CrossFit was recently hailed as the ACSM’s top fitness trend of 2019, despite its humble beginnings as a fledgling fitness regimen in the vein of Jazzercise and Zumba. Its massive success is far-reaching in the fitness world, and alongside such popular concepts as Ketogenic diets and newly discovered essential supplements. All told, the numbers generated by CrossFit’s dominion are telling of its influence, and the bright future that it may very well enjoy.
CrossFit: a Decade in Review
With the coming of the new decade, CrossFit is at the height of its popularity, with 13,000 gyms established worldwide. Additionally, the CrossFit Games, the high-octane athletic games that the community began in 2007 kept going strong in the 10s, peaking at 415,000 participants to the Open in 2018. The performances displayed in these games have been one of the most invaluable drivers for the improvement of workouts and movement standards, with the best of the best showing trainers and trainees what works and what doesn’t.
The Future of Fitness & Technology
Looking at how high-tech and ergonomic CrossFit equipment has become, it is likely that the future of CrossFit will see even more technologically enhanced workouts. That means better-engineered equipment and improved wearable fitness aids. Better biometric sensors in those wearables will allow CrossFitters to show their stats to their physicians and get a better read on their fitness results.
The Workout of the Day, Going Forward
The concept of the Quantified Self is becoming more and more prevalent in the technological mainstream, alongside such bold ideas as the Internet of Things. Thus, the CrossFit WODs of tomorrow will be geared towards doing not just more in a shorter amount of time, but with greater intensity and longevity as well.
The CrossFit Games will become an even bigger force for the evolution of CrossFit WODs, especially since the money involved is driving coaching to greater heights. At the moment, it seems that CrossFit’s jack-of-all-trades style is limiting its overall improvement. However, just as the Decathlon proves, a master of none is ultimately better than a master of one.
From a single gym and a man with a dream, CrossFit has come a long way. Considering their expansion and highly optimistic and eager followers, one can reasonably speculate that CrossFit can only go higher in the coming decade.