CrossFit Isn’t Dangerous, It’s Medicine: Dr. Amy West’s New Textbook Sets the Record Straight
Dr. Amy West was fed up with people accusing CrossFit of being dangerous.
So, the sports medicine physician and CrossFit Level 2 coach started connecting with other healthcare practitioners and researchers to “fight the good fight” and demonstrate through science how CrossFit can improve health, she explained in an interview with the Morning Chalk Up.
The result is her new book High Intensity Functional Training: Clinical Applications in Training, Rehabilitation, and Sport, a textbook that digs deep into the science and shows that, not only is CrossFit not dangerous, but there’s well-researched evidence that it can make you healthier.
- “It exonerates the [CrossFit] methodology as not only something that doesn’t cause injuries, but actually it’s something that can prevent injury and illness, and here’s the proof of that,” said West, who is the editor and one of the book’s contributors, and also works at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University-Northwell in New York.
She added: “I think this book should be in every affiliate because it can help affiliate owners and coaches have discussions with people, either clients who are interested but are maybe unsure because of a condition they have, or naysayers who confront them…I see this book as a tool to give them the ability to have eloquent conversations about it with evidence-based findings.”
Three Quick Takeaways
Three key takeaways from the textbook, which analyzed various existing research, identified by West, include:
1. CrossFit, or more specifically, high-intensity, functional training, is “safe to implement in many different populations,” West said. This includes people with heart conditions, older adults, pregnant or postpartum women, or those with back pain, she added.
2. The reported injury risk from doing CrossFit is similar to that of other exercises and sports.
- Coming to this conclusion, West explained, involved looking at “falsified data” from previous research, which she believes tarnished the brand of CrossFit for many in the medical field. As a result, for a long time in the academic or medical environment, talking about CrossFit was “a dirty word,” West said.
3. High-intensity functional training can even be used as a treatment plan for various conditions, from chronic pain to musculoskeletal issues, to mental and metabolic health, West explained.
The Big Picture
For West, her new textbook was long overdue, and she sees it as just another tool in the toolbox for affiliate owners and healthcare professionals to have meaningful discussions about CrossFit and its benefits.
- “It’s for the betterment of the community and spreading the word about what we’re doing,” she said.
Next for West is a new book, Durable – a more “readable book,” rather than a textbook, designed for the average person and anyone looking to improve longevity, performance, or use to alleviate pain. It is set to be released in the summer of 2026.
Credit: @amywestmd / Instagram
