For those of you unsure of what ❤ means – it is a “heart.”

I “heart” brutal workouts.

Do you think this is cool?

That was the sign hanging from one of the crossfits around here.

And every time I see it, I get annoyed.

There recently has become an obsession with gnarly, brutal workouts. People want to seem “bad-ass” even if it means risking injury.

Like even the other day at the gym, a new woman in her 40s said to me, “I was doing insanity before I came here.”

I said, “Oh yea?”

This woman has movement patterns that NEED improvement. She can’t do half the moves yet and she has no aerobic endurance so the idea of her doing insanity made me cringe.

She said, “Yea it’s super intense. You like want to pass out.”

AHHHHHHHHH!

She was doing these workouts because they were known to be “brutal.” She decided that because they were “brutal” they must be good.(And note when I say “doing” these workouts, she wasn’t actually doing the workout as it was laid out….just like half the people now aren’t truly “doing” crossfit.)

She was doing “brutal” workouts because that is what is cool even though her body wasn’t NEAR ready to handle them!

And what happened?

SHE GOT INJURED!

Yep she came into us with an injury. AND on top of that, her movement patterns were bad enough that it was only a matter of time before she developed other injuries that could affect her for the rest of her life.

BUT it didn’t really matter that she got injured. She still liked the workouts…She still RAVED about the workouts.

Why?

BECAUSE THEY ARE BRUTAL. And apparently brutal is the new cool.

WHY!?!

SERIOUSLY WHY!?!

Why is doing some so intense that half the people who do it get injured cool?

And don’t get me wrong, I love an intense workout as much as the next person. I LOVE pushing myself hard.

But I want a purpose. I want a goal. I want to be pushing myself hard in a way that is actually going to get me results – make me move better, feel better and be healthier!

Can we please stop promoting barfing, passing out and injury as the measure of if a workout is good?

Can we get back to a focus on progression and workouts that actually drive you toward some goal?

Are you brutal workout obsessed? Do you get it?

Please…someone explain to me this obsession with brutal workouts!