Crossfit and Gossip

I recently read an article by The New York Times entitled "A Class for Every Yoga Mood".  The article provides insight into the evolving practice of yoga, which is no longer the stretching, breathing, meditative discipline we recognize, but rather a new "fusion yoga" that is more hardcore and breathless in nature.  Fusion Yoga has led to an unending list of possibilities: Hangover Yoga, Yoga Butt Bootcamps, Shred Yoga with Weights, Yoga Crossfit...and whatever you can dream up.  Seriously anything. 

The fitness industry has become a radio with too many stations and a weak antenna.   

Across the country there is an epidemic in the fitness industry of following trends of what's new.  People's lack of success has driven them to jump boat too often and too soon.  Our attitudes of we want it quick and we want it now! continue to misguide us on our quest for health.  We follow the gossip and flux of trends and we never learn to commit long enough to promote true lifestyle change.

Nowadays, the average fitness consumer is looking for everything hardcore.  Type A personalities, adrenaline addicts, and fitness newbies crowd group classes aching for that aching.  The new quest for health is not guided by sweat alone but by lactic acid build up, an elevated heart rate, and a sore body.  So how did we get here?

Competition in the fitness industry has pushed a desire in developers to create a niche, so as to stand out amid all the noise. 

With so many "certified yogis and trainers" businesses and fitness professionals are pushing the limits of catchy marketing to fill their classes.  Thus Trend Blending was born.  As the ink bleeds across the lines, disciplines continue to adopt the principles of others, and classes such as Yoga Shred with Weights multiply and inundate the market.  

Aside from needing to stand out with consumers the fitness industry saw an opportunity as a little underground, hardcore community grew to be mainstream and ubiquitous.

Crossfit set the stage as becoming the most successful portal to fitness.  Crossfit became the Google search for experts in olympic lifting, physical therapy, gymnastics, endurance sports, and many other disciplines.  Essentially Crossfit sold itself as the mother umbrella to fitness, aligning subcategories of all applied athletics under it's nurturing wing.  And now the competitive athlete can be found in their garage across the street.

Crossfit exposed a few uncovered desires: we enjoy being competitive, we thrive in a community, and PRs (personal records) motivate us to be our best.  We need to be supported and held accountable, we need an environment that promotes enthusiasm and educational sharing, and we need quantitative data to mark where we are and how that relates to others.  But as great as Crossfit is we should not let this trend oversaturate our perspective.

Hardcore is ok.  As long as you understand that harder, faster, stronger isn't always better.  

And it won't initially gain you quicker access to that 6-pack or skinnier waist.  Most athletes and fitness personalities that inspire us do train hard but we have to take into account that their level of fitness has progressed over a lifetime.  And their hardcore is not your hardcore.  You should never imitate levels of fitness that you can not safely and correctly perform.