CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program that is based on constantly varied functional movements executed at a high intensity. Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive (read What Is Fitness?). Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist. The CrossFit program is designed for universal scalability making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience. We’ve used our same routines for elderly individuals with heart disease and cage fighters one month out from televised bouts. We scale load and intensity; we don’t change programs. The needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree not kind. Our hunters, skiers, mountain bike riders and housewives have found their best fitness from the same regimen.
CrossFit has been called “The Sport of Fitness” because it re-introduces personal athletic achievement and performance to training. The mindset at the start of each workout is to be stronger, move faster, more efficiently, with better form than ever. This is why even after years of training CrossFit style, scores and times in workouts continue to drop and athletes continue to improve. Its hard, fun, exciting, challenging and will push you to be your absolute best!
CrossFit is a fitness and conditioning system developed by former gymnast Coach Greg Glassman in 1995 after many years of watching, working with, and coaching all types of people – from those considered “normal and average”, to top athletes. Coach Glassman’s idea – take what worked best from the sports and movements that create the most versitile athletes gymnastics and weightlifting, and throw the rest out. Actually, the system really created itself – if a workout or an exercise proved functional and got great results (ie- challenged you to the bone), it stayed in the system.
Strength and conditioning: this is NOT a running or cycling program for metabolic, cardiovascular conditioning on even days of the week with a resistance training program for strength and power on other days. There is no segregation of exercise modalities in this approach. CrossFit is a hybrid strength/conditioning program that utilizes Olympic lifts, bodyweight exercises, gymnastics, rowing, running and a plethora of other exercises to develop endurance, power, flexibility, stamina, strength and other anatomical/physiological changes. By combining both metabolic conditioning and strength/power training into one approach, the return on investment of time and work is maximized.
Variety: In CrossFit’s definition of fitness, being functionally capable across a broad array of fitness related skills is of primary importance. (Read What is Fitness?) We use movements, training techniques and skills from the sports of weightlifting, gymnastics, and metabolic conditioning. You will see kettle bells, plyometrics, medicine balls, calisthenics, and sprinting. CrossFit specializes in NOT specializing. One session may focus on creating better form, working on a lift or skill. Other sessions may alternate high velocity jumping and pull-ups with running, or mix pushups with situps and body weight squats, the possibilities are endless. Variety helps us keep from getting bored with ‘routine.’ You might see some of the same movements, but the load or reps may vary. Occasionally we will repeat some workouts so you can track your progress. See our Workout of the Day for examples of our constantly varied programming.
Functional movements: In the CrossFit approach, functional training must mimic natural movements such as rising from sitting, picking an object up off the floor, jumping, climbing or lifting an object over your head. These kinds of movements are simultaneously multi-joint (not segmental), require trunk stability in the midline and call for strength and power over a relatively short time frame. These kinds of movements have greater application to the demands of everyday, real life: much, much more functional use than isolated bicep curls, running extended distances or curling on a specially designed machine that isolates abdominals. The equipment and space is deliberately Spartan in approach – the most important aspect of your workout is not how much chrome and fancy machines fill the gym. The most important aspect of your workout is how well the exercises develop the kind of strength, power and endurance needed for meeting the demands of day to day life.
Scalable: All the CrossFit workouts can be tailored to the individual’s current fitness level. Some come to CrossFit with no training background: workout intensity and volume will be set at a beginner’s level. Others are attracted to CrossFit after years of using other training methods: strengths and weak areas can be taxed appropriately. Age, obesity, medical issues, training history, endurance levels, strength level, and flexibility: all these kinds of issues can be met by adjusting portions or all of the exercise session. A good demonstration of scalability here.
High intensity execution: How much work can you do in a given period of time? The more you can do, the fitter you are, and the higher the intensity of your training. To get this intensity, we push it right to the edge of “the cliff”… and practice staying there. Greg Glassman says intensity is “physical and psychological discomfort.” CrossFit will challenge you to train in that zone. It’s neither easy nor simple, and is something that takes desire, commitment, and practice. Izumi Tabata and his colleagues at Japan’s National Institute of Fitness and Sport measured aerobic and anaerobic changes from very high intensity interval training in routines that lasted 4 minutes or less. They discovered that a very high intensity load with short rest periods created improvements in not only anaerobic performance (not a surprise), but also created improvements in aerobic capacity. This mean (contrary to popluar belief) that an athlete can train with one approach that benefits both aerobic and anaerobic performance. Thus to elicit these gains your training needs high intensity work. One thing to remember, intensity is determined by your ability to hold good form – we never recommend speed at the expense of form.
The magic is in the movement, the art is in the programming, the science is in the explanation, and the fun is in the community.
