By: Michael Gregory

This Article was inspired by the Founder of  CrossFit Coach Greg Glassman. In Order to understand this article, you first must understand Virtuosity. I recommend reading Coach Glassman’s wonderful explanation of my desire to train clients with Excellence.
http://www.crossfit.com/cf-journal/Virtuosity.pdf

CrossFit is a method of training that better prepares you for the future task at hand. Each task is relative to an individual’s day to day demands. For example a firefighter’s task may be carrying a hose up a ladder with flames above and an uncertain number of people trapped inside. A parent of two young children may be primarily concerned with playing ball with his/her kids and lifting them in and out of the car. An older man’s task may be getting out of bed without pain and having the mobility to enjoy the day. Our relative future tasks present themselves unknowingly every single day.  CrossFit training prepares every single one of us for that. Crossfit gyms are a place for individuals of all ages and professions to come together and complete a workout that is the same for each individual. Imagine that! One program that benefits the development, performance, and rehabilitation needs of any individual.

How does the program achieve this? Scalability! The workout is scaled to a level that will challenge each person at their current ability. The workout differs not by design, but by intensity. Because of this CrossFit programs are executed in large groups. There is a vital component of CrossFit Training called Elements which is an absolute must.

What is Elements?

Every Crossfitter in the gym is required to first go through the Elements program. This program is made up of 3 private one on one sessions with a CrossFit Central coach. This program is the heart and sole of what we do in CrossFit training. One of the first things we look for in Crossfit movements is the individual’s ability to perform the movements with perfect form using no weight.  If moving the body is an issue because of limited mobility, then safety is our number one concern.  Our objective is not only to be able to complete a challenging workout, but to do so with efficiency. This means every movement that we perform in Crossfit must be done in a manner that your body is meant to move naturally. Every individual I know is able to move their body naturally; however, many people have forgotten that there is more to moving than walking, sitting and moving their arms. Crossfit Elements is about showing people how to safely go through the process of sitting and standing (squatting), picking things up, pushing or pulling, and rotating their body. For individuals who are prepared for complex exercise, we teach them how to do all that with barbells, kettlebells, dumbbells, pull-up bars, rowing machines and jump boxes. For individuals who have limited mobility, range of motion and/or strength will be advised and they will be shown how to retrieve those things before moving on to the complex exercises performed in our program.

Other than safety alone, there are several reasons why we require elements for all new Crossfitters who come into our program. We want everyone entering Crossfit to understand that we believe that this is the best program designed to improve fitness. We explain the facts about this in Elements and it is a very serious issue as far as I am concerned. Every CrossFit movement needs to be performed with the best biomechanics possible. Since we don’t see ourselves when we perform these movements, learning them and being coached through them in a one on one setting allows our clients to feel and understand the difference in doing the movements the right and wrong way. The trainees also learn what they are capable of and have a strong understanding of what they need to be focusing on when they actually get into Crossfit class. We aim to increase our client’s knowledge of training safely and efficiently while striving for the highest fitness level that they’ve ever achieved. Crossfit brings a new appreciation to understanding what fitness truly is and what training smart is all about. Our responsibility as coaches is to relay this message.

Intensity & Scalability in CrossFit

All of our workouts are measured by the intensity in which we do them. This means that we determine how much weight we are able to move and how long it takes us. For each person, this is going to be completely different. For many Crossfit instructors and clients there will be several variables to increase intensity in their workout. For instance, adding weights with barbells and kettlebells while going as fast as possible will give them just the workout they needed. On the other hand, a beginner will not necessarily need to add much weight if any at all. They also may not be moving quite as fast as the pro. A veteran may take 10 minutes to move an immense amount of weight where the beginner would move only their body weight and take a couple of minutes longer. Both are challenged to do their best under different circumstances with the same movements and both get a great workout. Intensity is always relative to what the individual is ready for.

For many people using their own bodies is plenty to give them exactly all they need for a challenging workout. What makes Crossfit truly unique is that the workouts also challenge elite athletes to also reach a new level of fitness. These workouts can be so difficult in fact that every “Fit Individual” who has attempted one has been completely embarrassed by somebody else who has been doing Crossfit workouts for some time. This is especially true when small 115 pound women are showing up big men with big egos (myself included). 

The Scalability of our workouts is crucial. We always take into consideration that some people are just not quite as physically ready to perform a workout at an elite standard. Our workouts are written up with a prescribed weight, repetition count, and run distance. This is written for the individual that is doing the workout at the most challenging level. For someone who is not quite strong enough to do the heaviest load, we scale the workout slightly. We may need to cut down the run distance an individual who has less endurance. And for a beginner we may need to tweak all three (weight, distance, and reps) so that they are able to complete the workout.  Even though everybody is doing the same workout, the Elite individuals are going as hard and as fast as they can with heavy weights, while Beginners will be using less or no weights and more concerned about building a foundation of good biomechanics while moving at a more relative pace.  Again,  Firefighter’s who need to be prepared for saving lives in burning buildings will not be expected to train the same way as a 60 year old grandmother who is concerned with getting out of bed without difficulties and being able to pick up her 20lb grandbaby from time to time.

Example of Workout of The Day, Scaled 3 Ways:

21-15-9                                               21-15-9                                             21-15-9

95 Lb Overhead Squat                        35lb. Overhead Squat                       PVC Pipe OHS

Pull-ups                                               Jumping Pull Ups Using a Box            Incline Row on Rings

55 lb Kettlebell Swings                       26lb. Kettlebell Swings                       5lb. DB Swings

No Modification                                   Moderately Fit                                     Beginner

The Fittest individuals would be able to get this done somewhere in the timeframe of under 6 minutes. That is an entire day’s workout! To get this done the trainees would have to get more work done in 6 minutes than most people get done in an entire hour of working out. There is no need for more. This athlete is at the top of the fitness kingdom. On the other end of the spectrum, a 60 year old grandmother would likely not get this workout done in an entire day. This is when we will begin to substitute. This woman should be challenged to do more than she thought she could do. Both are doing the absolute best to get the workouts done. Both get in great workout and will comeback tomorrow a little better off and ready to continue improving. Most importantly, they now have a newfound respect for the other and will be eager to see how far forward they can go.

Persistence and Progression every single day is what Crossfit is all about. If you can get better prepared for tomorrow, then you are better off for it.  I haven’t seen anybody yet who has reached the peak of their performance ability. I have also failed to meet a single individual who is not capable of improving their general function. People of all ages, shape, abilities, personalities, desires, and backgrounds benefit from CrossFit workouts. Crossfit is for everyone. There is no better workout routine than what CrossFit brings to the table. Improving physically in the fastest and most efficient way can not be found anywhere else. Excellence is what this program brings each and every time. Enjoy the Challenge and Congratulations on the results!