Is CrossFit Good For Building Muscle Or Does It Cause Injuries?
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Can You Build Muscles Doing CrossFit?
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, we get into a heated debate over a viewer question who asked: is CrossFit good for building muscle or does it cause injuries?
This was a question from #AskLiveLeanTV Ep. 012.
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Here’s today’s viewer question:
Dex2Real on Snapchat asks: is CrossFit good for building muscle or does it cause injuries?
I remember when Jessica and I first talked about this topic.
Let’s just say it was a pretty heated argument, where we both “tore each other a new one” 😂.
My response to the question, is CrossFit good for building muscle, is yes.
You definitely can build muscle doing CrossFit, but it depends on where you are in the realm of your fitness journey.
Let me first provide a little context around my answer.
The primary goal of CrossFit is not to build muscle like a bodybuilder.
In other words, CrossFit is not necessarily programmed to get people big and bulky like bodybuilding.
CrossFit is more about improving overall performance, athleticism, and conditioning.
However, if you are new to weight training, CrossFit will help you build muscle because you are lifting weights.
Does CrossFit Cause Injuries?
Now the topic of does CrossFit cause injuries is where our conversation began to get heated.
Jessica went off on a little tangent about how you should be careful doing CrossFit because you will get injured.
This led me to my CrossFit rant.
My CrossFit Rant
When done incorrectly, you can get injured doing any activity, including walks and bodyweight workouts.
So if someone goes for a walk, does this mean you are always going to tell them to be careful and look both ways before you cross the street?
Or if someone only does bodyweight workouts, are you going to tell them to be careful?
Yes It’s True, People Have Been Injured Doing CrossFit
But to immediately go to the assumption that everyone will get injured doing CrossFit isn’t fair.
Unfortunately, a lot of people in the fitness world, who don’t like CrossFit, have jumped on the assumption that CrossFit is going to hurt everyone that tries it.
The activity of doing CrossFit shouldn’t be at fault for injuring people.
What should be at fault for hurting people is the bad coaching and poor decision making, based on the trainees fitness level.
For example, putting people in situations, who are brand new to fitness, with exercises that are too advanced, and not coaching them properly, that’s why people are getting hurt doing CrossFit.
It’s Not Just Your Coaches Fault
But you also just can’t blame the coach if you get injured in CrossFit.
As the trainee, you also have to take personal accountability because you’re ultimately responsible for your own body.
If you feel like you’re not performing an exercise properly, you don’t know how to do it right, or the weight is too heavy, you have to be the ultimate judge of that.
This means it’s up to you to tell your coach that it is uncomfortable for you.
It’s not necessarily that CrossFit injures you, doing CrossFit poorly is what can injure you.
Just like doing bodybuilding incorrectly can injure you or doing a sport incorrectly can injure you.
Jessica’s CrossFit Rant
I’ve been a personal trainer for almost 12 years.
That makes me sound really old.
During my 12 years of experience working with people one-on-one, I’ve had a lot of clients say they love lifting weights, but after trying CrossFit, they had problems with injuries.
So based on my profession of working with people, I’ve heard that side of the story.
That’s all I’m saying.
I do agree that it’s more about the coach, than the actual genre of CrossFit workouts.
For example, I’ve done CrossFit myself, and have never been injured.
I just feel the setting of CrossFit is what makes it more susceptible to injury than working with a 1 on 1 personal trainer.
Since CrossFit is usually in a class setting and everything is based speed and beating the people next to you, it can put you at a higher risk of injury.
I agree.
Bottom Line: Is CrossFit Good For Building Muscle Or Does It Cause Injuries?
Although we talked more about if CrossFit causes injuries, let’s conclude by answering the initial question of if you can build muscle.
Yes you can build muscle doing CrossFit.
But if your goal is primarily to build muscle, similar to a bodybuilder, performing more bodybuilding style workouts will be better for you.
That’s why it’s called bodybuilding.
The goal is to build your body.
CrossFit is more of a cross between fitness, performance, and sport.
I know Dex, who is the viewer who asked this question, is doing my Live Lean MASS program, so based on his goals, I would say stick to that muscle building program.
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There are various muscle building workout styles in this program, including volume training.
These muscle building workouts are designed to hit your body with enough volume, while lifting with the required load and weight, necessary to break down and re-build new muscle.
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Now i want you to go check out this video post on the 5 best tips for muscle growth.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
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