Kaylee Cornelison

Professor Goeller

Eng 1201

27 September 2019

Annotated Bibliography

My essay will attempt to answer if CrossFit is truly safe for everyone to participate in.

CrossFit has gained popularity in recent years. There has been a stigma circling the sport along

with many opinions. I want to put those stigmas to rest by answering just what CrossFit is and

the impact it has on people.

Achauer, Hilary.”209,585: Rise of the Open.” Reebok CrossFit Games. 27 March 2014.

http://games.crossfit.com/article/209585-rise-open. Accessed on 20 June 2019.

Hilary Achauer’s article, “209,585: Rise of the Open” appeared on the CrossFit website

on March 27, 2014. The CrossFit Games Open is growing in participants each year. In 2014,

more participants signed up for the Games than any other competition. However, people are

not only signing up for the games to see where their physical abilities are, but also to unify

communities and test limits. The Open brings people from the gym together to cheer one

another on and push themselves.

The audience for this article is anyone interested in the Open. The author’s purpose for

writing this is to get more people involved in the CrossFit world and to get them to take the

next step. The author wrote this to prove that CrossFit’s popularity is growing and to also prove
why it is growing. The author wants the audience to feel that CrossFit is a sort of “family” that

they should join. This article was written in 2014 and published on the official CrossFit website.

It was written just after the 2014 Open, which is giving us a sort of recap, but also getting the

audience thinking about joining next year’s Open. The article was published on the CrossFit

website which proves the audience are people involved in the workout program.

The author, Hilary Achauer, is a writer specializing in health and wellness. She is an

editor for the CrossFit website. The author is credible because she herself is a CrossFit athlete

so she can speak on the matter firsthand. She also included other people’s thoughts and words.

The author is also credible because she states facts about the number of participants in past

races and opens. I also know this article is credible because it was written a few years ago. The

information is all still relative because the Open continues to grow for the same reasons.

This article will be used in my paper to discuss how CrossFit has become more popular.

My question will be supported by using what the people in the article said. I will include how

CrossFit is gaining popularity because of the community that comes together and that it allows

people to push themselves.

Fittest on Earth: A Decade of Fitness. Directed by Heber Cannon and Mariah Moore, 17 March

2017.

The Fittest on Earth: A Decade of Fitness is a movie directed by Heber Cannon which was

released to Netflix in March of 2017. This film follows top CrossFit athletes while competing in

the 2016 CrossFit Games. It explains the background of the sport and it’s growing popularity. It
then shows the brutal 5 day competition the athletes undergo in order to fight for the title of

“Fittest on Earth.”

The director and producer’s purpose is to enlighten people on what CrossFit is and what

the CrossFit games really are. The audience is anyone who watches sporting events and is

interesting in fitness. This piece is a film, which is much different than an article. This reaches a

larger audience because it is a film because many more people would rather watch a movie

then read a long article. Not to mention, it was on Netflix which a lot of people have.

I know this film is credible because it includes videos and material straight from the

CrossFit games. Also, it has the top CrossFit athletes put in their own experiences so we can see

the sport through their perspective. On top of that, Dave Castro, the games developer, talks

about the background and what CrossFit is. The film is accurate because it includes the people

who started the sport and who do the sport for a living. The purpose of this film is to show what

exactly the CrossFit games are and everything about the sport.

This film is an important piece to my paper. It starts by stating how the Games are

different from normal CrossFit. I will make sure to include that Dave Castro explains CrossFit is a

workout program that is used to help improve daily life. This will help support my idea that

CrossFit is safe and everyone can do it.

Gianzina, Elina A., and Olga A. Kassotaki. “The Benefits and Risks of the High-Intensity CrossFit

Training.” Sport Sciences for Health, vol. 15, no. 1, Apr. 2019, pp. 21–33. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1007/s11332-018-0521-7.
 Elina Gianzina wrote “The Benefits and Risks of the High-Intensity CrossFit Training”

which appeared in Sport Sciences for Health, an academic journal, in April of 2019. This article

talks about a study done to determine this benefits and risks of CrossFit Training. The study

found that CrossFit improves cardiovascular fitness, anaerobic capacity, and body composition.

The study also found that CrossFit causes risks such as bone and joint injuries. Overall, the study

found the benefits of CrossFit outweighed the risks.

The author’s purpose was to determine if CrossFit is beneficial to one’s health or if it

was too risky. The audience for this piece is scholarly personnel interested in health and fitness.

This is the audience because the article is based off of a study, so the language is advanced and

scientific. The article was written in a scholarly journal, so the author included the results of the

study. It was also written this year, so the information is recent and valid.

The author writes for the journal and is a certified trainer. She also teaches at a

University. The author is credible and has adequate information to write the article because she

performed the study and recorded her findings. The article also has a list of references that

make the article credible. The article was also published this year and is still valid.

This article will be a huge piece used for reference in my paper. I will use this article to

help support my idea that the benefits of CrossFit outweigh the risks. I will include that people

who participate in CrossFit show improvements in cardiovascular fitness and overall body

composition.

"How to talk to someone who does CrossFit, if you really must." CNN Wire, 1 May 2017.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

 http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A490942426/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=7

5634d1e. Accessed 19 June 2019.

Will Edmonds wrote “How to talk to someone who does CrossFit, if you really must”

which appeared in CNN Newspaper in May of 2017. This article addresses the stigma around

CrossFit and breaks that stigma. The author uses humor to show that people who do CrossFit

make it well known. The article goes on to explain, CrossFit is like other sports where if you

score or learn a new skill, you want to share your accomplishment. The sport also has injury

risks, but CrossFit gyms make safety a top priority. Lastly, although media has portrayed

CrossFit as people lifting crazy heavy, anybody can participate in CrossFit because the media

has overhyped the sport.

The author wrote this article to put misconceptions to rest. The audience is anyone who

has doubts about CrossFit as a sport, or anyone who knows someone that does CrossFit. This

article was published in a newspaper which gives a lot of people access to it. The author wants

to reach many people and turn their bad view of the sport into a respect for the sport. The

author does it in a humorous way to reach the audience and not make it come across as a

lecture.

Will Edmonds is a sport producer for CNN who has several college degrees. This source,

and author, is credible because it is a news source. The newspaper would not want to send out

false news to many audience members. The article was written in 2017 and is only two years

old. The information is still relevant because CrossFit is growing and many people are
participating in it. The article’s purpose is to explain what CrossFit is about and to set

misconceptions straight.

I will use this article in my research essay because it has good counterarguments. One

counterargument is that CrossFit is unsafe. The article then says how CrossFit gyms put new

members through a class to make sure they do the movements right. This will be a very

important piece in my paper and will help explain why the benefits outweigh the bad. I will also

include how CrossFit can benefit everyone because anybody can do the sport.

Kaus, Reed. "Affect and Enjoyment Associated with CrossFit Exercise." Electronic Thesis or

Dissertation. Bowling Green State University, 2014. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and

Dissertations Center. 19 Jun 2019.

Reed Kaus wrote “Affect and Enjoyment Associated with CrossFit Exercise” In June of

this year for his thesis for grad school. This thesis was a study to observe the changes in moods

during a CrossFit workout. Most people recommend moderate intensity and to focus on

cardiovascular activity rather than high intensity exercise and resistance training when working

out to improve one’s mood. CrossFit is a high intensity workout that mixes both cardiovascular

and resistance activity into one. Kaus performed a study where experienced CrossFitters and

non-experienced CrossFitters performed a CrossFit workout. Regardless of their experience

level, their moods were lifted after finishing the workout.

The authors purpose for writing this was to see how people moods change throughout a

CrossFit worker. His audience is the Graduate College or Bowling Green State University. This

was written for a graduate assignment and so the material is very scholarly. It includes a study
with findings and a lot of research. This paper is full of references and facts from those

references.

The author is a graduate student at Bowling Green. I know the author is credible

because he obtained a Master of Education. I also know he is credible because he used many

sources and cited them, so he got his information from other sources to back up his research.

This research paper was written in 2014 so the information is still up to date. The information is

relevant because it supports that CrossFit is a beneficial exercise program and CrossFit has

gained popularity in recent years.

This information will be used in my paper to prove that CrossFit benefits outweigh the

risks. I can use the findings that people reported they enjoyed the exercise that CrossFit

provided them. This can be an important benefit I will include in my paper. If people like the

exercise they are doing, they will be more inclined to continue to perform it.

McCall, Pete. “What is CrossFit Training and is it appropriate for the average person?” American

Council on Exercise, 29 April 2010. https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-

resources/lifestyle/blog/648/what-is-crossfit-training-and-is-it-appropriate-for-the-

average-person. Accessed on 19 June 2019.

Pete McCall’s article “What is CrossFit Training and is it appropriate for the average

person?” was published on ACE’s (American Council on Exercise) website on April 29,2010.

CrossFit is a high intensity program that can provide many benefits, if you are equipped to

participate in the workouts. CrossFit is not something that you can just jump into. You need to

work with a trainer who can make sure you perform the movements correctly before jumping
into a workout. You must have good joint strength and decent flexibility. Once you are ready for

CrossFit, you may experience muscle growth, better aerobic fitness, and possibly anti-aging.

The author wrote this article to enlighten the audience what CrossFit all entails. McCall

explains what CrossFit is, the difficulty level, what to expect, if it is right for you, and benefits

that could come with it. The audience is anyone thinking of trying CrossFit. This source was

posted online on a exercise based website. That leads me to believe this article was written for

informing those in the health world about CrossFit.

The author is a personal trainer who has a master’s degree in exercise science. I think

the author is credible because he has a degree based on exercise and CrossFit is a form of

exercise. I know the author has adequate information to write the article because he is

educated on the topic and he does not have a lot of bias in the article. This proves he is

providing information instead of trying to convince you about the topic. Although the article

was written in 2010, the information is still valid because there is nothing out of date. All of the

information is relative because it is explaining what CrossFit is and how it can benefit you. I

believe the information is accurate because it gives benefits, includes risks, and gives good

details about what kind of workout program it is.

This article will be used a lot in my research paper. It is short but holds a lot of

information. This article explains what type of workout program CrossFit is, which I will include

in the beginning of my paper, so the reader has an understanding of what I am writing about. I

will also use the benefits that the author listed to support my research question. Lastly, this
article made it sound like not everyone may be able to handle CrossFit, which I will use as a

counterargument because I believe everyone can participate.

Walsh, Kathryn. “CrossFit Vs. Traditional Weight Training.” Livestrong.com,

https://www.livestrong.com/article/554525-crossfit-vs-traditional-weight-training/.

Accessed on 19 June 2019.

Kathryn Walsh wrote “CrossFit Vs. Traditional Weight Training” which appeared on

Livestrong.com. This article talks about CrossFit in comparison to weight training. It includes the

pros and cons of both workout programs. CrossFit helps burn calories quicker and has a

supportive community. However. CrossFit is a high intensity program that can result in injury

such as rhabdomyolysis. Weight training allows you to go at your own pace, but it may take

longer to see results than if you did CrossFit. Either method of training would be beneficial, but

you and a team of doctors can help you decide which is best for you.

The author’s purpose for writing this article is to compare the two different forms of

exercise to see which is better. The author reaches a conclusion that neither is better, it

depends on your own goals. The audience of this piece is anyone who does weight training or

CrossFit to see how they compare, or just someone interested in finding a workout program.

This piece was published on the Livestrong website. Livestrong is a commonly known brand that

deals with health and fitness, so the article is aimed at that topic.

Kathryn Walsh received a journalism degree from Syracuse and now writes for

Livestrong. The author is credible because she has a degree, works for Livestrong and has many

other published articles. The author puts a lot of time and effort into fitness and lifestyle
articles. The author has provided adequate information through research. She included a list of

references at the end of the article. Although there is no date of when the article is published,

this does not make the article less credible because the information does need to be kept up

with. The information is relevant because CrossFit is gaining popularity and people want to

know more about it.

I will use this article in my research because it talks about the injuries associated with

CrossFit. I will include the information about rhabdomyolysis. The article also talks about how

CrossFit is very intense, and injuries come from pushing to hard. By using this information in my

paper, I will be able to explain that as long as you go at a pace your own body can handle, these

injuries are less likely to happen.