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CrossFit (www.crossfit.com)
is a small but nationally known company presenting a fitness
system consisting of constantly varied high intensity functional
movement. CrossFit exercises are often skill-based and need to
be approached with patience and determination, and can be
greatly facilitated by a competent trainer.
Most
Corporate Fitness Centers are based on the business model of
providing members with access to equipment that requires no
special training and a minimal “learning curve”, and trainers
assist primarily with program design rather than with teaching
movements. The typical “body-part split” or muscle magazine
workout is based on the bodybuilding template. This template,
based on the needs of a physique competitor, emphasizes muscle
symmetry and assumes steroid use for effective results. It also
pays no attention to the health or function of the human body,
instead treating it as a collection of parts.
Over the
last decade, more and more fitness professionals and enthusiasts
have recognized the need to view physical training from a
functional standpoint. Beginning with training “the core”
musculature using techniques like pilates and destabilizing
tools such as Swiss Balls and wobble boards, and continuing with
heavy- and odd-object-lifting, jumping, climbing, and explosive
movements, functional training is steadily becoming the
tool-of-choice for those who need to use their bodies (from
police, fire, and military to recreational athletes and soccer
moms) AND those who just want an effective tool to look better
and have more energy.
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