Is CrossFit Dangerous?
Absolutely—But Not in the Way You Think.
If you’ve spent any time Googling “CrossFit,” you’ve probably seen the headlines: “Is CrossFit Dangerous?” or “The Risk of Injury in CrossFit Training.” Articles like the 2013 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research study (later retracted due to faulty data and a lawsuit) or the occasional opinion piece in The New York Times love to stoke the fire that CrossFit is some sort of gladiator arena where people walk in healthy and limp out broken.
A more recent article that I enjoyed reading speaks to the “dangers.” Give it a read!
But let’s be honest—if we’re talking about real danger, here’s the truth: We are, as a nation, quite unhealthy. There are plenty of reasons for it and each person is facing their own individual challenges to live healthy. The most dangerous part of CrossFit is what it does to the status quo. The norm. Your normal. It pushes you to consider your lifestyle choices, but even more so it shows you what’s possible, what you’re capable of. It is dangerous because it will challenge what you think about yourself.
When people say “CrossFit is dangerous,” I smile and nod in agreement. Yep, it’s dangerous because it has the potential to change you. It can teach you lessons that few things can. It can provide a community of people who care about your health and wellness like few places can. It can introduce you to people who are also invested in growing and improving and that can be a powerful change mechanism. It can give you a staff of coaches who have a collective wealth of knowledge that they love to share. It’s dangerous because it builds resilience, discipline, and strength and that spills over into every part of your life. It’s dangerous because it connects you with a community that refuses to let you settle for “good enough” when they know you’re capable of so much more.
And physically? Sure, it’s “dangerous” in the sense that you might suddenly find yourself lifting weight you never thought you could, running farther than you ever imagined, or simply feeling better in your own skin. That’s the kind of danger worth experiencing and celebrating.
So yes—CrossFit is dangerous. But not because of what some of the headlines say. It’s dangerous because it makes you stronger, healthier, and more resilient than you’ve ever been. And once you feel that change, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner.
