CrossFit takes a lot of heat – and some of it, deservedly so. A common critique of the sport/style of training is the increased risk of injury. But, compared to other training styles, we find that this might not be the case.
Studies have shown that the reported injury rate per 1,000 training hours for Crossfit athletes is between 2.1 to 3.1 injuries. For context – 1,000 training hours is a lot of time, and most people probably aren’t hitting that mark in anything less than 2-3 years at a minimum. To add more context, this injury rate is comparable to training styles like Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, and bodybuilding, while being “safer” (by the metrics listed above) to distance running, or other recreational activities like playing basketball.
At the end of the day, your injury risk lies most appropriately with your ability to perform movements properly. Freak accidents happen, but if someone is performing CrossFit movements correctly and coached appropriately, injury risk will be low. If not, it spikes up. But this is not to say that this phenomenon is unique to CrossFit in the slightest. CrossFit has its strengths, its weaknesses, and everything in between – if all other boxes are checked, injury risk should not be the thing holding you back from trying it.
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