High-intensity workouts such as Crossfit can be extremely effective for weight loss when done correctly. According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), men can burn 15 to 18 calories per minute and women can burn 13 to 15 calories per minute when doing these workouts. Crossfit combines cardiovascular, high-intensity and strength training, making it a great way to lose weight in theory. Cardio and high-intensity workouts will immediately impact your calorie balance, as they will burn a lot of calories.
Strength or resistance training works differently, as you won't burn as many calories in a single session compared to a cardio session. However, you'll build muscle mass, which means more work for your body even when you're not doing anything. Therefore, an 80kg person with 30% body fat will burn fewer calories than an 80kg person with 15% body fat. But the success of Crossfit for weight loss depends on how you compensate for all those efforts.
Hard workouts can lead to the assumption that you have burned a lot of calories and, therefore, it doesn't matter what you eat. But that pizza will later exceed the calories burned by a lot and prevent you from losing weight. Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight means living a healthy lifestyle throughout the day, not just when you're in the gym or sitting down to eat. Losing weight requires a calorie deficit that consumes fewer calories than you burn, and that's more important than your training style.
Crossfitters often go Paleo, which promotes eating like your ancestors did and focusing on most of your diet from things you can find in nature. This is a great way to stay motivated throughout your CrossFit weight loss journey. The best way is to have a plan and a starting point, and then use a scale to measure your weight daily under the same circumstances. But if you have your rhythm and can keep up with your diet, Crossfit is a pretty effective and efficient way to lose weight.
Not only do CrossFit workouts help you lose weight through direct fat burning and muscle building, but you'll also see a huge increase in endurance and performance. Focusing on health and goals as a regional CrossFit athlete has opened many doors for me athletically, professionally, mentally and emotionally. How much weight you lose and how quickly you lose depends on a number of factors, including nutrition, stress levels, genetics, and quality of sleep.
