Why CrossFit?

The founder of CrossFit, Greg Glassman, used this definition to define CrossFit: “CrossFit is an effective fitness program consisting of constantly varied functional movements executed at high intensity”.

Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

Functional Movements

This includes any type of human movement you may see in everyday life such as squatting, running, jumping, lifting/carrying objects, climbing, throwing, etc. These types and patterns of movements have been ingrained in our DNA as human beings and are often neglected in today’s society. In life and in sport the body must work together as a unit to complete a task. In CrossFit, we use compound functional movements to train our body to work together as a whole to better ourselves in sport and in life’s tasks.

Constant Variation

In CrossFit, our specialty is not specializing. We strive to be competent in any possible task or challenge that could come our way. Each day, every workout is different and will challenge you in a different aspect of fitness. Workouts can range from 5-50 minutes and will vary in movements, loads, rep schemes, etc. The only purpose for doing the same workout twice is to track progress over time.

High Intensity

Intensity, of course, is relative to ones fitness level, but everyone can benefit from it. Simply put: Intensity = Power output during a workout. Power output can be measured by: (Force x Distance)/Time. The more power output you can develop during a workout, the more fit you can become.

The best part about CrossFit is that it is designed to be universally scalable. This makes CrossFit the perfect fitness program for any committed individual regardless of experience. We scale load and intensity; we don’t change programs. The needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree not kind. Every person needs some sort of physical capacity, whether it is to compete in sports, to serve and protect, or to carry groceries into the house. Our soldiers, skiers, mountain bike riders and housewives have found their best fitness from the same regimen.

“Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake of levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, Clean, Squat, Presses, Clean & Jerk and Snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense, regularly learn and play new sports.”