How does physical therapy help people who participate in cross-fit?
Physical therapy serves both as a preventative and rehabilitative way to keep CrossFit athletes safe, mobile, and healthy. Whether it’s serving as your one hour of exercise for the day or as the sport you are trying to compete in, CrossFit often pushes people to their limits. Physical therapy can help CrossFitters improve their barbell, gymnastic, and cardio game to allow members to push these limits as safely as possible. Whether you label yourself as somebody with ‘stiff shoulders’, ‘pinchy hips’, ‘tight ankles’, or even pain, you would likely benefit from a physical therapy consult.
What’s the best way to avoid cross-fit injuries?
Avoiding CrossFit injuries has a lot to do with scaling workouts appropriately and not allowing a desire to be better precede how soon we try difficult movements or try to move difficult weights. Great CrossFit coaches contribute to this, but physical therapists can also assist in finding your specific mobility and stability deficits to make sure we balance challenge with readiness.
Tip for those wanting to start cross-fit. What are the benefits?
CrossFit is an excellent way for people to connect with a community, improve their fitness, and improve simple movements like bending, squatting, and lifting while eventually setting personal records in various barbell, gymnastic, and cardiovascular areas of fitness. My number one tip for those who have considered starting CrossFit: I initially started because I wanted to do something that scared me. But, CrossFit immediately became a source of joy, community connection, and personal progress and I can’t imagine my life without it. Take up your local gym on a free trial!
