Is Crossfit safe to do?

Sure it is safe. And yes, injuries do occur. I have been Crossfitting for over a year now and I have seen injuries come and go with only a couple myself.

Usually, the only problem with Crossfit is the athlete themself. Trying to do something too hard for them, pushing themselves during fatigue to often, not working on their weaknesses, not listening to the trainer/coach, not performing perfect reps…these are the main reasons why people get injured.

Part of the “problem” is also the frequency of training - a lot of people (me included), train 6 days per week. unless you are used to that volume of work, you will fatigue and be more prone to injury.

Crossfit, despite all the naysayers out there, is safe because they “scale” the workouts - that is jargon to say that the alter or modify the exercise to suit your abilities. Instead of a 24“ box jump, you can do 20” or 10“ or even just jumping onto a 2” plate or just stepping onto a plate. it doesn't matter…what matters is that you are able to do it safely and consistently.

I have written 2 blog posts on this topic…
Why do injuries seem to occur with Crossfit?
Lowering the Crossfit rate of injury

I hope you try Crossfit but do it in a safe way. If you don't like one crossfit gym, try another one - they are all different. I train where I work - at Reebok Crossfit GCS in Marrickville, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Antony Lo
The Physio Detective
APA Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist and CrossFitter :)

P.S. My 2 injuries came because 1. i tried to lift too much with poor technique instead of a lower weight with good technique. 2. Again, i tried to do too much under fatigue. Each time was my own fault. Each injury was thankfully minor because I recognised the warning signs and only took a week or 2 to settle down.

Yes but you must have good instruction on intensity a duration of sessions.

Crossfit is safe if done properly and by that I mean good form / technique. It also depends on your history of exercise, your current level of fitness and existing injuries / current physical ailments.

Crossfit can be intense so if your level of fitness is low the key to safe exercise is progressive overload in frequency and intensity of exercise. Avoid going too hard too soon.

Ali