Why CrossFit

Dr. Shveta Raju, MD, MBA, DABOM, CF-L2

Dr. Dinesh Raju, MD, PhD, CF-L3

“Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity.” -Hippocrates

We have a son who just graduated from middle school and a daughter currently in middle school. When people ask us, “Do you still recommend medicine to your children?” we say without hesitation, “Yes.” Despite all of the challenges we face practicing within the current US medical system, we love our daily work. We have the opportunity to bring the full spectrum of our years of study, training and practice to the benefit of the single person in the exam room with us, day in and day out. We develop relationships with our patients and their families; supporting them through illness and wellness. We train and teach our staff, medical students, residents and newly board-certified physicians. It’s a privilege and a tremendous responsibility that we never take for granted.

As outpatient physicians, we see 20-30 patients in our clinics each day. Our patient population is very similar to the patient population across the country – over 70% are overweight or obese, living sedentary lifestyles, and over-consuming highly processed foods. More than ever, patients are working from home, isolated from the broader community, and frequently dependent on substances (prescribed and unprescribed) to manage their moods and mental health throughout the day.

Although the 10-15 minutes we get to spend with our patients can result in a positive impact on their health, we are more aware than ever that those few minutes are not enough time to help our patients change their lifestyles in a meaningful way. It takes time to have discussions on how to improve their metabolic health, reduce their risk of dementia, or even explain to them what we mean when we say, “we can prescribe this medicine or you can work on your diet and exercise, and we can see you back in 3 months.”

Fortunately, as physicians who have been actively training and studying CrossFit (Dr. Dinesh Raju since 2013 and Dr. Shveta Raju since 2018), we have the knowledge and tools to guide our patients and colleagues to the right “diet and exercise.” Our CrossFit education from the L1 and L2 courses were grounded in the CrossFit methodology as outlined in “What is Fitness?.” The L1 manual is the core foundation of the system that we know works. So how can we bring this to our patients? How can we reach more people who can benefit from this system?

We submit that the first step is acknowledging, CrossFit is different. CrossFit is CrossFit. It is not the 20-45 minute workouts that are sold in F45, Orange Theory, Barry’s Boot Camp or the hundreds of other “functional fitness,”  “HIIT,” or “boot camp” gyms all around the country and even the world. It’s not CrossFit unless you are running and swimming in addition to rowing and biking. It’s not CrossFit unless you have days when the workout is 3 minutes (Fran) and days when the working is 50 minutes (Murph). It’s not CrossFit unless you are going fast, going hard, going heavy, getting upside down, and working towards improvement. And it’s not CrossFit if you don’t have connections to a strong local and worldwide community.

In addition to the variability in training movements and time domains, CrossFit emphasizes gymnastics and weightlifting – heavy weightlifting – in a way that no other program accessible to people of all backgrounds and skill levels can. When our patients tell us they are doing strength training, and we ask them how heavy they deadlift or back squat, they rarely mention a number higher than a 25-pound dumbbell.

While evaluating various credentialing options for fitness professionals, the CrossFit training path (L1, L2, L3, and L4) stands apart in terms of its high quality and standards. As physicians, we know that learning to diagnose and treat human disease requires learning from more senior physicians. Coaching human movement is no different – it’s best learned in person from another human. The CrossFit training courses provide valuable in-person education instilling the depth and breadth of the CrossFit methodology.

The CrossFit community is rooted in the individual affiliate. Coaches in the affiliate hold a standard. Whether it be the structure of class, engagement with athletes, instruction on range of motion and technique, or education on CrossFit’s infinite scalability; the affiliate and it’s coaches unite any level of athlete through a common and shared experience. “White board moments” for education and connection foster deep relationships that extend outside the walls of the individual box, and can be personal and transformative. This uniquely valuable characteristic has made our affiliate community so resilient despite the turbulence of outside factors. Perhaps most importantly, we are in great admiration of affiliate owners. Affiliates are independent, small businesses where the owners have invested their time and often their life savings into improving the fitness (health) of others, recognizing the benefit of the worldwide CrossFit community beyond the four walls of their own gym.

Physicians strive to be evidence-based, and as such we are always open to a new idea, a new system, or a new methodology. We have seen the results when dedicated CrossFit coaches execute the CrossFit methodology in a CrossFit affiliate. We truly believe there is nothing more important in this life than restoring and improving the health of the people around us. We will continue to do so in our gym and in our practice, embracing this model of fitness and wellness for ourselves, our families, and our patients. We look forward to sharing this knowledge with many more people in the coming months and years.