CrossFit Understanding CrossFit The aims, prescription, methodology, implementation, and adaptations of CrossFit are collectively and individually unique, defining of CrossFit, and Understanding CrossFit instrumental in our program’s successes in diverse applications. Page 1 Aims Foundations From the beginning, the aim of CrossFit has been to forge a broad, general, Page 4 and inclusive fitness. We sought to build a program that would best prepare trainees for any physical contingency—prepare them not only for the What is Fitness? unknown but for the unknowable. Looking at all sport and physical tasks Page 14 collectively, we asked what physical skills and adaptations would most universally lend themselves to performance advantage. Capacity culled from the intersection of all sports demands would quite logically lend itself well to all sport. In sum, our specialty is not specializing. The second issue (“What is Fitness?”) of the CrossFit Journal details this perspective. Prescription The CrossFit prescription is “constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement.” Functional movements are universal motor recruitment patterns; they are performed in a wave of contraction from core to extremity; and they are compound movements—i.e., they are multi-joint. They are natural, effective, and efficient locomotors of body and external objects. But no aspect of functional movements is more important than their capacity to move large loads over long distances, and to do so quickly. Collectively, these three attributes (load, distance, and speed) uniquely qualify functional movements for the production of high power. Intensity is defined exactly as power, and intensity is the independent variable most commonly associated with maximizing favorable adaptation to exercise. Recognizing that the breadth and depth of a program’s stimulus will determine the breadth and depth of the adaptation it elicits, our prescription of functionality and intensity is constantly varied. We believe that preparation for random physical challenges—i.e., unknown and unknowable events—is at odds with fixed, predictable, and routine regimens. 1 of 117 Copyright © CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. CrossFit Training Guide | CrossFit Understanding CrossFit... (continued) Methodology threshold, body composition, and even strength and The methodology that drives CrossFit is entirely flexibility as being correlates—derivatives, even. We’d empirical. We believe that meaningful statements about not trade improvements in any other fitness metric for a safety, efficacy, and efficiency, the three most important decrease in work capacity. and interdependent facets of any fitness program, can be supported only by measurable, observable, repeatable Conclusions facts, i.e., data. We call this approach “evidence-based The modest start of publicly posting our daily workouts fitness”. The CrossFit methodology depends on full on the Internet beginning six years ago has evolved into disclosure of methods, results, and criticisms, and we’ve a community where human performance is measured employed the Internet (and various intranets) to support and publicly recorded against multiple, diverse, and these values. Our charter is open source, making fixed workloads. CrossFit is an open-source engine co-developers out of participating coaches, athletes, and where inputs from any quarter can be publicly given to trainers through a spontaneous and collaborative online demonstrate fitness and fitness programming, and where community. CrossFit is empirically driven, clinically coaches, trainers, and athletes can collectively advance tested, and community developed. the art and science of optimizing human performance. Implementation In implementation, CrossFit is, quite simply, a sport— F the “sport of fitness.” We’ve learned that harnessing the natural camaraderie, competition, and fun of sport or game yields an intensity that cannot be matched by other means. The late Col. Jeff Cooper observed that “the fear of sporting failure is worse than the fear of death.” It is our observation that men will die for points. Using whiteboards as scoreboards, keeping accurate scores and records, running a clock, and precisely defining the rules and standards for performance, we not only motivate unprecedented output but derive both relative and absolute metrics at every workout; this data has important value well beyond motivation. Adaptations Our commitment to evidence-based fitness, publicly posting performance data, co-developing our program in collaboration with other coaches, and our open-source charter in general has well positioned us to garner important lessons from our program—to learn precisely and accurately, that is, about the adaptations elicited by CrossFit programming. What we’ve discovered is that CrossFit increases work capacity across broad time and modal domains. This is a discovery of great import and has come to motivate our programming and refocus our efforts. This far-reaching increase in work capacity supports our initially stated aims of building a broad, general, and inclusive fitness program. It also explains the wide variety of sport demands met by CrossFit as evidenced by our deep penetration among diverse sports and endeavors. We’ve come to see increased work capacity as the holy grail of performance improvement and all other common metrics like VO2 max, lactate 2 of 117 Copyright © CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. CrossFit Training Guide | CrossFit NOTES 3 of 117 Copyright © CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. CrossFit Training Guide | CrossFit Foundations CrossFit is a core strength and conditioning program. fitness is demanded of military and police personnel, We have designed our program to elicit as broad an firefighters, and many sports requiring total or complete adaptational response as possible. CrossFit is not a physical prowess. CrossFit has proven effective in these specialized fitness program but a deliberate attempt to arenas. optimize physical competence in each of ten recognized fitness domains. They are Cardiovascular and Respiratory Aside from the breadth or totality of fitness the CrossFit endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Program seeks, our program is distinctive, if not unique, Coordination, Agility, Balance, and Accuracy. in its focus on maximizing neuroendocrine response, developing power, cross-training with multiple training The CrossFit Program was developed to enhance an modalities, constant training and practice with functional individual’s competency at all physical tasks. Our movements, and the development of successful diet athletes are trained to perform successfully at multiple, strategies. diverse, and randomized physical challenges. This 4 of 117 Copyright © CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved. CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc. CrossFit Training Guide | CrossFit Foundations... (continued) Our athletes are trained to bike, run, swim, and row at to our grandparents. The amazing truth is that the short, middle, and long distances guaranteeing exposure very same methods that elicit optimal response in the and competency in each of the three main metabolic Olympic or professional athlete will optimize the same pathways. response in the elderly. Of course, we can’t load your grandmother with the same squatting weight that we’d We train our athletes in gymnastics from rudimentary assign an Olympic skier, but they both need to squat. to advanced movements garnering great capacity at In fact, squatting is essential to maintaining functional controlling the body both dynamically and statically while independence and improving fitness. Squatting is maximizing strength to weight ratio and flexibility. We just one example of a movement that is universally also place a heavy emphasis on Olympic Weightlifting valuable and essential yet rarely taught to any but the having seen this sport’s unique ability to develop an most advanced of athletes. This is a tragedy. Through athletes’ explosive power, control of external objects, painstakingly thorough coaching and incremental load and mastery of critical motor recruitment patterns. And assignment CrossFit has been able to teach anyone finally we encourage and assist our athletes to explore a who can care for themselves to perform safely and variety of sports as a vehicle to express and apply their with maximum efficacy the same movements typically fitness. utilized by professional coaches in elite and certainly exclusive environments. An Effective Approach In gyms and health clubs throughout the world the Who Has Benefited From CrossFit? typical workout consists of isolation movements and Many professional and elite athletes are participating extended aerobic sessions. The fitness community in the CrossFit Program. Prize-fighters, cyclists, surfers, from trainers to the magazines has the exercising public skiers, tennis players, triathletes and others competing believing that lateral raises, curls, leg extensions, sit-ups at the highest levels are using the CrossFit approach to and the like combined with 20-40 minute stints on the advance their core strength and conditioning, but that’s stationary bike or treadmill are going to lead to some kind not all. CrossFit has tested its methods on the sedentary, of great fitness. Well, at CrossFit we work exclusively overweight, pathological, and elderly