As Men’s Health humorously points out, hurricanes and CrossFit have one thing in common: The most “brutal” ones are named after women. The intensity of CrossFit workouts is often a selling point for many people looking to make a lifestyle change and get healthy. The infographic below paints a great picture of just how effective these workouts can be compared to the typical gym workout.
Focusing on the timed workout, “Cindy,” which was studied by researchers at Kennesaw State University in Georgia, we can see how it compares below:
While still not burning as much or more calories than a typical half-hour workout, the Cindy workout, as are other workouts, burns more calories in a shorter amount of time. The Cindy needs to be completed within 20 minutes, and in those 20 minutes you burn around 261 calories while a typical gym routine will burn around 289 in 30 minutes.
“The entire workout contains just three bodyweight exercises, but because the exercises incorporate all your muscles and you do them intensely, the workout is impressive in terms of caloric expenditure.”
Like a hurricane, this is indeed intense and brutal. But that’s the beauty of CrossFit, working hard will deliver some great results and leave you feeling even better.