The CrossFit Life

Craig Nelson asks us to take a break from Eminem and DMX to try a WOD with the OGs of music: Brahms, Bach and Tchaikovsky.

There are many things I love about CrossFit, and a few things I hate. Among the latter are, of course, burpees. But everyone hates burpees. But I have a particular loathing for something I suspect is loved, or at least liked, by most: the music.

My problem with the music is clearly my problem… Continue Reading

Mike Brown is using his CrossFit work ethic and business philosophy in a campaign to win a seat in the Iowa Statehouse. Hilary Achauer reports.

Mike Brown starts every weekday before the sun is up, heading over to CrossFit Des Moines to coach the 5:30 a.m. class. After teaching classes for a few hours, Brown throws on a sportcoat and a tie and spends the rest of the day shaking hands, meeting with advisors or—his… Continue Reading

Aaron Carr explains how 65-year-old Bruce Hughes discovered the true price of CrossFit after a year at CrossFit Cedar City.

Bruce Hughes is a mild-mannered accountant who moved to Cedar City, Utah, 18 years ago from California. He spends 12 to 16 hours a day sitting down at a desk, and years of this sedentary lifestyle contributed to his poor physical condition.

A year and a half ago, Hughes was… Continue Reading

Ever wondered what the guy at the back is thinking? Gary Jeffress gives his perspective from the back of the box.

What’s the guy at the back doin’?

Yes that’s me. I’m the guy at the back of the CrossFit class struggling to keep up, at times frustrated and at other times annoyed and self-conscious that I can’t compete. What are they thinking? When will I get fitter? Can… Continue Reading

Hospitalized with bipolar disorder, Chuck Wagner finds a way out of the darkness through running, CrossFit and an inspiring father-son team. Hilary Achauer reports.

In August 2010, Chuck Wagner was in good shape physically. A young man in his 20s, he was training for a marathon and played competitive lacrosse. Wagner was a working professional living the good life at the beach in San Diego, Calif. Inside, however, he… Continue Reading

Jimmy Viola reports how Elizabeth McTear discovered CrossFit and reconnected with her body—shedding three sizes along the way.

All her life, Elizabeth McTear says she lived the right way. She snacked on vegetables and fruit instead of junk food. She spent her childhood adventuring in the outdoors. As an adult, she prefers living in cities so she can walk and bike to get around.

And yet, she says, “I was always the chubby kid.”

… Continue Reading

Ryan Carbone looks at the origins of the words “cross” and “fit” and finds an unexpected deeper meaning.

Words are powerful. They can be employed in an incalculable number of ways to achieve any number of ends. They can motivate, inspire, make you laugh, make you cry, or cultivate your dreams or crush them.

The power of words, however, rests on our capacity to understand them. The more I thought about this, the more I realized that I… Continue Reading

Jeremy Striffler applies the concept of tribal culture to CrossFit and examines the five stages of the CrossFit tribe.

On a crisp, cold Saturday morning in early December, I showed up at TwinTown CrossFit in Minneapolis, Minn., to participate in the preliminary round of the Winter PR Challenge. The sight of 30-plus members of the gym preparing to do the CrossFit Total welcomed me.

For close to three hours, our group… Continue Reading