title: CrossFit athletes exhibit high symmetry of fundamental movement patterns. A cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  even if CrossFit training programs accounted actually more than 7500 gyms affiliated in the USA and more than 2000 in Europe and involved today more than 1 million of people, actually there were not several studies about the effect of the CrossFit on the health and sport performance. The aim of these research was to evaluate the performance in 7 fundamental movement patterns using a standardized methods, the Functional Movement Screen (FMS).
  
  
  METHODS
  we enrolled three groups of athletes (age 17-40 years; >6 months of training programs): CrossFitters, body builders and professional weightlifters. FMS test was performed to all people enrolled. Scores of FMS test was examined comparing three groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  no differences in the three groups were showed in the mean score values of each test and in total score, except for shoulder mobility test (higher among CrossFitters) and trunk stability push-up test (higher among weightlifter). Agreement between the test performed on the two sides was higher in CrossFit groups for hurdle step (93.2%), in line lung (86%), rotary stability test (95.3%) and shoulder mobility (90.7%; p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CrossFitters seem to have a high level of concordance in the scores achieved in bilateral test. CrossFit seems to produce marked symmetry in some fundamental movements compared to weightlifting and bodybuilding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science and Human Oncology, Aldo Moro University of Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tafuri
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Aldo Moro University of Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Notarnicola
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Aldo Moro University of Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonello
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Monno
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Aldo Moro University of Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferretti
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Aldo Moro University of Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Biagio
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Moretti
keywords: CrossFit; functional movement screen; mobility; training