PHONE (619)228-9739 / FAX (619)228-9768

How does a CrossFit WOD effect the Body?

By: Clint Russell, DPT

Our goal is to help each and every one of our clients lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.  Lots of people join a gym with the goal of losing weight.  We have been told for years that in order to lose weight, we need to adhere to the standard American Diet, and do longer duration aerobic exercise for 20-30 min at least.  The fallacies of the SAD diet are for another post, but I will detail how the  before mentioned methodology is largely ineffective, and why shorter higher intensity exercise is significantly more effective.

To lose weight be have been told that we need to expend more calories than we take in.  We can cut back our calories, and increase our exercise, and weight should fall off.  Expect that it doesn’t, as many of you reading this already know.  This fails to take into account the most important factor in weight loss, hormones.  If we cut our calories back, our body down regulates our basal metabolic rate or calories burned at rest.  This causes our body to release cortisol.  This is a stress hormone that will increase fat storage, and lead to elevated blood sugar, which will cause the body  sugar cravings.  When we add long duration exercise, the body releases more cortisol.  This is supposed to happen to a certain level, but it gets out of whack if we have cut our calories and ultimately leads to a dysregulated metabolism.

Now where does CrossFit come in.  The body has different energy systems.  Each has a different fuel source, muscle fiber type, and job.  Our aerobic system is fueled by oxygen, goes indefinitely, and produces low force and speed.  Our glycolytic system produces more power for about 2 min.  A by product of this system is acidosis.  This is the burn in your legs.  Our phospocreating system is max force and speed for about 10 seconds.

Now the number one factor in producing adaption(results), is strength of stimulus(intensity).  During high intensity short duration exercise, we reach a much higher heart rate and recruit a much higher percentage of our overall musculature.  Now the body only uses the muscles it thinks it needs for the task, so if we are in our anaerobics systems, it is because we have exhausted the capacity of our aerobic systems.  In other words, we are never truly anaerobic, we are utilizing both systems.

Energy-Systems-Chart-300x216

For weight loss, long duration low intensity training, burns calories while during the activity, and then the heart rate returns to normal.  Anaerobic training burns calories during the activity, but the heart rate remains elevated above resting for sometimes multiple hours after training.  This is called the afterburn.  This type of activity causes you to have an elevated metabolism and burn significantly more calories for the rest of the day while you rest!  Who doesn’t want that.  This allows you to get significantly more bang for your buck, get stronger, and do all this in a lot less time.  Because you are doing so many less repetitions than long duration training, the cortisol release is minimized.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CALL US!

Simply fill out the form below to request a Phone Consultation with us!
Shortly after, we will get in touch with you!
We are excited to meet you!

Alyssa Tieber, DPT

I started my CrossFit journey in 2017 at Crossfit Templum, and have gained many  friendships, business partners and relationships for life. Let’s not forget to mention that I have also gained muscles!

With dedication and hard work I lost about 50lbs. I am surrounded by great coaches and people that push hard for themselves and for others. In 2019, I made the decision to become a coach and lead like they do.

ONE DAY OR DAY ONE , YOU DECIDE.

CERTIFICATIONS

CrossFit Level 1 Certification

Melissa Rollenhagen, DPT

Melissa has always had a love of sports that led to her career as a Physical Therapist. She was born and raised in Michigan and attended Central Michigan University to earn her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Her husband’s career in the Navy recently brought her to San Diego. She has been practicing for 13 years with an emphasis on sports related injuries and rehabilitation. She has a passion for helping people achieve their goals and live their best lives.

CLINT RUSSELL, DPT

Founder & CEO

Bryan “Clint” Russell, DPT: Clint decided to go to PT school after years of running a gym and researching how to help himself and others stay strong and prevent and rehab injuries. A native Texan, he played football and rant rack in high school. He attended Texas A&M before relocating to San Diego with the Navy. Prior to attending PT school through University of St. Augustine, he worked as an instructor at SERE school. He is the owner of CrossFit Coronado and runs the PT practice alongside the gym.

MEMBERSHIP HOLD REQUEST

To Request a membership hold, please fill out the form below. Warning, by filling out this form your membership will not be put on hold. This form is simply a way to let us know you would like to request a membership hold. We will then review your request, then reach out to you to confirm.

MEMBERSHIP CANCELLATION REQUEST

Please fill out the form below and one of our team members will review your request. Warning. The submission of this form does not cancel your membership. We will review your request, then reach out to confirm.

HAVE QUESTIONS?

We Would Love To Meet You!

Simply fill out the form below
& one of our amazing
coaches will be in touch asap! We are excited to meet you!

OUR PRICING IS SIMPLE

We Want To Offer You
The PERFECT Membership For YouR NEEDS.

Simply fill out the form below
& one of our amazing staff members
will send you our current options.