7 Questions with Crossfit Coach Laura Pappas
Patrick Edmonds
Courtesy of Ramsey Everyday PantsCrossfit, or "The Sport of Fitness", has exploded onto the American health and fitness unlike any other athletic or training endeavor in years. According to a recent article on Yahoo Health, Crossfit affiliates (gyms baring the trademarked Crossfit name) have grown from 18 in 2005, primarily on the West Coast, to over 3000 throughout America and other countries. However, for all the hype and publicity Crossfit has been receiving, it is starting to encounter some opposition from fitness and medical experts.
I decided to speak with one of The Lunch Break's contributors, Laura Pappas, who is a Crossfit coach in King of Prussia to learn more about this growing sensation.
1. What was your fitness background and interest before turning your attention to Crossfit?
Before Crossfit I was a runner and sprint triathlete - I ran 5Ks to Half Marathons and would do 1 - 2 sprint triathlons a year
2. What qualities about Crossfit drew you away from your former fitness interests?
I still run and do triathlons and in fact last year tackled my first Half Ironman 70.3 distance. Crossfit really pushed my fitness to the next level. It increased my aerobic capacity, made me stronger, and really helped me understand how much harder I could push myself. It also taught me that I didn't need to spend 30 hours a week training, you do need to do some long stuff when you're doing a long race but you can do a lot of your training in a Crossfit-esque style, staying in the high intensity zone since that is really where you see results.
3. Could you describe the basic philosophy of Crossfit in ten words or less?
That’s easy! Constantly varied functional movements, performed at high intensity.
4. I recently saw a Reebok commercial endorsing Crossfit. Apparently the partners and founders of Crossfit and Reebok have decided to partner up. During the commercial the statement, "The Sport of Fitness". Is this an accurate description and could you elaborate on it?
Yes Reebok has picked up Crossfit and is acting as its "sponsor". They came in big last year at the 2011 Crossfit Games and brought in a whole new level with a very large prize purse. Crossfit calls itself the Sport of Fitness because Crossfit is for "generalists". The goal is not to be specialized in one area/sport but rather to be really good across broad time and modal domains - e.g., a variety of times and exercises. Crossfit involves many movements and thinks of its participants as athletes - as a Coach at Crossfit King of Prussia we call all of our members “athletes”. To be a good Crossfit Athlete you have to be good at many different things, push ups, pull ups, ring dips, Olympic lifts like cleans and snatches, plus running, rowing, and jumping. Since Crossfit isn't specialized to one set of movements, calling it the Sport of Fitness helps to communicate to the general, non-crossfitting population all of the things that Crossfit contains.
5. A recent article on Yahoo Health addressed some of the potential problems and growing concerns about Crossfit. Here's the article if you haven't read it, "Inside the Cult of Crossfit" . However, the main concerns the author had were about injury and a lack of proper training for trainers and trainees. For instance, the author points to the fact that Crossfit has people performing advanced lifting techniques that could seriously harm someone if not performed properly. On top of that, he claims many of the certification courses to become a Crossfit instructor don't necessarily train people properly to help train others.
My question for you is, is there any truth to the article's claims and concerns? Do you think Crossfit, more than other forms of fitness, necessitates a higher level of attention to safety and form?
The media buzz around Crossfit has been bittersweet. It’s great that it’s getting out there and the ideas are getting to be more well known because I think that it’s a great way to get some really great results.
I think that there is some validity to the safety concerns. One of the things about Crossfit is that there are varying levels of quality in the gyms across the world. A good coach (person that is leading and instructing the Crossfit class) should help you as an athlete select the right weight based on your ability.
As for Rhabdo (Rhabdomyolysis is a condition is which damaged skeletal muscle tissue breaks down), this is something that we as coaches are careful about. If you are pushing yourself hard at high reps or on something like the GHD machine this is a danger. However, I think that it’s blown a bit out of proportion by the media - not that it's not a serious issue if it happens, but in the frequency of it actually occurring. If you have smart programming and athletes working within their limits then rhabdo ins't an issue. The same thing with puking. Crossfit workouts encourage you to push yourself. I don't think it's that common to have someone puke after a workout. It happens every once in a while at Crossfit. But you know what, it happens in other sports too. Crossfitters are focused on intensity and pushing your body to the point of puking is a sign that you definitely got there!
I find the group workouts great, you go to the gym, or box as most Crossfitters call it, and you know that you are going to get a good workout and you don't have to figure out what to do. With planning you can use Crossfit as cross training for running and triathlons (this is something I do) and you can see how much stronger you become. Before I started Crossfit I used to think that since I could do bicep curls with the 20lb dumbbells that I was strong - I started Crossfit and did a dead lift (which is a functional movement where you are picking up something heavy from the floor) and was amazed at how weak I was. Crossfit has made me a much stronger person all around and that's helped me in everything I do - from playing with my niece and nephew to carrying in cases of water to making me a better and stronger runner and triathlete.
6. What are you currently reading?
a. Online- Robb Wolf, Chris Kresser, Nell Stephenson, Mark Sisson, Whole 9, Food Lovers Primal Palate, Caveman Doctor
b. Print- Eating for Endurance by Dr. Philip Maffetone and Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes (this has been in progress for awhile, it’s really long!)
7. What is the best Lunch you've had recently?
Paleo Pizza!
About the Author:
Laura Pappas is a Crossfit Trainer at Crossfit King of Prussia, avid athlete, and Health and Nutrition enthusiast. She writes for her own blog Against the Grain sharing her perspective on health and fitness and has recently started a Health Coaching business.
Reader Comments (3)
This is not to say that a well run Crossfit will not have injuries, but the question that is tough to factor is where did the injury come from. Is it from having poor posture for 25 years and then doing something is not injurious to most people? Is that injury caused by Crossfit?
Good coaches and well run facilities will produce good results with little injury.
However, I know my body is not capable of the intensity necessary for it, which is something I've struggled to come to grips with. After years of exercise in many different forms, I have come to accept that I must listen to my body, which I think is the best advice regardless of your fitness interests.
Thanks again for the informative interview, Lauren, and best of luck with Crossfit.