Passion and Addiction in Aerobic, Anaerobic, and Mixed (CrossFit) Exercises

This study employed exercise dependence and four-phase models to investigate the relationship between passion for exercise and the risk of exercise addiction (REA) among practitioners of aerobic, anaerobic, and CrossFit exercises. Participants (N = 424; 60.8% female; mean age = 38.29 ± 9.71 years) were recruited from fitness centers and social media in Hungary. The sample included 234 CrossFit, 126 aerobic (e.g., running, cycling, swimming), and 64 anaerobic (bodybuilding) exercisers. Data were collected online on Qualtrics, which included demographic questions, the Exercise Addiction Inventory-3, and the Passion Scale-8. CrossFit participants exhibited the highest exercise frequency and intensity, with a greater prevalence of REA (25.2%) compared to the anaerobic (15.6%) and aerobic (14.3%) groups. CrossFitters also scored higher on salience, withdrawal symptoms, and passion. However, group differences in absolute REA scores vanished after controlling for passion and exercise characteristics. Gender differences emerged, with females showing a stronger affective connection to exercise and higher withdrawal symptoms. Passion was strongly correlated with REA (r = 0.55) and accounted for 28% of the variance in it. Further research is needed to distinguish between passion-driven exercise and addiction.