Fitness Programs 101 series: CrossFit

Why do we exercise? To get fitter, stronger and faster. But proficiency in one area usually means sacrificing another. For example: long distance runners focus on cardio endurance to develop super lean bodies enabling them to run for miles - this is achieved at the cost of bulking up and building explosive power; weightlifters on the other hand, focus on bulking up to develop maximum strength and power but at what cost - decreased cardio endurance, flexibility and agility.

Muscular and powerful physique of a sprinter VS. long lean build of a marathon runner

SO...WHAT IS CROSSFIT?

Well what if you could achieve all of the above and more without having to compromise? This is where CrossFit comes in. CrossFit brings to life the idea that a healthy, fit person should be proficient in each of the ten general physical skills:

1. Cardiorespiratory endurance

2. Stamina

3. Strength

4. Flexibility

5. Power

6. Speed

7. Agility

8. Balance

9. Coordination

10. Accuracy

A BIT OF BACKGROUND

In the 1970s former US gymnast, Greg Glassman first came up with idea after observing the exercises bodybuilders performed made them bigger but NOT more effective. Combining his knowledge of weight-lifting with his experience in gymnastics, Greg created a back-to-basics style program designed to prepare for any physical contingency - to prepare for the unknown as well as the unknowable.

Greg Glassman talking about his intent of CrossFit:

"CrossFit is in large part derived from several simple observations garnered through hanging out with athletes for thirty years and willingness, if not eagerness, to experiment coupled with a total disregard for conventional wisdom. Let me share some of the more formative of these observations:

1. Gymnasts learn new sports faster than other athletes.
2. Olympic lifters can apply more useful power to more activities than other athletes.
3. Powerlifters are stronger than other athletes.
4. Sprinters can match the cardiovascular performance of endurance athletes even at extended efforts.
5. Endurance athletes are woefully lacking in total physical capacity.
6. With high carb diets you either get fat or weak.
7. Bodybuilders can't punch, jump, run, or throw like athletes can.
8. Segmenting training efforts delivers a segmented capacity.

9. Optimizing physical capacity requires training at unsustainable intensities.
10. The world's most successful athletes and coaches rely on exercise science the way deer hunters

rely on the accordion."

CrossFit has developed somewhat of a cult following with their own communities, culture and ethos. In 2007 CrossFit introduced the sport of fitness to the world with the inaugural CrossFit games, held in California. "In implementation, CrossFit is, quite simply, a sport — 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." Since the very first Games, the number of competitors has increased exponentially as well as the number of countries represented.

CrossFit is the fitness program of choice for many police academies, firefighters, military special ops and professional sporting organisations. WHY? Because it delivers undisputed, tangible results. CrossFit is NOT just for the physically elite, it is designed for ANYONE and EVERYONE from children to grandparents.

CrossFit requires total commitment, unbreakable willpower and a can-do attitude; and at the end of the day all the blood, sweat and tears will transform you into a powerful, athletic machine!

JW

References

• CrossFit - www.crossfit.com