Kate Middleton, Jessica Biel, Cameron Diaz, and Vanessa Hudgens are all well-known to include CrossFit in their weekly routines in order to improve their fitness, put on muscle, and lose weight.
For those who are unsure of what CrossFit is, fitness experts at BarBend provide all the information you need, including how many calories it burns, what it entails, the advantages, and how you can perform it at home. A representative for BarBend said, "CrossFit is one of the most effective workouts to build muscle, burn fat, and tone your body, so it's no surprise to see that Kate Middleton is a huge fan.
"The workouts can be challenging, combining weightlifting, gymnastics, and metabolic conditioning, however, the focus is on hitting your next fitness or strength goal, rather than the number on the scales, which helps people forget about their weight and become more confident.
"High-intensity workouts are known to have numerous benefits on mental health, too, from stress relief and sleep quality to confidence and mood."
What is CrossFit?
CrossFit is a workout focused on functional fitness, which includes exercises based on the types of movements you do every day. The concept emphasizes explosive, strength, and endurance-based exercises that push your body and mind through new challenges. Common exercises include squats, snatches, handstands, and pull-ups, using kettlebells, weights, and medicine balls.
How many calories does CrossFit burn?
While everyone is different, CrossFit burns a lot of calories, due to its high-intensity approach. It's estimated you can burn up to 15 calories per minute of CrossFit, with a 60-minute session burning 480 calories on average for a 180lb person.
A typical workout is one hour and is split up into 4 parts including the warm-up (5-10 minutes), strength component (15 minutes), workout of the day (20-30 minutes) and cool down (5 minutes).
Why do this workout?
Variety - It is a great choice, as it combines cardio, strength training, and gymnastics.
Confidence - While the workout isn't for everyone due to its high intensity, it can massively help build confidence, as the aim is to become stronger both mentally and physically, rather than dropping pounds.
Metabolic rate -Strength training is known to burn more calories than cardio alone, as it builds muscle, which increases your resting metabolic rate.
Manages stress - Regular exercise can help to reduce stress and anxiety as it releases a hormone called cortisol. It also helps us to retain focus and be more present, taking time aside to forget about our every day worries.
A better night's sleep - A recent study in Preventive Medicine Reports says that adding some strength training into your routine during the day can actually help improve your quality of sleep. Compared to lighter exercise like a leisurely run, strength training tends to create a bigger surge of adenosine, which promotes drowsiness.
Lower Blood Pressure - At least 31 percent of adults worldwide experience high blood pressure. If left untreated, it can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Exercise is one of the ways that can help improve blood pressure and help decrease the risk of heart disease-related illnesses. CrossFit training specifically has been positively associated with a significant decrease in blood pressure over a period of a year.
Can you try CrossFit at home?
While most people go to a CrossFit gym to do this workout, there are plenty of ways you can get started at home, without splashing out on a membership.
It's a good idea to start adding some key exercises into your weekly workout sessions to get the hang of the foundational movements. These are great for beginners who are curious about this royal-approved workout but aren't quite ready to dive right in.
If you're not already working out regularly, try these exercises out and focus on quality over quantity. These are some of the fundamental movements in CrossFit training.
Burpees
Tuck Jumps
Tricep dips
Push-ups
Handstand push-ups
Skipping
Air squats
Sit-ups
Running (1 mile)
If you are already hitting the gym and feel ready to step up, try the 'Murph' workout, which is a popular CrossFit sequence, involving an intense combo of strength, stamina, and endurance. It may be tough, but you can lower the reps or scale it down if this feels too difficult at first. When you're starting out, you'll likely need to scale the workouts to meet your own level.
An age-old yoga practice, Sun Salutations (or Surya Namaksar) is an excellent way to start the day. This sequence of 12 powerful yoga poses is not only beneficial for your body, but it revitalizes your mind as well. By linking your breath with your movements, the sequence of poses takes your body through a full range of motions.
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