Let's start this week's newsletter with a shout out to this crew for conquering the Mud Run in Maryville last weekend... Congrats!
"Constantly varied functional movements performed at a high intensity..."
What it is and why we do it.
That phrase is the definition of CrossFit. It says everything, but means almost nothing.
Without context or explanation, it's nothing more than a catchy tagline.
Constantly varied...we do different things almost all the time. We repeat workouts sometimes, but not often. We do similar lifts, but not all the time. We do the same movement patterns, like squatting, but sometimes it's heavy and low reps, other times it's light weight or even no weight and high reps. Why?
It isn't to confuse our bodies into fitness, or just to keep it interesting. It is to expose us to as many different physical demands as possible. We want to be able to run, jump, throw, lift, move our bodies in many different ways. We want to limit the number of things we are not capable of doing.
Being really strong or being able to run really well is great. But wouldn't some combination of the two be better?
We all obviously have things we prefer, but we should not completely ignore the others. Having fewer physical limitations is not only better for our fitness, but also our health and longevity. When we lose the ability to squat down, pick things up off the ground, or properly control our balance and movements, we lose the ability to take care of ourselves.
These things are relative to each of us. We all have different goals, desired outcomes, and are at different stages in our lives. But diversifying our fitness is crucial.
We want to be prepared for all of the "unknown and unknowable" things life throws at us.
Our jobs, families, yard work, moving furniture, running after your dog as it chases the neighbor's cat. You never know what each day may ask of you.
Constant variance is the best way to be as well-rounded of an athlete as possible and most versatile as a human.
There are two more pieces to this puzzle, "functional movements" and "intensity" which we will cover later. But for now, hopefully, this starts to connect the dots for some of you.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, have a great Sunday.
- Dave
The Week Ahead:
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