Do You Do "It?"

Do you do “it?” You know, “it;” CrossFit.

Chip Conrad recently posted about CrossFit on his Bodytribe blog. He asks “What is CrossFit?” Simply, how can we define CrossFit? Chip points out that it is very hard to pinpoint a single definition to CF; is it a protocol? Is it a philosophy? Is it a sport? Is it a tool? Just what the hell is “it?” Chip states that the heart of CrossFit lies in the timed workload.

CrossFit does come off as hard to define. At first glance, BodyTribe can be labeled CrossFit, but so can GymJones. Hell, my high school track workouts can be labeled as CrossFit Endurance workouts. How can you call CrossFit.com WoDs CrossFit but neither GymJones nor BodyTribe workouts? I'm going to address this issue.

As Chip states, we must work backwards to define CrossFit. The most readily-accepted definition of CF would be trying to do as much workload in the least amount of time, hence the timed workouts. The stopwatch is a very good tool at measuring the athlete’s/trainee’s work capacity. However, we must go even further back because my high school track coaches use stopwatches to have us complete the most distance (work) in the shortest amount of time.

So if CrossFit isn’t the WoD or the stopwatch as Chip says, what is it? Well, CrossFit is an aggregate of affiliates which is an aggregate of CrossFitters. So is it the CrossFitters that define CrossFit? As my friend Keith Wittenstein pointed out in the comments, community is a huge component of CrossFit and CrossFitters. Chip agrees with Keith. I agree that the community is a very large and important aspect of CF. I know way too many wonderful individuals because of CrossFit, but who in this community are true "CrossFitters?"

CrossFitters adhere to the 10 components of fitness:

1. Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance
2. Stamina
3. Strength
4. Flexibility
5. Power
6. Speed
7. Coordination
8. Agility
9. Balance
10. Accuracy

Someone may interject that old-time strongmen such as Saxon, Grimek, Maxick, Sandow, all incorporated the 10 components of fitness. So would they be called CrossFit[ters]? No. These were all specialists at one or more events. CrossFitters attempt to be average runners, average gymnasts, average powerlifters, average weightlifters, average rowers, and average so on in their quest to ultimate fitness. They do NOT specialize. There is no such thing as a strength or weakness for a CrossFitter. They are slightly above average at everything.

The purpose of CrossFit is to not specialize and to do well at everything; not exceptional but adequate. Once you delve into specializing you move away from CrossFit and general physical preparedness (GPP). Specialized physical preparedness (SPP) is not what a CrossFitter wants.

So a CrossFitter is defined as someone who wants to be neither good nor bad at any athletic or physical endeavor. CrossFitters make up affiliates and affiliates make up CrossFit but we still haven’t defined what CrossFit is. Is CrossFit the aggregate of all CrossFitters? If so, then that means CrossFitters must CrossFit in order to be deemed “CrossFitters.” A paradox? Yes. I think Chip was trying to hard to look for a definition of CrossFit. There is a pretty obvious definition once you dig deep enough into the old Journal articles and interviews with Glassman.

I am going to say that CrossFit is Greg Glassman’s method of creating GPP (through various modes and methods), and those who follow it are deemed CrossFitters. The goal of Glassman’s CrossFit is to make the best all-around athlete. Once you start adding in specific training then you are no longer truly “CrossFitting.” Instead you are doing your own thing. If you want to call yourself a CrossFitter you must adhere to the maxim of “competence over dominance” in everything.

If you specialize you are not a CrossFitter. You can utilize elements of CrossFit to bring up your weaknesses but you are doing CrossFit with an emphasis on ______. You defeat the purpose of CF and therefore cannot deem yourself or anything that you do as CrossFit. If you are doing Starting Strength alongside CF, then you are following Mark Rippetoe’s strength program with some GPP. You follow Charles Poliquin’s S&C program you are doing his protocol. You follow the Performance Menu WoD you are doing PMenu training, and so on. You don’t call yourself a gymnast because you do handstands or a runner because you run around the track now do you? So why call yourself a CrossFitter if you do a WoD here and there or after your strength training or sport practices?

Now CrossFit may be coming off as an exclusive “club” (or cult as some put it) at this point, but however it is in fact one of the most open and readily available “clubs” to join. In order to be a bodybuilder, weightlifter, runner, and so on, you must have experience participating in competitions. Many times competitions are few and far between, and they often involve becoming a member of a national affiliation, which inevitably involves paying a yearly fee. To be a member of CrossFit’s club requires you to simply drop your current training and adopt Greg Glassman’s protocol of being competent and not dominant. That’s free.

So do you do “it?”