Assess before you guess

One of the most polarizing topics in the world of fitness and exercise science is the practices of the wildly popular systems put in place by Crossfit. Crossfit classes are characterized best as extreme interval/strength training in a group (often large group) setting. In fact, I've seen Iphone apps where you can download the workout of the day that may include upwards of 50 reps (or more) of exercises such as clean+squat, pull ups, sit ups, box jumps, etc.

Don't get me wrong, exercising is better than sitting around watching reruns of, well anything. But we hear of great success stories from systems like this at what cost? The programming of Crossfit is debatable; I'm not a big fan, but there are different philosophies on training out there and that's great. What's not debatable is the detrimental effects of performing programs like this poorly, which is inevitable in a group setting or when you encourage unsupervised weekend warriors to attempt some of these exercises. Also, the inclusion of exercises with known harmful effects to the low back, like the picture below. The science is there; the lumbar spine needs stability, not mobility. So why are we programming hyperextensions still? I guess it's because they're "hard" and the client can "really feel it," so it must be good.

Another favorite exercise complex that's a staple with crossfit is a hang clean+front squat. This is a tough exercise to master (even if you have the hip, ankle and T-spine mobility) that can take weeks to learn the right way. Now I've heard the teaching progressions are solid, but there is no way to monitor so many people and make sure it is being done safely. The first picture (pulled from a local crossfit website) below looks fairly benign at a quick glance, until you see how far onto her toes she is leaning, with her elbows dropped (all while wearing shocks-a whole other beast). Attempting to keep the bar up in this position adds a lot of compressive and shear forces to the low back. Now multiply that by probably 50 reps, and you can imagine there'd be some problems down the road.

This next picture is just ugly. If you think it's a good idea to kill yourself in an exercise session doing exercises with form like this, you might as well start booking PT right now.

Remember, the higher the reps and higher the intensity, the more perfect your form needs to be to avoid any injuries from a training program. Does stuff like this fit the bill? Before you start a program, I hope you have the awareness to realize this if your trainer doesn't, otherwise this is where we hear about those "mysterious" low back injuries and pain that "just shows up" for no reason.

There is always a reason.