Why CrossFit?

Ok, so you live in Colorado Springs and you lead an active life, or maybe you want to. You’ve made the choice that you want to be fitter so that you’re healthier, have more energy, look better, and generally enjoy life more. Good for you! That’s the first step to achieving your goal.

Why CrossFit?

Why not just lift weights? Run? Swim? Ride a bicycle? That’s a good question, and there’s a good answer. Any one of these activities is good exercise, but they aren’t be the only exercise someone needs.

CrossFit is more than a just workout – it’s a lifestyle that promotes all-around fitness. People who choose CrossFit and stick with it see great results toward their goals. The workouts are constantly varied, functional movements (metabolic conditioning, weightlifting and gymnastics) performed at high-intensity. CrossFit workouts spark metabolism, generate lean muscle, increase endurance and strength.

In fact, CrossFit increases the 10 General Physical Skills:

1. Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance – The ability of body systems to gather, process and deliver oxygen.
2. Stamina – The ability of body systems to process, deliver, store, and utilize energy. 
3. Strength – The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply force.
4. Flexibility – The ability to maximize the range of motion of a given joint. 
5. Power – The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply maximum force in minimum time.
6. Speed – The ability to minimize the time cycle of a repeated movement.
7. Coordination – The ability to combine several distinct movement patterns into a singular distinct movement.
8. Agility – The ability to minimize transition time from one movement pattern to another. 
9. Balance – The ability to control the placement of the body’s center of gravity in relation to its support base.
10. 10.Accuracy – The ability to control movement in a given direction or at a given intensity. 

We train so that we’re more proficient at each of these each day, and we practice regularly at each of them so that we’re able to train better. And, probably, when you look at these you’d be hard pressed to not want to see your capability increase in each of these for general life. It’s pretty safe to say that we’re all drawn to the idea of being stronger, faster, able to do daily tasks without struggle, pain or limitation. 

So, let’s ask again, why CrossFit? Why this instead of just running, cycling, swimming, weightlifting? This list is the answer – no one activity or exercise will develop all these attributes of general physcial fitness. An elite specialist, say a cyclist, is going to rank highly in areas like stamina, cardio vascular endurance, and balance. However, ask that specialized athlete to lift their bodyweight on a barbell off the ground and they likely will struggle. Ask them to show some measure of athleticism in any combination of these skills and their specialization becomes increaseingly evident.

CrossFit trains for something called virtuosity – performing the common uncommonly well.

Your physical skills have been developed to the point where you excel beyond most people in performing everyday physcial tasks. This is the state where something that most people think is extraordinary is not daunting or overwhelming to a CrossFit athlete because they have trained to do a wide variety of activities – developing cardio vascular endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility and power. A CrossFit athlete is literally ready for anything that life brings.

At CrossFit NCS we believe in a saying: We’re STRONGER THAN. Stronger than whatever challenges us in life. So, let’s ask again, why CrossFit? Because you, too, can be STRONGER THAN.