Crossfit for children and adolescents: features and rules of classes

CrossFit is becoming more and more popular with kids and teenagers as well as adults who want to get in shape. This intense training approach can be modified for younger participants and emphasizes functional movements. Children and teenagers can enhance their strength, coordination, and general fitness in a fun and interesting way by adding CrossFit into their routine.

When contemplating CrossFit for younger athletes, it’s critical to comprehend the particular characteristics and guidelines of these programs. Kids’ CrossFit sessions are designed to be age-appropriate and prioritize skill development, safety, and enjoyment, in contrast to adult workouts. This post will discuss the unique aspects of CrossFit for kids and provide advice on how to make the program enjoyable and successful.

Through age-appropriate exercises, Crossfit is a fun, structured way to help kids and teenagers gain confidence, strengthen their bodies, and improve their coordination. Its main goals are to keep children moving, teach them good movement skills, and promote teamwork. But, it’s crucial to adhere to certain guidelines, like making sure there is enough supervision, utilizing modified exercise regimens, and placing a higher priority on safety to prevent harm. When done properly, Crossfit can help kids maintain their fitness, form wholesome habits, and love exercise.

What is crossfit for children?

A scaled-down version of adult crossfit training is called children’s crossfit. These classes are designed with all the fundamentals of traditional crossfit in mind; that is, their goal is to improve a person’s endurance, strength, balance, speed, flexibility, and other attributes. They are multifaceted and practical, they address various issues, and they can form the foundation of any game or strength sport, as well as athletics and martial arts. The fact that crossfit contributes to maintaining good health and improving every day is particularly significant. Furthermore, play and enjoyment are undoubtedly incorporated into children’s training, particularly when working with the youngest client groups.

Trainers incorporate unique and engaging activities into the lesson plans to keep the children engaged, such as walking and jumping like bears, crabs, tigers, and dinosaurs.

Benefits and harms

• The crossfit training combines several sports areas at once, which ensures the versatile development of the physical qualities of children and excludes boredom. By attending such classes, the child becomes agile, strong, flexible and resilient, his precision of movements and the body"s performance improve.
• During classes, children learn the technique of physical exercises and lay the foundation for general physical training. This reduces the risk of injury in the future and strengthens the musculoskeletal system of children. The load is selected individually, taking into account the physical fitness of the child and his past sports experience.
• Regular attendance of training is the prevention of many health problems that arise due to low mobility. According to doctors, the physical activity of modern schoolchildren is much lower than it was 20-30 years ago. A few physical education lessons a week are not enough, because the WHO recommends physical activity every day for 1 hour.
• Studying crossfit, the child receives a portion of good emotions, which also has a beneficial effect on the work of his brain. Research has confirmed that physical exercise has a positive effect on thinking and learning.
• By attending a group with other children, a child will find new friends with whom he will be interested in competing in the gym, acquiring new skills. CrossFit pays great attention to the "community" – friendly communication between club members, supporting each other during training and outside the gym. This undoubtedly has a positive effect on the communication skills of young athletes.

Regarding the drawbacks of kid-friendly CrossFit, a lot of parents worry that the intense training and activities will be detrimental to their kids. Children’s CrossFit does not harm them; in fact, if the training regimen is moderately intense, they will be under the supervision of an experienced instructor and be able to recover fully at home with proper nutrition and enough sleep.

There are two things that need to be considered in order to lower the risks that classes pose to the child’s health. First and foremost, you must select a club and a trainer sensibly. A trainer with the necessary training and experience working with children should lead the session. He will skillfully design a program, omitting exercises that might be harmful and accounting for the athletes’ ages.

Second, parents ought to take their infant to the doctor to have his health examined and to obtain clearance to exercise.

The child must also be made aware of the importance of paying attention to himself while receiving instruction. Should any issues emerge, the young athlete ought to notify the trainer right away.

Division into age groups

Children who come to the gym to do CrossFit are split up into multiple age groups.

• Children under 6 years old. Some sections invite young clients from 4 or even 3 years old. It all depends on the education and specialization of the trainer.
• Children 7-9 years old. This is the most common group of children"s crossfit, as younger students are very active and need to switch attention after lessons and homework.
• Children 10-12 years old. At this age, the training program is already more complicated, elements of training for adults are included (work with additional weights).
• Teenagers. This category includes children aged 13-17, and the most prepared and active children can already participate in competitions.

Functional features of training

Children’s CrossFit, like adult CrossFit, offers a wide variety in contrast to traditional fitness. WOD (workout of the day) is the cornerstone of every new training program that is implemented each day. It is based on a number of principles, such as having you complete a specific number of repetitions of every exercise in the time allotted by the trainer as fast as possible (AFAP) or completing a specific number of repetitions of the same exercise at the beginning of every minute (such training is called EMOM).

Every workout must start with a warm-up meant to get the body ready for action. Children can begin their exercise routine with lunges, "air" squats, long jumps, "bear walks," and jogging. Then, there is a development block in many gyms. It gives you 15 to 30 minutes to practice difficult or novel skills. The child will learn new exercises and master the technique during this portion of the lesson.

The trainer will consider three distinct CrossFit exercise directions when designing a WOD.

• M (Metabolic/Cardio). A good cardio load during CrossFit classes is provided by jumping rope, treadmills, a special bike (Air Bike), a rowing machine, a ski machine (Ski Erg).
• G (Gymnastics). This direction includes various exercises that help develop balance, flexibility and coordination. These include jumping, pull-ups, handstands, "corner", somersaults, push-ups, etc.
• W (Strength). In strength work, there is both training with your own weight and exercises with weights, a barbell, heavy balls, a sandbag, dumbbells.

The exercises in the daily workout typically come from two modalities (medium load), one modality (light workout), or all three modalities (high load).

For kids and teens, CrossFit can be a great way to increase physical fitness, boost self-esteem, and foster a love of movement. Youth athletes can safely reap the benefits of strength, endurance, and flexibility training with the right guidance and age-appropriate exercises.

Instead of putting too much pressure on athletes to perform well, parents and coaches should emphasize having fun and having good experiences. Prioritizing safety above all else means that each session should include appropriate warm-ups, technique, and supervision.

Ultimately, CrossFit promotes self-discipline, teamwork, resilience, and the development of lifetime healthy habits in kids and teens. When done correctly, it’s a fun way for them to maintain their physical and mental strength.

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