Is Crossfit Safe?
Written by Dr. Kyle Rogus PT, DPT
Is CrossFit Safe? Absolutely.
CrossFit takes a lot of flak everywhere you look. Somewhere along the line, whether it be the videos of butterfly pullups, or CrossFit Games levels athletes lifting heavy weight really fast regardless of “perfect” form (fun fact: this is how they put food on the table so they understand the risk/reward), or the first rule of CrossFit is, you have to talk about CrossFit, CrossFit became a scapegoat for non-traditional fitness routines and gym fails, and immediately got labeled as dangerous. But that couldn’t be anywhere further from the truth.
So let’s start by figuring out what exactly CrossFit is.
By definition, CrossFit is “constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement.” If we wanted to expand on this using principles from the CrossFit Level I handbook, this might look like “performing commonly found natural, safe, compound movements such as squatting, pressing, and deadlifting at relative intensities that are designed to drive positive adaptations with the ultimate goal of increasing general physical preparedness.” When you say it like that, that sounds pretty awesome, why would a fitness brand preaching that get labeled as dangerous?
Next, which CrossFit are we discussing?
Are we discussing the traditional model of CrossFit in which you perform 1 hour of class 5-6x/wk that is designed for your general population to improve all aspects of your fitness? Or are we discussing the men and women you see on TV every summer doing unbelievable feats of physical tasks? For the purposes of this article, we are going to discuss CrossFit as it pertains to the overwhelming majority of the general population that utilizes CrossFit for their primary form of physical fitness, and not those who do it for a full-time, just like any other professional sport, because there is a difference. CrossFit is designed to be infinitely scalable and modifiable for all fitness levels, meaning it is designed to be accessible for anyone, although it may not be for everyone.
What does the research say about the safety of CrossFit?
Injury rate CrossFit has been found to be anywhere between 2.1-3.1 per 1000hrs of participation (Moran 2017, Hak et al 2013, Giordano & Weisenthal 2014)
this is right in line with injury rates with running (3.1), weightlifting (3.1) and cycling (2.0) (Parkkari et al 2004)
Weisenthal et al (2014) found the incidence rate of injury in CrossFit to be 19.4%, not bad when you compare that to a 2012 article from Daoud et al that found approximately 74% of runners are moderately-severely injured each year.
You’ll see a lot of blogs argue that CrossFit can cause a potentially serious medical condition called rhabdomyolysis, based on the Hopkins et al 2019 case-studies, but this is an inherent risk of anyone who performs strenuous physical activity and/work in hot environments (CDC)
Not related to injury but, a 2018 systemic review by Claudino et al found “there is the existence of initial evidence of higher levels of sense of community, satisfaction, and motivation among CrossFit participants.”
That sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
Bottom Line
There are a lot of clickbait articles out there that cherry pick data and throw stereotypes at CrossFit to claim that it is “bad for you” and that it is “dangerous.” What these blogs fail to ignore is that yes, injuries happen in CrossFit, but they can happen anytime you perform any type of physical activity, that is the nature and inherent risk of physical activity. CrossFit utilizes many exercises that are based on foundational movements of squatting, deadlifting and pressing, movements that you are tasked with on a daily basis and movements that you are going to be asked to perform, regardless of whatever physical fitness or HIIT class that you chose to participate in. The benefits that these forms of exercise have on musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, metabolic and mental health significantly outweigh the low injury rate.
If you take one thing away from this article, let it be this – CrossFit is safe. It is just as safe as any other recreational physical activity that you do, whether it be running, cycling or traditional weightlifting. Regardless of what activity to do or are planning on starting, the best chance you have of mitigating that injury risk is properly monitoring training volume and technique and progressing yourself appropriately.
And you know what, if you do get injured, don’t panic. Find yourself a physical therapist that understands your lifestyle and your goals and work with them so that you can stay active while you take care of that injury. Everything will be ok, your body is resilient and it will recover.
References
Crossfit.com
Moran, S., Booker, H., Staines, J., & Williams, S. (2017). Rates and risk factors of injury in crossfit: A prospective cohort study. The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 57(9). https://doi.org/10.23736/s0022-4707.16.06827-4
Hak PT, Hodzovic E, Hickey B. The nature and prevalence of injury during CrossFit training [published online November 22, 2013]. J Strength Cond Res. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000000318
Giordano B, Weisenthal B. Prevalence and incidence rates are not the same response. Orthop J Sports Med. 2014;2(7):2325967114543261.
Weisenthal BM, Beck CA, Maloney MD, DeHaven KE, Giordano BD. Injury rate and patterns among CrossFit athletes. Orthop J Sport Med. 2014;2:2325967114531177.
Parkarri, J., Kannus, P., Natri, A., Lapinleimu, I., Palvanen, M., Heiskanen, M., Vuori, I., & Jarvinen, M. (2004). Active living and injury risk. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 2 (3), 209–216. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2004-819935
CDC (2023, Feb 8). Rhabdomyolysis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/rhabdo/who.html
Claudino, J.G., Gabbett, T.J., Bourgeois, F. et al. CrossFit Overview: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Med - Open 4, 11 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-018-0124-5
