CrossFit for women: what are the psychology benefits?

CrossFit for women is often seen as too dangerous, too intense or what-have-you but the truth is that the “Sport of Fitness” is highly beneficial if we take into consideration more than just the physical aspect.

Helps improve autonomy

As time goes by, we lose physical autonomy. This means that we progressively become more dependent for even the simplest tasks. As a consequence, we usually develop feelings of sadness and helplessness.

One of the goals of CrossFit is to help slow this process in order to keep our autonomy for as long as possible. We want our athletes to be able to stand up from a seated position, pick something up from the ground and carry bags at later stages in life.

Contributes to challenging gender roles and stereotypes

“Muscle doesn’t look good on women”

“If you do CrossFit you’ll look like a man”

…and all that good stuff.

Even though many try to negate this fact, the reality is that society has a tough time pairing women with the physical expression of strength. That’s the manliest of man worlds.

And that’s exactly why sports like CrossFit are so important. We perform the same movements, we seek the same stimulus and on occasions the allotted work is the exact same for all athletes.

There is no gender discrimination and that’s one of the things I love the most about this sport. You’re allowed to go toe-to-toe with male athletes and prove your worth.

Even at the peak of the sport you can see this effect. Toomey beating every single athlete in the Swim Paddle, Kari Pearce coming in first overall in Mary or Camille Leblanc-Bazinet being the only athlete to do the bar portion of the 21-15-9 complex unbroken is a testament to the potential women have for sports.

Alleviates anxiety symptoms

Excessive worrying over unfinished tasks and uncertain outcomes is more common in women. We suffer anxiety symptoms twice as often than men.

CrossFit for women is a positive resource when it comes to dealing with anxiety. Liberation of endorphins helps with pain and stress, because it produces a sense of happiness that counterattacks the neurophysiological effects of anxiety.

Also, CrossFit for women serves as a great distracting task. It takes up all of our attention: the workout, the movements, the intensity… This’ll help keep our worries away (if only for a little while).

Improves self-confidence

I’ve seen it in myself, in my mom and in my soccer teammates… women have less confidence in their physical prowess. And as we saw in another article, insecurity can become an obstacle.

I’m scared of jumping. I’m scared of catching heavy snatches. I’m scared of trying ring supports. And the list goes on and on. However I see guys that are fearless in the box. They hang on the rings, they go crazy on the bar and they load the barbell with endless weights even if technique is still non-existent. And I envy their audacity.

Now, thanks to CrossFit, I’ve tried max height box jumps. I’ve tried to go for RMs in the snatch and I’ve practiced ring supports. Am I still scared to try all that? Yes ma’am. Do I let it stop me? No!

CrossFit for women is meant to push out of your comfort zone but providing the necessary tools so you can do it at your own speed. If you’re ready to do a handstand on your first day you’ll have your own progression. If you’re still scared of getting inverted you’ll have another. The end goal is that all of us perform handstand pushups at some point.

Try for yourself

If you were too scared to try CrossFit because you thought it was some gladiator-type deal, I hope I’ve managed to change your mind. Go visit a box near you and give it a try. You’ll be surprised to see what your body can do. Psychological benefits will exert a positive influence in your life in general.