balance
• Accuracy.

In Glassman's own words about the fitness regime, 'The magic is in the movement, the art is in the programming, the science is in the explanation, and the fun is in the community.' The reason it is so popular and challenging is because it tries to make you 'a jack of all trades' in fitness. Gymnasts may be flexible, marathon runners may have great cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, weightlifters may have great strength but CrossFitters have a little bit of everything. Interestingly, the same workout regime can be followed by both athletes and elders. 'The needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree, not kind. One needs functional competency to win gold medals, and one needs functional competency to stay out of the nursing home,' Greg Glassman told The Globe and Mail. (Read: 10 awesome fitness workouts for the perfect you!)

CrossFit has many celebrity participants too with Vanessa Hudgens and Jason Statham being among the well-known ones. What is great is that anyone can do it. 'Everyone! Teens with their parents, kids as young as 12 years old, and middle-aged men and women with full-time jobs at all levels of conditioning; anyone can do CrossFit,' Doug Piller, owner and coach of CrossFit Go Time, San Diego told Examiner.com.

Sample exercises

CrossFitters across the globe, have to log on to the website and see the WOD or workout of the day. Some of the workouts are extremely challenging. Murph named in memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, involves - 1 mile Run, 100 Pull-ups, 200 Push-ups, 300 Squats, 1 mile Run, all done as quickly as possible.

Some of the sample exercises are:

Ring dips A staple exercise for gymnasts, ring dips are great for your triceps as well as flexibility. With the support of rings, extend yourself in air with your arms straight and supporting your body weight. After this, lower the body down using your shoulder and keep your forearms straight and in the same position. Remember, your shoulder should be below your elbow before you get back up.

Tyre flip An interesting and adventurous exercise, tire flips can be done by flipping tyres of varying weights as many times as possible. Since this exercise is often done outdoors, it attracts a lot of eyeballs and has a 'badass' feel to it.

It is advisable that you do the regime under a trainer as lack of guidance could lead to debilitating injuries. (Read: Know your fitness regimes: What is P90X?)

CrossFit in India

In India, CrossFit can be done at any of the following gyms.

1. CrossFit Himalya, New Delhi
2. Namma CrossFit, Bangalore
3. CrossFit Life Performance, Gurgaon
4. CrossFit 12^th Main, Bangalore (By Reebok)
5. CrossFit Sri Ram Ashram, Haridwar
6. CrossFit Monsoon, Mumbai

Also try out these awesome fitness regimes:

1. Circuit training the all in one workout for a toned physique
2. Kick ass with CrossFit
3. VIPR the new-age loaded movement workout
4. Plyometrics:Jump, leap and hop your way to a fitter you
5. The 30-30 workout to get fit in 20 minutes
6. The scientific 7-minute workout
7. P90x the 90-day extreme workout
8. The 300 Workout
9. The Superman Workout
10. The Wolverine Workout

For more fitness regimes, check out fitness regimes section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.