The Ultimate Guide To CrossFit
CrossFit could be your ultimate fitness challenge
If you’ve been taking strides to increase your fitness and start leading a healthier lifestyle, one type of workout protocol that you may have come across before is that of CrossFit.
CrossFit is taking the fitness world by storm as more and more people are jumping on the bandwagon.
It’s important to go into any workout program feeling well-informed so that you both know what to expect from the sessions ahead and whether they are right for you.
Let’s give you some background information that you need to know about CrossFit.
What Is CrossFit?
CrossFit, as the name suggests, is a form of fitness program that crosses over and uses training principles and concepts from a few different activities.
This creates an ultra-effective form of training format, which will offer benefits to a great number of different individuals.
CrossFit was originally developed as a strength and conditioning program for police trainees as well as tactical operations and military trainees, however it quickly went on to be used by athletes from various different sports as well as those involved in martial arts and other combat sports.
CrossFit prides itself in helping develop a high level of functional fitness, meaning you will see direct carry over benefits from the exercises you do, benefiting you in all areas of your life.
CrossFit does not aim to solely target high level athletes however, individuals from all walks of life and fitness levels are encouraged to take part where they will see their overall fitness and health level increasing.
CrossFit is possibly the best training for strength, fitness and conditioning
While each workout of the day (WOD) is typically the same protocol for all individuals who are joining in the session, the specifics of the workout are varied based on the individuals overall fitness level.
This makes it possible for someone who is very skilled to participate in the same class as someone who is just starting out in their journey.
This said, if you have absolutely no background in any weight lifting activities, it is advised that you gain some background first.
As weight lifting is a very specific form of activity where there is much to know with regards to proper form and handling the weight being lifted, if you have no experience, you may struggle joining a CrossFit class.
If this is your situation, three to six months of basic beginner weight lifting style of exercise will typically get you ready for a CrossFit class.
When looking at the overall profile of the skills that CrossFit teaches, you see ten different areas.
These include cardiovascular and respiratory performance, stamina, strength capability, flexibly and range of motion, speed and power development, agility and balance, coordination, as well as accuracy.
The CrossFit workouts then are designed to help you improve all these elements of your physical performance, turning you into a well-rounded athletic individual.
CrossFit workouts are highly varied, with no two days ever being the same. This is part of what helps the workouts target so many different elements of your fitness level.
Let’s look further at the benefits of CrossFit now.
What Are The Benefits Of CrossFit?
When considering the benefits of CrossFit, you’ll come to see that they are quite numerous.
This is thanks to the numerous areas of overall fitness the class touches upon as well as the fact that the workouts are constantly changing.
Community Feel
CrossFit offers an opportunity to compete with others but in a community atmosphere
One of the first things you’ll notice about CrossFit when you join a session is the high level of community feel you get from the classes.
In a CrossFit gym it can feel like a family environment, so there is a high amount of encouragement and support for this form of workout.
For those who typically fall off the bandwagon with their workouts due to feeling alone or not having a support network in place, CrossFit will definitely help you overcome this.
This benefit alone is one of the big reasons why many people gravitate to CrossFit sessions.
Improved Muscular Strength
First, due to the weight lifting and many other strength based exercises you’ll be performing, the first key benefit you’ll see is improved muscular strength.
Many CrossFit trainees can be just as strong, if not stronger than other traditional weight lifters.
This is also thanks, in part, to the fact that Olympic lifts, which are great for developing strength, are often the primary form of lift being utilised.
Enhanced Agility/Coordination
Along with improved muscular strength, you’ll also notice improvements in agility and coordination.
CrossFit calls into play a number of gymnastic based exercises into the mix, which will target your coordination capacity.
This is also one reason why many athletes involved in other sports choose to use CrossFit as a way to cross train for that sport.
As high levels of agility and coordination is necessary for most sports, you’ll see this coming out well when doing CrossFit workouts.
Improved Endurance
Moving along, you can also expect to see improved endurance and stamina building thanks to your CrossFit sessions.
These sessions have you working hard for a period of time, which improves your ability to withstand fatigue.
While there will be no hour long workout going at one steady pace with these sessions like you might do during typical cardio training, there will be sequences of exercises being performed for 10 minutes or longer, which at the intensity they are being performed, is excellent for improving endurance.
Increased Mental Stamina
Along with boosting your mental endurance, these sessions will also go a very long way towards increasing your mental stamina as well.
They’re designed to help strengthen you as an athlete, and this includes both mentally and physically.
You’ll notice that you gain a much higher psychological tolerance to push through fatigue while doing your CrossFit workouts, which then enables you to excel when performing other activities.
If there is one thing that CrossFit is not, it’s easy. It will challenge you to your maximum capability and it’s thanks to this fact that you can achieve greater mental toughness.
Increased Reaction Time
Those who are heavily involved in CrossFit often experience an increased reaction time as well.
This is in part thanks to the fact that you will be heavily working your fast twitch muscle fibers as you go about these workouts, which are then called into play to help you maintain a faster reaction time.
In addition to that, CrossFit can also help improve your mind-muscle control thanks to the fact that you are doing such a wide variety of different movement patterns, which is going to require that you are becoming more aware of your body position.
This lends well to developing mind-muscle control.
CrossFit helps you increase strength, power and speed with various whole body exercises
Improved Speed And Power
CrossFit athletes also show excellent speed and power development over time with their training.
This is the result of performing exercises in an explosive manner while also working on improving strength development through traditional style weight lifting movements.
As power is a function of how quickly you can lift a weight upwards, by gaining strength and speed separately, you create the impact of improved power development.
This is an especially important benefit as far as athletes are concerned as for many sports, the greater the power you have, the better your overall performance will be.
Decreased Stress
With any intense workout program you do, CrossFit included, you could also see great stress reduction benefits as well.
This workout will have you releasing a number of positive feel-good endorphins, which help put you into a feel good state, inducing calmness and stress reduction.
Combine this with the fact that CrossFit is so support-oriented with everyone encouraging each other and you’ll have a great place to call ‘home’.
Most participants in CrossFit report that this factor alone helps them ease stress and feel better after each workout they do.
Enhanced Bone Strength
Another benefit that is not exclusive to CrossFit but that you can gain by doing these sessions is improved bone strength.
CrossFit workouts are going to have you doing many weight-baring exercises, both with your own bodyweight as well as with weight that you are holding while you do the workout itself.
This can lead to improved bone density as well as ongoing bone remodeling, helping strengthen your bones and fend off your risk factor for osteoporosis and other related conditions.
Increased Heart Health
Finally, don’t forget about the heart health benefits that cardio has to offer.
As you’ll be elevating your heart rate during this workout and keeping it there, you’ll see improvements in your cardiovascular performance as well as your respiratory capacity.
Regularly participating in your CrossFit workout sessions can be great to help decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke, while improving your overall cholesterol profile.
All in all, you will see the same benefits from CrossFit as you would any conventional strength training or cardio workout session as both of those activities are brought into play when doing your CrossFit workouts.
Now that you have a better idea of why you should do these workouts, let’s address how to go about structuring a CrossFit Workout.
How To Structure CrossFit Workouts
When it comes to structuring CrossFit workouts, there is a good amount of variety that can be utilised.
CrossFit workouts can be structured around your existing fitness and strength levels
The workouts themselves are going to revolve around a number of different types of movements including Olympic weight lifting, bodyweight exercises, gymnastic-based exercises (done on the rings), aerobic exercises, as well as overall conditioning movements.
CrossFit also has the individual utilising a number of different pieces of equipment as well, which will further help augment great training progress.
Some of the common equipment choices include barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, skipping ropes, gymnastic rings, pull-up bars, medicine balls, plyometric boxes, resistance tubing/bands, as well as mats to perform bodyweight exercises on.
Together, these form together to make up a ‘WOD’, which stands for Workout Of The Day.
The structure of these WOD’s is typically in circuit-style fashion, performing one exercise after another and then resting once a certain number of exercises have been completed.
CrossFit WOD’s can have you targeting for a certain number of reps per exercise or they may have you doing as many rounds of the circuit as possible in a given time frame.
This is referred to as AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) and is a frequent way that CrossFit workouts are set up.
Usually a CrossFit session will last for about one hour in length and include a warm-up portion, a skill development portion where the user will work on perfecting a particular exercise they may be planning to use, the WOD (which is the intense portion of the workout) as well as a cool-down and stretching component.
In some cases, the gym may also add a strength component in there as well where the individual can focus on maximizing their strength through heavy weight training.
In other cases, an entire session of Olympic weight lifting may also be offered, which will give participants a chance to work on improving their strength and conditioning level separate from doing WOD’s.
When an athlete is performing intense weight lifting like this, it’s important that it’s balanced with the rest of their training sessions.
Olympic weight lifting will demand a high degree of effort, so it’s important to have a day of rest after these sessions before resuming normal WOD training.
Realize that no two CrossFit workouts will ever be the same so what you are doing is very much determined by the instructor/trainer who is teaching.
The Best CrossFit Exercises
All of this said, which are the best CrossFit exercises to be performing? The most beneficial exercises will be those that utilise a number of muscle groups all at once.
The overhead squat is great for shoulders, quads and lower back strength
Overhead Squat
The overhead squat is an excellent move for improving shoulder, lower body, and back strength.
It takes the traditional squat, an already highly effective movement and adds to it, making you hold the barbell above your head.
This adds a whole new component of balance and agility to the move, while still allowing you to reap maximum strengthening benefits.
This exercise should not be done by those who cannot master the regular squat first.
Clean And Jerks
The next exercise that you’ll want to consider is the clean and jerk. This Olympic style lift is great for working the lower and upper body as you’ll be hoisting the weight upwards from the ground and then moving it into a press above your head.
Done with a barbell or a kettlebell, it’s excellent for building up full body strength while also giving you great cardiovascular conditioning and a high metabolic benefit.
Pull-Ups
The classic pull-up is a common exercise used in CrossFit workouts and for great reason – it works.
Pull-ups and all their variations are a great way to work the back as well as the arm muscles, and will also target the core to some degree as well.
Pull-Ups, or kipping pull-ups, which are also quite common in CrossFit workouts require strength, skill, and agility to perform properly.
Handstand Push-Ups
Another move that requires a good degree of skill as well as core strength is the handstand push-up.
This exercise is going to strengthen all the muscles running up and down the spinal column and core as they contract to keep you balanced.
In addition to that, you’ll also of course get great strength gains in the shoulders from doing the push-up move itself.
Most people will need to build up to being able to do this exercise, so don’t get discouraged if at first you aren’t able to complete it.
With practice and enough work on your technique, it will come.
Muscle Up
The muscle up is another upper body exercise very often utilised in CrossFit workout classes.
This one requires a high level of upper body strength as well as core strength in order to sustain balance as you execute the movement.
The muscle up is a great exercise for working the chest, back, as well as the shoulders, so overall, is a great upper body builder.
The kettlebell swings are a full body strengthening exercise
Kettlebell Swings
Kettlebell swings are an excellent conditioning exercise often used by those participating in CrossFit as a means of building up muscular strength and improving their conditioning level.
This exercise will work the shoulders, back, chest, as well as the lower body and core, making it a very compound, full body movement.
Double Unders
Double Unders is a form of skipping technique where rather than letting the rope move under the feet once before touching the ground again, you attempt to move the rope under twice, creating the ‘double’ effect.
This increases the intensity of any skipping workout and will allow you to better work on speed and explosiveness.
Ring Dips
Ring dips are one of the frequently used gymnastic moves in the CrossFit workout session.
This one involves using the gymnastic rings to hoist the body up and then slowly lowering the body down while keeping the arms tucked into the sides at all times.
It’s a great exercise for working on core muscle strength, shoulder, back, chest, and arm strength, as well as balance and agility.
So there you have a few of the top moves that are included in CrossFit workouts. Keep in mind this list is by no means inclusive as there are many other great exercises that will all help you see excellent results from your sessions.
The important part to remember is that whenever possible, CrossFit exercises will be those that are designed to be functional, mimicking everyday movements while working multiple muscle groups at once.
CrossFit Diet And Nutrition
Now it’s time to move forward and talk a little more about the CrossFit diet and nutrition side of things.
While there is no specific and official CrossFit diet plan, you will find that most people who are using the CrossFit approach tend to move towards a Paleo diet approach.
The Paleo diet entails eating foods only in their natural form
This diet approach has them focusing primarily on foods that come straight from the ground, eating as Caveman used to eat back in ancient times.
The diet calls for the elimination of all processed and man-made food as well as all grains and legumes as well.
Those taking part in CrossFit will typically base their diets around lean protein sources coming from grass fed beef, wild caught fish, as well as free range poultry, supplementing this protein with a high dose of healthy fat.
Fat tends to serve as the primary fuel source in this diet plan, while carbohydrates are kept to the lower end of the scale.
The diet emphasizes coconut fat primarily, with many CrossFit enthusiasts using this as their primary source of dietary fat.
In addition to that, they’ll also consume fat sources such as avocado, olive oil, a small amount of raw nuts (only one ounce or so per day), as well as fat from whole eggs, fatty varieties of fish, along with the fat found in grass fed beef.
Then on the carbohydrate side of things, followers of the Paleo approach will be focusing on eating an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables.
These carbohydrate sources will make up the bulk of their diet as far as carbohydrates go, with few limitations being placed on consumption. Dried fruit is not permitted.
Sweet potatoes are also often consumed by those who are doing heavy CrossFit workouts as this food provides one of the sole sources of complex carbohydrates they are allowed to eat to fuel those sessions.
Since the body cannot utilise dietary fat for very intense workout sessions, the complex carbohydrates help fill the void.
Consuming healthy fats like coconut oil is recommended for CrossFit enthusiasts
CrossFit athletes will typically fill up on these prior or more importantly, after their workout sessions as a way to replenish used muscle glycogen levels.
While the body can become somewhat ‘fat adapted’ if you sustain a lower carb diet in the face of intense training for quite some time, performance will never be as high on a lower carb diet as one with more carbs when it comes to anaerobic training.
All sweets, alcohol, and other non-natural foods are to be strictly avoided while on this plan.
This elimination of all processed foods is one big reason why the diet serves to not only help improve body composition, but in addition to that, will also dramatically increase overall health status.
Using this plan, many of those doing CrossFit workouts are able to experience an excellent rate of overall body fat loss while still maintaining stable energy levels throughout the day.
Of course the plan can also be used for those who are looking to improve performance and/or build muscle mass simply by increasing the calorie intake and including more calories from healthy fats and the allowed carbohydrates.
Because dietary fats especially are so calorie dense, this diet tends to lend well to putting on more body weight.
And, by choosing wholesome, natural foods, the athlete increases the chances that it’s lean body mass that’s gained, not body fat.
The CrossFit style of nutrition is not to be viewed as a diet, but rather a lifestyle approach, which is how they also view their WOD’s.
It’s never meant to be a means to an end but rather, a way to promote optimal health in the long run.
How To Avoid CrossFit Injuries
One area related to CrossFit that has been the topic of much heated debate is that of injuries.
Many people have become injured doing CrossFit workouts and it’s often thought that the nature of these sessions tends to put one at a high risk of becoming injured, if not almost encourage it through pushing the trainee so hard.
And while there is no denying the fact that CrossFit will push a participant to their limits, if you are training in a good gym with a wise instructor, they will never push you to the point where it becomes unsafe or unhealthy to continue.
Avoid CrossFit injuries by training safely and to your current fitness and ability level
If you are taking part in a CrossFit gym (or box, as it’s often called) where you see this happening, it might be time to look for another place you can call home.
This said, like any other workout, there are steps that you need to take to ensure that you are minimising your risk of injury.
First, always make sure that you are learning the proper technique to use when doing your workout sessions.
One big cause of injury is that people are simply diving into the workouts without going through the skill building sessions first.
If you can’t complete an exercise using perfect form, you have no business doing it in a WOD.
Next, it’s also essential that you are making sure you take the time to warm-up properly before each workout session.
The warm-up is usually included in the overall instructor-led WOD, so you shouldn’t have to worry about this factor in most cases.
It’s also critical that you fully understand your own skill level and are choosing a WOD that is appropriate for you.
As noted, typically the WOD is the same for all participants however the elements of the WOD will be adjusted based on skill level.
If you push yourself too hard, not using the level that’s right for you, this too can increase your risk of injury.
Finally, using proper equipment and protective gear will also help minimise your risk of injury.
This means wearing footwear that is designed for the exercises you are performing and possibly using hand grips/gloves when doing work that involves the ring or a bar.
Hand tears are very often reported by those who are taking part in CrossFit, however with proper equipment and care of the hands, you can minimise your risk of this happening.
While you may not be able to prevent it from happening entirely, you can certainly lower your chances.
Any form of physical exercise will pose a risk of injury when not done correctly and CrossFit is no different.
Unfortunately, many people who are simply not informed and wise dive into participating in CrossFit, which then leads to a high injury risk, giving CrossFit a bad reputation.
When care is taken, your risk of injury can be well-managed.
CrossFit Clothing And Equipment
Which now brings us to the topic of the CrossFit clothing and equipment currently available for those who are participating.
Users are recommended to wear clothing that is relatively form-fitting and comfortable, allowing for ease of movement. T-shirts, sleeveless shirts, shorts, and tight pants are often the go-to wear for most CrossFit athletes.
Form-fitting clothes are ideal for CrossFit
CrossFit shoes are also typically recommended. While you can wear a regular pair of cross trainers, CrossFit shoes are designed to have a minimalist feel, which users claim can help build functional fitness.
It goes hand in hand with the barefoot training that’s currently quite hot on the scene.
CrossFit specific shoes tend to have less of a padded insole and a shorter heel to toe drop, giving you a more natural feel while you use them.
They can also be more ideal for performing Olympic weight lifting exercises as well as the way in which your body is supported will feel more natural and comfortable when doing these major lifts.
The shoes are typically also light weight and quite flexible, which will give you plenty of motion when doing any of the exercises called for during your WOD’s.
In addition to shoes, you may also consider purchasing CrossFit gloves, which are designed to help enhance your grip on the bar, while also preventing tears, calluses, and blisters from forming.
Each person tends to have their own personal preference with regards to whether they wish to wear gloves or not, so not all athletes will use them.
In addition to gloves, you’ll also find a variety of wraps, lifting belts, as well as lifting straps available for use while doing workouts.
These are all designed to enhance grip/support while performing certain exercises and while they may be beneficial in some cases, they aren’t necessary to complete the workout.
In order to perform CrossFit workouts, you’ll also need to have a variety of other pieces of equipment including barbells and plate weights, gymnastic rings, kettlebells, weighted medicine balls, and a cage for heavy squats to name just a few items.
Most often the CrossFit gym you will be attending will supplies these, so it’s not something you need to worry about purchasing unless you plan on doing CrossFit on your own.
Choosing A CrossFit Gym
CrossFit gyms are located all around Australia as it’s popularity increases
Due to the fact that CrossFit is a form of workout that does involve such a high community feel, it’s important that you spend some time considering which will be the best CrossFit gym for you to attend.
You want to feel as at-home as possibly in the gym, connecting with those who attend while also feeling properly challenged and stimulated with your workout sessions.
When trying to make your selection, there are a few things to consider.
First, look at the overall layout and appearance of the gym. Ideally you want the gym to be nice and organised as well as clean.
Also check to be sure there are large whiteboards so you can easily see the WOD and any other info that you need.
You’ll also want to check out the equipment as well. Does the gym have enough equipment to service all the individuals who are training? Or, during busy times, will some people be doing without?
Likewise, is the equipment taken care of? If not, that may be a sign of how well you’ll be looked after.
Try if you can before joining a CrossFit gym to attend a class and see how busy it gets and the type of people going.
Are these people who you can see yourself getting along with? Is it busy enough that you’ll feel motivated but not so busy that you’ll have a hard time moving around?
Finally, also consider the coach. What is his or her background? What is her training/teaching style like? Make sure that it’s something you feel comfortable with.
It really will pay off to take some time choosing the CrossFit gym you attend as it’ll make you feel more comfortable in the end and when you’re comfortable, you’ll be able to give maximum effort.
Popular CrossFit Gyms And Centers Around Australia
Checkout several local CrossFit gyms before choosing the right one for you
CrossFit Adelaide
Checkout these CrossFit gyms in Adelaide… CrossFitAdelaide.com, CrossFit East Adelaide, CrossFit Mode and CrossFit Loaded.
CrossFit Brisbane
Checkout these CrossFit gyms in Brisbane… CrossFitBrisbane.com, CrossFit 4000, CrossFit Rocks and CrossFit Roar.
CrossFit Sydney
Checkout these CrossFit gyms in Sydney… CrossFitSydney.com.au, CrossFit Athletic, CrossFit Black and CrossFit 168.
CrossFit Melbourne
Checkout these CrossFit gyms in Melbourne… CrossFitMelbourne.com.au, CrossFit CBD, CrossFitVictoria.com and CrossFit 3000.
CrossFit Perth
Checkout these CrossFit gyms in Perth… CrossFitPerth.com.au, Inner City CrossFit, Platform CrossFit and SF Gym.
CrossFit Canberra
Checkout these CrossFit gyms in Canberra… CrossFitCanberra.net, CrossFit Smash, CrossFit 2600 and CrossFit Base.
CrossFit Darwin
Checkout these CrossFit gyms in Darwin… CrossFitDarwin.com, CrossFit Top End, CrossFit Territory and CrossFit Palmerston.
CrossFit Gold Coast
Checkout these CrossFit gyms on the Gold Coast… ReebokCrossFitGoldCoast.com.au, CrossFit Urban Energy, CrossFitBroadbeach.com.au and CrossFit Caesar.
CrossFit Sunshine Coast
Checkout these CrossFit gyms on the Sunshine Coast… CrossFitSunshineCoast.com.au, CoastalCrossFit.com.au, CrossFitMooloolaba.com.au, CrossFitMaroochydore.com.au, CrossFitCaloundra.com.au and CrossFitNoosa.com.au.
CrossFit Townsville
Checkout these CrossFit gyms in Townsville… CrossFitTownsville.com.au, CrossFit 4810, Strand CrossFit and CrossFit Take Charge.
CrossFit Toowoomba
Checkout these CrossFit gyms in Toowoomba… CrossFitToowoomba.com, CrossFitCorragio.com.au, CrossFitConfront.com.au and CrossFitHighfields.com.
CrossFit Frankston
Checkout these CrossFit gyms in Frankston… CrossFitFrankston.com.
CrossFit St Kilda
Checkout these CrossFit gyms in St Kilda… CrossFitStKilda.com.
CrossFit Newcastle
Checkout these CrossFit gyms in Newcastle… CrossFitNewcastle.com.au, CrossFitAttitude.com.au, AndresGym.com.au, CrossFitCoalFace.com.au.
CrossFit Brookvale
Checkout these CrossFit gyms in Brookvale… CrossFitBrookvale.com.au, CrossFitAthleticBrookvale, CrossFitTone.com.
CrossFit Wollongong
Checkout these CrossFit gyms in Wollongong… CrossFitWollongong.com, CrossFitNorthGong.com.au, CrossFitJak.com and CrossFitRebound.com.au.
What Are The CrossFit Games?
As you get started with CrossFit, you might come across something referred to as the CrossFit games.
This is a faceoff of athletes trying to determine who is the Fittest on earth. The CrossFit games first came to be in 2007 and since then have quickly caught on all around the world.
The CrossFit games offer serious competitors the chance to prove who’s the fittest
The CrossFit Games themselves are made up of a number of different functional movements, all aimed to test a person’s overall fitness level and are broken up into three stages.
The first stage is the CrossFit open, which is a five-week, five workout competition held early spring.
Anyone over 14 years old can sign up and participate. The top athletes of each of the 17 regions will then quality for the second stage, the regionals of the CrossFit Games.
These are three day competitions held over three different weekends. Finally, the top five athletes will then go on to quality for the final phase, the CrossFit Games.
Action Steps
So there you have a good summary of what CrossFit is. If this seems like an activity you would like to get started in, there are a few action steps to take to help you get going.
1. Ensure that you have a very base level of conditioning with weight lifting exercise.
2. Visit a few CrossFit gyms to help find one that is the right match for you.
3. Pick up some CrossFit shoes and any other gear you would like to purchase.
Improve your mental and physical strength with CrossFit
4. Begin doing your CrossFit sessions at your gym, taking advantage of any and all resources that gym provides.
5. Consider participating in the CrossFit Open if you would like to see how you rank against others in terms of your fitness level.
Summary
So there you have all the information you need to know about CrossFit. If you are looking for a fun way to improve your health and fitness, it might just be the workout for you.
One great benefit that CrossFit offers that few other activities do is the fact that it is so variable.
You will never get bored doing CrossFit sessions as no two workouts are alike. Instead, each workout is going to be constantly changing, challenging your body in new ways.
This helps lead to not only greater progress, but it can also keep you more motivated to keep up with your fitness lifestyle.