The CrossFit Addiction: Balancing Physical Challenge with Personal Accountability

Yesterday, my workout consisted of a 500 metre row, 20 back extensions, twenty 15-pound medicine ball rotational crunches, 20 crunches, 20 double-unders and 50 bridges. That was just the warm up. It was followed by a 400-metre run, 50 squats, a 200-metre run and 75 box jumps. Which I repeated three times. Then I finished with 5 sun salutes. It was, in short, a blast and I loved every minute of it.

I am Elizabeth and I am addicted to CrossFit.

CrossFit is an international organization with franchises all over the world. According to CrossFit.com, "CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide." It is an intense workout that you can really sink your teeth into.

My workout history has been varied in intensity and frequency. During my adult life I have partaken in dance, yoga, pilates, fitness gyms, mountain climbing, hiking, swimming, running and cycling. Sometimes I did some of these things concurrently. Sometimes I sat on my butt and the hardest physical activity included parenting, gardening and housecleaning. At those times, even walking the dog seemed vigorous.

As a physical therapist (PT) I am drawn to physical activity. I also feel like I should practice what I preach. (Admit it. It is not inspiring to have a deconditioned and unhealthy health care provider tell you to participate in a regular self-care routine if clearly they are not doing it themselves.) I also have felt that revealing my addiction to CrossFit could appear to be an endorsement for any client to participate in the program.

In my clinical opinion CrossFit is not an appropriate program for everyone, even with a highly skilled and attentive trainer at your side. Physical therapists are in a unique position to evaluate and treat complicated orthopedic and neurological clinical conditions that effect client's function. PT's link their detailed understanding of each client's body with appropriate ongoing strengthening and fitness choices once clients graduate from their physical therapy treatment.

That being said, PT's need to be able to provide appropriate and customized, appropriately conservative programs for every client who walks through our door. Our treatment must accomodate the individualized needs of the 54-year old with osteoporosis, the weekend warrior who is training for a half marathon, the post-partum mom with hip pain, the dancer with vertigo or the elite athlete who must perform for their next event.

During my CrossFit adventure, I have been very fortunate to work out under the guidance and inspiration of outstanding trainers at my local CrossFit gym, CrossFit X. Travis HoGlin, the owner, has the exacting skill of making everyone feel welcome, regardless of age and level of physical condition. He and "T2" (the other trainer, also named Travis) provide everything from coaching, cheering, inspiration, goofy jokes and an attentive eye for exquisite form during all things CrossFit. They are powerful athletes with extraordinary physiques. (Not that I noticed or anything.) They love what they do and it shows.

Even with their attentive instruction, I enter into CrossFit realizing that listening to my 45-year old body and it's abilities is 100% my responsibility. I have tweaked my shoulder during overhead lifts, slammed my thumb into a box during a 24" box jump and tweaked my knee when I tried too heavy of a weight for 75 reps of deadlifts. I did not enter into this challenge expecting to match the demand perfectly with my body's capabilities. During the stretch of attempting these new physical challenges, despite my injuries, I have gained more understanding of my body. Since my tweaks, I have adapted my strengthening activities to keep my body challenged and happy.

As I approach one year of CrossFitting, I have learned about my body's capabilities and developed an amazing level of physical endurance and strength. My muscle definition is absolutely amazing (despite a superficial layer of fabulous post-menopausal voluptuousness). I take full responsibility for listening to my body during all physical challenges that are appropriate for my body at this particular time in my life, at this particular level of conditioning. I have learned the difference between physical struggle and physical strain. I feel comfortable with the feeling of working my body hard and feeling comfortable in that struggle.

I may end up giving the First Lady a run for her money when it comes to muscular arms.


Elizabeth Hampton is a physical therapist at Core Physical Therapy: The Specialty Clinic, in Bellingham, WA. She is neither a spokesperson or representative of the CrossFit organization, nor does she receive any financial benefit from singing the praises of CrossFit. Her major achievement of 2010 is the ability to independently perform 5 pull ups.