CrossFit is functional fitness. We hold true that machines are not in the real world so we don’t use machines when we workout- for the most part. The machines I’m referring to are the typical ones we see in a traditional “globo gym”. Working functional movements with a high heart rate has been proven to be the best way to get to be as fit as possible…we don’t deny that but we also know we can add in other things to help us reach our goals.
With that belief, many CrossFit affiliates don’t ever program traditional bodybuilding style exercises in their programming. The reasoning could vary from they don’t know how, they don’t believe in it or they are afraid to go against the grain every now and again. But at Bionic we believe in the opposite. We love all aspects of exercise and believe traditional lifting like curls, tricep ext, bench press and variations there of do have their benefit.
Programming low intensity concentrated movements like curls, tricep ext, shoulder presses or other “bodybuilding” style movements have a huge benefit in muscles hypertrophy- increasing muscle mass and fixing imbalances. Breaking down the body into its various planes of motion and working one side at a time is a great way to making a body more balanced and increases the persons overall level of fitness.
We often program accessory work that includes the above and we even have full days of programming where we keep the intensity low and just focus on slow concentrated movements.
We don’t do it all the time but we do do it.
In the CrossFit world we often hear “hey you want bigger biceps, then do more pull ups” but adding in proper accessory work to increase ones strength in a push or pull range of motion (upper and lower body) is a great way to help increase strength and we often see help members overcome plateaus.
Hypertrophy work is just another way to stimulate muscle growth, burn more calories and create adaptation in the body.
Embrace all types of exercise. Take small tidbits from everything you can and put them in your bag of tools and don’t be afraid to think outside the box and apply them when practical.