By Coach Chris Kerr
All great things come in three’s. Like the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and a taylor ham, egg, and cheese for all my New Jersey people out there, hollaaa. This is the Final Frontier in the discussion of ‘What We Do, and Why We Do it’. In Part 1 we discussed what Fitness is in terms of measurability and repeatability. In Part 2 we started to explore the idea how no other program but CrossFit covers all modal domains (anything life or a gym can throw at you, any physical activity) and increases your work capacity across broad time.
Where we will begin for this post is bringing back the definition of CrossFit and looking into it in greater detail:
Constantly Varied, Functional Movements, Performed at High Intensity
Okay, I definitely left some hanging in the last post because the definition of CrossFit is just a whole bunch of fancy words. Constantly varied (changed often), functional movements (movements we will perform in our lives such as lifting, pushing, pulling, throwing, jumping, etc.) performed at high intensity (hard and fast).
Essentially when it comes down to it, CrossFit is simply the best. You need to keep your body guessing by changing your program and routine often (constantly varied). Otherwise your body will adapt and you will not gain strength or conditioning effectively. You need to focus on movements that will help you in your life (functional movements). You do not need to be hitting the pec deck or leg press or bicep curl machine every day (sorry Globo Gym Hero’s). And if you want the best results you need to hit it hard and fast (high intensity).
Now that you understand CrossFit’s definition, lets revisit the definition of Fitness and put it all together here:
Fitness is: Work Capacity, Across Broad Time, and Modal Domains
And the best way to get Fit is:
Constantly Varied, Functional Movements, Performed at High Intensity
So ladies and gentlemen, that is ‘What We Do and Why We Do It’. We increase our Fitness by performing constantly varied, functional movements, at high intensity. But really, CrossFit is so much more than that. I cannot describe to you the amazing feeling of having people cheer you on as you squat. Or as you clean. When you hit that breaking point mentally and physically you are built back up when you look over and a man with gray hair and 6 grand kids is kicking your butt.
A huge part of CrossFit is Man vs. Self, Man vs. Clock, Man vs. Man. In other words, competition. Everyday is a competition between you, and you and the clock, and you and everyone around you. Kind of scary right? Wrong. Another beauty of CrossFit is scaling.
Everyone does the same work, and you use weights
appropriate for your current Fitness level
What that means is college stud, Mr. Lawyer, Ms. Finance lady and Mrs. Grandma can all perform the exact same workout and use weights appropriate for them. So college stud’s weights will surely be heavier than Mrs. Grandma, but they will finish a workout at the relative same time. Because Mrs. Grandma’s weight will be just as challenging for her as college stud. That makes sense right? When we are capable of scaling things, everything becomes equal for everybody.
I can go on and on about CrossFit and what makes it the best. If you have followed along in this three part series you should now understand ‘What We Do, and Why We Do it’. Simply asking ‘What is CrossFit’ is not a good enough question anymore. Because as illustrated in the last two articles it is far more than a one or two sentence answer. CrossFit is a fitness program. It is a lifestyle. It is an avenue for better health, better living. It is an escape from Globo Gym monotony. And if after all these articles you still do not understand ‘What We Do, and Why We Do it’, simply ask anyone who does CrossFit. They’d love to tell you.