Rest Day/Theory

Finding a balance between technique and intensity is one of the things that separates good trainers from great trainers, and it’s one of the keys to getting optimal results from the CrossFit program.

According to Greg Glassman, “control” is just another thing that can be stressed to produce favorable adaptations, just like your cardiorespiratory system must be stressed to produce greater endurance. The ability to maintain… Continue Reading

“The total is more than the sum of its parts.”

In CrossFit, that old adage holds true and in fact forms the basis for much of what we do. While certain methods of training treat the body as a collection of parts, CrossFitters train the body as a whole through functional compound movements. You can certainly break a squat down into agonists, antagonists and synergists working to achieve core stability and hip and knee… Continue Reading

Calculating the power output of a workout in foot-pounds per minute can be interesting, but does it really tell us anything about improving fitness?

Power is intensity, and intensity brings results.

In CrossFit, we maximize intensity by using a stopwatch. We apply this stopwatch to a wide variety of functional movements performed with full range of motion. More than any other single factor, this practice is responsible for the unprecedented… Continue Reading

Injuries are a reality in any sport, but for some reason they receive more attention in the weight room. Given that sports such as basketball, hockey and soccer have far higher injury rates, it really makes no sense to overemphasize the so-called dangers of weight training.

“There’s nothing done in a weight room anywhere that approximates the injuries in basketball. It just doesn’t happen,” Coach Glassman explains.

Nevertheless, injuries do… Continue Reading

In front of a chalkboard for a discussion on exercise theory, Coach Greg Glassman suggests midline stability isn’t just about safety. It’s also about performance.

Think of the midline as your “transmission”: a solid midline allows you to transfer force efficiently, while a weak midline results in lost force, decreased power and inefficient movement. Keeping your core tight is absolutely critical if you want to achieve elite performances in CrossFit WODs.

… Continue Reading

Dr. Andrew Hatchett is asked to teach a weight-training course at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He introduces his students to CrossFit in hopes of producing and new and better breed of fitness professional.

As a faculty member and loyal CrossFitter who teaches in the field of kinesiology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, I was recently presented with an exciting opportunity: adding CrossFit to the… Continue Reading

In front of a chalkboard for a discussion on exercise theory, Coach Greg Glassman suggests it’s possible certain muscles of the body can lift loads that can do damage to other parts of the body by compromising midline stability. To save us from ourselves, the body might short-circuit and fail before those loads severely injure an athlete.

For example, many people can lift one leg in an L-sit, but both legs fall to the floor… Continue Reading

Russell Berger says it’s important to assess experts with skepticism and reason. The success of CrossFit depends on it.

CrossFit is an open-source fitness program, meaning the internal workings of our program are exposed for everyone to see, experiment with and change as desired. This gives our methodology a unique advantage: when someone discovers a better method for improving fitness, we can adopt it into the CrossFit program.

Just what qualifies as a… Continue Reading