CrossFit was conceptualized by American personal trainer Greg Glassman in 2000. He admitted himself that he did not come up with a new form of working out but created a special merge.

What is CrossFit?

The aim of CrossFit is to develop functional strength and stamina by moving and lifting weights (or our own body weight), doing gymnastic moves, running, cycling or swimming. It forces the whole body to move and includes several types of exercises. Those who attend CrossFit classes regularly can benefit from the gained strength and musculature in various life or other sports situations, whereas bodybuilding in a gym results solely in muscle gain and doesn’t improve the overall physical state.

What is a CrossFit class like?

In most cases, CrossFit is held as a group class during which the attendees are divided into mini groups, engaging in different kinds of exercises. Just as with every other sport, it is key to warm up before the training, stretch your muscles afterwards and do each and every exercise properly while attending a CrossFit class.

The equipment of a CrossFit class might be a bicycle, rope, jumping-rope, medicine ball or kettlebell. Due to the wide range of equipments, this kind of training is never boring, as the number of exercises you can mix is close to infinite.

Famous People Are Doing It Too

A great example is Zac Efron, who needed to get in shape for the shooting of Baywatch. He worked out three times a day and cut sugar out of his diet, so his body fat percentage lowered to 5% (which is quite an achievement if we consider that the average body fat percentage for men is around 10-20%).

Others who chose CrossFit as their workout include Robert Downey Jr. and Hugh Jackman.

Good Work Takes Time

It takes time to see the physical signs of CrossFit on your body, regardless of your (non/existent) fitness history. As you use your whole body during a CrossFit class, all of your muscle groups will develop. If you long for huge biceps or firm thighs specifically, this sport is not for you. In the case of CrossFit, physical appearance is not as important as the gained strength and the consistent development of the body.

Olympic Games for CrossFit Athletes

CrossFit Games is the international competition of CrossFit athletes, which has been organized every year since 2007 in search for the Fittest on Earth™.

The competition is divided into three rounds. The first, 5-week round is called the Open during which you have to complete the ‘Workout of the Day’ put together by the organizers, record it daily, and send it to them. The Open is followed by the CrossFit Regional that is a 3-day long event with various exercises. If you manage to qualify for the CrossFit Games, you never know what comes next: you may as well need to do a triathlon, or negotiate an obstacle course.

Useful Tips on How to Do CrossFit:

1. Cold water may reduce your muscle soreness by 15-20%. It is advisable to have a cold shower after exacting workouts to avoid pain the next day.
2. Since you burn a huge amount of calories during CrossFit trainings, you don’t need to regulate your calorie intake to a great extent. If you work out regularly, feel free to have a few cheat days!
3. During vigorous physical exercises your muscle fibres tear apart and only recover later on. It is essential to sleep eight hours a day so that your body will have time to regenerate and you will have enough energy for the next session.

As organizers of the Dűlőre Futunk (‘Vineyard Run’) charity event and running race taking place in August, they live up to their quoted credo. The 12 kilometer-long challenge offers an amazing panorama of the Káli basin, the volcanic hills and lake Balaton. With their race the Laposas set an excellent example of the new-wave wine marketing, therefore it should come as no surprise that the winery will also be present at the first Running Expo. According to the world-wide trend, sport and wine do not rule out each other, on the contrary, they have much in common. The Portuguese Réccua Douro Ultra Trail and the Marathon du Médoc running-and-tasting located in Bordeaux are two superb examples of this palette, but similar events are held in Italy and Austria, too.

The Running Expo might sound unusual at first, though the concept of such events became fairly popular across the continent – just like the running tournaments organized in wine regions. The famous Le Salon du Running was only a collateral event during the Paris Marathon, but soon after it became one of the major sport festivals of the country. Professionals and amateurs meet, beginners and professionals get together to explore the brand-new sportswear items or listen to the advice of lifestyle consultants and dieticians. These colorful running parades are the ultimate mixture of scientific conferences and family programs – which is exactly what the Hungarian team of the Running Expo would like to create. In France, about 10% of the population runs on a daily basis, meaning that 5.9 million people go for a run every day. In Hungary, this rate is around 1% so far, but the matrimony of wine and running might just be the key to make us start warming up!