You just have to look at anyone whos been doing CrossFit for a long time to see that they look amazing and don’t carry much body fat. CrossFit builds a well-rounded rig that is toned and muscly. Looks like the evidence is staring you in the face, CrossFit is a great way to lose weight!
CrossFit uses functional movements like cardio, high intensity training, gymnastics, rowing and weight lifting to improve health, strength and fitness. A typical CrossFit session lasts one hour and starts with a warm up, followed by skill or strength work, then there is the Metcon (metabolic conditioning) which is a set amount of exercises that you have to do as quickly as possible and lastly the cool down. CrossFit is dynamic and you will never do the same workout in the same week.
But what does the research say? A study conducted by the American Council on Exercise revealed that men burn 20 calories per minute, while women burn 12 calories a minute during CrossFit. That’s more than 450 calories in a session! The study also showed that CrossFit can push the heart rate of participants to 90% of their maximum.
Three ways CrossFit can help you to lose weight:
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Improves fat burning
CrossFit is high intensity and so your heart rate will be elevated for most of the session. The higher your heart rate, the more calories your body burns. High intensity training also encourages after burn, which is when your body will keep burning calories even after you have gone home and gone to sleep!
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Builds muscle
One of the main aims of CrossFit is to help participants increase strength. With strength comes muscle of course and muscle burns more calories than fat. The body has a basal metabolic rate – which is the number of calories it naturally burns throughout the day. When you have more muscle on your body, that rate increases. So CrossFit can turn your body into a calorie burning machine!
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Easy to stick to
You don’t need to think in CrossFit, you just need to come to class and follow instructions. With a coach to guide you and a team to support you, CrossFit is fun and addictive. That’s why people keep coming back for more. This kind of positive environment will help you to reach your weight loss goals and encourage you to keep coming back to every class.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]