What makes CrossFit, CrossFit? This question has been asked on more than one occasion especially with its tremendous growth over the past few years. Big sponsors such as Reebok, and ESPN have gotten involved taking bigger roles in the sports growth. This has left many to ponder this question as CrossFit has become main stream. Some boxes claim they are a competition gym, while others claim they are just a pure CrossFit establishment, and some even purchase the rights to Reebok affiliations thinking it will boost membership. To me, part of the answer to this question is that they are all generally the same with some just being better at what they do than others. CrossFit was built on competition that’s why we list our scores on the board folks; it’s why we use a clock! The entire basis of CrossFit programming is doing a large amount of work during a period of time at high intensity. It’s why WOD’s are FOR TIME, and why AMRAP’s exist. For those stating that a CrossFit gym is doing competition CrossFit, my answer is yes, but aren’t you as well? If you claim that you are not a “competition CrossFit” then what exactly are you? Are you a boot camp, which uses CrossFit ideologies? Are you a sports performance facility that supplements CrossFit into a weekly / monthly training protocol? These are both well and good. Any use of CrossFit in training, if done smartly, is going to be beneficial but are you doing CrossFit? The answer really is, no.
In my humble opinion, CrossFit is really not about competition. CrossFit programming is about competition. CrossFit programming is about teaching someone to be better at skills to help them lead a more beneficial life, and well, become better at CrossFit. You know working out fast for time. What CrossFit’s really about is community. No one joins a CrossFit because they have someone there that can squat 500 lbs. No one joins because they heard they had an awesome CrossFit athlete there, although it may spark some interest but only if you know what CrossFit is. Majority of CrossFit competitors are not members at a box. They are normally coaches. What pays the bills and keeps people walking through your door day in and day out, is community. It is family. It has a having a support group that is bound together through sweat. It is the laughs you get while warming up. The camaraderie you get from dieing in a workout alongside someone else. It is the family dinners, the movie nights, the bbq’s, and the time spent with everyone in and out of the gym. For those that want a little more, they may choose to compete. For those who are in to cheering on their friends they may choose to go and watch. Once again it is still all about community. Many CrossFitters are former athletes, and they can attest that what drew them to CrossFit was the same thing that drew them to their sport. It was camaraderie. It was the locker room. It was their friends and coach’s. That is CrossFit.
Together We are One!
WARM UP:
500 M. Row (Easy)
500 M. Row (Mod.)
500 M. Row (Sprint)
SKILL:
3×3 Weighted Pull Ups
*Go as heavy as possible
LIFT:
Power Squat Clean
2 @ 75%
2 @ 80%
3×2 @ 90%
WOD:
“O.C. QUALIFIER WOD #1”
10 Min. AMRAP
15 Power Cleans (95/65) (75/55) (65/45) (55/35)
30 Double Unders (90 Singles)
POST WOD:
Hip Mobility
