February 1, 2019, 11:13 am | Read time: 8 minutes

A Berlin industrial area. The hall where we are meeting is about the size of half a soccer field and covered with black rubber mats. It’s cold and smells of metal and a bit of sweat. At irregular intervals, the dull sound of weights crashing down reverberates through the room. You can’t help but think the worst every time. If someone had their foot under there…!

An honest and energetic laugh interrupts the thought: “Hi, I’m Hendrik!” He is of medium height, blond, and more than his broad shoulders and upright posture, his alert and simultaneously focused gaze stands out.

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In 2018, Senf was part of the first German team to qualify for the CrossFit Regionals—the precursor to the legendary CrossFit Games: the holy grail of the CrossFit community, which crowns the “Fittest Man on Earth” and the “Fittest Woman on Earth.” Belonging to that select group allowed to compete there is every CrossFit athlete’s dream. The 22-year-old’s eyes light up when he talks about it.

Why does CrossFit captivate so many?

In CrossFit, it’s not the one who excels in a single discipline who rises to the top, but the one who combines everything at an extremely high level. It’s about not training individual muscle groups or fitness aspects, but aiming for a unified strengthening of strength, endurance, speed, flexibility, and coordination. Critics might say it’s nothing more than a form of circuit training—but it would be more accurate to add: with additional exercises and in a completely different setting.

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Instead of training in a studio, you train in the box, where a small group of up to 15 people meets and performs a set program under the watchful eye of a trainer. It consists of a warm-up, mobility, skill (technique), and strength parts, always rounded off with the Workout of the Day (called WOD). Why does this type of training generate such enthusiasm? Prof. Lars Donath from the Sports University in Cologne knows: “CrossFit is very competitive,” says the sports scientist. “It fits the zeitgeist. People want to compete with each other.”

How Senf plans to reach the top

Senf came to CrossFit five years ago through a U.S. exchange during the school holidays. The training method was already being offered in schools there—while in Germany, it was still practiced by a small circle of enthusiasts. “I knew: If I start now, I have a good chance of soon being among the top,” Senf tells FITBOOK.

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The tough training plans are tailored for him by Coach Mike Lee in Arizona (USA). Lee also coaches Tennil Beuerlein, the fittest woman in the USA in 2017. She has participated in the CrossFit Games three times. Senf is currently studying sports science in Berlin and supports himself with personal training.

10 sessions of 1.5 or 3.5 hours per week

This Monday morning, a classic training session is on the schedule for the 22-year-old: a three-and-a-half-hour, high-intensity, complex sequence consisting of timed gymnastics, weight training, and bodyweight exercises. Unconquerable for any reasonably fit amateur athlete. For Senf, who currently ranks among the strongest German fitness athletes, it’s one of ten sessions per week.

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Training routine in video

How does he push himself to such performances? After the first third, he sits down, dips his hands into a dented bucket, rubs his hands with chalk (magnesium), and stares at the floor. This must be the moment when he mentally enters the zone to push himself. “It might be that I seem a bit aggressive now. My training character is a bit different than before.”

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Like a clockwork that, once wound up, knows no stopping, he grabs the barbell, loads 85, 90, 95, and finally 100 kilos one after the other, snatches and lifts the weight into the air time and again. An hour later, Senf ends his training with the words: “That was the calm part; I’ll go to the limit this afternoon during the second training.” Yeah, right…! You can see the spectacular training routine in the video.

The CrossFit universe: It’s complicated

CrossFit originated in the 1980s as a training program for firefighters and military personnel who needed to get fit quickly. Later, the inventor, Greg Glassman, patented it and came up with the idea of hosting a competition with the company: The first CrossFit Games took place in 2007 (in Aromas, California). The foundation of a worldwide movement was laid.

How does an athlete get to the CrossFit Games?

In the following years, the world championship became more professional. Two preliminary stages were introduced for potential participants: the CrossFit Regionals (based on the density of boxes and performance level in a country) and the CrossFit Games Open (a relatively imprecise, because hard to control, online ranking fed directly from individual CrossFit boxes).

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There are now countless competitions of this kind with varying levels, which are not allowed to use “CrossFit” in their name. For example, the Functional World Championships in London, where Senf placed 13th as the best German in 2018. The competition was founded by the first winner of the CrossFit Games, James Fitzgerald, and aims to become an Olympic event.

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At the end of 2018, the Regionals were abolished, and each country was assured representation by one athlete at the Games. Qualification for this now runs—alongside the CrossFit Open—through 16 worldwide, external competition events that are now allowed to carry the CrossFit brand in their name. It is considered extremely unlikely that several Germans will overcome this hurdle in the foreseeable future. Senf plans to compete in the CrossFit Open in 2020 and secure his ticket to the Games there.

More on the topic

With CrossFit professional Hendrik Senf 60-Minute “Core” Workout – Strengthen Your Midsection

Control Intensity Yourself 40-Minute Full-Body Workout With CrossFit Pro Hendrik Senf

Is the criticism of CrossFit justified?

CrossFit motivates, is varied, and makes you fit, no one disputes that. But the CrossFit movement must repeatedly face some criticisms: Critics say the risk of injury is high—not least because competition among participants encourages overexertion. And: The trainers are often inadequately trained, as Senf also confirms. This is because the licensor does not require sufficient expertise. Anyone who completes a two-day course and subsequently holds the Level 1 certificate from the parent company in Santa Cruz (USA) can obtain the license.

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Moreover, CrossFit encourages too much high-intensity exertion. When strength wanes, as it inevitably does, the technique of exercise execution deteriorates. Then the risk of injury increases. This is particularly dangerous when training with heavy weights. One might argue that anyone who is overexerted can always take a break—but when you’re so pushed by the loud music and group dynamics, that’s certainly not the case for most.

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What to consider when choosing a CrossFit box

You’re not a complete beginner, have no physical limitations, and your interest in CrossFit is piqued? Then give it a try! Nowadays, there are CrossFit boxes in almost every city. Most of them offer a free or discounted trial session. The costs for later course participation average between 100 and 140 euros per month. It’s important to ensure the professional training of the trainers and ideally have your fitness checked by a doctor beforehand. Only in this way can maximum training success without injuries be guaranteed. CrossFit is optimally complemented by moderate endurance training—in a 1:3 ratio.

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