Why is this interesting? - The CrossFit Edition

Colin here. CrossFit is one of those topics that everyone seems to have an opinion on. The detractors cite its cult-like following, probability of injury, and some of its hoo-rah bravado. Those that like it (myself included) cite community, a fairly well-rounded approach to developing musculature, impacts on endurance and mobility, and the focus that comes from doing something really hard.

When you look around your average CrossFit “box”, the stripped down spaces that many of the gyms inhabit, there’s a pretty good cross-section ranging from professional athletes, people getting back on the fitness wagon, and the striving intermediates (ahem) that are trying to level up.

The origins of the workout are interesting. It was started by Greg Glassman, a former gymnast turned personal trainer, who eventually found a foothold working out the Santa Cruz Police Department. From there CrossFit spread to Seattle and, eventually, around the world and back again thanks to its popularity on military bases and with veterans returning home.

Today, CrossFit is rapidly expanding its base. What started as a culture of former military, hardcore athletes, and rabid fans, has organically expanded into new, and sometimes surprising, audiences. The most important thing that people are learning is the workouts can be adapted for almost anyone.

One of those unexpected audiences is the elderly. CBS highlighted a recent example of a 77 year old Crossfitter, Jacinto Bonito. While he’s probably an edge case, there’s starting to be more and more stories of a whole new demographic benefitting from the sport.

Why is this interesting?

Turns out that a lot of the things that are core to fitness when you’re young are equally important to older adults. In the words of CrossFit founder Greg Glassman:

Your needs and the Olympic athlete’s differ by degree not kind. Increased power, strength, cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, flexibility, stamina, coordination, agility, balance, and coordination are each important to the world’s best athletes and to our grandparents. The amazing truth is that the very same methods that elicit optimal response in the Olympic or professional athlete will optimize the same response in the elderly.

To be clear, this doesn’t mean that just anyone should walk off the street into squat thrusters and burpees, but it does mean that some of the basic movements the sport emphasizes can be heavily modified and made accessible to all. Take this eight-week study of a group with a sedentary lifestyle and poor fitness levels. At the end of the workouts (which were heavily modified from what’d you’d see in a typical box), participants saw increased lower-body flexibility, aerobic endurance, agility, and dynamic balance. According to the study, “an 84-year-old lady shared that the previous day they had an outing, and while the bus driver usually had to bring her a step to go up on the bus, this time she managed to go up and down without the need for the step. Although it might not sound like much, to her it meant regaining some of her lost independence.”

The benefits were directly related to improving the day-to-day. While I hadn’t ever thought about it, the muscles I’m working as I struggle through lifts and squats at 6am play a big role in the basic daily tasks of carrying groceries and climbing stairs. What's more, the group in the study cited the positive social and community aspects. It’s a far cry from the more hardcore roots of the brand, but its clear there are benefits when conducted safely by specially trained coaches. It’s worth watching some of the stories of people who are reclaiming their health in a fairly unexpected way. (CJN)

Map of the Day:

Friend and WITI reader Reilly sent in this map along with quick recommendation: “Lin Wilson does great infographics and recently started doing these consumer maps of retail experiences. Not super scientific, but revealing.”

As always, if you’ve got links or maps or charts or anything else you think we should share. Please send them our way. You can just reply to this email or get us at noahandcolin@whyisthisinteresting.com.

Quick Links:

The Sackler family and their poisoning of America has been a frequent topic in WITI (5/17, 4/25, 3/20). Well, for the first time the family has spoken out. Or at least one member of the family. In an exclusive interview for Vanity Fair, David Sackler, who served on the Purdue board from 2012-2018, wants to let everyone know he doesn’t think it’s fair that people hate his family and won’t let him be part of Manhattan high society (he had to move to Palm Beach!). He even goes with the “woke toddler” meme: “My four-year-old came home from nursery school and asked, ‘Why are my friends telling me that our family’s work is killing people?’ ” I didn’t think I could like these folks less, but here we are. (NRB)
Since we’ve been talking about maps over the last week (WITI 6/19 & 6/20), I was reminded of this excellent series of posts from Justin O’Beirne on the evolution of Google and Apple Maps. (NRB)
Hopefully you’ve subscribed to the Quartermaster already (authors of WITI 6/7, The Green Beret Edition), but if not their email about SMARCH, “Security, Massive hemorrhage, Airway, Respiration, Circulation, and Hypothermia”, was fascinating. (NRB)

Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN)