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The Best Sports And Activities To Supplement CrossFit
The goal of Lean Mean Green Health is to work with athletes in order to help them attain their goals as quickly and easily as possible. Not only do my clients’ goals vary broadly, but so do their physical pursuits and passions. I wouldn’t have this any other way - I love working with athletes of all backgrounds, sizes, shapes, and endeavors - but it is also true that a large percentage of my clients come from the CrossFit community.
As I have been doing CrossFit since 2009 and coaching CrossFit since early 2010, I feel like I know a lot about the sport, as well as about the athletes who participate in it. Unlike a lot of people (I believe the technical term for them is “haters”), I am a believer in the CrossFit methodology for both competitive and non-competitive athletes. This being said, I believe that CrossFit athletes who make time for supplemental sports and activities see the greatest success, both in performance and longevity.
I have listed some of the most beneficial activities, and my reasons for recommending them, below. Please keep in mind that I have intentionally excluded any sport that is inherently included in CrossFit, such as weightlifting or gymnastics. This decision is due to the fact that those sports are included, at least to some degree, in any decent CrossFit program.
Swimming. Now I know a lot of you are thinking that swimming is in fact included in the highest levels of CrossFit competition (The Games, for example), and you’re right. It is not, however, included in the everyday CrossFitters’ programming, nor in most lower levels of competition. So much of what we do in CrossFit is relatively high-impact, and swimming is almost the antithesis of a high-impact sport. Additionally, most swimming includes shoulder range-of-motion that is unique in its degree and its repetition, and we all know that most CrossFit athletes need help with shoulder mobility. Lastly, swimming can be a great tool for practicing and training helpful breathing techniques, such as hypoxic training.
Hiking / Trail Running. It’s really not particularly important if one chooses to hike a trail or run it, at least not for the purposes of this blog. While running trails is a great option and a great workout, the physical strain is only one very small part of why I suggest this activity to my CrossFit athletes. Most importantly, being out on a trail gets us out of the gym, out of the house, out of the garage, and out in nature where our brains and bodies are still wired to live. Doing nature-based physical activity lowers stress and anxiety, gets sunlight on our skin and vitamin D in our bodies, and helps get us out of our heads. Furthermore, the varied terrain will help to ensure your body works a much greater range of muscle groups, not just in your legs but also in your core, ankles, and feet.
Yoga. This is the one that I’m sure you all knew was coming, but there’s a reason for that. When it comes to CrossFit athletes, the benefits of yoga are mostly seen in its focus on flexibility and breathing. While I do appreciate that a regular week of CrossFit takes a body through a huge variety of movements and ranges of motion, there is an added benefit to going through ranges of motion in a slow and deliberate way, and even holding these ranges of motion for long periods of time. Additionally, yoga offers an opportunity to focus on the quality and speed of breathing that is rarely - if ever - discussed or worked in a CrossFit setting.
I challenge you to pick one of these activities and do it at least once per week. Maybe that means a weekly hike or trail run, swapping a CrossFit class for a session in the pool, or doing yoga in a studio or at home with YouTube. Maybe you will even find it enjoyable and beneficial to make time for all three. Whatever you choose, try to pick something that adds to your physical abilities - flexibility, breathing, balance, etc - and also brings joy to your fitness routine.
-Caitlin Green, Lean Mean Green Health
