Submission Guidelines

The CrossFit Journal is a continual-release, advertising-free digital publication dedicated to functional fitness. It is a chronicle of the empirically driven, clinically tested, and community-developed CrossFit program. Our mission is to provide a venue for contributing coaches, trainers, athletes, and researchers to ponder, study, debate, and define fitness, and thus collectively advance the art and science of optimizing human performance.

Submissions & Inquiries

We welcome submissions of original articles related to these topics, whether broadly general or minutely specific. Inquiries and proposals may be .

Topics might include, but are not limited to, general evidence-based fitness, empirical results, "black box" testing; exercise science, physiology, biomechanics, etc.; training philosophy and principles; implementations (specialist, athletic, institutional, etc.) of CrossFit; instructional, theoretical, historical discussions from the broad range of disciplines CrossFit draws on or works with; nutrition, Zone diet & recipes; health; medical topics relevant to CrossFit; rehab, injury, recovery: mental fitness: training programming; CrossFit community; CrossFit affiliates, business model open-source fitness; trainers and training, coaches and coaching; training tools, equipment, home gyms, do-it-yourself gear, gym design; books, videos, Internet resources; relevant military, LEO, first-responder topics; training & personal safety.

Articles should contribute in some way to the success of CrossFitters in their quest for fitness, which is concisely defined as increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains. These contributions can be technical, instructional, or inspirational. Contributions should be original thought, based on a personal passion and expertise, oriented toward measurable, observable, repeatable results. Controversy is welcome, though not for its own sake. Pedantry should be eschewed.

Publication is not guaranteed. To increase the chances of publication, consider writing a query letter outlining the scope and focus of an original article. This letter can also contain a list of proposed sources and illustrations. Including quality original photos or illustrations also increases the chances of publication.

Article Length & Initial Submission Process

Journal articles tend to be about 1500-3500 words (plus illustrations), but longer and shorter submissions are welcome, depending on the purpose and needs of the article. Photos or illustrations add immense value, as does accompanying video content.

Journal articles are published continually throughout the month. The time between final draft submission and publication varies but may be several months, depending on the timing of the submission and our backlog and editorial needs. All submissions go through a fairly rigorous review and editing process and may be edited for style, length, grammar and accuracy. You may be asked for extensive revisions if they are required. Authors are paid a nominal stipend upon publication.

Additional guidelines (not required for initial submission)

Photos & illustrations
  • Format: JPEG preferred; other formats may be acceptable as well.
  • Size: Send full-size, high-pixel-count files---at least 1600 pixels wide for landscape or at least 1200 pixels high for portrait. (Make sure your e-mail program doesn't downsize the files.) Small photos of 100 KB are not usable, and sizes upwards of 1 MB are preferred.
  • Credits: Photos must be original works and must include the name of the photographer. If you are not the photographer, you must secure permission to use the photos with your article. Copyrighted photos are not accepted without the expressed permission of the copyright holder.
  • Other: Photos should be big, bright, and sharp, with no timestamps or watermarks.
  • Captions: Please provide captions for illustrations and/or include placement callouts in the article text, as needed.
Video
  • Format: Highest quality possible; .wmv, .mov, .mpg, or .mp4 format preferred.
  • Size: Please send full-size SD (standard definition) video, which is 640 x 480 or 720 x 480, depending on the camera.
  • Length: Concise and well-edited.
  • Music: Do not submit videos with unlicensed music. You will be asked to document the music in your clips and prove you are licensed to use it.
Text Documents
  • Format: Articles should be submitted in a basic word-processing format, with Microsoft Word preferred. These files should be free of embedded pictures. Please indicate suggested placement of accompanying photos in the text document, and send the photos as e-mail attachments. Text files should also be free of excessive formatting such as bolding, indenting, shading, borders and highlighting. Arial 12 point is the preferred font, and articles should be left justified and single spaced, with only one space after periods.

Contributor's note

Please include a brief bio note (a photo is optional but nice as well) to publish with your article. Just a few sentences about who you are and what you do, to introduce you to the community. This is also an opportunity to link to your website, if relevant.