5 Reasons Why Every Cross-fitter Should Practice Yoga
CrossFit has become and remains a highly popular sport in Egypt. It is a form of fitness that incorporates many levels and variations of exercise. Egyptian youth and adults have become quite intrigued and fully dedicated to this style of training. A group of athletes even qualified and competed in the CrossFit Masters World Championships in Australia in October 2019, more, numerous entrepreneurs have invested in the sport in the last 5 years, which popularized the sport in a very relatively short period of time.
CrossFit is mostly a strength and conditioning workout, comprising of high-intensity and functional movement training. One may experience circuit training workouts, called “workouts of the day or WOD,” that involve weightlifting, plyometrics, squats, push-ups, pull-ups, and more. The athlete uses kettlebells, bikes, rowers, free weights, and plyo boxes to complete these regimented circuits, with emphasis on power, speed, and stamina.
Although it is a highly effective way of training the entire body, an important component may be missing from the CrossFit equation: stretching.
In these high-intensity workouts, the CrossFit athlete is engaging many muscles throughout the body. They undergo tremendous stress as they move through these functional exercises.
In order for these muscles to rest and repair adequately, the CrossFit athlete should add stretching. A good form of working the body in this fashion is yoga.
Here are 5 reasons why every CrossFitter should start practicing yoga:
- To Stretch Muscles
- To Reduce the Risk of Injury
- To Increase Physical Strength
- To Improve Recovery Time
- To Improve CrossFit Workouts
Stretch Muscles
Yoga is often associated with meditation. Although this is true about yoga, meditation only captures a small fraction of what is available in the yoga world. Yoga also involves movement that is complementary to various other lifestyles, including a CrossFit lifestyle.
One style of yoga is called Vinyasa Yoga; it is characterized as moving the body through various postures in a fluid manner. Accompanied with breath, Vinyasa Yoga, emphasizes the lengthening and stretching of muscles. A yoga practitioner moves through a series of poses that provides release of tension and tightness that can easily build up in the body. Postures will target all body parts including shoulders, back, legs, and arms. Since CrossFit can lead to overuse and tight muscles, a vinyasa-style yoga class adds an element of stretching that is essential for the CrossFitter. The result is a more limber and agile athlete.
Reduce The Risk of Injury
Because of CrossFit in Egypt, the individual is undergoing a constant strain to the physical system. This can potentially lead to injury. One needs to ensure proper recovery and self-care in order to take on the next CrossFit WOD. By incorporating a yoga practice like Vinyasa Yoga or Yoga for Alignment, the athlete reduces the risk of long-term injury due to the sport.
Classic yoga styles like Iyengar Yoga, Anusara Yoga, or Hatha Yoga were derived to focus on alignment. This is truly complimentary to the CrossFitter, because it encourages the athlete to pay close attention to aligning the body in a functional way when they are working out. For example, proper alignment of the body in an Anusara Yoga class will ensure that joints remain safe, the muscles engage properly, and movement remains functional. When this type of awareness is brought to the workout routine, the CrossFitter is more likely to reduce the risk of sports injury.
Increase Physical Strength
Not all yoga is about meditation or stretching. It can also include the element of strength building. The area of the body that definitely increases overall physical strength is the core. In styles of yoga like Power Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, or Forrest Yoga, an area of focus is the core system. Through effective breath work and specific coordinated yoga poses, the yogi develops increased strength in their core region. This is very important in the CrossFit gym box. When undergoing intense training, core strength and endurance is key to getting through challenging WODs.
On the other hand, Yoga also improves your range of motion to be able to perform techniques like snatches and clean squats
Improve Recovery Time
Due to the active nature of CrossFit, it can leave the individual tired and sore. In order to maintain energy, strength, fortitude, and determination for the sport, it is important to add exercises that encourage proper healing. A style of yoga called Yin Yoga involves holding yoga postures for a long period of time. The intention is to release fascia and connective tissue that often become bound up from overuse or underuse. The result is a fully relaxed body in addition to stretched muscles, released connective tissue, more agile joints, and overall improved functional movement.
Improve CrossFit Workouts
CrossFit in Egypt will definitely remain a popular form of training; it is a style of working out that will continue to draw many new participants. To sustain the longevity of these intense workouts, the CrossFit athlete must be mindful of the overall picture. Not only will CrossFit give you great strength, agility, speed, and fitness, but it can also create fatigue, overtraining, and potential injury. By adding the element of yoga into the routine, the athlete can attain a certain level of body awareness, which will make it easier for him/her to control which muscles to use hence, decrease the effort needed to fully perform the technique, for example, someone with excellent hip mobility will find it much easier to do 5 squats, in comparison with someone who has average hip mobility, which means that the higher the mobility is the lower the exhaustion rate will be.
Yoga is a well-rounded discipline that expands further than meditation. Choosing from a variety of yoga styles, some mentioned in this article, you can become more focused and determined in your workouts. Yoga provides healing and faster recovery when you’re engaging in high-intensity work. Practiced regularly, yoga will provide fluidity, flexibility, added strength, and endurance to make yourself an even greater CrossFit athlete.
So if you’re doing CrossFit at your local box gym to gain strength and greater fitness, you’re encouraged to also add yoga as part of your Workout routine.
We would like to take this opportunity and announce our new member Flexana Community, Coach Aly Abd El Kawy! Ali is a previous CrossFitter and a current Yoga Instructor specializing in yoga classes for CrossFitters. So whenever you feel like putting our recommendation to the test and see how yoga affects your body as a CrossFitter, we recommend attending his class.
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