Know the Importance of the Weightlifting Modality in Cross Training

In CrossFit, there are different modalities one of which is the bodyweight modality and the other the weightlifting modality. One thing you should know as an athlete is that during CrossFit training, you have the option of concentrating on one modality and not giving much effort to the others. However, the danger of this approach is that you will become a specialist in one and lose the ability to perform the other tasks across the board.

It’s therefore important not to be persuaded that one modality is superior to another. In your CrossFit journey, fitness, and life, they are all equal.

Common Weightlifting Movements

There are several weightlifting movements you will encounter while attending CrossFit training sessions, each exercising a certain section of your body and a specific group of muscles. Some of the common ones include:

• Deadlift –This is further divided into sumo and conventional deadlift movements such as Olympic lifting or powerlifting.
• Squat –This is a staple in CrossFit, and it has variations which include back squat, front squat, overhead squat, and Zercher squat.
• Press –This is arguably one of the most common weightlifting movements. It is divided into a number of variations some of which are push jerk, push press, sprint jerk, bench press, squat jerk, and strict.
• Dumbbell and Kettlebell –These weightlifting movements also have their own variations.

It is evident from the above list of movements that weightlifting differs to a great measure from gymnastics. While it is true that both weightlifting and gymnastics have simplistic movements such as deadlift and push-up respectively, they also have complex movements such as snatch and the butterfly pull-up.

When working any of the above weightlifting movements under the CrossFit training sessions, especially the Olympic variations snatch and clean & jerk, you are preparing the body system to apply more force to your muscle groups in a proper sequence which means starting from the core to extremity.

The beauty with CrossFit is that Olympic weightlifting is oftentimes done and made readily available to everyone. Instead of doing isolated movement patterns, it helps a lot to do complex movements because this is part of our human nature.

Benefits of Weightlifting Movements

Every time the word weightlifting is mentioned, images of people doing bench presses and curls conjure up. However, the truth is, there is more to weightlifting than curls and bench presses. There are lots of benefits associated with this modality and below are a few of them.

Muscle Addition and Fat Burning –When you lift weights, you will build muscle. Everyone loves being ripped, bulky, toned, and shredded. Adding muscle involves fat burning which in the end gives you a lean body mass.

Training Your Body on Correct Movements –Your body and that of other athletes naturally moves in patterns that are familiar. It is therefore upon you to train it on how to move efficiently and correctly. This is why going through those barbell drills, dip pulls, dip shrug, and other CrossFit workouts help. They engrain a specific movement pattern into the memory of your muscle.

Apart from the above, there are health benefits such as improvement in coordination, activation of motor units, burning of visceral fat, as well as enhancing your VO2 max.