Started as a maverick gym in Santa Cruz, CrossFit has spread worldwide, becoming the principal strength & conditioning program for police academies and tactical op's teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, & hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide. Why? Because CrossFit works...FAST.
CrossFit delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. CrossFit's specialty is not specializing. Daily life, like many sports and professions, (and even combat) requires broad levels of fitness. CrossFit's program is designed for universal scalability making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience. The needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree not kind.
Click Here and Here for two great articles if you think CrossFit is too hard for you or beyond your ability.
To find out more about the principles and belief behind CrossFit, click here.
I went from a very scrawny 163 to a much stronger, although chubby 180. My strength improved a bunch but I really do not consider 5×5 efforts “strength” work. Too much fatigue, too little neuro activation and specificity. That considered, I think I have a shot a really increasing my strength levels with some focused work in this area. . .
Well, yes, I've lost 50 lbs and 3-4 clothing sizes, so buying a new wardrobe has been fun. . .
But not having to go to a chiropractor for back and neck pains is even better.
There's pain in Crossfit, for sure, but the kind you earn and feel good about...the pain of accomplishment. See, it's not just about looking cute, it's about feeling amazing.
Feeling lighter, faster, more agile...getting my reflexes back!
At 37, I thought my aches and pains and slowness were from getting old. Nope, it's from carrying around what is the equivalent of kindergardener, all the time. Now, at 38, I feel healthier and fitter than when I was in my 20's, and my 19 year old daughter can barely keep up.
There are many things I love about Crossfit but the first thing is that there are no limits.
You think you've hit a limit and you come back a week or 2 later and you go even further or faster. I told people I did 600 squats total the past week and they looked at me like I'm insane...and I'm thinking "I could have done more".
The other thing I love most about Crossfit is that I'm never alone.
I've taken classes at other gyms and there can be 50 people in a room, but we weren't working together or helping each other or challenging each other. Not so with Crossfit...whoever is there that day is cheering you on and pushing you, or they may be the person you are trying to beat...total interaction.
Anyway, thank you JJ, for introducing me to a better living...and to being better to myself!"
As you know, I’m a big fan of intermittent fasting, but this is an area of it that I’ve never really looked at. I’m going to break this into several posts because there’s a lot going on here and I don’t want to burden everyone with a novella. Today, we’ll look at how the body handles energy production during the fasting period, a good starting point given that, when you get down to it, an energy source and water are the only two requirements for the body to operate. . .
Anne joined the DCF crew less than a year ago (left). This year she decided to run in the Camp Pendleton Mud Run on June 7th (right). Can you see a difference?
In the next week or so you can expect a full testimonial from Anne, and where those 50 lbs went.
Personally, I think we are going to find out who the world's greatest athletes in the world are on July 5 and 6th at the CrossFit Games. . . But this article is interesting none-the-less (although I don't know about their judge selection). -jj
World's Greatest Athlete? From the Wall Street Journal
"We gave the performance stats and achievement records of 79 male athletes to a panel of 5 judges, and asked them to rank the competitors based on six criteria: speed; vision and reflex; stamina and recovery; coordination and flexibility; power, strength and size; and success and competitiveness. The final category examined success—records held and victories—as well as competitiveness, based on the sport's popularity."
