Training Load Through Heart Rate and Perceived Exertion During Crossfit®

Abstract

Introduction: Monitoring of CrossFit® training load should be considered to facilitate training outcomes and avoid overtraining. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine the heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and internal load responses to each segment of a CrossFit® training session. Methods: An observational, cross-sectional design was used in this study. Fifteen healthy male recreational athletes with at least six months experience in CrossFit® training participated in this study. Seven non-consecutive CrossFit® training sessions consisting of mobility, warm-up, skill, and workout segments were performed with a minimum of 48 hours between sessions. Exercise modalities within sessions were constantly varied according to the CrossFit® training programming template. HR was measured every two minutes throughout each session. Peak HR, average HR, RPE after each segment, and session RPE were recorded. Results: HR significantly increased during each segment of the training sessions (p < 0.01), except between the warm-up and skill segments (p = 0.180). Mean total session HR was 65.1 ± 5.4% HRmax and peak HR was 95.3 ± 4.1% HRmax. RPE and internal load increased significantly in each segment (p < 0.05). While intensity measurements increased during CrossFit® training, the HR responses differed from the RPE and internal load. Conclusion: When switching from one segment to another, HR fell below the HRpeak of the previous segment, which shows that the time spent switching between the training segments influenced the average HR of the entire session. Level of evidence III; Case control study; Investigating the results of treatment.

Physiological effects of regular CrossFit® training and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic—A systematic review

“…The included studies of Part A ( n = 8) of this systematic review are most of a cross-sectional design. Here, physiological responses to CrossFit ® training are described in terms of pre- and post-training ( n = 5) ( Cronin et al, 2016 ; Tibana et al, 2016 ; Carreker and Grosicki, 2020 ; García-Fernández et al, 2021 ; Dias et al, 2022 ) and/or compared between groups ( n = 3) ( Cavedon et al, 2020 ; Faelli et al, 2020 ; Meier et al, 2022b ). Study sample sizes range from 9 to 50 participants, with more than half of the studies including only men ( n = 5) ( Tibana et al, 2016 ; Carreker and Grosicki, 2020 ; Cavedon et al, 2020 ; Faelli et al, 2020 ; Dias et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Here, physiological responses to CrossFit ® training are described in terms of pre- and post-training ( n = 5) ( Cronin et al, 2016 ; Tibana et al, 2016 ; Carreker and Grosicki, 2020 ; García-Fernández et al, 2021 ; Dias et al, 2022 ) and/or compared between groups ( n = 3) ( Cavedon et al, 2020 ; Faelli et al, 2020 ; Meier et al, 2022b ). Study sample sizes range from 9 to 50 participants, with more than half of the studies including only men ( n = 5) ( Tibana et al, 2016 ; Carreker and Grosicki, 2020 ; Cavedon et al, 2020 ; Faelli et al, 2020 ; Dias et al, 2022 ). Among the participants, the inclusion criteria of four studies are at least 6 months of CrossFit ® experience ( Tibana et al, 2016 ; Carreker and Grosicki, 2020 ; Meier et al, 2022b ; Dias et al, 2022 ), two studies at least 12 months ( Cavedon et al, 2020 ; Faelli et al, 2020 ), and one study at least 18 months ( García-Fernández et al, 2021 ); however, in one study the training status “well-trained” is not further specified ( Cronin et al, 2016 ).…”

“…Study sample sizes range from 9 to 50 participants, with more than half of the studies including only men ( n = 5) ( Tibana et al, 2016 ; Carreker and Grosicki, 2020 ; Cavedon et al, 2020 ; Faelli et al, 2020 ; Dias et al, 2022 ). Among the participants, the inclusion criteria of four studies are at least 6 months of CrossFit ® experience ( Tibana et al, 2016 ; Carreker and Grosicki, 2020 ; Meier et al, 2022b ; Dias et al, 2022 ), two studies at least 12 months ( Cavedon et al, 2020 ; Faelli et al, 2020 ), and one study at least 18 months ( García-Fernández et al, 2021 ); however, in one study the training status “well-trained” is not further specified ( Cronin et al, 2016 ). Adherence to the CrossFit ® training principles of the interventions is present across the majority through training at an affiliated training center and supervision by CrossFit ® Level 1 or Level 2 trainer ( Cronin et al, 2016 ; Cavedon et al, 2020 ; Faelli et al, 2020 ; Meier et al, 2022b ).…”

“…Adherence to the CrossFit ® training principles of the interventions is present across the majority through training at an affiliated training center and supervision by CrossFit ® Level 1 or Level 2 trainer ( Cronin et al, 2016 ; Cavedon et al, 2020 ; Faelli et al, 2020 ; Meier et al, 2022b ). In addition, interventions are implemented according to the CrossFit ® training programming template ( Carreker and Grosicki, 2020 ; Dias et al, 2022 ) or movements standards set by the International Functional Fitness Federation (iF3) ( García-Fernández et al, 2021 ), and subjects are selected from the ECP community ( Tibana et al, 2016 ). In accordance with the inclusion criteria of this review, the length of training protocols range from 30 to 60 min.…”

“…Thereby, multiple training sessions in full extent consistent with the official ‘CrossFit ® Level 1 Training Guide’ are found. Four studies analyzed standard 1-h training sessions that typically consisted of Warm-up and Mobility exercises, Skill/Power training, the WOD, and Cool-down segments in this or a similar setup ( Cronin et al, 2016 ; Faelli et al, 2020 ; Meier et al, 2022a ; Dias et al, 2022 ). Another four investigated training sessions of CrossFit ® -specific Warm-up, followed by AMRAP- or FT-workouts with strength and power exercises, gymnastic movements, and metabolic conditioning ( Tibana et al, 2016 ; García-Fernández et al, 2021 ), or “Hero”-WODs, namely, ‘Fran’ consisting of 21–15–9 repetitions thrusters (95/65 lb) and pull-ups ( Cavedon et al, 2020 ) and ‘Murph’ consisting of 1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats, 1-mile run ( Carreker and Grosicki, 2020 ).…”