CFJ English Level1 Training Guide

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LEVEL 1 TRAINING GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The CrossFit Level 1 Training Guide is a collection of CrossFit Journal articles
written since 2002 primarily by CrossFit, Inc. Founder Coach Greg Glassman on
the foundational movements and methodology of CrossFit, Inc.
This guide is designed to be used in conjunction with the Level 1 Course to develop
the participant’s knowledge and trainer skills and as an essential resource for
anyone who is interested in improving their own health and fitness.
Some edits to the original articles have been made for the Training Guide to flow
as a stand-alone reference, to provide context for readers, and to stay current with
the course format. All original works are preserved in the CrossFit Journal.
© 2002 - 2017 CrossFit, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner
without permission. All images are copyrighted by the artists and reproduced with
the kind permission of the artists and/or their representatives.
Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders and to ensure that all the
information presented is correct. Some of the facts in this volume may be subject
to debate or dispute. If proper copyright acknowledgment has not been made, or
for clarifications and corrections, please contact the publishers and we will correct
the information in future reprintings, if any.
No seminar other than the CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course, as run by CrossFit,
grants you the title CrossFit Trainer. Official events can only be verified by using
CrossFit.com for registration or by emailing seminars@crossfit.com with your inquiry.
Official qualifications for any individual can be verified in CrossFit’s Trainer Directory.
Only CrossFit, Inc. offers the CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course, and the course
has no prerequisites. Only successful completion of this course allows a trainer to
apply for affiliation with CrossFit. If an affiliate or other fitness organization claims
otherwise, it should be reported to iptheft.crossfit.com.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

Methodology
Understanding CrossFit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Foundations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
What Is Fitness? (Part 1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  17
What Is Fitness? (Part 2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  32
Technique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Nutrition: Avoiding Disease and Optimizing
Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Fitness, Luck and Health. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Zone Meal Plans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  53
Typical CrossFit Block Prescriptions and
Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Supplementation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
A Theoretical Template for CrossFit’s
Programming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  71
Scaling CrossFit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
“The Girls” for Grandmas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Running a CrossFit Class. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  87
Lesson Plan: Fran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Lesson Plan: Back Squat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  92
Lesson Plan: 20-Minute AMRAP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Movements
Anatomy and Physiology for Jocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Squat Clinic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
The Overhead Squat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  111
Shoulder Press, Push Press, Push Jerk . . . . . . . . . . 118

The Deadlift. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Medicine-Ball Cleans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
The Glute-Ham Developer (GHD). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Trainer Guidance
Where Do I Go From Here?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Responsible Training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Fundamentals, Virtuosity and Mastery:
An Open Letter to CrossFit Trainers. . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Professional Training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Scaling Professional Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certificate License
Agreement in Plain English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Frequently Asked Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
CrossFit Credentials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Movement Guide
Nine Foundational Movements Summary. . . . . 170
The Air Squat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
The Front Squat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
The Overhead Squat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
The Shoulder Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
The Push Press. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
The Push Jerk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
The Deadlift. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
The Sumo Deadlift High Pull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
The Medicine-Ball Clean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Four Additional Movements Summary. . . . . . . . . 218
The Pull-up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
The Thruster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
The Muscle-up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
The Snatch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

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Understanding CrossFit, continued

Understanding CrossFit
Originally published in April 2007.
The aims, prescription, methodology, implementation, and adaptations of CrossFit
are collectively and individually unique, defining of CrossFit, and instrumental in
our program’s successes in diverse applications.
Aims
From the beginning, the aim of CrossFit has been to forge a broad, general, and
inclusive fitness. We sought to build a program that would best prepare trainees
for any physical contingency–prepare them not only for the unknown but for
the unknowable. Looking at all sport and physical tasks collectively, we asked
what physical skills and adaptations would most universally lend themselves
to performance advantage. Capacity culled from the intersection of all sports
demands would quite logically lend itself well to all sport. In sum, our specialty is
not specializing.
Prescription
CrossFit is: “constantly varied, high-intensity functional movement.” This is our
prescription. Functional movements are universal motor recruitment patterns;
they are performed in a wave of contraction from core to extremity; and they are
compound movements–i.e., they are multi-joint. They are natural, effective, and
efficient locomotors of body and external objects. But no aspect of functional
movements is more important than their capacity to move large loads over long
distances, and to do so quickly. Collectively, these three attributes (load, distance,
and speed) uniquely qualify functional movements for the production of high
power. Intensity is defined exactly as power, and intensity is the independent
variable most commonly associated with maximizing the rate of return of favorable
adaptation to exercise. Recognizing that the breadth and depth of a program’s
stimulus will determine the breadth and depth of the adaptation it elicits, our
prescription of functionality and intensity is constantly varied. We believe that

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preparation for random physical challenges–i.e., unknown and unknowable
events–is at odds with fixed, predictable, and routine regimens.
Methodology
The methodology that drives CrossFit is entirely empirical. We believe that
meaningful statements about safety, efficacy, and efficiency, the three most
important and interdependent facets to evaluate any fitness program, can
be supported only by measurable, observable, repeatable data. We call this
approach “evidence-based fitness.” CrossFit’s methodology depends on full
disclosure of methods, results, and criticisms, and we have employed the internet
to support these values. Our charter is open source, making co-developers out of
participating coaches, athletes, and trainers through a spontaneous and collaborative online community. CrossFit is empirically driven, clinically tested, and
community developed.
Implementation
In implementation, CrossFit is, quite simply, a sport—the Sport of Fitness. We have
learned that harnessing the natural camaraderie, competition, and fun of sport or
game yields an intensity that cannot be matched by other means. The late Col.
Jeff Cooper observed that “the fear of sporting failure is worse than the fear of
death.” It is our observation that men will die for points. Using whiteboards as
scoreboards, keeping accurate scores and records, running a clock, and precisely
defining the rules and standards for performance, we not only motivate unprecedented output but derive both relative and absolute metrics at every workout;
this data has important value well beyond motivation.

“We’ve taken highintensity, constantly
varied functional
workouts and distilled
load, range of motion,
exercise, power,
work, line of action,
flexibility, speed,
and all pertinent
metabolics to a
single value–usually
time. This is the Sport
of Fitness. We’re
best at it.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

Adaptations
Our commitment to evidence-based fitness, publicly posting performance data,
co-developing our program in collaboration with other coaches, and our opensource charter in general have well positioned us to garner important lessons from
our program–to learn precisely and accurately, that is, about the adaptations elicited
by CrossFit programming. What we have discovered is that CrossFit increases work
capacity across broad time and modal domains (see “What Is Fitness? (Part 2)”
article). This is a discovery of great import and has come to motivate our programming and refocus our efforts. This far-reaching increase in work capacity supports
our initially stated aims of building a broad, general, and inclusive fitness program.
It also explains the wide variety of sport demands met by CrossFit, as evidenced
by our deep penetration among diverse sports and endeavors. We have come to
see increased work capacity as the Holy Grail of performance improvement and
all other common metrics like VO2 max, lactate threshold, body composition, and
even strength and flexibility as being correlates–derivatives, even. We would not
trade improvements in any other fitness metric for a decrease in work capacity.

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Conclusions
The modest start of publicly posting our daily workouts on the internet beginning
in 2001 has evolved into a community where human performance is measured
and publicly recorded against multiple, diverse, and fixed workloads. CrossFit is an
open-source engine where inputs from any quarter can be publicly given to demonstrate fitness and fitness programming, and where coaches, trainers, and athletes
can collectively advance the art and science of optimizing human performance.

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Foundations, continued

Foundations
Originally published in April 2002.

CrossFit is a core strength and conditioning program. We have designed our
program to elicit as broad an adaptational response as possible. CrossFit is not
a specialized fitness program but a deliberate attempt to optimize physical
competence in each of 10 fitness domains. They are cardiovascular/respiratory
endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility,
balance, and accuracy.
CrossFit was developed to enhance an individual’s competency at all physical
tasks. Our athletes are trained to perform successfully at multiple, diverse, and
randomized physical challenges. This fitness is demanded of military and police
personnel, firefighters, and many sports requiring total or complete physical
prowess. CrossFit has proven effective in these arenas.
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Aside from the breadth or totality of fitness CrossFit seeks, our program is
distinctive, if not unique, in its focus on maximizing neuroendocrine response,
developing power, cross-training with multiple training modalities, constant
training and practice with functional movements, and the development of
successful diet strategies.
Our athletes are trained to bike, run, swim, and row at short, middle, and long
distances, guaranteeing exposure and competency in each of the three main
metabolic pathways.
We train our athletes in gymnastics from rudimentary to advanced movements,
garnering great capacity at controlling the body both dynamically and statically
while maximizing strength-to-weight ratio and flexibility. We also place a heavy
emphasis on Olympic weightlifting, having seen this sport’s unique ability to
develop an athlete’s explosive power, control of external objects, and mastery
of critical motor recruitment patterns. And finally we encourage and assist our
athletes to explore a variety of sports as a vehicle to express and apply their fitness.
An Effective Approach
In gyms and health clubs throughout the world the typical workout consists of
isolation movements and extended aerobic sessions. The fitness community from
trainers to the magazines has the exercising public believing that lateral raises,
curls, leg extensions, sit-ups and the like combined with 20- to 40-minute stints on
the stationary bike or treadmill are going to lead to some kind of great fitness. Well,
at CrossFit we work exclusively with compound movements and shorter high-intensity cardiovascular sessions. We have replaced the lateral raise with the push
press, the curl with the pull-up, and the leg extension with the squat. For every
long-distance effort our athletes will do five or six at short distance. Why? Because
functional movements and high intensity are radically more effective at eliciting
nearly any desired fitness result. Startlingly, this is not a matter of opinion but solid,
irrefutable scientific fact, and yet the marginally effective old ways persist and are
nearly universal. Our approach is consistent with what is practiced in elite training

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programs associated with major university athletic teams and professional sports.
CrossFit endeavors to bring state-of-the-art coaching techniques to the general
public and athlete.
Is This for Me?
Absolutely! Your needs and the Olympic athlete’s differ by degree not kind.
Increased power, speed, strength, cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, flexibility, stamina, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy are each important to the
world’s best athletes and to our grandparents. The amazing truth is that the very
same methods that elicit optimal response in the Olympic or professional athlete
will optimize the same response in the elderly. Of course, we cannot load your
grandmother with the same squatting weight that we would assign an Olympic
skier, but they both need to squat. In fact, squatting is essential to maintaining
functional independence and improving fitness. Squatting is just one example of
a movement that is universally valuable and essential yet rarely taught to any but
the most advanced of athletes. This is a tragedy. Through painstakingly thorough
coaching and incremental load assignment, CrossFit has been able to teach
everyone who can care for himself or herself to perform safely and with maximum
efficacy the same movements typically utilized by professional coaches in elite and certainly exclusive environments.
Who Has Benefited From CrossFit?
Many professional and elite athletes are participating in
CrossFit. Prizefighters, cyclists, surfers, skiers, tennis players,
triathletes and others competing at the highest levels are
using CrossFit to advance their core strength and conditioning, but that is not all. CrossFit has tested its methods
on the sedentary, overweight, pathological, and elderly and
found that these special populations met the same success
as our stable of athletes. We call this “bracketing.” If our
program works for Olympic skiers and overweight, sedentary
homemakers then it will work for you.
Your Current Regimen
If your current routine looks somewhat like what we have
described as typical of the fitness magazines and gyms, do
not despair. Any exercise is better than none, and you have
not wasted your time. In fact, the aerobic exercise that you
have been doing is an essential foundation to fitness, and
the isolation movements have given you some degree of
strength. You are in good company; we have found that some
of the world’s best athletes were sorely lacking in their core
strength and conditioning. It is hard to believe, but many elite
athletes have achieved international success and are still far

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from their potential because they have not had the benefit of state-of-the-art
coaching methods.

“Significantly improve
your 400-meter run,
2,000-meter row,
squat, dead, bench,
pull-up, and dip.
Now you are a more
formidable being.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

Just What Is a “Core Strength and Conditioning” Program?
CrossFit is a core strength and conditioning program in two distinct senses. First,
we are a core strength and conditioning program in the sense that the fitness
we develop is foundational to all other athletic
needs. This is the same sense in which the
university courses required of a particular major
are called the “core curriculum.” This is the stuff
that everyone needs. Second, we are a “core”
strength and conditioning program in the literal
sense meaning the center of something. Much
of our work focuses on the major functional axis
of the human body, the extension and flexion
of the hips and torso or trunk. The primacy of
core strength and conditioning in this sense
is supported by the simple observation that
powerful hip extension alone is necessary and
nearly sufficient for elite athletic performance.
That is, our experience has been that no one
without the capacity for powerful hip extension
enjoys great athletic prowess and nearly
everyone we have met with that capacity was a
great athlete. Running, jumping, punching, and
throwing all originate at the core. At CrossFit we
endeavor to develop our athletes from the inside out, from core to extremity, which
is, by the way, how good functional movements recruit muscle, from the core to
the extremities.
Can I Enjoy Optimal Health Without Being an Athlete?
No! Athletes experience a protection from the ravages of aging and disease
that non-athletes never find. For instance, 80-year-old athletes are stronger
than non-athletes in their prime at 25 years old. If you think that strength is not
important, consider that strength loss is what puts people in nursing homes.
Athletes have greater bone density, stronger immune systems, less coronary heart
disease, reduced cancer risk, fewer strokes, and less depression than non-athletes.
What Is an Athlete?
According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, an athlete is “a person who is trained or
skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina.”
The CrossFit definition of an athlete is a bit tighter. The CrossFit definition
of an athlete is “a person who is trained or skilled in strength, power, balance
and agility, flexibility, and endurance.” CrossFit holds “fitness,” “health,” and
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“athleticism” as strongly overlapping constructs. For most purposes, they can be
seen as equivalents.
What if I Do not Want to Be an Athlete; I Just Want to Be Healthy?
You are in luck. We hear this often, but the truth is that fitness, wellness, and
pathology (sickness) are measures of the same entity: your health. There are a
multitude of measurable parameters that can be ordered from sick (pathological) to well (normal) to fit (better than normal). These include but are not limited
to blood pressure, cholesterol, heart rate, body fat, muscle mass, flexibility, and
strength. It seems as though all of the body functions that can go awry have states
that are pathological, normal, and exceptional and that elite athletes typically show
these parameters in the exceptional range. CrossFit’s view is that fitness and health
are the same thing (see “What Is Fitness? (Part 1)” article). It is also interesting to
notice that the health professional maintains your health with drugs and surgery,
each with potentially undesirable side effects, whereas the CrossFit trainer typically
achieves a superior result always with “side benefit” versus side effect.
Examples of CrossFit Exercises
Biking, running, swimming, and rowing in an endless variety of drills. The clean and
jerk, snatch, squat, deadlift, push press, bench press, and power clean. Jumping,
medicine-ball throws and catches, pull-ups, dips, push-ups, handstands, presses
to handstands, pirouettes, kips, cartwheels, muscle-ups, sit-ups, scales, and holds.
We make regular use of bikes, the track, rowing shells and ergometers, Olympic
weight sets, rings, parallel bars, free exercise mats, horizontal bars, plyometrics
boxes, medicine balls, and jump ropes.
There is not a strength and conditioning program anywhere that works with a
greater diversity of tools, modalities, and drills.
What if I Do not Have Time for All of This?
It is a common sentiment to feel that because of the obligations of career and
family that you do not have the time to become as fit as you might like. Here is
the good news: World-class age group strength and conditioning is obtainable
through an hour a day six days per week of training. It turns out that the intensity
of training that optimizes physical conditioning is not sustainable past 45 minutes
to an hour. Athletes who train for hours a day are developing skill or training for
sports that include adaptations inconsistent with elite strength and conditioning.
Past one hour, more is not better!
“Fringe Athletes”
There is a near universal misconception that long-distance athletes are fitter
than their short-distance counterparts. The triathlete, cyclist, and marathoner are
often regarded as among the fittest athletes on Earth. Nothing could be further
from the truth. The endurance athlete has trained long past any cardiovascular
health benefit and has lost ground in strength, speed, and power; typically does
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“Traditionally,
calisthenic movements
are high-rep
movements, but
there are numerous
body-weight exercises
that only rarely can be
performed for more
than a rep or two. Find
them. Explore them!”
—COACH GLASSMAN

nothing for coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy; and possesses little more
than average flexibility. This is hardly the stuff of elite athleticism. The CrossFit
athlete, remember, has trained and practiced for optimal physical competence
in all 10 physical skills (cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, flexibility,
strength, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy). The excessive
aerobic volume of the endurance athletes’ training costs them in speed, power,
and strength to the point that their athletic competency has been compromised.
No triathlete is in ideal shape to wrestle, box, pole-vault, sprint, play any ball sport,
fight fires, or do police work. Each of these requires a fitness level far beyond the
needs of the endurance athlete. None of this suggests that being a marathoner,
triathlete or other endurance athlete is a bad thing; just do not believe that training
as a long-distance athlete gives you the fitness that is prerequisite to many sports.
CrossFit considers the sumo wrestler, triathlete, marathoner, and powerlifter
to be “fringe athletes” in that their fitness demands are so specialized as to be
inconsistent with the adaptations that give maximum competency at all physical
challenges. Elite strength and conditioning is a compromise between each of the
10 physical adaptations. Endurance athletes do not balance that compromise.
Aerobics and Anaerobics
There are three main energy systems that fuel all human activity. Almost all
changes that occur in the body due to exercise are related to the demands placed
on these energy systems. Furthermore, the efficacy of any given fitness regimen
may largely be tied to its ability to elicit an adequate stimulus for change within
these three energy systems.
Energy is derived aerobically when oxygen is utilized to metabolize substrates
derived from food and liberates energy. An activity is termed aerobic when the
majority of energy needed is derived aerobically. These activities are usually
greater than 90 seconds in duration and involve low to moderate power output
or intensity. Examples of aerobic activity include running on the treadmill for 20
minutes, swimming a mile, and watching TV.
Energy is derived anaerobically when energy is liberated from substrates in the
absence of oxygen. Activities are considered anaerobic when the majority of the
energy needed is derived anaerobically. In fact, properly structured, anaerobic
activity can be used to develop a very high level of aerobic fitness without the
muscle wasting consistent with high-volume aerobic exercise! These activities are
of less than two minutes in duration and involve moderate to high-power output
or intensity. There are two such anaerobic systems, the phosphagen (or phosphocreatine) system and the lactic acid (or glycolytic) system. Examples of anaerobic
activity include running a 100-meter sprint, squatting, and doing pull-ups.
Anaerobic and aerobic training support performance variables like strength,
power, speed, and endurance. We also support the contention that total

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conditioning and optimal health necessitate training each of the physiological
systems in a systematic fashion (see “What Is Fitness? (Part 1)” article).
It warrants mention that in any activity all three energy systems are utilized
though one may dominate. The interplay of these systems can be complex, yet
a simple examination of the characteristics of aerobic versus anaerobic training
can prove useful.
CrossFit’s approach is to judiciously balance anaerobic and aerobic exercise in a
manner that is consistent with the athlete’s goals. Our exercise prescriptions adhere
to proper specificity, progression, variation, and recovery to optimize adaptations.
The Olympic Lifts, a.k.a., Weightlifting
There are two Olympic lifts, the clean and jerk
and the snatch. Mastery of these lifts develops
the squat, deadlift, power clean, and split jerk
while integrating them into a single movement of
unequaled value in all of strength and conditioning. The Olympic lifters are without a doubt the
world’s strongest athletes.
These lifts train athletes to effectively activate
more muscle fibers more rapidly than through
any other modality of training. The explosiveness
that results from this training is of vital necessity
to every sport.
Practicing the Olympic lifts teaches one to apply
force to muscle groups in proper sequence; i.e.,
from the center of the body to its extremities (core to extremity). Learning this vital
technical lesson benefits all athletes who need to impart force to another person
or object, as is commonly required in nearly all sports.
In addition to learning to impart explosive forces, the clean and jerk and snatch
condition the body to receive such forces from another moving body both safely
and effectively.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the Olympic lifts’ unique capacity to
develop strength, muscle, power, speed, coordination, vertical leap, muscular
endurance, bone strength, and the physical capacity to withstand stress. It is
also worth mentioning that the Olympic lifts are the only lifts shown to increase
maximum oxygen uptake, the most important marker for cardiovascular fitness.

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Sadly, the Olympic lifts are seldom seen in the commercial fitness community
because of their inherently complex and technical nature. CrossFit makes them
available to anyone with the patience and persistence to learn.
Gymnastics
The extraordinary value of gymnastics as a training modality lies in its reliance
on the body’s own weight as the sole source of resistance. This places a unique
premium on the improvement of strength-to-weight ratio. Unlike other strength
training modalities, gymnastics and calisthenics allow for increases in strength
only while increasing strength-to-weight ratio!
Gymnastics develops pull-ups, squats, lunges, jumping, push-ups, and numerous
presses to handstand, scales, and holds. These skills are unrivaled in their benefit
to the physique, as evident in any competitive gymnast.
As important as the capacity of this modality is for strength development, it is
without a doubt the ultimate approach to improving coordination, balance, agility,
accuracy, and flexibility. Through the use of numerous presses, handstands, scales,
and other floor work, the gymnast’s training greatly enhances kinesthetic sense.
The variety of movements available for inclusion in this modality probably
exceeds the number of exercises known to all non-gymnastic sport! The rich
variety here contributes substantially to CrossFit’s ability to inspire great athletic
confidence and prowess.
For a combination of strength, flexibility, well-developed physique, coordination, balance, accuracy, and agility, the gymnast has no equal in the sports
world. The inclusion of this training modality is absurdly absent from nearly all
training programs.
Routines
There is no ideal routine! In fact, the chief value of any routine lies in abandoning
it for another. The CrossFit ideal is to train for any contingency. The obvious
implication is that this is possible only if there is a tremendously varied quality
to the breadth of stimulus. It is in this sense that CrossFit is a core strength and
conditioning program. Anything else is sport-specific training, not core strength
and conditioning.
Any routine, no matter how complete, contains within its omissions the parameters
for which there will be no adaptation. The breadth of adaptation will exactly match
the breadth of the stimulus. For this reason, CrossFit embraces short-, middle-,
and long-distance metabolic conditioning, and low, moderate, and heavy load
assignment. We encourage creative and continuously varied compositions that
tax physiological functions against every realistically conceivable combination of

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Foundations, continued

stressors. This is the stuff of surviving fights and fires. Developing a fitness that is
varied yet complete defines the very art of strength and conditioning coaching.
This is not a comforting message in an age when scientific certainty and specialization confer authority and expertise. Yet, the reality of performance enhancement
cares not one wit for trend or authority. CrossFit’s success in elevating the performance of world-class athletes lies clearly in demanding of our athletes total and
complete physical competence. No routine takes us there.
Neuroendocrine Adaptation
“Neuroendocrine adaptation” is a change in the body that affects you either
neurologically or hormonally. Most important adaptations to exercise are in part
or completely a result of a hormonal or neurological shift. Research has shown
which exercise protocols maximize neuroendocrine responses. Earlier we faulted
isolation movements as being ineffectual. Now we can tell you that one of the
critical elements missing from these movements is that they invoke essentially no
neuroendocrine response.
Among the hormonal responses vital to athletic development are substantial
increases in testosterone, insulin-like growth factor, and human growth hormone.
Exercising with protocols known to elevate these hormones eerily mimics the
hormonal changes sought in exogenous
hormonal therapy (steroid use) with none of
the deleterious effect. Exercise regimens
that induce a high neuroendocrine response
produce champions! Increased muscle mass
and bone density are just two of many
adaptive responses to exercises capable of
producing
a
significant
neuroendocrine response.
It is impossible to overstate the importance
of the neuroendocrine response to exercise
protocols. Heavy load weight training, short
rest between sets, high heart rates, high-intensity training, and short rest intervals,
though not entirely distinct components,
are all associated with a high neuroendocrine response.
Power
Power is defined as the “time rate of doing
work.” It has often been said that in sport
speed is king. At CrossFit “power” is the
undisputed king of performance. Power is,
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Foundations, continued

“The CrossFit concept
can be viewed as
‘functional atomism’
in that we strive
to reduce human
performance to a
limited number of
movements that are
simple, irreducible,
indivisible functions.
Teaching an athlete
to run, jump, throw,
punch, squat, lunge,
push, pull, and climb
powerfully, with
mechanical efficiency
and soundness
across a broad range
of time-intensity
protocols with rapid
recovery establishes
a foundation that will
give unprecedented
advantage in
learning new sports,
mastering existent
skills, and surviving
unforeseeable
challenges.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

in simplest terms, “hard and
fast.” Jumping, punching,
throwing, and sprinting are all
measures of power. Increasing
your ability to produce power
is necessary and nearly
sufficient to elite athleticism.
Additionally, power is the
definition of intensity, which in
turn has been linked to nearly
every positive aspect of fitness.
Increases in strength, performance, muscle mass, and bone
density all arise in proportion
to the intensity of exercise.
And again, intensity is defined
as power. Power development
is an ever-present aspect of
the CrossFit.com Workout
of the Day (WOD).
Cross Training
Cross training is typically defined as participating in multiple sports. At CrossFit,
we take a much broader view of the term. We view cross training as exceeding
the normal parameters of the regular demands of your sport or training. CrossFit
recognizes functional, metabolic, and modal cross training. That is, we regularly
train past the normal motions, metabolic pathways, and modes or sports common
to the athlete’s sport or exercise regimen. We are unique and again distinctive to
the extent that we adhere to and program within this context.
If you remember CrossFit’s objective of providing a broad-based fitness that
provides maximal competency in all adaptive capacities, then cross training, or
training outside of the athlete’s normal or regular demands, is a given. Long ago,
we noticed that athletes are weakest at the margins of their exposure for almost
every measurable parameter. For instance, if you only cycle between 5 and 7 miles
at each training effort you will test weak at less than 5 and greater than 7 miles.
This is true for range of motion, load, rest, intensity, power, etc. CrossFit workouts
are engineered to expand the margins of exposure as broad as function and
capacity will allow.
Functional Movements
There are movements that mimic motor recruitment patterns that are found in
everyday life. Others are somewhat unique to the gym. Squatting is standing from
a seated position; deadlifting is picking any object off the ground. They are both
functional movements. Leg extension and leg curl both have no equivalent in nature
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Foundations, continued

and are in turn non-functional movements. The bulk of isolation movements are
non-functional movements. By contrast the compound or multi-joint movements
are functional. Natural movement typically involves the movement of multiple
joints for every activity.
Functional movements are mechanically sound and therefore safe, and they also
elicit a high neuroendocrine response.
CrossFit has managed a stable of elite athletes and dramatically enhanced their
performance exclusively with functional movements. The superiority of training
with functional movements is clearly apparent with any athlete within weeks of
their incorporation.
The soundness and efficacy of functional movements are so profound that
exercising without them is by comparison a colossal waste of time.
Diet
The CrossFit dietary prescription is as follows:
• Protein should be lean and varied and account for about 30 percent of
your total caloric load.
• Carbohydrates should be predominantly low-glycemic and account for
about 40 percent of your total caloric load.
• Fat should be from whole food sources and account for about 30 percent
of your total caloric load.

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Foundations, continued

Total calories should be based on protein needs, which should be set at between
0.7 and 1.0 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass (depending on your
activity level). The 0.7 figure is for moderate daily workout loads, and the 1.0 figure
is for the hardcore athlete.
What Should I Eat?
In plain language, base your diet on garden vegetables (especially greens), meats,
nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar. That is about as simple as we
can get. Many have observed that keeping your grocery cart to the perimeter of the
grocery store while avoiding the aisles is a great way to protect your health. Food
is perishable. The stuff with long shelf life is all suspect. If you follow these simple
guidelines, you will benefit from nearly all that can be achieved through nutrition.
The Caveman or Paleolithic Model for Nutrition
Modern diets are ill suited for our genetic composition. Evolution has not kept pace
with advances in agriculture and food processing, resulting in a plague of health
problems for modern man. Coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis,
obesity, and psychological dysfunction have all been scientifically linked to a diet
too high in refined or processed carbohydrate. The caveman model is perfectly
consistent with CrossFit’s prescription.
What Foods Should I Avoid?
Excessive consumption of high-glycemic carbohydrates is the primary culprit in
nutritionally caused health problems. High-glycemic carbohydrates are those that
raise blood sugar too rapidly. They include rice, bread, candy, potato, sweets, sodas,
and most processed carbohydrates. Processing can include bleaching, baking,
grinding, and refining. Processing of carbohydrates greatly increases their glycemic
index, a measure of their propensity to elevate blood sugar.
What Is the Problem With High-Glycemic Carbohydrates?
The problem with high-glycemic carbohydrates is that in excess they give an
inordinate insulin response. Insulin is an essential hormone for life, yet acute,
chronic elevation of insulin leads to hyperinsulinism, which has been positively
linked to obesity, elevated cholesterol levels, blood pressure, mood dysfunction,
and a Pandora’s box of disease and disability. Research “hyperinsulinism.” CrossFit’s
prescription is a low-glycemic diet (and relatively lower in total carbohydrate
quantity) and consequently severely blunts the insulin response, yet still provides
ample nutrition for rigorous activity.

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What Is Fitness? (Part 1), continued

What Is Fitness? (Part 1)
Originally published in October 2002. This article explains the supporting models and
concepts for defining fitness, which was formally codified years after this publication.
“What Is Fitness? (Part 2),” which follows, contains the definitions of fitness and health.
What Is Fitness and Who Is Fit?
In 1997, Outside Magazine crowned triathlete Mark Allen “the fittest man on Earth.” Let us
just assume for a moment that this famous six-time winner of the Ironman Triathlon is the
fittest of the fit, then what title do we bestow on the decathlete Simon Poelman, who also
possesses incredible endurance and stamina, yet crushes Mr. Allen in any comparison
that includes strength, power, speed, and coordination?
Perhaps the definition of fitness does not include strength, speed, power, and coordination, though that seems rather odd. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines
“fitness” and being “fit” as the ability to transmit genes and being healthy. No help there.
Searching the internet for a workable, reasonable definition of fitness yields disappointingly little. Worse yet, the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), the
most respected publisher in exercise physiology, in its highly authoritative “Essentials
of Strength Training and Conditioning,” does not even
attempt a definition.
CrossFit’s Fitness
For CrossFit, the specter of championing a fitness program
without clearly defining what it is that the program delivers
combines elements of fraud and farce. The vacuum of
guiding authority has therefore necessitated that CrossFit
provides its own definition of fitness. That is what this
article is about: our “fitness.”
Our pondering, studying, debating about, and finally
defining fitness have played a formative role in CrossFit’s
successes. The keys to understanding the methods and
achievements of CrossFit are perfectly embedded in our
view of fitness and basic exercise science.
It will come as no surprise to most of you that our view
of fitness is a contrarian view. The general public both
in opinion and in media holds endurance athletes as
exemplars of fitness. We do not. Our incredulity on learning
of Outside’s awarding a triathlete the title of “fittest man on
Earth” becomes apparent in light of CrossFit’s models for
assessing and defining fitness.

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and
seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no
sugar. Keep intake to levels that will
support exercise but not body fat.
Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift,
clean, squat, presses, C&J (clean and
jerk), and snatch. Similarly, master the
basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips,
rope climbs, push-ups, sit-ups, presses
to handstands, pirouettes, flips, splits,
and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc.
hard and fast.
Five or six days per week mix these
elements in as many combinations and
patterns as creativity will allow. Routine
is the enemy. Keep workouts short and
intense.
Regularly learn and play new sports.
Figure 1. World-Class Fitness in 100 Words.
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What Is Fitness? (Part 1), continued

If your goal is optimum physical competence,
then all the general physical skills must be
considered:
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 at 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. Accuracy—The ability to control movement
in a given direction or at a given intensity.
(Thanks to Jim Crawley and Bruce Evans
of Dynamax)
Figure 2. Ten General Physical Skills.

CrossFit makes use of four different models for
evaluating and guiding fitness. Collectively,
these four models provide the basis for CrossFit’s
definition of fitness. The first is based on the 10
general physical skills widely recognized by exercise
physiologists; the second model is based on the
performance of athletic tasks; the third is based on
the energy systems that drive all human action; the
fourth uses health markers as a measure of fitness.
Each model is critical to CrossFit and each has
distinct utility in evaluating an athlete’s overall
fitness or a strength and conditioning regimen’s
efficacy. Before explaining in detail how each of
these four models works, it warrants mention
that we are not attempting to demonstrate our
program’s legitimacy through scientific principles.
We are but sharing the methods of a program
whose legitimacy has been established through
the testimony of athletes, soldiers, cops, and others
whose lives or livelihoods depend on fitness.
CrossFit’s First Fitness Model: The 10 General
Physical Skills
There are 10 recognized general physical skills. They
are cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina,
strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination,
agility, balance, and accuracy. (See Figure 2. Ten
General Physical Skills for definitions.) You are as
fit as you are competent in each of these 10 skills.
A regimen develops fitness to the extent that it
improves each of these 10 skills.
Importantly, improvements in endurance, stamina,
strength, and flexibility come about through
training. Training refers to activity that improves
performance through a measurable organic
change in the body. By contrast improvements in
coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy come
about through practice. Practice refers to activity
that improves performance through changes in the
nervous system. Power and speed are adaptations
of both training and practice.

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What Is Fitness? (Part 1), continued

Table 1. Summary of the Three Metabolic Pathways
Phosphagen

Glycolytic

Oxidative

Time Domain

Short, ~10 seconds

Medium, ~120
seconds

Long, >120 seconds

Anaerobic vs.
Aerobic

Anaerobic

Anaerobic

Aerobic

Relative Power
Output

Maximum-intensity
efforts (~100 percent)

Medium-highintensity efforts
(70 percent)

Low-intensity efforts
(40 percent)

Other Names

Phosphocreatine

Lactate

Aerobic

Location

Cytosol of muscle
cells
(i.e., sarcoplasm)

Cytosol of all cells

Mitochondria of cells

Muscle Fiber
Type (General)

Type IIb

Type IIa

Type I

Substrate

Phosphocreatine
molecules in muscles

Glucose from
bloodstream, muscle
(glycogen), or glycerol
(derived from fat)

Pyruvate (from
glycolysis), or acetate
(derived from fat
or protein)

ATP
Mechanism

Phosphate
molecule from
phosphocreatine
joins ADP to form ATP

Glucose oxidized to
pyruvate produces
2 ATP

Pyruvate oxidized to
produce 34 ATP (fat,
protein yield less)

Example
Activities

100-meter dash
1-repetitionmaximum deadlift

400-meter sprint
Elite-level Fran

Anything >120
seconds of
sustained effort

CrossFit’s Second Fitness Model: The Hopper
The essence of this model is the view that fitness is about performing well at any and
every task imaginable. Picture a hopper loaded with an infinite number of physical
challenges, where no selective mechanism is operative, and being asked to perform
feats randomly drawn from the hopper. This model suggests that your fitness can be
measured by your capacity to perform well at these tasks in relation to other individuals.
The implication here is that fitness requires an ability to perform well at all tasks, even
unfamiliar tasks and tasks combined in infinitely varying combinations. In practice this
encourages the athlete to disinvest in any set notions of sets, rest periods, reps, exercises,
order of exercises, routines, periodization, etc. Nature frequently provides largely

“Our emphasis on
skill development is
integral to our charter
of optimizing work
capacity.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

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Percent of total energy

What Is Fitness? (Part 1), continued

Time (seconds)
Phosphagen

Glycolytic

Oxidative

Figure 3. The Metabolic Pathways’ Contribution of Total Energy Versus Time.
unforeseeable challenges; train for that by striving to keep the training stimulus broad
and constantly varied.
CrossFit’s Third Fitness Model: The Metabolic Pathways
There are three metabolic pathways that provide the energy for all human action. These
“metabolic engines” are known as the phosphagen (or phosphocreatine) pathway, the
glycolytic (or lactate) pathway, and the oxidative (or aerobic) pathway (Table 1, Figure 3).
The first, the phosphagen, dominates the highest-powered activities, those that last less
than about 10 seconds. The second pathway, the glycolytic, dominates moderate-powered activities, those that last up to several minutes. The third pathway, the oxidative,
dominates low-powered activities, those that last in excess of several minutes.
Total fitness, the fitness that CrossFit promotes and develops, requires competency and
training in each of these three pathways or engines. Balancing the effects of these three
pathways largely determines the how and why of the metabolic conditioning or “cardio”
that we do at CrossFit.
Favoring one or two to the exclusion of the others and not recognizing the impact of
excessive training in the oxidative pathway are arguably the two most common faults
in fitness training. More on that later.
CrossFit’s Fourth Fitness Model: Sickness-Wellness-Fitness Continuum
There is another aspect to CrossFit’s fitness that is of great interest and immense value
to us. We have observed that nearly every measurable value of health can be placed on
a continuum that ranges from sickness to wellness to fitness (Figure 4). Though tougher
to measure, we would even add mental health to this observation. Depression is clearly
mitigated by proper diet and exercise.

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What Is Fitness? (Part 1), continued

“Wellness”

“Sickness”

Based on measurements of:
- Blood Pressure
- Body Fat
- Bone Density
- Triglycerides
- HDL Cholesterol
- Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c)
- Muscle Mass
- Etc.

“Fitness”

Figure 4. The Sickness-Wellness-Fitness Continuum.
For example, a blood pressure of 160/95 is pathological, 120/70 is normal or healthy,
and 105/55 is consistent with an athlete’s blood pressure; a body fat of 40 percent is
pathological, 20 percent is normal or healthy, and 10 percent is fit. We observe a similar
ordering for bone density, triglycerides, muscle mass, flexibility, high-density lipoprotein
(HDL) or “good cholesterol,” resting heart rate, and dozens of other common measures
of health (Table 2). Many authorities (e.g., Mel Siff, the NSCA) make a clear distinction
between health and fitness. Frequently they cite studies that suggest that the fit may
not be health protected. A close look at the supporting evidence invariably reveals the
studied group is endurance athletes and, we suspect, endurance athletes on a dangerous
fad diet (high carbohydrate, low fat, low protein).
Done right, fitness provides a great margin of protection against the ravages of time and
disease. Where you find otherwise, examine the fitness protocol, especially diet. Fitness is
and should be “super-wellness.” Sickness, wellness, and fitness are measures of the same
entity. A fitness regimen that does not support health is not CrossFit.
Common Ground
The motivation for the four models is simply to ensure the broadest and most general
fitness possible. Our first model evaluates our efforts against a full range of general
physical adaptations; in the second the focus is on breadth and depth of performance;
with the third the measure is time, power and consequently energy systems; and the
fourth is on health markers. It should be fairly clear that the fitness that CrossFit advocates
and develops is deliberately broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average,
punish the specialist.
Implementation
Our fitness, being “CrossFit,” comes through molding men and women who are equal
parts gymnast, Olympic weightlifter, and multi-modal sprinter or “sprintathlete.” Develop
the capacity of a novice 800-meter track athlete, gymnast, and weightlifter, and you will
be fitter than any world-class runner, gymnast, or weightlifter. Let us look at how CrossFit
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What Is Fitness? (Part 1), continued

Table 2. Representative Sickness-Wellness-Fitness Values
for Selected Parameters
Parameter

Sickness

Wellness

Fitness

Body Fat (percent)

>25 (male)
>32 (female)

~18 (male)
~20 (female)

~6 (male)
~12 (female)

Blood Pressure (mm/Hg)

>140/90

120/80

105/60

Resting Heart Rate (bpm)

>100

70

50

Triglycerides (mg/dL)

>200

<150

<100

Low-density Lipoprotein (mg/dL)

>160

120

<100

High-density Lipoprotein (mg/dL)

<40

40-59

>60

C-Reactive Protein
(high-sensitivity test, mg/L)

>3

1-3

<1

incorporates metabolic conditioning (“cardio”), gymnastics, and weightlifting to forge
the world’s fittest men and women.
Metabolic Conditioning, Or “Cardio”
Biking, running, swimming, rowing, speed skating, and cross-country skiing are collectively known as “metabolic conditioning.” In the common vernacular they are referred
to as “cardio.” CrossFit’s third fitness model, the one that deals with metabolic pathways,
contains the seeds of the CrossFit “cardio” prescription. To understand the CrossFit
approach to “cardio” we need first to briefly cover the nature and interaction of
the three major pathways.
Of the three metabolic pathways the first two, the phosphagen and the glycolytic, are
“anaerobic” and the third, the oxidative, is “aerobic.” We need not belabor the biochemical significance of aerobic and anaerobic systems; suffice it to say that understanding
the nature and interaction of anaerobic exercise and aerobic exercise is vital to understanding conditioning. Just remember that efforts at moderate to high power and
lasting less than several minutes are predominantly anaerobic and efforts at low power
and lasting in excess of several minutes are predominantly aerobic. As an example, the
sprints at 100, 200, 400, and 800 meters are largely anaerobic and events like 1,500
meters, the mile, 2,000 meters, and 3,000 meters are largely aerobic.
Aerobic training benefits cardiovascular function and decreases body fat–all good.
Aerobic conditioning allows us to engage in low-power extended efforts efficiently
(cardio/respiratory endurance and stamina). This is critical to many sports. Athletes
engaged in sports or training where a preponderance of the training load is spent
in aerobic efforts witness decreases in muscle mass, strength, speed, and power.
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What Is Fitness? (Part 1), continued

It is not uncommon to find marathoners with a vertical leap of only several inches!
Furthermore, aerobic activity has a pronounced tendency to decrease anaerobic
capacity. This does not bode well for most athletes or those interested in elite fitness.
Anaerobic activity also benefits cardiovascular function and decreases body fat! In
fact, anaerobic exercise is superior to aerobic exercise for fat loss! Anaerobic activity
is, however, unique in its capacity to dramatically improve power, speed, strength,
and muscle mass. Anaerobic conditioning allows us to exert tremendous forces over
brief time intervals. One aspect of anaerobic conditioning that bears great consideration is that anaerobic conditioning will not adversely affect aerobic capacity. In fact,
properly structured, anaerobic activity can be used to develop a very high level of
aerobic fitness without the muscle wasting consistent with high volumes of aerobic
exercise! The method by which we use anaerobic efforts to develop aerobic conditioning is “interval training.”
Basketball, football, gymnastics, boxing, track events under one mile, soccer, swimming
events under 400 meters, volleyball, wrestling, and weightlifting are all sports that
require the vast majority of training time to be spent in anaerobic activity. Longdistance and ultra- endurance running, cross-country skiing, and 1,500+ meter
swimming are all sports that require aerobic training at levels that produce results
unacceptable to other athletes or the individual concerned with total conditioning
and optimal health.
We strongly recommend that you attend a track meet of nationally or internationally
competitive athletes. Pay close attention to the physiques of the athletes competing
at 100, 200, 400, and 800 meters and the milers. The difference you are sure to notice
is a direct result of training at those distances.
Interval Training
The key to developing the cardiovascular system without an unacceptable loss of
strength, speed, and power is interval training. Interval training mixes bouts of work
and rest in timed intervals. Table 3 gives guidelines for interval training. We can control
the dominant metabolic pathway conditioned by varying the duration of the work and
rest interval and number of interval repetitions. Note that the phosphagen pathway
is the dominant pathway in intervals of 10–30 seconds of work followed by rest of
30–90 seconds (work:recovery 1:3) repeated 25–30 times. The glycolytic pathway is the
dominant pathway in intervals of 30–120 seconds of work followed by rest of 60–240
seconds (work:recovery 1:2) repeated 10–20 times. And finally, the oxidative pathway
is the dominant pathway in intervals of 120–300 seconds of work followed by rest
of 120–300 seconds (work:recovery 1:1) repeated 3–5 times. The bulk of metabolic
training should be interval training.

“Blur the distinction
between strength
training and metabolic
conditioning for the
simple reason that
nature’s challenges are
typically blind to the
distinction.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

Interval training need not be so structured or formal. One example would be to sprint
between one set of telephone poles and jog between the next set, alternating in this
manner for the duration of a run.
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What Is Fitness? (Part 1), continued

One example of an interval that CrossFit makes
regular use of is the Tabata interval, which is 20
seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest
repeated eight times. Dr. Izumi Tabata published
research that demonstrated that this interval
protocol produced remarkable increases in both
anaerobic and aerobic capacity.
It is highly desirable to regularly experiment with
interval patterns of varying combinations of rest,
work, and repetitions.
Some of the best resources on interval training
come from Dr. Stephen Seiler. His articles on
interval training and the time course of training
adaptations contain the seeds of CrossFit’s heavy
reliance on interval training. The article on the
time course of training adaptations explains that
there are three waves of adaptation to endurance
training. The first wave is increased maximal
oxygen consumption. The second is increased lactate threshold. The third is increased
efficiency. In the CrossFit concept, we are interested in maximizing first-wave adaptations and procuring the second systemically through multiple modalities, including
weight training, and avoiding completely third-wave adaptations. Second- and
third-wave adaptations are highly specific to the activity in which they are developed
and can be detrimental with too much focus to the broad fitness that we advocate
and develop. A clear understanding of this material has prompted us to advocate
regular high-intensity training in as many training modalities as possible through
largely anaerobic efforts and intervals while deliberately and specifically avoiding the
efficiency that accompanies mastery of a single modality. It is at first ironic that our
interpretation of Dr. Seiler’s work was not his intention, but when our quest of optimal
physical competence is viewed in light of Dr. Seiler’s more specific aim of maximizing
endurance performance, our interpretation is powerful.
Dr. Seiler’s work, incidentally, makes clear the fallacy of assuming that endurance work
is of greater benefit to the cardiovascular system than higher intensity interval work.
This is very important: with interval training we get all of the cardiovascular benefit of
endurance work without the attendant loss of strength, speed, and power.
Gymnastics
Our use of the term “gymnastics” not only includes the traditional competitive sport
that we have seen on TV but all activities like climbing, yoga, calisthenics, and dance,
where the aim is body control. It is within this realm of activities that we can develop
extraordinary strength (especially upper body and trunk), flexibility, coordination,

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What Is Fitness? (Part 1), continued

Table 3. Representative Guidelines for Interval Training
Primary Energy
System

Phosphagen

Glycolytic

Oxidative

Duration of work
(in seconds)

10–30

30–120

120–300

Duration of recovery
(in seconds)

30–90

60–240

120–300

Work:recovery ratio

1:3

1:2

1:1

Total interval
repetitions

25–30

10–20

3–5

balance, agility, and accuracy. In fact, the traditional gymnast has no peer in terms of
development of these skills.
CrossFit uses short parallel bars, mats, still rings, pull-up and dip bars, and a climbing
rope to implement our gymnastics training.
The starting place for gymnastic competency lies with the well-known calisthenic
movements: pull-ups, push-ups, dips, and rope climbs. These movements need to
form the core of your upper-body strength work. Set goals for achieving benchmarks
like 20, 25, and 30 pull-ups; 50, 75, and 100 push-ups; 20, 30, 40, and 50 dips; 1, 2, 3, 4,
and 5 consecutive trips up the rope without any use of the feet or legs.
At 15 pull-ups and dips each, it is time to start working regularly on a “muscle-up.”
The muscle-up is moving from a hanging position below the rings to a supported
position, arms extended, above the rings. It is a combination movement containing
both a pull-up and a dip. Far from a contrivance, the muscle-up is hugely functional.
With a muscle-up, you will be able to surmount any object on which you can get a
finger hold–if you can touch it, you can get up on it. The value here for survival, police,
firefighter, and military use is impossible to overstate. Pull-ups and dips are the key to
developing the muscle-up.
While developing your upper-body strength with the pull-ups, push-ups, dips, and
rope climbs, a large measure of balance and accuracy can be developed through
mastering the handstand. Start with a headstand against the wall if you need to. Once
reasonably comfortable with the inverted position of the headstand, you can practice
kicking up to the handstand again against a wall. Later take the handstand to the
short parallel bars or parallettes without the benefit of the wall. After you can hold
a handstand for several minutes without benefit of the wall or a spotter it is time to
develop a pirouette. A pirouette is lifting one arm and turning on the supporting arm
90 degrees to regain the handstand, then repeating this with alternate arms until you
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have turned 180 degrees. This skill needs to be practiced until it can be done with little
chance of falling from the handstand. Work in intervals of 90 degrees as benchmarks
of your growth–90, 180, 270, 360, 450, 540, 630, and finally 720 degrees.
Walking on the hands is another fantastic tool for developing both the handstand
and balance and accuracy. A football field or sidewalk is an excellent place to
practice and measure your progress. You want to be able to walk 100 yards in the
handstand without falling.

“Much of the rudiments
of gymnastics come
only with great effort
and frustration—that
is acceptable.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

Competency in the handstand
readies the athlete for
handstand presses. There is
a family of presses that range
from relatively easy ones that
any beginning gymnast can
perform to ones so difficult
that only the best gymnasts
competing at national levels
can perform. Their hierarchy
of difficulty is bent arm/
bent body (hip)/bent leg;
straight arm/bent body/bent
leg; straight arm/bent body/
straight leg; and bent arm/straight body/straight leg; and finally the monster:
straight arm/straight body/straight leg. It is not unusual to take 10 years to get
these five presses!
The trunk flexion work in gymnastics is beyond anything you will see anywhere
else. Even the beginning gymnastics trunk movements cripple bodybuilders,
weightlifters, and martial artists. The basic sit-up and “L” hold are the staples.
The L-hold is nothing more than holding your trunk straight while supported by
locked arms with hands on a bench, the floor or parallel bars; the hips are kept
at 90 degrees with legs straight out in front of you. You want to work towards a
three-minute hold in benchmark increments of 30 seconds–30, 60, 90, 120, 150,
and 180 seconds. When you can hold an “L” for three minutes, all your old ab work
will be silly easy.
We recommend Bob Anderson’s “Stretching.” This is a simple, no nonsense approach
to flexibility. The science of stretching is weakly developed, and many athletes, like
gymnasts who demonstrate great flexibility, receive no formal instruction. Just do it.
Generally, you want to stretch in a warm-up to establish safe, effective range of motion
for the ensuing activity and stretch during cool down to improve flexibility.

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There is a lot of material to work with here. We highly recommend an adult
gymnastics program if there is one in your area. Our friends at Drills and Skills have
enough material to keep you busy for years. This is among our favorite fitness sites.
Every workout should contain regular gymnastic/calisthenic movements that you
have mastered and other elements under development. Much of the rudiments
of gymnastics come only with great effort and frustration–that is acceptable. The
return is unprecedented and the most frustrating elements are most beneficial—
long before you have developed even a modicum of competency.
Weightlifting
“Weightlifting” as opposed to “weight lifting” or “weight training,” refers to the
Olympic sport, which includes the “clean and jerk” and the “snatch.” Weightlifting,
as it is often referred to, develops strength (especially in the hips), speed, and
power like no other training modality. It is little known that successful weightlifting
requires substantial flexibility. Olympic weightlifters are as flexible as any athletes.
The benefits of weightlifting do not end with strength, speed, power, and flexibility. The clean and jerk and the snatch both develop coordination, agility, accuracy,
and balance and to no small degree. Both of these lifts are as nuanced and challenging as any movement in all of sport. Moderate competency in the Olympic
lifts confers added prowess to any sport.
The Olympic lifts are based on the deadlift, clean, squat, and jerk. These movements
are the starting point for any serious weight-training program. In fact they should
serve as the core of your resistance training throughout your life.

“If strength at
high heart rates is
fundamental to your
sport then you’d
best perform your
resistance training at
high heart rate.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

Why the deadlift, clean, squat, and jerk? Because
these movements elicit a profound neuroendocrine response. That is, they alter you hormonally
and neurologically. The changes that occur through
these movements are essential to athletic development. Most of the development that occurs as a
result of exercise is systemic and a direct result of
hormonal and neurological changes.
Curls, lateral raises, leg extensions, leg curls, flyes,
and other bodybuilding movements have no place
in a serious strength and conditioning program
primarily because they have a blunted neuroendocrine response. A distinctive feature of these
relatively worthless movements is that they have
no functional analog in everyday life and they work

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only one joint at a time. Compare this to the deadlift, clean, squat, and jerk, which
are functional and multi-joint movements.
Start your weightlifting career with the deadlift, clean, squat, and jerk, then
introduce the clean and jerk and snatch. Much of the best weight-training material
on the internet is found on powerlifting sites. Powerlifting is the sport of three
lifts: the bench press, squat, and deadlift. Powerlifting is a superb start to a lifting
program followed later by the more dynamic clean and the jerk and finally the
clean and jerk and the snatch.
The movements that we are recommending are very demanding and very athletic.
As a result they have kept athletes interested and intrigued where the typical
fare offered in most gyms (bodybuilding movements) typically bores athletes to
distraction. Weightlifting is sport; weight training is not.

“There is no single
sport or activity that
trains for perfect
fitness. True fitness
requires a compromise
in adaptation broader
than the demands of
most every sport.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

Throwing
Our program includes not only weightlifting and powerlifting but also throwing
work with medicine balls. The medicine-ball work we favor provides both physical
training and general movement practice. We are huge fans of the Dynamax medicine
ball and associated throwing exercises. The medicine-ball drills add another potent
stimulus for strength, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy.
There is a medicine-ball game known as Hoover-Ball. It is played with an 8-foot
volleyball net and scored like tennis. This game burns three times more calories
than tennis and is great fun. The history and rules of Hoover-Ball are available
from the internet.
Nutrition
Nutrition plays a critical role in your fitness. Proper nutrition can amplify or diminish
the effect of your training efforts. Effective nutrition is moderate in protein, carbohydrate, and fat. Forget about the fad high-carbohydrate, low-fat, and low-protein diet.
Balanced macronutrient and healthy nutrition looks more like 40 percent carbohydrate,
30 percent protein, and 30 percent fat. Dr. Barry Sears’ Zone Diet still offers the greatest
precision, efficacy, and health benefit of any clearly defined protocol. The Zone Diet
does an adequate job of jointly managing issues of blood glucose control, proper
macronutrient proportion, and caloric restriction whether your concern is athletic
performance, disease prevention and longevity, or body composition. We recommend
that everyone read Dr. Sears’ book “Enter the Zone” (see also “Zone Meal Plans” article).
Sport
Sport plays a wonderful role in fitness. Sport is the application of fitness in a fantastic
atmosphere of competition and mastery. Training efforts typically include relatively
predictable repetitive movements and provide limited opportunity for the essential
combination of our 10 general physical skills. It is, after all, the combined expression,
or application, of the 10 general skills that is our motivation for their development in
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the first place. Sports and games like soccer, martial arts, baseball, and basketball, in
contrast to our training workouts, have more varied and less predictable movements.
But, where sports develop and require all 10 general skills simultaneously, they do
so slowly compared to our strength and conditioning regimen. Sport is better, in
our view, at expression and testing of skills than it is at developing these same skills.
Both expression and development are crucial to our fitness. Sport, in many respects,
more closely mimics the demands of nature than does our training. We encourage
and expect our athletes to engage in regular sports efforts in addition to all of their
strength and conditioning work.
A Theoretical Hierarchy of Development
A theoretical hierarchy exists for the development of an athlete (Figure 5). It starts
with nutrition and moves to metabolic conditioning, gymnastics, weightlifting, and
finally sport. This hierarchy largely reflects foundational dependence, skill, and to some
degree, time ordering of development. The logical flow is from molecular foundations to cardiovascular sufficiency, body control, external object control, and ultimately
mastery and application. This model has greatest utility in analyzing athletes’ shortcomings or difficulties.
We do not deliberately order these components but nature will. If you have a deficiency
at any level of “the pyramid” the components above will suffer.
Integration
Every regimen, every routine contains within its structure a blueprint for its deficiency.
If you only work your weight training at low reps you will not develop the localized
muscular endurance that you might have otherwise. If you work high
reps exclusively you will not build the same strength or power that you
would have at low reps. There are advantages and disadvantages to
working out slowly or quickly, with high weights or low weights,
completing “cardio” before or after, etc.

SPORT

For the fitness that we are pursuing, every parameter
within your control needs to be modulated to broaden
the stimulus as much as possible. Your body will only
respond to an unaccustomed stressor; routine is the
enemy of progress and broad adaptation. Do not
subscribe to high reps, or low reps, or long rests,
or short rests but strive for variance.

WEIGHTLIFTING
& THROWING
GYMNASTICS

METABOLIC CONDITIONING

So then, what are we to do? Work on
becoming a better weightlifter, stronger-better gymnast, and faster rower,
runner, swimmer, cyclist is the answer.
There are an infinite number of
workouts that will deliver the goods.

NUTRITION
Figure 5. The Theoretical Hierarchy of the
Development of an Athlete.
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“The needs of an
Olympic athlete and
our grandparents
differ by degree
not kind.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

Generally, we have found that three days on and one day off allows for a maximum
sustainability at maximum intensities. One of our favorite workout patterns is to warm
up and then perform 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 5 reps of a fundamental lift at a moderately
comfortable pace followed by a 10-minute circuit of gymnastics elements at a blistering
pace and finally finish with 2 to 10 minutes of high-intensity metabolic conditioning. There is nothing sacred in this pattern. The magic is in the movements not the
routine. Be creative.
Another favorite is to blend elements of gymnastics and weightlifting in couplets that
combine to make a dramatic metabolic challenge. An example would be to perform
5 reps of a moderately heavy back squat followed immediately by a set of max-reps
pull-ups repeated 3–5 times.
On other occasions we will take five or six elements balanced between weightlifting,
metabolic conditioning, and gymnastics and combine them in a single circuit that we
blow through three times without a break.
We can create routines like this forever. In fact, our CrossFit.com archives contain
thousands of daily workouts consciously mixed and varied in this manner. Perusing
them will give you an idea of how we mix and modulate our key elements.
We have not mentioned here our penchant for jumping, kettlebells, odd-object lifting,
and obstacle-course work. The recurring theme of functionality and variety clearly
suggest the need and validity for their inclusion though.

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Finally, strive to blur distinctions between “cardio” and strength training. Nature has
no regard for this distinction or any other, including our 10 physical adaptations. We
will use weights and plyometrics training to elicit a metabolic response and sprinting
to improve strength.
Scalability and Applicability
The question regularly arises as to the applicability of a regimen like CrossFit’s to older
and deconditioned or untrained populations. The needs of an Olympic athlete and
our grandparents differ by degree not kind. One is looking for functional dominance,
the other for functional competence. Competence and dominance manifest through
identical physiological mechanisms.
We have used our same routines for elderly individuals with heart disease and cage
fighters one month out from televised bouts. We scale load and intensity; we do not
change programs.
We get requests from athletes from every sport looking for a strength and conditioning
program for their sport. Firemen, soccer players, triathletes, boxers, and surfers all want
programs that conform to the specificity of their needs. While we admit that there are
surely needs specific to any sport, the bulk of sport-specific training has been ridiculously ineffective. The need for specificity is nearly completely met by regular practice
and training within the sport, not in the strength and conditioning environment. Our
terrorist hunters, skiers, mountain bikers and housewives have found their best fitness
from the same regimen.

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What Is Fitness? (Part 2), continued

What Is Fitness? (Part 2)

Adapted from Coach Glassman’s Feb 21, 2009, L1 lecture.
This concept started with me having what I call “a belief in fitness.”
I was (and still am) of the view that there is a physical capacity that would lend
itself generally well to any and all contingencies—to the likely, to the unlikely, to
the known, to the unknown. This physical capacity is different than the fitness
required for sport. One of the things that demarcates sport is how much we know
about the event’s physiological demands. Instead, we are chasing headlong this
concept of fitness—as a broad, general and inclusive adaptive capacity—a fitness
that would prepare you for the unknown and the unknowable.
And we went to the literature to look for such a definition and could not find
anything. The information we did find seemed esoteric, irrelevant, or flawed—
logically and/or scientifically. For example, to date the American College of Sports
Medicine (ACSM) cannot give a scientific definition of fitness. They give a definition,
but it contains nothing that can be measured. If it is not measurable, it is not a
valid definition.

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The First Three Models
And so we started playing with a definition and came out with three operational
models. They were clumsy, but they had utility: They guided us and kept us on this
path towards this fitness.
The first model originated from Jim Cawley and Bruce Evans of Dynamax medicine
balls. They produced a list of physiological adaptations that represented the gamut
of potential physiological adaptations in an exercise program. You can improve
cardiorespiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, accuracy, agility and balance by exercising. They gave reasonable definitions to
each of these 10 so that they seemed fairly distinct. Keep in mind, however, nature
has no obligation to recognize these distinctions. They are completely manmade.
This model is an abstraction to help us understand fitness better.
What we did with this was we said that a person was as fit as he or she was
developed in breadth and depth in those 10 capacities. And to the extent that he
or she was deficient in one capacity relative to any cohort, he or she was less fit.
This is a balance: a compromise of physiological adaptation.
The second model is a statistical model based on training modality. A hopper, like
those used to determine a lottery winner, is loaded with as many skills and drills from
as many different sports and strength and conditioning regimens imaginable. It
could be agility drills from track; one-rep-max bench press from football; Fran, Helen
and Diane from CrossFit; Pilates, and yoga. Do not exclude anything: the more, the
better. Then, line up everyone willing to participate, turn the handle, pull a task out
at random, and put them to the test. Here is the contention: he or she who performs
best at these randomly assigned physical tasks is the fittest.
It may very well be that the fittest man on Earth is in the 75th percentile for each event
picked. In fact, being best at many things would tell me immediately that you are not
as fit as you could be.
For instance, if you have a 4-minute mile time, thousands of people are much fitter
than you. Part of the adaptation to get a 4-minute mile is that it coincides with the
max bench press of about half body weight and a vertical leap of 3 to 4 inches.
That is part and parcel of the adaptation. It is not a character flaw. There is no value
judgment. Rather, you are not advancing your fitness. Instead, you are advancing a
very narrow bandwidth of a specialized capacity.

“Valid criticisms of a
fitness program need
to speak to measurable,
observable, repeatable
data. If an alternative
to CrossFit is worthy
of our consideration it
ought to be presented
in terms of distance,
time, load, velocity,
work and power
related to movements,
skills, and drills. Give
me performance
data. CrossFit can
be scientifically and
logically evaluated
only on these terms.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

Everyone probably knows what it is he or she does not want to see come out of the
hopper. What I have learned about fitness, about sport training, about preparing
yourself for the unknown and the unknowable is this: There is more traction, more
advantage, more opportunity in pursuing headlong that event or skill that you
do not want to see come out of the hopper than putting more time into the ones
where you already excel. That thing you do not want to see come out of the hopper
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is a chink in your armor. It is a glaring deficiency in your general physical preparedness (GPP). And fixing it will give advantage where it does not always make sense
maybe mechanically or metabolically.
We have countless examples of this from amateur and professional sports. At
the heart of this is that we have learned some things about GPP that the world
never knew before. There is more opportunity of advancing athletic performance
via advancing GPP than there is in more sport-specific strength and conditioning
training. For example, I am not sure why more pull-ups make for better skiers, but
they do. We have some theories why that occurs, but we do not actually need to
know the mechanism. We are focused on advancing performance.
So the second model is a statistical model using skills and drills. I am looking for a
balance of capacity across training modalities.
The third model uses the three metabolic pathways. These are the three engines
that produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the currency of effort of all energy
output. Power is plotted on the Y-axis and duration of effort (time) on the X-axis.
The first pathway (phosphagen or phosphocreatine) is high powered and short
duration. It can account for about 100 percent of max human output and taps
out at about 10 seconds. The second pathway (lactate or glycolytic) is moderate
powered, moderate duration. It accounts for approximately 70 percent of max
power output, peaks at about 60 seconds and terminates at 120 seconds. The
third pathway (oxidative or aerobic) is low powered, long duration. It accounts
for approximately 40 percent of max power output and does not fade in any
reasonable time for which I have the patience to measure. The phosphagen and
the glycolytic pathways are anaerobic; oxidative is aerobic. All three engines work
all the time to some extent. The degree to which each is active is dependent on the
activity. One idles, while the other two rev; two will rev, one will idle, etc.
Our thought is this: He or she is as fit as he or she is balanced in capacity in all
three of these engines. A human being is a vehicle with three engines. Suppose we
discover there is a fourth engine; we want capacity there, too. We develop capacity
in all engines through our prescription: constantly varied functional movement
executed at high intensity. We are looking for a balance in the bioenergetics (the
engines that fuel all human activity).
Definition of Fitness (2002-2008)
Although clumsy, these three models served as a litmus test for the fitness we were
after. And we moved forward. We launched CrossFit.com and posted the Workout
of the Day (WOD): constantly varied, high-intensity functional movement.
We were collecting the data from doing WODs and started asking: “What does it
really mean to do Fran? What does it really mean to do Helen? What does it mean

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Table 1. Example Work and Power Calculations Between
Benchmark Attempts
Workout

Fran
21-15-9
Thrusters, 95 lb.
Pull-ups

Athlete

6 ft. tall
200 lb.

Work

Per Rep

Force

Pull-up

200 lb.

24 in. x

1 ft.
12 in.

400 ft.-lb.

Thruster
(athlete)

200 lb.

26 in. x

1 ft.
12 in.

433 ft.-lb.

Thruster
(barbell)

95 lb.

47 in. x

1 ft.
12 in.

372 ft.-lb.

x

Distance
=

Work (approx.)

TOTAL
Per Fran

Power

Change in
Power

1,205 ft.-lb.
Reps

x

Work

=

Total (approx.)

45

1,205 ft.-lb.

Date

Finished Time

Power Output (approx.)

April 2015

4 min. 30 sec.

54,225 ft.-lb. / 4.5 min. = 12,050 ft.-lb. / min.

May 2016

2 min. 45 sec.

54,225 ft.-lb. / 2.75 min. = 19,718 ft.-lb. / min.

April 2015

May 2016

Change (approx.)

Power

12,050 ft.-lb. / min. vs.

19,718 ft.-lb. / min.

60% increase in power

Time

4.5 min.

2.75 min.

60% decrease in time

Conclusion

Time approximates our change in power output.

vs.

54,225 ft.-lb.

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to say that your time went from 7 minutes to 6 minutes to 5 minutes to 4 minutes?”
Some interesting things came of this.
The workout Fran is 21-15-9 thrusters (95 lb.) and pull-ups. Complete the workout
by doing 21 thrusters (front squat 95 lb., then drive it overhead), then 21 pull-ups
(get your chin over a bar from a hang anyhow). Then go back to the thrusters
for 15 repetitions, 15 pull-ups, 9 of each, stop the clock, and we get a total time
for the effort.
Power is force times distance (work) divided by time. The work required to do Fran
is constant (force times distance). It does not change unless your height changes
(distance), the distance we travel (the movement’s range of motion) changes, the
load changes (95 lb.), or your weight changes. This means that every time you do
Fran or a specific benchmark workout, the work is constant.
So, you do Fran for the first time and have a Time 1 for it (T1). If you do it a year later,
the same work was completed but you have a separate time (T2). In comparing
the two efforts, we find that the work quantity cancels and the difference in time
is the difference in power produced (Table 1).
There will be measurement error in this calculation. I can measure the force/weight
with a scale, the distance traveled with a tape measure, and time with a watch.
There is not a lot of error therein, but there are some concerns as we are calculating
the body’s displacement by using the center of mass, for example. However, as long
as the work is constant, the same error occurs with every effort. And in comparison
from one effort to the next, the errors cancel each other out (zero order error). This
ratio of time (T2/T1) describes my progress to the accuracy and precision of the
watch, which is the best of my three tools (stopwatch, tape measure, scale).
By tracking the difference in time between workout attempts, we are looking at
changes in power. We did not have to study this much longer to come to this
understanding that your collection of workout data points represented your work
capacity across broad time and modal domains. This is your fitness.
With power on the Y-axis and duration of effort on the X-axis, the power output
of any effort can be plotted. Take a handful of efforts that take approximately 10
seconds to do, measure their power output individually, and then get an average of
these efforts. Repeat this exercise at 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 10 minutes, 60 minutes,
etc. Plot these data points. With adequate scientific accuracy and precision, I have
graphed mathematically an individual’s work capacity across broad time and
modal domains (Figure 1).
A Fourth Model and the Definition of Health (2008)
Along the way in using these three models, we had also observed that there was
a continuum of measures from sickness to wellness to fitness. If it was a measure I
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Figure 1. A Graphical Representation of One’s Fitness (Work Capacity)
at a Certain Time in His or Her Life.

could quantify, something of interest to a physician or exercise physiologist, we find
it would sit well ordered on this pattern.
Take body fat, for example. If you are 40 percent body fat, that is considered
morbidly obese. The numbers vary by community, but 15 percent is often
considered well or normal. Five percent is typically what you would see in an elite
athlete. Bone density follows a similar pattern. There is a level of bone density that
is pathological; it is osteoporosis or osteopenia in early stages. There is a value that
is normal. We find gymnasts with three to five times normal bone density. I can do
this with a resting heart rate, flexibility (any of the 10 general physical skills), and
even some subjective things to which we cannot put numbers through analytical
methods (e.g., mood). I do not know of a metric that runs counter to this pattern.
This observation led us to believe that fitness and health were varying different
measures of the same reality.
This also means that if you are fit, you first have to become well to become pathologically sick. It tells me that fitness is a hedge against sickness, with wellness as an
intermediate value.
If there is anything in your lifestyle, training regimen or recreational pursuits that
has one of these metrics moving in a wrong direction, I want you to entertain the
possibility you are doing something profoundly wrong. What we find is when you
do CrossFit (constantly varied, high-intensity functional movements), eat meat and
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Figure 2. A Graphical Representation of One’s Health
(Fitness Throughout His or Her Life).

vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar, and get plenty of
sleep every night, we do not have this divergent side effect. It does not work such
that everything is improving except one value. We knew this observation could
be another test in assessing one’s fitness regimen.
Recall that we represent fitness as the area under the curve on a graph with power
on the Y-axis and duration of effort on the X-axis. By adding a third dimension, age,
on the Z-axis and extending the fitness across, it produces a three-dimensional
solid (Figure 2). That is health. And with this measure, I have the same relationship
to things that seemingly matter: high-density lipoproteins (HDL), triglycerides,
heart rate, anything that the doctor would tell you is important.
I am of the opinion that health would be maximally held by maximizing your area
under the curve and holding that work capacity for as long as you can. In other
words: Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar;
do constantly varied high-intensity exercise; learn and play new sports throughout
your life. This will buy you more health than will trying to fix your cholesterol or
bone density with a pharmaceutical intervention. That it is a failed approach.

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What Is Fitness? (Part 2), continued

I want you to understand how these definitions of fitness and health are different
than those found in exercise-science literature. First, understand that our definitions of these quantities are measurable. One of the problems with exercise
science is that it would very rarely meet the rigors of any real science (chemistry,
physics, engineering).
Secondly, it is also almost never about exercise. For example, maximal oxygen
consumption (VO2 max) and lactate threshold are correlates, maybe components,
but absolutely subordinate to what happens to work capacity. Who would take an
increase in VO2 max for a decrease in work capacity across broad time and modal
domains? What that would look like is breathing more air than you ever had before
on a treadmill test in a lab but losing the road race. Similarly, someone’s lactate
threshold could increase, but he or she still gets choked out in the fight because
of lack of work capacity.
I could make a list of hundreds of these metrics, and no one has ever produced
a great athlete by advancing them one at a time. It does not happen. I can move
them best by doing constantly varied, high-intensity functional movements; doing
things that look like Fran, Diane, Helen; turning fitness into sport by working with
fixed workloads and trying to minimize the time by making every workout a
competitive effort among the cohort. And when I do that, what we find is that
these metrics do spectacular things.
Suppose a man at 90 years old is living independently, running up and down the
steps and playing with his grandchildren. We would not be concerned if his cholesterol numbers were “high.” There is a problem looking only at longevity. Imagine
a curve that stretches to 90 or even 105 years but has very low work capacity for
its duration. That is not what CrossFit is about: It is about vitality and capacity.
What can you do?
It is imperative for making meaningful assertions about training that fitness and
health are measurable. The area (or volume) under the curve gives me a scientifically
accurate, precise and valid measure of an athlete’s fitness (or health). And we are the
first to have ever done that. When we showed this to physicists, chemists, engineers,
they agreed there is no other way to assess the capacity of something, be it a rocket,
motorcycle, truck or human. Tell me how much it weighs, how far it moves and how
long it takes. Everything else is entirely irrelevant.

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Technique, continued

Technique
Adapted from Coach Glassman’s Dec. 1, 2007, L1 lecture in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In no small part, what is behind this program is the quantification of fitness. This means
we put a number on fitness: work capacity across broad time and modal domains.
You can assess one’s fitness by determining the area under his or her work-capacity
curve. This would be similar to a group of athletes competing in 25 to 30 workouts.
Include a range of activities—like three pulls on the Concept2 rower for average watts
to a 10-mile run—and a multitude of workouts in between. Compile their overall
placing across these events, and everyone then has a reasonable metric of his or her
total capacity.

“Learn the mechanics
of fundamental
movements, establish
a consistent pattern of
practicing these same
movements, and, only
then, ratchet up the
intensity of workouts
incorporating
these movements.
‘Mechanics,’ then
‘Consistency,’ and
then ‘Intensity’– this
is the key to effective
implementation of
CrossFit programming.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

This quantification of fitness is a part of a broader concept that is at the heart of this
movement: We call it evidence-based fitness. This means measurable, observable,
repeatable data is used in analyzing and assessing a fitness program. There are three
meaningful components to analysis of a fitness program: safety, efficacy, and efficiency.
The efficacy of a program means, “What is the return?” Maybe a fitness program
advertises that it will make you a better soccer player. There needs to be evidence
of this supported by measurable, observable, repeatable data. For CrossFit, we want
to increase your work capacity across broad time and modal domains. This is the
efficacy of this program. What are the tangible results? What is the adaptation that
the program induces?
Efficiency is the time rate of that adaptation. Maybe the fitness program advertises that
it can deliver 50 pull-ups. There is a big difference whether it takes six months versus
nine years to achieve that.
Safety is how many people end up at the finish line. Suppose I have a fitness program.
I start with 10 individuals: Two of them become the fittest human beings on Earth and
the other eight die. While I would rather be one of the two fittest than the eight dead,
and I do not know if I want to play, I am not going to attach a normative value to it. The
real tragedy comes in not knowing the safety numbers.
These three vectors of safety, efficacy and efficiency point in the same direction, such
that they are not entirely at odds with each other. I can greatly increase the safety
of a program by turning the efficacy and efficiency down to zero. I can increase the
efficiency by turning up the intensity and then possibly compromising safety. Or I
could damage the efficacy by losing people. Safety, efficacy and efficiency are the
three meaningful aspects of a program. They give me all I need to assess it.
This quantification of fitness, by choosing work capacity as our standard for the efficacy
of the program, necessitates the qualification of movement. Our quantification of
fitness introduces qualification of movement.
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Technique, continued

For the qualification of movement there are four common terms: mechanics, technique,
form and style. I will not delve into them with too much detail: The distinction is not
that important. I use both technique and form somewhat interchangeably, although
there is a slightly nuanced distinction.
When I talk about angular velocity, momentum, leverage, origin or insertion of muscles,
torque, force, power, relative angles, we are taking about mechanics. When I speak to
the physics of movement, and especially the statics and less so the dynamics, I am
looking at the mechanics.
Technique is the method to success for completion of a movement. For example, if you
want to do a full twisting dismount on the rings, the technique would be: pull, let go, look,
arm up, turn, shoulder drop, etc. Technique includes head posture and body posture. And
there are effective and less effective techniques. Technique includes the mechanics, but
it is in the macro sense of “how do you complete the movement without the physics?”
Form is the normative value: This is good or this is bad—“you should” or “you shouldn’t”
applied to mechanics and technique.
Style is essentially the signature to a movement; that is, that aspect of the movement
that is fairly unique to you. The best of the weightlifting coaches can look at the bar
path during a lift and tell you which lifter it is. There are aspects to all of our movements
that define us like your thumbprint. It is the signature. To be truly just the signature,
style elements have no bearing on form, technique or mechanics. Style does not
enter into the normative assessment, is not important to technique, and does not
alter substantially the physics.
These four terms are all qualifications to movement. I want to speak generally to
technique and form to include all of this, but what we are talking about here is the
non-quantification of output; that is, how you move.
By taking power or work capacity as our primary value for assessing technique—and
this reliance on functional movement—we end up in kind of an interesting position.
We end up where power is the successful completion of functional movement.
This is not about merely energy exerted. On a graph, you could put work completed on
the X-axis and energy expended on the Y-axis. Someone could potentially expend a lot
of energy and do very little work by being inefficient. Ideally, what that individual would
do would see little energy expended for the maximum amount of work. Technique is
what maximizes the work completed for the energy expended (Figure 1). For any given
capacity, say metabolically, for energy expenditure, the guy who knows the technique
is going to be able to do the most amount of work.
Suppose I take two people at random and they are both trying the same task. One is
familiar with how to deadlift, and one is not. One knows how to clean, one does not.
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Technique, continued

One knows how to drive overhead, one does not. Suppose they are loading a truck
with sandbags. The one familiar with lifting large objects and transporting them is
going to do a lot more work.
You can have the argument as to who is stronger. For example, you can use an electromyogram and see with what force the biceps shortens. If you are defining strength
as contractile potential, you may end up with the guy with enormous contractile
potential—but not knowing the technique of the clean, the jerk, the deadlift, he
cannot do as much work.
We, however, do not take contractile potential as the gold standard for strength.
Strength is the productive application of force. If you cannot complete work, if you
cannot express strength as power, if strength cannot be expressed as productive result,
it does not count. Having enormous biceps and quadriceps is useless if you cannot
run, jump, lift, throw, press.

Figure 1. Technique Maximizes the Work Accomplished for the Energy Expended.
This is related to safety, efficacy and efficiency because technique (quality of movement)
is the heart of maximizing each of these.
He or she who knows how to do these movements when confronted with them will
get a better result in terms of safety. Two individuals attempt to lift a heavy object;
one knows how to pop a hip and get under it (clean), and the other guy starts to pull
with a rounded back. I can tell you what is likely to happen to he or she who does not
know how to lift. If you want to stay safe, you better have good technique, good form.
Efficacy, for any given contractile potential, for any given limit to your total metabolic
capacity, he or she who knows the technique will be able to get more work done and
will develop faster. If after six months of teaching you how to clean it still does not look
like I would like it to, you will not get twice body weight overhead more quickly than
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Technique, continued

someone who looks like a natural. You want an effective program, you are going to
have to move with quality, you want to get the result quickly—technique is going to
be pivotal to your success.
Technique is an intimate part of safety, efficacy, and efficiency.
We can see how this manifests in CrossFit workouts by way of a comparison. I want to
look at typing, shooting, playing the violin, NASCAR driving and CrossFit. What these
domains have in common is that a marked proficiency is associated with speed. Being
able to shoot accurately and quickly is better than quickly or accurately.
You may try to get a job as a typist because you do not make any mistakes. However,
for this perfection, you type at a rate of 20 words a minute and only use two fingers.
You will never get hired. Playing the violin fast and error-free is critical for a virtuoso.
However, someone who gets through “Flight of the Bumblebee” in 12 minutes is
not there yet. A NASCAR driver wants to both drive fast and not wreck. In CrossFit, a
perfectly exquisite Fran is worthless if it takes 32 minutes.
Any yet, it is presented to CrossFit coaches as, “Should I use good form or should I do
it quickly?” I do not like my choices. One is impossible without the other.
Technique and speed are not at odds with one another, where “speed” is related to all
the quantification of the movement: power, force, distance, time. They are seemingly
at odds. It is a misapprehension. It is an illusion.
Can you learn to drive fast without wrecking? Can you learn to type fast without making
errors? Can you shoot quickly without missing? Eventually, but not in the learning. One
is impossible without the other.
You will not learn to type fast without typing where you make a ton of errors and then
work to reduce the errors at that speed. Then you go faster, and then again pull the
errors back in, then go faster and pull the errors back in. You drive faster and faster and
then you spin out in the infield or you hit the wall.
If you are a race driver and you have never spun out, gone out in the infield or never been
in a wreck, you are not very good. If you are a typist and you have never made a mistake,
you are very slow. In CrossFit, if your technique is perfect, your intensity is always low.
Here is the part that is hard to understand: You will not maximize the intensity or the
speed without mistakes. But it is not the mistakes that make you faster. It is not reaching
for the letter P with your pinky and hitting the O. It is not hitting the wrong note that
made you play faster. It is not missing the target by two feet that made you a better
shooter. It is not running into the wall that made you a faster driver. But you will not
get there without it. The errors are an unavoidable consequence of development.

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Technique, continued

This iterative process of letting this scope of errors broaden then reducing them
without reducing the speed is called “threshold training.”
In a CrossFit workout, if you are moving well, I will tell you to pick up the speed. Suppose
at the higher speed the movement still looks good: I will encourage you to go faster.
And if it still looks good I will encourage you to go even faster. Now the movement
starts falling apart.
I do not want you to slow down yet. First, at that speed I want you to fix your
technique. What you need to do is continuously and constantly advance the margins
at which form falters.
It may be that initially at 10,000 foot-pounds per minute my technique is perfect, but it
falls apart at 12,000 foot-pounds per minute. Work at that 10,000 to 12,000 foot-pounds
per minute mark to fix the form, and soon enough you will have great technique at
12,000 foot-pounds per minute. The next step is to achieve that technique at 14,000
foot-pounds per minute.
At first, the technique at 14,000 foot-pounds per minute will suffer. Then you must
narrow it in. That is the process. It is ineluctable. It is unavoidable. There is nothing I
can do about it. That is not my rule.
We are the technique people. We drill technique incessantly, but simultaneously I want
you to go faster. You will learn to work at higher intensity with good technique only
by ratcheting up the intensity to a point where good technique is impossible. This
dichotomy means that it is impossible at the limits of your capacity to obey every little
detail and nuance of technique. Some of the refined motor-recruitment patterns are
not going to always look perfect.
I do not know of a domain where speed matters and technique is not at the heart of
it. In every athletic endeavor where we can quantify the output, there is incredible
technique at the highest levels of performance.
Suppose someone set the new world record for the shot put, but his technique was
poor. This means one of two things: one, either with good technique it would have
gone farther, or two, we were wrong in understanding what is good technique.
Technique is everything. It is at the heart of our quantification. You will not express
power in significant measure without technique. You might expend a lot of energy, but
you will not see the productive application of force. You will not be able to complete
functional tasks efficiently or effectively. You will not be safe in trying.
There is a perceived paradox here that really is not a paradox when you understand
the factors at play.

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Nutrition: Avoiding Disease and Optimizing Performance, continued

Nutrition: Avoiding Disease and
Optimizing Performance

Adapted from Coach Glassman’s Sept. 9, 2007, L1 lecture in Quantico, Virginia, and Oct.
14, 2007, L1 lecture in Flagstaff, Arizona.
The CrossFit message is contrarian. It is against the grain of what occurs at most
commercial gyms. They have machines; we detest them. They use isolation
movements; we use compound movements. They use low intensity; we use high
intensity. Everything about this message is for many people antithetical to all they
thought they knew. With nutrition, the theme continues: What most everyone
thinks is wrong.
In July of 1989 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Norman Kaplan wrote an
absolutely breathtaking bit of research. It is an analysis that has gone completely
unchallenged. He was able to demonstrate by an operative mechanism, through
correlation, and more importantly causally, that hyperinsulinism is at the root of the
“deadly quartet” (i.e., upper-body obesity, glucose intolerance, hypertriglyceridemia
and hypertension). Hyperinsulinism—too much insulin—was the cause.
If you are healthy, insulin is the normal and essential response to the ingestion of
carbohydrate. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, and you cannot live
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Nutrition: Avoiding Disease and Optimizing Performance, continued

without it. You can either produce insulin through the pancreas, you can inject it,
or you can die. Insulin is responsible for storage of energy in cells. (Glucagon is the
counter-regulatory hormone to insulin: It releases the energy out of the cells.) And
one of the things that insulin puts into cells is fat.
You can see that the way to get your insulin level too high (hyperinsulinism) is to eat
too much carbohydrate. How much carbohydrate is that? In the qualitative sense,
your insulin level is “too high” if it is driving up your blood pressure, making you
fat or reducing your ability to suppress blood sugar after eating carbohydrate. If
you are glucose intolerant, hypertensive or your triglycerides are too high, you are
getting too much insulin and thus too much carbohydrate. These are risk factors
for heart disease, and the process by which we induce atherosclerotic disease—
arteries paved over with plaque. This leads to thrombosis, occlusion, myocardial
infarct and debilitation and death. But when physicians are polled “what is it that
you do not want to get?” cancer and heart disease do not rate nearly so high as does
Type 2 diabetes.
And I can tell you how to get it. Type 2 diabetes is caused by a receptor downgrade
phenomenon on the liver, muscle, and fat cells. They have a receptor site where
insulin attaches. It is similar to a key fitting in a lock—specific shapes on each allow
them to bind together. When insulin binds to the receptor, the cell can now receive
all good things, including amino acids (proteins) and fat.
If you expose yourself to too much insulin, the cells and receptors become “blind” to
it. The key does not work as well in the lock; i.e., receptor downgrade phenomenon.
The mechanism is not really much different mechanically than staring at the sun. At
first, your eyes see light, but if you do it for a few minutes, you will never see any light
again. You just burned out the receptors. That is what happens in Type 2 diabetes.
What was revolutionary about Kaplan’s work is that it disproved an accepted model.
Traditionally, what was observed over tens of years was that individuals often first
gained weight (obesity), then their cholesterol went up (hypercholesterolemia), then
their blood pressure went up (hypertensive), and then they become diabetic. There
was an assumption—and it is a classical logical fallacy—that the ordering suggested
causality. That because this happened first, then this—it was the root cause of all the
other conditions. This model is now understood to be fatally flawed (i.e., a post hoc,
ergo propter hoc fallacy). Order of events does not necessitate causality.
Kaplan was able to demonstrate with powerful evidence that hyperinsulinism was
the cause of all these conditions, the cause of atherosclerotic disease and cardiac
death. All of this is collectively known as coronary heart disease (CHD).
There has been a very powerful shift and re-understanding that what is causing
heart disease is not dietary-fat intake but excessive consumption of carbohydrate.
Things like the French paradox show that there is no paradox. The paradigm was
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Nutrition: Avoiding Disease and Optimizing Performance, continued

flawed. The French eat many times the fat that Americans do and yet have a much
smaller frequency of heart disease. They also consume just a little bit under 5 percent
of the refined sugar we do. We are eating about 150 lb. of sugar per man, woman,
and child annually.
It is amazing what efforts we will exert to consume sugar. Your interest in carbohydrates, and it is profound, is really no different than your interest in beer or opiates.
Sugar tickles the brain and it feels good. And the excuses and things people will do
to get to that high are unbelievable.
Now I tell you how to avoid all of that.
Eat a diet of meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar.
Do that and you are exempt.
Meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar—and no
coronary heart disease.
It has nothing to do with genetics. The genetic part is an intolerance to excess
amounts of carbohydrate. It is no different than having a genetic predisposition
to alcoholism. Having the gene for alcoholism does not mean it will necessarily be
expressed. You would have to drink alcohol. If you do not drink alcohol, you probably
will not suffer from alcoholism, at least not in the clinical manifestation of it.
It is no different with atherosclerotic disease. I do not care what your grandfather
died of, your mother died of, your uncle died of, your brother died of. For example,
Dr. Barry Sears, all his uncles and father died at 49 years old from atherosclerotic-induced thrombosis, myocardial infarct, heart attack. All of them. He is not going to.
He is not eating the carbohydrates they ate.
Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar. To get
to the same endpoint, these are effective nutritional strategies for avoiding heart
disease, death and misery:
1)

If you could not have harvested it out of your garden or farm and eaten it
an hour later, it is not food.

2)

Shop around the perimeter of the grocery store, and do not go
down the aisles.

3)

If it has a food label on it, it is not food. You do not see that on the chicken.
It is not on the tomatoes. But it is on the chips and cookies.

4)

If it is not perishable, if it says “Best if used before 2019,” it is not food.
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Nutrition: Avoiding Disease and Optimizing Performance, continued

In 1995, we were delivering almost the same lecture with just less clinical experience.
And people were like: “You are kidding me?” and “Fat makes you fat, right?”
It is not true.
Optimizing Performance
The next layer to diet is about optimizing performance. Through a diet of meat
and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar, you will not be
so lucky as to optimize your output. To get a sub-three-minute Fran, you need to
weigh and measure your meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, fruit and starch,
and you need to eliminate sugar.
I wish it were not true. I wish the path of fitness was riding bicycles and drinking
beer. I wished that is how we did it. It does not work. What you have to do is eat
meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar, and then
get a scale and measuring cup. You need accuracy and precision to your consumption or you will never get in a jet stream of elite performance.
If you want to have top-fuel-type performance, you need top fuel. I wish it were
otherwise. What do I base this on? No one has ever demonstrated to me anything
but inferior capacity on a diet where they did not weigh and measure.
I am not telling you that you have to weigh and measure your food. But I am telling
you that you are not going to get anywhere in terms of optimizing your performance on a bad diet. And we have seen enough incidences now. I have worked
with tens of thousands of people: No one has ever done it.
You need to weigh and measure your food. Not forever, but at least to start. It is
also good to go back to weighing and measuring once in a while. What happens
is that the portion requirements diminish for all the foods you do not like. “Yes, I
only need one spear of asparagus. Ice cream? I think it was a pound.” You will bias
in the wrong direction.
I can take any cohort, get one of them to weigh and measure food, and he or she
will pull away. There are very few things you can do short of doing more pull-ups
that can get you more pull-ups other than eating the way we recommend it.
There is a one-to-one correspondence between elite CrossFit performance and
the accuracy and precision of their consumption.
And what you are going to find is performance improvement after performance
improvement, but at some point you will want to stop the athlete from leaning
out further. It is possible you will get too lean to perform well. You may find a
plateau in your output, and then you need to ratchet it up. (I do the same thing
for hard gainers; I increase their intake as I do not need them to lean out.) The first
step: When you get as lean as you want to be and before there is a diminution in
performance, double the fat. If you do not feel a whole lot better, maybe try three
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Nutrition: Avoiding Disease and Optimizing Performance, continued

times the fat. And if that does not feel a whole lot better, and instead you just get
thicker, then go back to two times the fat. But I would let performance tell me what
to do. In making modifications, I want to see any kind of change in physiognomy. I
have more room to play with when someone has extra padding; I have to be more
careful with someone who is already ripped.
The formula for calculating what is relevant and pertinent to your prescription is
lean body mass and activity level. Done. There is not an inherent difference for
men versus women, for young versus old. I want to know how active you are and
I want to know what your lean body mass is. And everything else is not germane,
not pertinent, not relevant. It is extraneous information.
In the vagaries and contingencies of everyday living, such as schedules and
appetite, there are fluctuations in intake that will occur without weighing and
measuring. Following these normal fluctuations puts you on a coarser path versus
the fine path required for optimized performance. And that is why you will not get
there by luck. It is also possible an average CrossFit athlete becomes extraordinary
this way. Commitment and focus are going to overcome genetic limitations. If you
commit to the effort, you stand a much better chance. We have had this fantastic
experience of playing with this. In any cohort, one pulls away when he or she is
weighing and measuring food in this 40-30-30 milieu of macronutrient intake.

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Fitness, Luck and Health, continued

Fitness, Luck and Health
Adapted from Coach Glassman’s Feb. 27, 2016, L1 lecture in San Jose, California; March 27, 2016,
L1 lecture in Aromas, California; and April 24, 2016, L1 lecture in Oakland, California.
In 2002, we observed that almost any health parameter sits well ordered on a
continuum of values that ranged from sick to well to fit. High-density lipoproteins
(HDL cholesterol), for instance: At less than 35 mg/dL you have a problem, 50 mg/
dL is nice, and 75 mg/dL is a whole lot better. Blood pressure: 195/115 mm/Hg you
have a problem, 120/70 mm/Hg is healthy, and 105/50 mm/Hg looks more like an
athlete. Triglycerides, bone density, muscle mass, body fat, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c,
aka glycated hemoglobin)—all can be plotted relative to these three values.
The significance is that these are the predictors, the cause, and the manifestation
of chronic disease. Chronic diseases include obesity, coronary heart disease, Type 2
diabetes, stroke, cancer (to include breast, colon and lung, but my theory is this will
include all the positron-emission-tomography-positive cancers eventually, which are
95 percent of all cancers), Alzheimer’s, peripheral artery disease, advanced biological
aging, drug addiction, among others.
It is very likely that if you have any chronic disease, you have deranged markers. If you
have Alzheimer’s, you would see your HDL suppressed, your blood pressure up, your
triglycerides up, your body fat up, your muscle mass down, your bone density down,
your HbA1c high, etc. The same is true with diabetes. The same is true with most cancers.
Medicine has no effective treatment for chronic disease: It is symptomatic only. The
doctor gives you a drug to bring your cholesterol down, a different drug to raise your
bone density. You might need bariatric surgery if you have morbid obesity. If you have
paved-over coronary arteries, they can do bypass surgery. If you become glucose
intolerant, the doctor can put you on insulin. But all of these are not fixes. They are
masking the problem. If you have persistent malignant hypertension, you should take
an antihypertensive if you cannot get your blood pressure down otherwise. But how
would you get it down otherwise?
CrossFit, Inc. holds a uniquely elegant solution to the greatest problem facing the
world today. It is not global warming or climate change. It is not the worst two
choices imaginable for president. It is chronic disease. The CrossFit stimulus—which
is constantly varied, high-intensity functional movement coupled with meat and
vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar—can give you a
pass on chronic disease. It is elegant in the mathematical sense of being marked by
simplicity and efficacy. It is so simple.
Seventy percent of deaths in the United States (U.S.) are attributable to chronic disease.
Of the 2.6 million people who died in the U.S. in 2014, 1.8 million died from chronic
disease. This pattern of increasing deaths due to chronic diseases also holds in countries
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Fitness, Luck and Health, continued

that are ravaged by infectious disease. The numbers are rising, and when we finally add
the positron-emission-tomography-positive cancers in, the number might be 80-85
percent in the U.S. It is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that the U.S.
could have up to a hundred million diabetics in 2050. That will affect everyone. You will
not go into the emergency room for something as simple as a broken arm: You will be
seeing heart attacks on every corner. Medicine has no solution; you do. CrossFit, with
meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar, will help
you avoid all of this.
The other 30 percent are dying from accidents that come in four “-ic” variants: kinetic,
genetic, toxic, and microbic. Kinetic: physical trauma, car crash, hit on a bike. Toxic:
environmental toxins, such as lead poisoning. Genetic: genetic disorders like cystic
fibrosis, you are born with it. Microbic: virus, bacteria, prions. This is where treatment
can be symptomatic. This is where the miracles of medicine are. If you have got a
genetic disorder that is making you sick, you need a doctor. If you have been poisoned,
you need a doctor. If you caught a nasty virus or a flesh-eating bacteria, you need a
doctor. You do not need to go to the gym, and you do not need burpees. Doctors are
like lifeguards; CrossFit trainers are like swim coaches. When you are drowning, you
do not need a swim coach. You needed one, and you did not get one. What you need
is a lifeguard. We will teach people how to swim, and when they do not pay attention,
and they go under, the doctors take care of it.
Accidents are largely stuff you can do nothing about, but there is one exception.
Be fit. Kinetic: We hear stories from war of CrossFit athletes who survive things that
people have not survived previously. Toxicity: Someone who is fitter is more likely to
survive the same poisoning than someone who is not. Genetic: There are genes you
have inherited that will or will not express because of your behavior through diet and
exercise. Microbic: Who is most vulnerable to viral pneumonia? The frail, the feeble.
So fitness offers a protection here.
But assume there is no protection from fitness because what you need in terms of
preventing accidents largely is luck. Luck—there is no “good luck” versus “bad luck”—
looks like not having these things happen to you. Seventy percent of what kills people
can be addressed by what CrossFit trainers do, and the other 30 percent of deaths occur
based on luck, so get fit and do not think about luck. If you stand around worried about
germs, worried about the tire that is going to come through the windshield, worried
about breathing toxic air, and worried about your genes, you are wasting your time.
It will not make you happy. It will not make you better. It will not make you safer. You
are not going to live any longer.
This sums to my “kinetic theory of health.” The singular focus on kinematics—
increasing work capacity, increasing your fitness—is how to avoid chronic disease.
Just get a better Fran time, better deadlift, better Diane time, and do all the things that
would support a better Fran time—like eating meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds,
some fruit, little starch and no sugar; getting plenty of sleep; and maybe taking some
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Fitness, Luck and Health, continued

fish oil. After that, we are out of stuff that matters. With that singular focus on work
capacity, we can avoid chronic disease and there is nothing really to worry about. You
have the lifestyle answer. Make it to the gym, eat like we tell you, and enjoy yourself.
We have hacked health. Here is the magic formula for you:
Fitness + Luck (bad) = Health.
It is the part you can do something about plus the part you can do nothing about that
sums to your outcome. So make the most out of fitness and you will not be part of the
seven out of 10 who die unnecessarily due to lifestyle. In the end, chronic disease is a
deficiency syndrome. It is sedentation with malnutrition.
The cost of chronic disease is such that U.S. medical expenditure is now about $4 trillion
a year. In 2008, Price Waterhouse Cooper estimated that roughly half of all U.S. medical
expenditure was wasted on unnecessary procedures, administrative inefficiencies,
treatment of preventable conditions and so on. Add in fraud and abuse and we are
wasting well more than a trillion dollars. We also know 86 percent of overall health-care
spending goes to treating the chronically diseased ineffectively. Of the remaining 14
percent, half goes to the stuff that medicine can actually do something about. That
means seven percent of health-care spending is not wasted. The amount spent on
chronic disease is a waste.
What CrossFit trainers are providing is non-medical health care. When doctors treat
those affected by accidents (the 30 percent), that is medical health care. If you are
confused about the two, it is easy to distinguish by methods and tools. If someone is
cut open, given radiation, prescribed pills, injected with syringes, it is medicine. It is
treatment by a doctor.
On our side, it looks like CrossFit. We have rings, dumbbells, pull-up bars, our own
bodies—and the prescription is universal. It is not to treat disease. It does not matter
where you fall on this continuum: You get put on the same program. If the prescription is universal, it cannot be medicine. If it is something everyone needs—like air
or oxygen—that is not medicine. Without vitamin C, you can get scurvy. Should
physicians control orange and lemon groves, onion and kale production because they
have vitamin C that you cannot live without? We do not want them doing that to food.
We cannot let them do that to exercise, and there is a powerful movement with a lot
of funding afoot to do exactly that. Millions of dollars are being spent to bring exercise
into the purview of the medical arena so that it falls under the Affordable Care Act.
We have 13,000 gyms with 2 to 4 million people safe from chronic disease right now.
This community is doing a lot of good things on a lot of fronts. Yet our gyms are thriving
not because of our impact on chronic disease. They are thriving because the end users,
the customers, are extremely happy with the transformation. And it is part physical,
part emotional, part health markers, part relationships. That is the miracle of CrossFit:
People are getting something that they did not even know they wanted or needed.
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Zone Meal Plans, continued

Zone Meal Plans

Originally published in May 2004.
Our recommendation to “eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit,
little starch, and no sugar” is adequate to the task of preventing the scourges of
diet-induced disease, but a more accurate and precise prescription is necessary to
optimize physical performance.
Finely tuned, a good diet will increase energy, sense of well-being, and acumen,
while simultaneously flensing fat and packing on muscle. When properly
composed, the right diet can nudge every important quantifiable marker for health
in the right direction.
Diet is critical to optimizing human function, and our clinical experience leads us
to believe that Dr. Barry Sears’ Zone Diet closely models optimal nutrition.
CrossFit’s best performers are Zone eaters. When our second-tier athletes commit
to strict adherence to the Zone parameters, they generally become top-tier
performers quickly. It seems that the Zone Diet accelerates and amplifies the
effects of the CrossFit regimen.
Unfortunately, the full benefit of the Zone Diet is largely limited to those who have
at least at first weighed and measured their food.

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Zone Meal Plans, continued

For a decade, we experimented with sizing and portioning strategies that avoid
scales, and measuring cups and spoons, only to conclude that natural variances in
caloric intake and macronutrient composition without measurement are greater
than the resolution required to turn good performance to great. Life would be
much easier for us were this not so!
The 1-Block Equivalents for Protein, Fat, and Carbohydrates (Figure 1, Table 3) and
Sample Zone Meals and Snacks (Table 4) have been our most expedient approach
for eliciting athletes’ best performances and optimal health.
Even discounting any theoretical or technical content, this portal to sound nutrition
still requires some basic arithmetic and weighing and measuring portions for
the first weeks.
Too many athletes, after supposedly reading Sears’ book “Enter the Zone,” still ask,
“So what do I eat for dinner?” They get meal plans and block charts. We can make
the Zone more complicated or simpler, but not more effective.
We encourage everyone to weigh and measure portions for a couple weeks
because it is supremely worth the effort, not because it is fun. If you choose to
“guesstimate” portions, you will have the result of CrossFit’s top performers only
if and when you are lucky.
Within a couple of weeks of weighing and measuring, you will have developed
an uncanny ability to estimate the mass of common food portions, but, more
importantly, you will have formed a keen visual sense of your nutritional needs.
This is a profound awareness.
In the Zone scheme, all of humanity calculates to either 2-, 3-, 4-, or 5-block meals
at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with either 1- or 2-block snacks between lunch and
dinner and again between dinner and bedtime. We have simplified the process
for determining which of the four meal sizes and two snack sizes best suits your
needs (Table 1). We assume that you are doing CrossFit; i.e., active.
Being a “4-blocker,” for instance, means that you eat three meals each day, where
each meal is composed of 4 blocks of protein, 4 blocks of carbohydrate, and 4
blocks of fat. Whether you are a “smallish” medium-sized guy or a “largish” medium-sized guy would determine whether you will need snacks of 1 or 2 blocks
twice a day (Table 2).
The “meal plans” we give stand as examples of 2-, 3-, 4-, or 5-block meals, and the
“block chart” gives quantities of common foods equivalent to 1 block of protein,
carbohydrate, or fat.

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Zone Meal Plans, continued

Once you determine that you need, say, 4-block meals, it is simple to use the block
chart and select four times something from the protein list, four times something
from the carbohydrate list, and four times something from the fat list every meal.
One-block snacks are chosen from the block chart at face value for a single snack
of protein, carbohydrate, and fat, whereas 2-block snacks are, naturally, composed
of twice something from the carbohydrate list combined with twice something
from the protein list and twice something from the fat list.
Every meal, every snack, must contain equivalent blocks of protein, carbohydrate, and fat.
If the protein source is specifically labeled “non-fat,” then double the usual fat
blocks for that meal. Read “Enter the Zone” to learn why.
For those eating according to Zone parameters, body fat comes off fast. When
our men fall below 10 percent body fat and start approaching 5 percent, we kick
up the fat intake. The majority of our best athletes end up at X blocks of protein,
X blocks of carbohydrate, and 4X or 5X blocks of fat. Learn to modulate fat intake
to produce a level of leanness that optimizes performance.
The Zone Diet neither prohibits nor requires any particular food. It can accommodate paleo or vegan, organic or kosher, fast food or fine dining, while delivering
the benefits of high-performance nutrition.

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Zone Meal Plans, continued

Table 1. Block Prescription Based on
Sex and Body Type

Snack

Dinner

Snack

Total Blocks

2

2

10

Medium female

3

3

1

3

1

11

Large female

3

3

2

3

2

13

Athletic, well-muscled
female

4

4

1

4

1

14

Small male

4

4

2

4

2

16

Medium male

5

5

1

5

1

17

Large male

5

5

2

5

2

19

Extra-large male

4

4

4

4

4

20

Hard gainer

5

5

3

5

3

21

Large hard gainer

5

5

4

5

4

23

Athletic, well-muscled male

5

5

5

5

5

25

Table 2. Sample 1-Day Block
Requirements for Small (16-Block) Male
Snack

Here is a sample 4-block meal:
• 4 oz. chicken breast
• 1 artichoke
• 1 cup of steamed vegetables with
24 crushed peanuts
• 1 sliced apple

2

Dinner

This “block chart” of 1-block
equivalents is a convenient tool
for making balanced meals. Simply
choose 1 item from the protein list, 1
item from the carbohydrate list, and
1 item from the fat list to compose
a 1-block meal. Or choose 2 items
from each column to compose a
2-block meal, and so on.

2

Snack

The following pages contain common
foods in their macronutrient category
(protein, carbohydrate, or fat), along
with a conversion of measurements
to a block.

Lunch

When a meal is composed of equal
blocks of protein, carbohydrate,
and fat, 40 percent of its calories are
from carbohydrate, 30 percent from
protein and 30 percent from fat.

2

Lunch

Because most protein sources
contain fat (e.g., meat), individuals
should only add 1.5 g for each fat
block when constructing meals. The
block chart on the following pages
outlines an amount of each item to
achieve 1.5 g of fat.

Small female

Body Type

Breakfast

• 7 g of protein = 1 block of protein
• 9 g of carbohydrate = 1 block of
carbohydrate
• 3 g of fat = 1 block of fat

Breakfast

A block is a unit of measure used
to simplify the process of making
balanced meals.

Protein

4

4

2

4

2

Carbohydrate

4

4

2

4

2

Fat

4

4

2

4

2

This meals contains 28 g of protein,
36 g of carbohydrate, and 12 g of fat.
It is simpler, though, to think of it as
a 4-block meal.

Figure 1. Block Composition.
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Zone Meal Plans, continued

Table 3. 1-Block Equivalents For Protein, Fat, and Carbohydrate
PROTEINS
Food

FATS
Eyeball

Exact
Exact
Cooked Uncooked
(g)
(g)

Food

Eyeball

Exact
Cooked
(g)

NUTS & SEEDS

beef

1 oz.

26

34

beef, ground, 80% lean

1.5 oz.

27

41

almonds

~3

3

calamari

1.5 oz.

39

45

almond butter

0.3 tsp.

3

Canadian bacon

1 oz.

25

35

cashews

~3

3

catfish

1.5 oz.

38

46

macadamia nuts

~1

2

cheese, cheddar

1 oz.

—

29

peanut butter

0.5 tsp.

3

cheese, cottage

0.25 c.

—

63

peanuts

~6

3

cheese, feta

1.5 oz.

—

49

sunflower seeds

0.25 tsp.

3

cheese, ricotta

2 oz.

—

62

walnuts

1 tsp.

2

chicken, breast

1 oz.

23

33

OTHER

clams

1.5 oz.

27

48

crabmeat

1.5 oz.

39

39

almond milk,
unsweetened

0.5 c.

0.5 c.

duck

1.5 oz.

30

38

avocado

1 tbsp.

egg substitute, liquid

0.25 c.

—

70

butter

0.3 tsp.

2

egg, white

2 large

64

64

coconut milk

0.5 tbsp.

7

10

egg, whole

1 large

52

56

coconut oil

0.3 tsp.

2

flounder/sole

1.5 oz.

46

56

cream cheese

1 tsp.

5

ham

1 oz.

37

34

cream, heavy

0.3 tsp.

4

lamb, loin

1 oz.

24

34

cream, light

0.5 tsp.

8

lamb, ground

1.5 oz.

28

42

half and half

1 tbsp.

13

lobster

1.5 oz.

37

42

lard

0.3 tsp.

2

pork, loin chop

1 oz.

27

33

mayo, light

1 tsp.

5

pork, ground

1.5 oz.

27

41

mayonnaise

0.3 tsp.

2

pork, bacon

1 oz.

20

56

olive oil

0.3 tsp.

2

salmon

1.5 oz.

28

34

olives

~5

14

sardines

1 oz.

28

—

sour cream

1 tsp.

8

scallops

1.5 oz.

34

58

tahini

0.3 tsp.

3

shrimp

1.5 oz.

29

51

tartar sauce

0.5 tsp.

9

soy burgers

0.5 patty

45

—

soy cheese

1 oz.

56

—

Notes:

soy sausage, links

2 links

37

—

1)

swordfish

1.5 oz.

30

36

tofu, firm

2 oz.

86

—

The amount for each item that is required
to obtain 7 g of protein, 9 g of carbohydrate,
or 1.5 g of fat.

tofu, soft

3 oz.

107

—

2)

Exact data rounded to nearest whole gram.

tuna steak

1.5 oz.

24

29

3)

tuna, canned in water

1 oz.

36

—

Exact data from USDA Food Composition
Databases unless not available therein.

turkey, breast

1 oz.

23

30

4)

Fiber in carbohydrate sources is subtracted
to determine a block.

turkey, ground

1.5 oz.

26

36

turkey, deli meat

1.5 oz.

32

—

5) * indicates virtually unlimited amounts
(over 5 c. for a block).

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Zone Meal Plans, continued

VEGETABLES

VEGETABLES
Exact
Exact
Cooked Uncooked
(g)
(g)

Food

Eyeball

acorn squash

0.4 c.

89

artichoke

1 small

270

arugula

*

asparagus

12 spears

bean sprouts

3 c.

beet green

1.25 c.

beets
black beans
bok choy

3 c.

broccoli

1.25 c.

Brussels sprouts
butternut squash

Exact
Exact
Cooked Uncooked
(g)
(g)

Food

Eyeball

100

radishes

2 c.

493

500

177

salsa

0.5 c.

—

190

—

439

sauerkraut

1 c.

650

—

425

500

snow peas

0.75 c.

211

182

265

217

spaghetti squash

1 c.

178

167

351

1450

spinach

1.3 c.

667

628

0.5 c.

112

135

summer squash, all

3 c.

309

400

0.25 c.

60

19

sweet potato

0.3 (5 in.)

52

53

1,155

761

Swiss chard

1.25 c.

443

423

232

223

tomato

1 c.

273

335

0.75 c.

200

174

tomato sauce

0.5 c.

235

—

0.3 c.

123

93

turnip

0.75 c.

295

195

cabbage

1.3 c.

250

272

watercress

*

—

1,140

carrots

0.5 c.

173

132

zucchini

3 c.

536

428

cauliflower

1.25 c.

500

304

celery

2 c.

375

657

Notes:

chickpeas

0.25 c.

45

18

1)

collard greens

1.25 c.

545

635

corn

0.25 c.

48

54

The amount for each item that is required
to obtain 7 g of protein, 9 g of carbohydrate,
or 1.5 g of fat.

cucumber

1 (9 in.)

—

285

2)

Exact data rounded to nearest whole gram.

dill pickles

3 (3 in.)

—

639

3)

eggplant

1.5 c.

144

313

Exact data from USDA Food Composition
Databases unless not available therein.

fava beans

0.3 c.

63

27

4)

Fiber in carbohydrate sources is subtracted to
determine a block.

green beans

1 c.

193

211

kale

1.25 c.

247

175

kidney beans

0.25 c.

55

26

leeks

1 c.

137

73

lentils

0.25 c.

74

17

lettuce, iceberg

1 head

—

508
760

lettuce, romaine

6 c.

—

lima beans

0.25 c.

65

21

mushrooms

3 c.

291

399

Napa cabbage

5 c.

405

300

okra

0.75 c.

448

212

onion

0.5 c.

103

118

parsnips

0.3 (9 in.)

67

68

peas

0.3 c.

250

180

peppers, red

1.25 c.

165

230

pinto beans

0.25 c.

52

19

potato, white

0.3 c.

48

68

radicchio

5 c.

—

250

5) * indicates virtually unlimited amounts
(over 5 c. for a block).

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Zone Meal Plans, continued

FRUITS

PROCESSED CARBOHYDRATES

Food

Eyeball

apple

Exact
Uncooked (g)

Food

79

bagel

0.25

17

biscuit

0.25

19

0.5

Eyeball

Exact
Cooked (g)

applesauce,
unsweetened

0.4 c.

89

bread

0.5 slice

20

apricots

3 small

99

bread crumbs

0.5 oz.

20

banana

0.3 (9 in.)

45

cereal

0.5 oz.

14

blackberries

0.5 c.

210

chocolate bar

0.5 oz.

15

blueberries

0.5 c.

75

cornbread

1-in. square

14

cantaloupe

0.25

125

cornstarch

4 tsp.

10

cherries

7

65

croissant

0.25

21

cranberries, raw

0.25 c.

117

crouton

0.5 oz.

13

dates

1

13

doughnut

0.25

20

figs

0.75

55

English muffin

0.25

21

grapefruit

0.5

140

flour

1.5 tsp.

12

grapes

0.5 c.

53

french fries

5

37

guava

0.5 c.

100

graham crackers

1.5

12

honeydew

0.5

110

granola

0.5 oz.

20

kiwi

1

75

grits

0.3 c.

63

kumquat

3

96

ice cream

0.25 c.

39

mango

0.3 c.

67

melba toast

0.5 oz.

13

nectarine

0.5

102

oatmeal

0.3 c.

90

orange

0.5

99

pancake

0.5 (4 in.)

32

papaya

0.6 c.

99

pasta, cooked

0.25 c.

38

peach

1

112

pita bread

0.25

17

pear

0.5

75

popcorn

2 c.

19

pineapple

0.5 c.

77

potato chips

0.5 c.

18

plum

1

89

pretzels

0.5 oz.

12

raisins

1 tbsp.

12

refried beans

0.25 c.

90

raspberries

0.6 c.

167

rice

3 tbsp.

32

strawberries

1 c.

160

rice cake

1

12

tangerine

1

78

roll (dinner)

0.5

18

watermelon

0.5 c.

125

roll (hamburger,
hot dog)

0.25

18

Notes:
1)

The amount for each item that is required
to obtain 7 g of protein, 9 g of carbohydrate,
or 1.5 g of fat.

2)

Exact data rounded to nearest whole gram.

3)

Exact data from USDA Food Composition
Databases unless not available therein.

4)

Fiber in carbohydrate sources is subtracted to
determine a block.

saltine crackers

4

13

taco shell

1

16

tortilla (corn)

1 (6 in.)

23

tortilla (flour)

0.5 (6 in.)

20

tortilla chips

0.5 oz.

15

waffle

0.5

27

5) * indicates virtually unlimited amounts
(over 5 c. for a block).
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Zone Meal Plans, continued

Table 4. Sample Zone Meals and Snacks
2-Block Menus
Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Breakfast Quesadilla

Tuna Sandwich

Fresh Fish

1 corn tortilla
0.25 c. black beans
1 egg (scrambled or fried)
1 oz. cheese
2 tbsp. avocado

Breakfast Sandwich

0.5 pita bread
1 egg (scrambled or fried)
1 oz. cheese
Served with 2 macadamia nuts

Fruit Salad

0.5 c. cottage cheese mixed with
0.25 cantaloupe, cubed
0.5 c. strawberries
0.25 c. grapes
Sprinkled with 6 chopped almonds

Smoothie

Blend together:
1 c. milk
1 tbsp. protein powder
1 c. frozen strawberries
6 cashews

Oatmeal

0.3 c. cooked oatmeal (slightly
watery)
0.5 c. grapes
0.25 c. cottage cheese
2 tsp. walnuts, chopped
1 tbsp. protein powder
Spice with vanilla extract and
cinnamon

Easy Breakfast

0.5 cantaloupe, cubed
0.5 c. cottage cheese
6 almonds

Steak and Eggs

1 oz. steak, grilled
1 fried egg
1 slice toast with
0.6 tsp. butter

2 oz. canned tuna
2 tsp. light mayo
1 slice bread

Tacos

1 corn tortilla
3 oz. seasoned ground meat
0.5 c. tomato, cubed
0.3 c. onion (raw), chopped
Lettuce (as garnish), chopped
10 olives, chopped

Deli Sandwich

1 slice bread
3 oz. sliced deli meat
2 tbsp. avocado

Quesadilla

1 corn tortilla
2 oz. cheese
2 tbsp. guacamole
Jalapeños and salsa as garnish
Serve with .5 orange

Grilled Chicken Salad

2 oz. chicken, grilled
2 c. lettuce
0.25 c. tomato, chopped
0.25 cucumber, chopped
0.25 c. green pepper (raw),
chopped
0.25 c. black beans
2 tbsp. avocado

Easy Lunch

3 oz. deli meat
1 apple
2 macadamia nuts

3 oz. fresh fish, grilled
1.3 c. zucchini (cooked), with
herbs
Serve with large salad with 1 tbsp.
salad dressing of choice

Beef Stew

Sauté:
0.6 tsp. olive oil
0.3 c. onion (raw), chopped
0.63 c. green pepper (raw),
chopped
~4 oz. beef (raw), cubed
Add:
1.5 c. mushrooms (raw), chopped
0.25 c. tomato sauce
Seasoned with garlic,
Worcestershire sauce, salt and
pepper

Chili (serves 3)

Sauté:
0.3 c. onion (raw), chopped
0.63 c. green pepper (raw),
chopped
in garlic, cumin, chili powder, and
crushed red peppers
Add:
9 oz. ground beef, browned
1 c. tomato sauce
0.5 c. black beans
0.25 c. kidney beans
30 olives, chopped
Add fresh cilantro to taste

Turkey and Greens

2 oz. turkey breast, roasted
1.25 c. kale, chopped and
steamed
Sauté garlic and crushed red
peppers in .66 tsp. olive oil, add
the steamed kale and mix.
Serve with 1 peach, sliced

Easy Chicken Dinner

2 oz. chicken breast, baked
1 orange
2 macadamia nuts

2-BLOCK MENUS
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Zone Meal Plans, continued

3-Block Menus
Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Breakfast Quesadilla

Tuna Sandwich

Fresh Fish

1 corn tortilla
0.25 c. black beans
0.3 c. onions (raw), chopped
0.63 c. green pepper (raw),
chopped
2 eggs (scrambled or fried)
1 oz. cheese
3 tbsp. avocado

Breakfast Sandwich

0.5 pita bread
1 egg (scrambled or fried)
1 oz. cheese
1 oz. sliced ham
Serve with .5 apple and 3 macadamia nuts

Fruit Salad

0.75 c. cottage cheese
0.25 cantaloupe, cubed
1 c. strawberries
0.5 c. grapes
Sprinkle with 9 chopped almonds

Smoothie

Blend together:
1 c. milk
2 tbsp. protein powder
1 c. frozen strawberries
0.5 c. frozen blueberries
9 cashews

Oatmeal

0.6 c. cooked oatmeal (slightly
watery)
0.5 c. grapes
0.5 c. cottage cheese
3 tsp. walnuts, chopped
1 tbsp. protein powder
Spice with vanilla extract and
cinnamon

Easy Breakfast

0.75 cantaloupe, cubed
0.75 c. cottage cheese
9 almonds

Steak and Eggs

2 oz. steak, grilled
1 fried egg
1 slice toast w/ 1 tsp. butter
0.25 cantaloupe, cubed

3 oz. canned tuna
3 tsp. light mayo
1 slice bread
Serve with .5 apple

Tacos

2 corn tortillas
3 oz. seasoned ground meat
1 oz. grated cheese
0.5 c. tomato, cubed
0.6 c. onion (raw), chopped
Lettuce (as garnish), chopped
15 olives, chopped

Deli Sandwich

1 slice bread
3 oz. sliced deli meat
1 oz. cheese
3 tbsp. avocado
Serve with .5 apple

Quesadilla

1 corn tortilla
3 oz. cheese
3 tbsp. guacamole
Jalapeños and salsa as garnish
Serve with 1 orange

Grilled Chicken Salad

3 oz. chicken, grilled
2 c. lettuce
0.25 c. tomato, chopped
0.25 cucumber, chopped
0.25 c. green pepper (raw),
chopped
0.25 c. black beans
0.25 c. kidney beans
3 tbsp. avocado

Easy Lunch

3 oz. deli meat
1 oz. sliced cheese
1.5 apples
3 macadamia nuts

4.5 oz. fresh fish, grilled
1.3 c. zucchini (cooked), with
herbs
Serve with large salad with 1.5
tbsp. salad dressing of choice
1 c. strawberries

Beef Stew

Sauté:
1 tsp. olive oil
0.3 c. onion (raw), chopped
0.63 c. green pepper (raw),
chopped
~6 oz. beef (raw), cubed
Add:
1.5 c. zucchini (raw), chopped
1.5 c. mushrooms (raw), chopped
0.5 c. tomato sauce
Season with garlic, Worcestershire
sauce, salt and pepper

Chili (serves 3)

Sauté:
0.6 c. onion (raw), chopped
1.25 c. green pepper (raw),
chopped
in garlic, cumin, chili powder, and
crushed red peppers
Add:
13.5 oz. ground beef, browned
1 c. tomato sauce
0.75 c. black beans
0.5 c. kidney beans
45 olives, chopped
Add fresh cilantro to taste

Turkey and Greens

3 oz. turkey breast, roasted
2.5 c. kale, chopped and steamed
Sauté garlic and crushed red
peppers in 1 tsp. olive oil, add the
steamed kale and mix.
Serve with 1 peach, sliced

Easy Dinner

3 oz. chicken breast, baked
1.5 oranges
3 macadamia nuts

3-BLOCK MENUS
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Zone Meal Plans, continued

4-Block Menus
Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Breakfast Quesadilla

Tuna Sandwich

Fresh Fish

1 corn tortilla
0.5 c. black beans
0.3 c. onions (raw), chopped
0.63 c. green pepper (raw),
chopped
2 eggs (scrambled or fried)
2 oz. cheese
4 tbsp. avocado

Breakfast Sandwich

0.5 pita bread
2 eggs (scrambled or fried)
1 oz. cheese
1 oz. sliced ham
Serve with 1 apple and 4 macadamia nuts

Fruit Salad

1 c. cottage cheese
0.5 cantaloupe, cubed
1 c. strawberries
0.5 c. grapes
Sprinkled with 12 chopped
almonds

Smoothie

Blend together:
2 c. milk
2 tbsp. protein powder
1 c. frozen strawberries
0.5 c. frozen blueberries
12 cashews

Oatmeal

1 c. cooked oatmeal (slightly
watery)
0.5 c. grapes
0.75 c. cottage cheese
4 tsp. walnuts, chopped
1 tbsp. protein powder
Spice with vanilla extract and
cinnamon

Easy Breakfast

1 cantaloupe, cubed
1 c. cottage cheese
12 almonds

Steak and Eggs

3 oz. steak, grilled
1 fried egg
1 slice bread with 1.3 tsp. butter
0.5 cantaloupe, cubed

4 oz. canned tuna
4 tsp. light mayo
1 slice bread
Serve with 1 apple

Tacos

2 corn tortillas
4.5 oz. seasoned ground meat
1 oz. cheese, grated
0.5 c. tomato, cubed
0.3 c. onion (raw), chopped
Lettuce (as garnish), chopped
20 olives, chopped
Serve with .5 apple

Deli Sandwich

2 slices of bread
4.5 oz. sliced deli meat
1 oz. cheese
4 tbsp. avocado

Quesadilla

2 corn tortillas
4 oz. cheese
4 tbsp. guacamole
Jalapeños and salsa as garnish
Serve with 1 orange

Grilled Chicken Salad

4 oz. chicken, grilled
2 c. lettuce
0.25 c. tomato, chopped
0.25 cucumber, chopped
0.25 c. green pepper (raw),
chopped
0.5 c. black beans
0.25 c. kidney beans
4 tbsp. avocado

Easy Lunch

4.5 oz. deli meat
1 oz. cheese
1 apple
1 grapefruit
4 macadamia nuts

6 oz. fresh fish, grilled
1.3 c. zucchini (cooked), with
herbs
Serve with large salad with 2 tbsp.
salad dressing of choice
2 c. strawberries

Beef Stew

Sauté:
1.3 tsp. olive oil
0.3 c. onion (raw), chopped
0.63 c. green pepper (raw),
chopped
~8 oz. (beef (raw), cubed
Add:
1.5 c. zucchini (raw), chopped
1.5 c. mushrooms (raw), chopped
1 c. tomato sauce
Season with garlic, Worcestershire
sauce, salt and pepper
Serve with 1 c. strawberries

Chili (serves 3)

Sauté:
0.6 c. onion (raw), chopped
1.25 c. green pepper (raw),
chopped
in garlic, cumin, chili powder, and
crushed red peppers
Add:
18 oz. ground beef, browned
2 c. tomato sauce
0.75 c. black beans
0.75 c. kidney beans
60 olives, chopped
Add fresh cilantro to taste

Turkey and Greens

4 oz. turkey breast, roasted
2.5 c. kale, chopped and steamed
Sauté garlic and crushed red
peppers in 1.3 tsp. olive oil, add
kale and mix.
Serve with 2 peaches, sliced

Easy Dinner

4 oz. chicken breast, baked
2 oranges
4 macadamia nuts

4-BLOCK MENUS
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Zone Meal Plans, continued

5-Block Menus
Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Breakfast Quesadilla

Tuna Sandwich

Fresh Fish

2 corn tortillas
0.5 c. black beans
0.3 c. onions (raw), chopped
0.63 c. green pepper (raw),
chopped
3 eggs (scrambled or fried)
2 oz. cheese
5 tbsp. avocado

Breakfast Sandwich

0.5 pita bread
2 eggs (scrambled or fried)
2 oz. cheese
1 oz. ham, sliced
Serve with 1.5 apples and
5 macadamia nuts

Fruit Salad

1.25 c. cottage cheese
0.5 cantaloupe, cubed
1 c. strawberries
1 c. grapes
Sprinkle with 15 chopped almonds

Smoothie

Blend together:
2 c. milk
3 tbsp. protein powder
2 c. frozen strawberries
0.5 c. frozen blueberries
15 cashews

Oatmeal

1 c. cooked oatmeal (slightly
watery)
1 c. grapes
1 c. cottage cheese
5 tsp. walnuts, chopped
1 tbsp. protein powder
Spice with vanilla extract and
cinnamon

Easy Breakfast

1.25 cantaloupe, cubed
1.25 c. cottage cheese
~ 15 almonds

Steak and Eggs

3 oz. steak, grilled
2 fried eggs
1 slice bread with 1.6 tsp. butter
0.75 cantaloupe, cubed

5 oz. canned tuna
5 tsp. light mayo
1 slice bread
Serve with 1.5 apples

Tacos

2 corn tortillas
6 oz. seasoned ground meat
1 oz. cheese, grated
0.5 c. tomato, cubed
0.3 c. onion (raw), chopped
Lettuce (as garnish), chopped
25 olives, chopped
Serve with 1 apple

Deli Sandwich

2 slices bread
4.5 oz. deli meat
2 oz. cheese
5 tbsp. avocado
0.5 apple

Quesadilla

2 corn tortillas
5 oz. cheese
5 tbsp. guacamole
Jalapeños and salsa as garnish
Serve with 1.5 oranges

Grilled Chicken Salad

5 oz. chicken, grilled
2 c. lettuce
0.25 c. tomato, chopped
0.25 cucumber, chopped
0.25 c. green pepper (raw),
chopped
0.5 c. black beans
0.5 c. kidney beans
5 tbsp. avocado

Easy Lunch

4.5 oz. deli meat
2 oz. cheese
1.5 apples
1 grapefruit
5 macadamia nuts

7.5 oz. fresh fish, grilled
1.3 c. zucchini (cooked), with
herbs
Serve with large salad with 0.25
c. black beans and 2.5 tbsp.
salad dressing of choice
2 c. strawberries

Beef Stew

Sauté:
1.6 tsp. olive oil
0.6 c. onion (raw), chopped
1.25 c. green pepper (raw),
chopped
~10 oz. beef (raw), cubed
Add:
1.5 c. zucchini (raw), chopped
1.5 c. mushrooms (raw), chopped
1 c. tomato sauce
Season with garlic, Worcestershire
sauce, salt and pepper
Serve with 2 c. strawberries

Chili (serves 3)

Sauté:
0.6 c. onion (raw), chopped
2.5 c. green pepper (raw),
chopped
in garlic, cumin, chili powder, and
crushed red peppers
Add:
22.5 oz. ground beef, browned
2 c. tomato sauce
1 c. black beans
1 c. kidney beans
75 olives, chopped
Add fresh cilantro to taste

Turkey and Greens

5 oz. turkey breast, roasted
2.5 c. kale, chopped and steamed
Sauté garlic and crushed red
peppers in 1.6 tsp. olive oil, add
steamed kale and mix.
Serve with 3 peaches, sliced

Easy Dinner

5 oz. chicken breast, baked
2.5 oranges
5 macadamia nuts

5-BLOCK MENUS
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Zone Meal Plans, continued

1-Block Snacks
1 hard-boiled egg
0.5 orange
6 peanuts
0.5 c. plain yogurt
Sprinkled with 3 cashews,
chopped
1 oz. cheese
0.5 apple
1 macadamia nut
1 oz. canned chicken or tuna
1 peach
0.5 tsp. peanut butter
1.5 oz. deli-style ham or
turkey
1 carrot
5 olives
1 oz. mozzarella string
cheese
0.5 c. grapes
1 tbsp. avocado
1 oz. jack cheese
1 tbsp. guacamole
1 c. tomato
1 c. strawberries
0.25 c. cottage cheese
1 macadamia nut
1 poached egg
0.5 slice bread
0.5 tsp. peanut butter

0.25 c. cottage cheese
0.5 carrot
3 celery stalks
5 olives
3 oz. soft tofu
0.5 apple
0.5 tsp. peanut butter
1 oz. tuna
1 large tossed salad
1 tsp. salad dressing of
choice
1 hard boiled egg
1 large spinach salad
1 tsp. salad dressing of
choice
1 oz. grilled turkey breast
0.5 c. blueberries
3 cashews
Blend:
1 c. water
1 tbsp. protein powder
0.5 c. grapes
0.3 tsp. coconut oil
Blend:
1 c. water
0.5 oz. spirulina
1 c. frozen strawberries
3 cashews
1 oz. cheddar cheese melted
over
0.5 apple
Sprinkled with 1 tsp. walnuts,
chopped

0.25 c. cottage cheese
0.5 c. pineapple
6 peanuts
1 oz. sardines
0.5 nectarine
5 olives
1.5 oz. feta cheese
1 c. diced tomato
5 olives
1.5 oz. salmon
12 asparagus spears
0.3 tsp. olive oil
1.5 oz. shrimp
2 c. broccoli (raw)
6 peanuts
1 oz. Canadian bacon
1 plum
1 macadamia nut
1.5 oz. deli-style turkey
1 tangerine
1 tbsp. avocado
0.25 c. cottage cheese
1 c. sliced tomato
0.3 tsp. olive oil
1.5 oz. scallops
1 sliced cucumber
0.5 tsp. tartar sauce
1 oz. lamb
0.25 c. chick peas
0.3 tsp. tahini

1-BLOCK SNACKS
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Typical CrossFit Block Prescriptions and Adjustments, continued

Typical CrossFit Block Prescriptions
and Adjustments
To best understand the Zone Diet, CrossFit athletes should read Dr. Barry Sears’
book “Enter the Zone.” This article gives more information regarding block
prescriptions and fat adjustments for CrossFit athletes.
The chart based on sex and body type in the article “Zone Meal Plans” is perfect
for those who want to start the Zone Diet. If the athlete chooses the wrong block
size and does not obtain the desired results, the plan can be modified after a few
weeks. Errors in block selection might slow progress, but initial errors are offset by
the huge value in starting a practice of weighing and measuring intake.
Sears details a more precise method to calculate one’s block prescription in “Enter
the Zone.” It is:
Zone block prescription = lean body mass (lb.) x activity level (g/lb.
of lean body mass) / 7 (g protein/block)
The activity level ranges on a scale of 0-1. For those who work out several days a
week and do not have a labor-intensive job, the activity level should be 0.7 (most
CrossFit athletes). By dividing 0.7 by 7 g in the equation, this simplifies to a Zone
block prescription that is 10 percent of his or her lean mass.
The activity factor should increase if the athlete does CrossFit two or more times a
day, trains for another sport in addition to CrossFit, or holds a strenuous daily job
(e.g., construction, farming, etc., and potentially coaching, if on one’s feet all day).
Although CrossFit workouts are relatively intense, they are not long in duration.
An individual does not need to increase the activity level value based on intensity
alone; activity volume determines activity factor.
Sample Calculation of the Zone Block Prescription
Suppose an athlete is 185 lb. (84 kg) with 16 percent body fat. He does CrossFit five
days per week and works in a typical office environment. A sample calculation of
his Zone block prescription follows.
First, lean body mass is calculated (calipers are a convenient, easy-to-use, and
reasonably accurate method):
lean body mass = 185 lb.–(0.16 x 185 lb.) = 185 lb.–29.6 lb. = 155.4 lb.
Because the activity factor is 0.7, the simplified formula is used:
block prescription = 155.4 lb. x 0.10 = 15.54 or ~15 blocks
This means that the example athlete above would eat 15 blocks per day (Table 1).

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Typical CrossFit Block Prescriptions and Adjustments, continued

Table 1. Macronutrient and Calorie Composition
for 15 Blocks a Day
Protein

15 blocks x 7 g

= 105 g (420 calories)

Carbohydrate

15 blocks x 9 g

= 135 g (540 calories)

Fat

15 blocks x 3 g

= 45 g (405 calories)

Total Calories

= 1,365

Note the total calories presented here are underestimated due to hidden calories.
Most foods are classified by a single macronutrient, despite the presence of some
other macronutrients (e.g., nuts are classified as a fat but have some protein and
carbohydrate calories). These less predominant macronutrients for each source
are not included in the total calorie calculations.
This athlete could also choose to round up to 16 blocks, particularly if he or she is
more likely to have compliance issues. The Zone prescription is a calorie-restrictive diet and can be especially difficult for new adopters. When one’s calculation
has a decimal value, rounding up to the next whole block might result in slower
progress but produce better long-term compliance. Once the athlete has become
accustomed to the diet, then the total blocks can be rounded down to 15, particularly if desired body composition has not been achieved.
Increasing Fat Intake
The caloric restriction leans out the athlete while providing enough protein and
carbohydrate for typical CrossFit activity levels. However, the athlete can become
too lean. The athlete is considered “too lean” when performance decreases in
combination with continued weight loss. “Too lean” should not be based on body
weight or appearance alone. When a loss of mass coincides with a drop in performance, the athlete needs to add calories to the diet. This can be accomplished by
doubling the fat intake (Table 2).

Table 2. Macronutrient and Calorie Composition
for 15 Blocks a Day and Two Times Fat
Protein

15 blocks x 7 g

= 105 g (420 calories)

Carbohydrate

15 blocks x 9 g

= 135 g (540 calories)

Fat

30 blocks x 3 g

= 90 g (810 calories)

Total Calories

= 1,770

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Typical CrossFit Block Prescriptions and Adjustments, continued

At twice the fat, the macronutrient ratio based on calories has changed from 30
percent protein, 40 percent carbohydrate, 30 percent fat to 23 percent protein,
31 percent carbohydrate, 46 percent fat. Fat can continue to be multiplied if the
athlete experiences further mass loss and performance decline. Some CrossFit
athletes have a diet including five times the fat (Table 3).

Table 3. Macronutrient and Calorie Composition
for 15 Blocks a Day and Five Times Fat
Protein

15 blocks x 7 g

= 105 g (420 calories)

Carbohydrate

15 blocks x 9 g

= 135 g (540 calories)

Fat

75 blocks x 3 g

= 225 g (2,025 calories)

Total Calories

= 2,985

At five times the fat, the macronutrient ratio based on calories has changed to 14
percent protein, 18 percent carbohydrate, 68 percent fat.

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Supplementation, continued

Supplementation
Whole, unprocessed foods are the best source of both macronutrients and micronutrients in terms of composition, variety, and density, such that supplementation
is generally not recommended. We contend that eating a diet composed of known
quantities and of high-quality whole foods is the most important aspect of nutrition
for improved performance and health. Not only are supplements generally poorer
nutrient sources, but they are also an unnecessary focus for someone not following
our basic diet plan of weighed and measured meat and vegetables, etc.
However, we find one supplement beneficial enough to make a blanket recommendation: fish oil. Fish oil provides omega-3 fatty acids, which are a type of
polyunsaturated fat.
Physiological fats are known as triglycerides in biological terms; they are composed
of a glycerol backbone with three fatty acids attached (Figure 1). The attached
fatty acids are mixtures of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats.
Although one fatty acid is prominent in each food, all three are represented to some
degree. Figure 2 provides a summary of the types of fat and example food sources.
The two types of polyunsaturated fats found most frequently in foods are omega-3
and omega-6 fats. Classifying a fatty acid as omega-3 versus omega-6 is dependent
on chemical structure. Polyunsaturated fats are sources of the two essential fatty
acids, meaning they must be obtained from the diet. They are alpha-linolenic
acid (ALA) (an omega-3) and linoleic acid (LA) (an omega-6). Omega-3 fats are
known as “anti-inflammatory” fats, and omega-6 fats are known as “pro-inflammatory” fats based on their physiological functions. Both are needed in relatively
equal quantities.

Figure 1. Fat in Food is in the Form of a Triglyceride.
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Supplementation, continued

Figure 2. Summary of Fatty Acids and Example Food Sources.

Current diets tend to have too many omega-6 fats, pushing the balance toward
pro-inflammatory physiological processes. The current omega-6:omega-3 ratio
is approximately 20:1 and higher, where primitive populations likely had a ratio
closer to 2:1. Sources of omega-6 fats in the diet are vegetable oils, nuts, conventionally raised (grain-fed/feed-lot) meat and eggs, and farm-raised fish. Eliminating
processed food from our diet should reduce exposure to omega-6 fats from
vegetable oils. However, most meat and eggs are conventionally raised, which
results in greater omega-6 content than if they were wild or grass fed. Nuts and
seeds also have more omega-6 fats than omega-3. Therefore, it is possible that
even though one eats the foods on our list, his or her diet could still be pro-inflammatory relative to the ancestral past.

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Supplementation, continued

Fish-oil supplementation improves the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids
and reduces the inflammatory responses in the body. Fish oil provides two types of
omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA),
the form of omega-3 fats preferred by the brain and body. The body can convert
ALA to EPA and DHA, but the conversion process is inefficient. Some practitioners
have recommended a combined daily intake on the order of 3 grams of EPA and
DHA for an otherwise healthy individual, although the exact amount is dictated
by one’s total omega-6 intake. Each brand of fish oil has a different concentration
of EPA and DHA per serving as indicated on the label. Individuals might have to
take multiple servings to get 3 grams of EPA and DHA, as brands might include
omega-3s that are neither EPA nor DHA (e.g., ALA). Flax seed or oil is not an appropriate supplement for omega-3s. Flax is a good source of ALA, but because of the
poor conversion to EPA and DHA, it is not recommended. If the individual is vegan,
DHA can be obtained with algae oil.
Research has indicated positive health benefits by supplementing with fish oil.
Omega-3 fats help increase the fluidity of cell membranes, and research has
indicated supplementation can improve insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular function,
nervous-system function, immune health, memory, and mood issues. Omega 3s
also function as an anti-coagulant, so military personnel should consider removing
fish oil supplements from their diet a couple of weeks prior to deployment. It might
also be appropriate for those with an upcoming surgery to stop taking fish oil two
weeks from that date. These individuals should talk with their doctor regarding
these circumstances.
It is possible to avoid omega-3 supplementation depending on food intake,
although the individual needs to be fastidious with his or her diet. This could be
accomplished by avoidance of all vegetable oils (which are used at most every
restaurant), and nuts and seeds. Meat would have to be grass-fed and eggs pastureraised, and wild-caught fish should be consumed a few times a week. Because this
is not practical for many people, supplementation is effective.
Besides the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3s in the diet, the total amount of polyunsaturated fat is an important consideration. It is not ideal to take in high doses
of either omega-6 (vegetable oils, nuts) or omega-3 fats (based on the stability of
polyunsaturated fats relative to other fats, Figure 2). Fish oil supplementation does
not negate the effects of a bad diet (e.g., eating fast food or excessive amounts of
nuts and nut butters). The total recommended polyunsaturated fat intake in a diet
is not well established; an equal representation of the three fats appears prudent.
Individuals should work with a primary care doctor to determine if supplementation is appropriate, particularly in cases with specific medical conditions.

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A Theoretical Template for CrossFit’s Programming, continued

A Theoretical Template for CrossFit’s
Programming
Originally published in February 2003.
“What Is Fitness? (Part 1)” explores the aims and objectives of our program. Most
of you have a clear understanding of how we implement our program through
familiarity with the Workout of the Day (WOD) from our website. What is likely
less clear is the rationale behind the WOD or more specifically what motivates the
specifics of CrossFit’s programming. It is our aim in this article to offer a model or
template for our workout programming in the hope of elaborating on the CrossFit
concept and potentially stimulating productive thought on the subject of exercise
prescription (generally) and workout construction (specifically). What we want to
do is bridge the gap between an understanding of our philosophy of fitness and
the workouts themselves; that is, how we get from theory to practice. CrossFit.com
has never used this template for its programming, but it provides new trainers
a way to effectively apply variance within the tenets of CrossFit’s methodology.
At first glance, the template seems to be offering a routine or regimen. This might
seem at odds with our contention that workouts need considerable variance or
unpredictability to best mimic the often unforeseeable challenges that combat,
sport, and survival demand and reward. We have often said, “What your regimen
needs is to not become routine.” But the model we offer allows for wide variance
of mode, exercise, metabolic pathway, rest, intensity, sets, and reps. In fact, it is
mathematically likely that each three-day cycle is a singularly unique stimulus
never to be repeated in a lifetime of CrossFit workouts.
The template is engineered to allow for a wide and constantly varied stimulus,
randomized within some parameters, but still true to the aims and purposes of
CrossFit. Our template contains sufficient structure to formalize or define our
programming objectives while not setting in stone parameters that must be left
to variance if the workouts are going to meet our needs. That is our mission–to
ideally blend structure and flexibility.

“The magic is in the
movement, the art is
in the programming,
the science is in the
explanation, and
the fun is in the
community.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

It is not our intention to suggest that your workouts should, or that our workouts
do, fit neatly and cleanly within the template, for that is absolutely not the case. But,
the template does offer sufficient structure to aid comprehension, reflect the bulk
of our programming concerns, and not hamstring the need for radically varying
stimulus. So as not to seem redundant, what we are saying here is that the purpose
of the template is as much descriptive as prescriptive.
Template Macro View
In the broadest view we see a three-days-on, one-day-off pattern. We have found
that this allows for a relatively higher volume of high-intensity work than the
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A Theoretical Template for CrossFit’s Programming, continued

Table 1. Template Macro View
3-days-on, 1-day-off
Day

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

M

G
W

M
G
W

OFF

G

W
M

G
W
M

OFF

W

M
G

W
M
G

OFF

6

7

Modality

5-days-on, 2-days-off
Day

1

2

3

4

5

M

G
W

M
G
W

M
G

W

OFF OFF

G

W
M

G
W
M

G
W

M

OFF OFF

M
G

W
M
G

W
M

G

Week 1

Week 2
W
Week 3

Modalities
M = monostructural
metabolic
conditioning
G = gymnastics
W = weightlifting

OFF OFF

many others that we have experimented with. With this format the athlete can
work at or near the highest intensities possible for three straight days, but by the
fourth day both neuromuscular function and anatomy are hammered to the point
where continued work becomes noticeably less effective and impossible without
reducing intensity.
The chief drawback to the three-days-on, one-day-off regimen is that it does not
sync with the five-days-on, two-days-off pattern that seems to govern most of
the world’s work habits. The regimen is at odds with the seven-day week. Many of
our clients are running programs within professional settings, where the five-day
workweek with weekends off is de rigueur. Others have found that the scheduling
needs of family, work, and school require scheduling workouts on specific days of
the week every week. For these people we have devised a five-days-on, two-daysoff regimen that has worked very well.

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A Theoretical Template for CrossFit’s Programming, continued

The workout of the day was originally a five-on, two-off pattern and it worked
perfectly. But the three-on, one-off pattern was devised to increase both the
intensity of and recovery from the workouts, and the feedback we have received
and our observations suggest that it was successful in this regard.
If life is easier with the five-on, two-off pattern, do not hesitate to employ it. The
difference in potential between the two might not warrant restructuring your
entire life to accommodate the more effective pattern. There are other factors
that will ultimately overshadow any disadvantages inherent in the potentially less
effective regimen, such as convenience, attitude, exercise selection, and pacing.
For the remainder of this article the three-day cycle is the one in discussion, but
most of the analysis and discussion applies perfectly to the five-day cycle.
Elements By Modality
Looking at the Template Macro View (Table 1) it can readily be seen that the
template is based on the rotation of three distinct modalities: monostructural
metabolic conditioning (M), gymnastics (G), and weightlifting (W). The monostructural metabolic conditioning activities are commonly referred to as “cardio,” the
purpose of which is primarily to improve cardiorespiratory capacity and stamina.
They are repetitive, cyclical movements that could be sustained for long periods
of time. The gymnastics modality comprises body-weight exercises/elements or
calisthenics, and its primary purpose is to improve body control by improving
neurological components such as coordination, balance, agility, and accuracy, and
to improve functional upper-body capacity and trunk strength. The weightlifting
modality comprises the most important weight-training basics, Olympic lifts and

Table 2. Exercises by Modality
Gymnastics

Metabolic Conditioning Weightlifting

Air Squat
Pull-up
Push-up
Dip
Handstand Push-up
Rope Climb
Muscle-up
Press to Handstand
Back Extension
Sit-up
Jump
Lunge

Run
Bike
Row
Jump Rope

Deadlift
Cleans
Press
Snatch
Clean and Jerk
Medicine-Ball Drills
Kettlebell Swing

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A Theoretical Template for CrossFit’s Programming, continued

powerlifting, where the aim is primarily to increase strength, power, and hip/leg
capacity. This category includes any exercise with the addition of an external load.
Table 2 gives the common exercises used by our program, separated by modality,
in fleshing out the routines.

“A strength and
conditioning regimen
devoid of gymnastics
practice and skills is
deficient.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

For metabolic conditioning the exercises are run, bike, row, and jump rope. The
gymnastics modality includes air squats, pull-ups, push-ups, dips, handstand
push-ups, rope climbs, muscle-ups, presses to handstands, back/hip extensions,
sit-ups, and jumps (vertical, box, broad, etc.). The weightlifting modality includes
deadlifts, cleans, presses, snatches, clean and jerks, medicine-ball drills and throws,
and kettlebell swings.
The elements, or exercises, chosen for each modality were selected for their
functionality, neuroendocrine response, and overall capacity to dramatically and
broadly impact the human body.
Workout Structure
The workout structure varies by the inclusion of one, two, or three modalities for
each day (Table 3). Days 1, 5, and 9 are each single-modality workouts whereas days
2, 6, and 10 include two modalities each (couplets), and finally, days 3, 7, and 11
use three modalities each (triplets). In every case each modality is represented by a
single exercise or element; i.e., each M, W, and G represents a single exercise from
metabolic conditioning, weightlifting, and gymnastics modalities respectively.
When the workout includes a single exercise (days 1, 5, and 9) the focus is on a
single exercise or effort. When the element is the single “M” (day 1) the workout
is a single effort and is typically a long, slow, distance effort. When the modality

Table 3. Workout Structure
Days

Single-Element Days
(1, 5, 9)

Two-Element Days
(2, 6, 10)

Three-Element Days
(3, 7, 11)

Priority

Element priority

Task priority

Time priority

Structure (Set
Structure)

M: Single effort
G: Single skill
W: Single lift

Couplet repeated 3-5
times for time

Triplet repeated for 20
minutes for rotations

Intensity

M: Long, slow distance Two moderately to
G: High skill
intensely challenging
W: Heavy
elements

Work Recovery Recovery not a limiting Work/rest interval
Character
factor
management critical

Three lightly to
moderately challenging
elements
Work/rest interval
marginal factor
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A Theoretical Template for CrossFit’s Programming, continued

is a single “G” (day 5) the workout is practice of a single skill, and typically this skill
is sufficiently complex to require great practice but might not be yet suitable for
inclusion in a timed workout because performance is not yet adequate for efficient
inclusion. When the modality is the single “W” (day 9) the workout is a single lift
and typically performed at high weight and low repetition. It is worth repeating
that the focus on days 1, 5, and 9 is single efforts of “cardio” at long distance;
improving high-skill, more complex gymnastics movements; and single/low-rep
heavy weightlifting basics, respectively. This is not the day to work sprints, pull-ups,
or high-repetition clean and jerks­—the other days would be more appropriate.
On the single-element days (1, 5, and 9), recovery is not a limiting factor. For the “G”
and “W” days, rest is long and deliberate and the focus is kept clearly on improvement of the element and not on total metabolic effect.
For the two-element days (2, 6, and 10), the structure is typically a couplet of
exercises performed alternately until repeated for a total of 3-5 rounds performed
for time. We say these days are “task priority” because the task is set and the time
varies. The workout is most often scored by the time required to complete the
prescribed rounds. The two elements themselves are designed to be moderate to
high intensity and work-rest interval management is critical. These elements are
made intense by pace, load, reps or some combination. Ideally, the first round is
hard but possible, whereas the second and subsequent rounds will require pacing,
rest, and breaking the task up into manageable efforts.
For the three-element days (3, 7, and 11), the structure is typically a triplet of
exercises, this time repeated for a specified number of minutes and scored by
number of rotations or repetitions completed. We say these workouts are “time
priority” because the athlete is kept moving for a specified time and the goal
is to complete as many cycles as possible. The elements are chosen in order to
provide a challenge that manifests only through repeated cycles. Ideally the
elements chosen are not significant outside of the blistering pace required to
maximize rotations completed within the time allotted (typically 20 minutes). This
is in stark contrast to the two-element days, where the elements are of a much
higher intensity. This workout is tough, extremely tough, but managing work-rest
intervals is a marginal factor.

“No successful strength
and conditioning
program has
anywhere ever been
derived from scientific
principles. Those
claiming efficacy or
legitimacy on the basis
of theories they’ve
either invented or
corralled to explain
their programming
are guilty of fraud.
Programming derives
from clinical practice
and can only be
justified or legitimized
by the results of that
practice.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

Each of the three distinct days has a distinct character. Generally speaking, as the
number of elements increases from one to two to three, the workout’s effect is due
less to the individual element selected and more to the effect of repeated efforts.
Table 4 depicts workout examples following this template.
Application
The template in discussion does not generate the CrossFit.com Workout of the
Day (WOD), but the qualities of one-, two-, and three-element workouts expressed
there motivated the template’s design. Our experience in the gym and the
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A Theoretical Template for CrossFit’s Programming, continued

Table 4. Workout Examples Using the Template
Day

Modality

Elements

1

M

Run 10 km

2

GW

(5 handstand push-ups/225 x 5 deadlifts + 20 lb./round) x 5
for time

3

MGW

Run 400 m/10 pull-ups/thruster 50% of body weight (BW) x
15 for 20 min. for rotations

4

OFF

5

G

6

WM

7

GWM

8

OFF

9

W

10

MG

11

WMG

12

OFF

Practice handstands for 45 minutes
(Bench press 75% BW x 10/Row 500 m) x 5 for time
Lunges 100 ft./push press 50% BW x 15/row 500 m for 20
min. for rotations

Deadlift 5-3-3-2-2-2-1-1-1
(Run 200 m/box jump 30 in. x 10) x 5 for time
Clean 50% BW x 20/bike 1 mile/15 push-ups for 20 min. for
rotations

feedback from our athletes following the WOD have demonstrated that the mix
of one-, two-, and three-element workouts is crushing in impact and unrivaled in
bodily response. The information garnered through your feedback on the WOD has
given CrossFit an advantage in estimating and evaluating the effect of workouts
that might have taken decades or been impossible without the internet.
Typically our most effective workouts, like art, are remarkable in composition,
symmetry, balance, theme, and character. There is a “choreography” of exertion
that draws from a working knowledge of physiological response, a well-developed
sense of the limits of human performance, the use of effective elements, experimentation, and even luck. Our hope is that this model will aid in learning this art.
The template encourages new skill development, generates unique stressors,
crosses modes, incorporates quality movements, and hits all three metabolic
pathways. It does this within a framework of sets and reps and a cast of exercises that
CrossFit has repeatedly tested and proven effective. We contend that this template
does a reasonable job of formally expressing many CrossFit objectives and values.
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Scaling CrossFit, continued

Scaling CrossFit
CrossFit workouts, and especially those on CrossFit.com, are designed to challenge
even the most advanced athlete. Many athletes need to “scale” (i.e., modify) the
workouts for the safest implementation of the program. Finding a CrossFit affiliate is
one way to receive proper coaching and guidance through this process. In absence
of an experienced trainer, this article presents some basic concepts for scaling
workouts particularly for beginners. Scaling for other populations (e.g., advanced
or injured athletes) is discussed in greater detail at the Level 2 Certificate Course,
as well as in the Online Scaling Course.
Athletes will need to scale workouts for variable lengths of time. One’s athletic
background, as well as his or her current health and fitness capacity, dictates how
long scaling is necessary. The methodology presented here can be used indefinitely, but a month is the minimum period for which significant scaling should be
applied. This introductory period serves two purposes: 1) it develops competency
of movements used in CrossFit; and 2) it appropriately exposes the athlete to
gradual increases in intensity and volume.
Mechanics and Consistency First
CrossFit’s charter for creating the most optimal balance of safety, efficacy, and
efficiency is: mechanics, consistency, then—and only then—intensity. The
initial exposure to CrossFit is when movement mechanics should be prioritized
over intensity. And for some, just practicing the movements will be intense. It
is imperative that the movements can be performed correctly and consistently
before load and speed are added. While intensity is an important part of the
CrossFit program, it is added after movement proficiency is established. Ignoring
this order increases the risk for injury and potentially blunts long-term progress,
especially if poor mechanics are combined with load.
Scaling Effectively: Preserve the Stimulus
When scaling workouts, the main principle to follow is “preserve the stimulus.”
The stimulus of the workout refers to the effects of the specific combination of
movements, time domain, and load. Aspects of this combination can be adjusted
for each individual so that the workout produces relatively similar effects on each
athlete—regardless of physical abilities.
The breadth of workouts and varying levels of CrossFit beginners make it
impossible to provide a single rule for scaling workouts. Similarly, deviations from
the guidelines presented herein can be effective choices at times (especially for
more advanced athletes). For best results, the individual should use his or her own
judgment—or the advice of a qualified trainer—to determine what is appropriate.
Athletes and trainers should not be afraid to alter the workout after it has begun.
At the appearance of unsafe form, the athlete or coach should end the workout
or reduce the load to that which allows proper mechanics.
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Scaling CrossFit, continued

Intensity and Volume
Two factors need to be scaled for every beginner: 1) intensity; and 2) volume. A
prudent method for beginners is reducing intensity and/or volume by half for at
least two weeks. Depending on how the athlete progresses, volume and intensity
can be gradually increased in the following weeks, months, and years.
Intensity refers to the amount of power an athlete generates. Intensity may be
modified in three ways: 1) load; 2) speed; and/or 3) volume.
Load is the variable to scale first; scaling the load is an easy way to preserve the
stimulus relative to an athlete’s capacity. Load is also the most common variable
modified after the beginner period. Especially for a conditioning workout, the
athlete should use a load that ensures he or she is able to complete the first set
or round without compromising form or reaching muscular failure. Determining
appropriate loads for newer athletes requires some estimation, and scaling will
not always be perfect. Often, loads for newer athletes will be less than 50 percent
of the prescribed load, especially if an athlete is new to lifting weights. Coaches
should err on the side of scaling too much rather than not enough, particularly
for newer athletes.
Speed tends to be more self-modulated due to the athlete’s fitness level, although
a coach can modulate speed based on the mechanics demonstrated. A coach
might have to slow an athlete down to achieve the correct mechanics. Similarly,
coaches might have to encourage an athlete who is moving well to move faster,
though this is less common when working with beginners (see “Technique” article).
Volume is the total amount of work accomplished by the athlete. Depending
on the workout, volume can be lowered by reducing: 1) time; 2) reps/rounds;
and/or 3) distance.
Newer CrossFit athletes might attempt to struggle through a workout where
the volume of repetitions (or load, above) is beyond their current capacity. For
example, an advanced CrossFit athlete might complete Fran in 2 minutes. That
same workout might take a newer athlete 15 minutes or more if completed as
prescribed. While it is not imperative for beginners to finish in the same time as
advanced athletes – times should be relatively similar. Fran should be completed
within several minutes.
While lowering the volume can increase intensity (i.e., produce more power),
volume reductions are also important for beginners because muscles, ligaments,
and tendons need to become gradually accustomed to the volume in CrossFit.
Reducing volume also reduces excessive soreness, as well as the risk for rhabdomyolysis and injury.

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Scaling CrossFit, continued

Movements
When a movement cannot be performed at all, it can be substituted. CrossFit
suggests modifying this variable last because avoiding a movement prevents
an individual from developing proficiency in it. An athlete or trainer should first
try reducing the load before substituting the movement. If the workout calls for
snatches at 95 lb., for example, it is generally preferable that the athlete performs
the snatches with a PVC pipe instead of substituting 95-lb. overhead squats.
Complete movement substitutions should be considered when a physical
limitation or injury is present, or when the load cannot be reduced. When selecting
a substitute movement, trainers should try to preserve the original movement’s
function and range of motion as best they can. When determining movement
substitutions consider:
1) Whether the movement is primarily driven by the lower
body or upper body.
2) The movement function (e.g., push versus pull).
3) The range of motion used by the movement (specifically of the hips,
knees, and ankles).
4) The plane of movement.
Particularly in the case of injury, a complete movement replacement might be
necessary. Consideration of these variables can help trainers select a movement
substitution or replacement that is as similar as possible to the prescribed movement.
A Sample Week of Scaling
This section outlines five typical CrossFit workouts. For each Workout of the Day
(WOD), scaled workouts are presented with modifications to volume, load, and
movements. Some of the rationale for the options is also described. These scaled
workouts should be considered but three examples of the many options available.
They do not take the place of scaled workouts created by an experienced trainer
who is relying on intuition and detailed knowledge of a specific athlete.

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Scaling CrossFit, continued

WORKOUT 1
CINDY

SCALED VERSION A

SCALED VERSION B

SCALED VERSION C

As many rounds as
possible (AMRAP)
in 20 minutes of:
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 air squats

10-minute AMRAP of:
5 ring rows
10 push-ups from
knees
15 air squats to a
target

10 rounds for time of:
10-minute AMRAP of:
3 pull-ups with
5 jumping pull-ups
bands
10 push-ups against
6 push-ups
a wall
from toes
15 air squats
9 air squats

Scaling Considerations
• Volume is reduced by halving the time or setting an upper limit of rounds.
• The rep range can also be reduced so the individual keeps moving through most of the
workout instead of reaching muscular failure too quickly.
• Pull-ups and push-ups often exceed the upper-body strength of beginning athletes, and
these movements can be scaled in various ways to reduce the load.
• Air squats should be maintained unless there is an injury, although a target is useful for
those developing full range of motion.

WORKOUT 2
50-40-30-20-10
reps for time of:
Wall-ball shots,
20-lb. ball
Box jumps, 24-in.
box

SCALED VERSION A

SCALED VERSION B

SCALED VERSION C

25-20-15-10-5
reps for time of:
Wall-ball shots,
20-lb. ball
Box jumps, 24-in.
box

50-40-30-20-10
reps for time of:
Wall-ball shots,
14-lb. ball
25-20-15-10-5
reps for time of:
Box jumps, 24-in.
box

5 rounds for time of:
15 Wall-ball shots,
10-lb. ball
15 Plate jumps,
45-lb. plate

Scaling Considerations
• The total volume of this workout is relatively high for each movement (150 reps).
Controlling the reps is the easiest way to reduce the volume.
• It is also possible to reduce volume on one movement only. For example, if the athlete
is attempting box jumps at a certain height for the first time this can be reduced while
keeping the wall-ball shots at the prescribed volume.
• The box height can be significantly reduced to help preserve the jump. Step-ups could be
used to preserve the range of motion when capacity does allow for jumps (e.g., injury).
• Also consider changing the height to which the wall ball is thrown, particularly when the
athlete is new to the movement and/or trying a new weight.

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Scaling CrossFit, continued

WORKOUT 3
DEADLIFT

SCALED VERSION A

SCALED VERSION B

SCALED VERSION C

5-5-5-5-5

Everyone works up to heavy set of 5 repetitions with sound mechanics.
The set should be taxing, but form should not be lost.

Scaling Considerations
• When the heavy day has a low repetition count per set (<5 reps), trainers might
choose to increase the repetitions for beginners who are working at a lower weight to
practice mechanics. For example, a 1-repetition-maximum snatch day may be changed
to 3 repetitions.
• In rare cases, the range of motion may be shortened until the mechanics are correct.
This might require the barbell to be pulled from pins (or off bumpers), for example.
Typically, however, beginners should work on improving mechanics through the full
range of motion.

WORKOUT 4
SCALED VERSION A

SCALED VERSION B

SCALED VERSION C

21-18-15-12-9-6-3
15-12-9-6-3 reps of:
reps of:
SDHP (45 lb.)
Sumo deadlift high
Push jerks (45 lb.)
pulls (SDHP) (75 lb.)
Push jerks (75 lb.)

15-12-9-6-3 reps of:
SDHP
(1-pood/36-lb.
kettlebell)
Push presses (45
lb.)

5 rounds for time of:
10 SDHP (45 lb.)
10 Push jerks (45
lb.)

Scaling Considerations
The total volume is moderately high (84 reps) and is effectively halved by removing the first two
rounds of 21 and 18 reps.
• The load can be reduced for both movements. As they are more complicated movements
for beginners, this is a perfect opportunity to keep the movements as is but lower the load
to refine the mechanics.
• In rare cases, a push press should be substituted when the mechanics of the push jerk are
not proficient for significant load or volume.
• Substituting a kettlebell for a barbell in the SDHP is a way to reduce the complexity of the
movement. It allows the athletes to work on the core-to-extremity movement pattern
without having to navigate a bar around the knees.

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Scaling CrossFit, continued

WORKOUT 5
12-9-6 reps of:
Cleans (185 lb.)
Muscle-ups

SCALED VERSION A

SCALED VERSION B

SCALED VERSION C

12-9-6 reps of:
Cleans (75 lb.)
Banded strict
pull-ups
Banded strict dips

12-9-6 reps of:
Medicine-ball
cleans (20 lb.)
Ring rows
Bench dips

3 rounds for time of:
8 cleans (95 lb.)
8 banded
muscle-up
transitions

Scaling Considerations
• The total volume of this workout is low without any modifications.
• The load is significantly heavy and will need to be reduced for beginners. A medicine ball
is particularly useful for the newer athlete.
• The muscle-up will need to be scaled, and this is best accomplished with upper-body
pulling and pushing movements, or even a banded version of the full movement itself.
• Changing the rep scheme can be useful when the modification significantly challenges
the individual’s strength stamina. Doing so will allow the individual to achieve almost the
same volume while he or she develops new skills and/or is exposed to heavier elements.

Conclusion
Athletes and their trainers should focus on movement proficiency before adding
speed and load. Workouts should be scaled significantly for at least a month,
particularly with regard to intensity and volume. The period of scaling workouts—
especially load—might continue for months and years as the athlete develops the
requisite capacities. With appropriate scaling, an athlete will make significant fitness
gains by working at his or her relative level of physical and psychological tolerance.
Most athletes need to modify CrossFit.com workouts to dose themselves appropriately. As mentioned in “Where Do I Go From Here?” we challenge all athletes
and trainers to follow CrossFit.com for their daily workouts for at least six months.
Following this recommendation will provide first-hand experience at scaling
workouts. While this article is tailored for the beginner athlete, intermediate
and advanced scaling options are available every day on the @crossfittraining
Instagram account. The @crossfitwod account provides additional information
on workout strategy.

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“The Girls” for Grandmas, continued

“The Girls” for Grandmas
Originally published in October 2004.
As a demonstration of the program’s universal applicability, this article gives
scaled variations of benchmark workouts Angie, Barbara, Chelsea, Diane,
Elizabeth, and Fran.
These six workouts are as good as any to demonstrate our concept of scalability.
Here we offer versions of those workouts that have been “tuned down” in intensity
and had exercises substituted to accommodate any audience, particularly the
elderly, beginner, or deconditioned athlete.
With scaling, the intent is to preserve the stimulus: adhere to as many of the
original workout factors as possible relative to the individual’s physical and
psychological tolerances.

ANGIE
ORIGINAL

SCALED

For time:
100 pull-ups
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 squats

For time:
25 ring rows
25 push-ups off the knees
25 sit-ups
25 squats

Ring Rows

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“The Girls” for Grandmas, continued

BARBARA
ORIGINAL

SCALED

5 rounds for time of:
20 pull-ups
30 push-ups
40 sit-ups
50 squats
3 minutes of rest between rounds

3 rounds for time of:
20 ring rows
30 push-ups off the knees
40 sit-ups
50 squats
3 minutes of rest between rounds

Push-ups off the Knees

Sit-ups

Squats

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“The Girls” for Grandmas, continued

CHELSEA
ORIGINAL

SCALED

5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 squats
Each minute on the minute for 30
minutes

5 ring rows
10 push-ups off the knees
15 squats
Each minute on the minute for 20
minutes

DIANE
ORIGINAL

SCALED

21-15-9 repetitions (reps) for time of:
deadlift 225 lb.
handstand push-ups

21-15-9 reps for time of:
deadlift 50 lb.
dumbbell shoulder press 10 lb.

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

FRAN
ORIGINAL

SCALED

21-15-9 reps for time of:
thruster 95 lb.
pull-ups

21-15-9 reps for time of:
thruster 25 lb.
ring rows

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“The Girls” for Grandmas, continued

ELIZABETH
ORIGINAL

SCALED

21-15-9 reps for time of:
clean 135 lb.
ring dips

21-15-9 reps for time of:
clean 25 lb.
bench dips

Clean

Bench Dips

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Running a CrossFit Class, continued

Running a CrossFit Class
At most affiliates, group classes outnumber private or semi-private sessions.
This is a short primer on how to effectively plan and run a group class. While the
concepts presented here are relevant to private training, the logistical demands
of running a group class are significantly increased such that additional pressure
is placed on planning.
More information on designing and running effective classes is provided in the
Level 2 Certificate Course. Programming well-designed workouts and providing
scaling options are only part of running an effective class. At the very least, a
warm-up, workout, and cool-down plan should be drafted before the class to
outline the duration of each section and its specific elements. Additional considerations for each section are outlined below.
Does the warm-up…
• Increase the body’s core temperature?
• Prepare the athletes to handle the intensity of the workout?
• Allow the coach to correct movement mechanics needed in the workout?
• Allow the coach to assess capacity for scaling modifications?
• Offer skill development and refinement (potentially including elements
not in the workout, time permitting)?
Does the workout…
• Include a description of range-of-motion standards?
• Include scaling options that are appropriate for all athletes in the class?
• Allow athletes to reach their relative level of high intensity?
• Challenge the athlete’s current level of fitness?
• Include corrections of movement mechanics under high intensity?
Does the cool-down…
• Allow the heart and respiratory rate to slow and the athlete to
regain mental acuity?
• Allow the athlete to record workout performance to track progress?
• Prepare the gym for the following class?
• Take advantage of remaining time for recovery practices, additional skill
refinement, and/or education?
The following three sample Lesson Plans and Workout of the Day (WOD) Scales
serve as examples for how to plan a class session.

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Running a CrossFit Class, continued

LESSON PLAN: FRAN
WORKOUT
Fran
21-15-9 reps of:
95-lb. thrusters
Pull-ups
Score: total time
INTENDED STIMULUS
This workout is classic benchmark that allows coaches and athletes to assess
progress. Fran, a couplet of gymnastics and weightlifting movements, is a
relatively fast workout elite athletes finish in less than 2 minutes.
The complementary movement patterns—lower-body push and upper-body
pull—allow for relatively continuous movement. The greatest challenge is
managing an extremely high heart rate.
BREAKDOWN
ƒƒ This workout is more a challenge of one’s cardiovascular response than
strength. Athletes should not need to break these movements up more than
three times in the set of 21, two times in the set of 15, and once in the set of 9.
ƒƒ The suggested female Rx’d weight is 65 lb. for the thruster.
ƒƒ The scaling options include: reduced load on the thruster, and/or reduced
volume or load on the pull-ups. If an athlete’s last Fran was scaled and
completed under 5 minutes, difficulty should be increased.
ƒƒ Coaches should demonstrate each movement including movement
standards.
ƒƒ Coaches should explain the score is total time for workout completion.
ƒƒ Coaches should ask if any athletes are injured.
ƒƒ Athletes should attempt to complete the workout in less than 10 minutes.
The approximate estimates of each component are: 30-90 seconds for
each set of 21, 20-60 seconds for each set of 15, and 15-45 seconds for
each set of 9.

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Running a CrossFit Class, continued

Coaches: All parts of the class are coach led. Demonstrate each new piece
before athletes perform it. Cue athletes to achieve better positions throughout
each section.
:00-:03
WHITEBOARD (3 MINUTES)
ƒƒ Explain the workout, intended stimulus and breakdown (above).
:03-:13
GENERAL WARM-UP (10 MINUTES)
ƒƒ Explain at the board and have athletes complete the work at their own
pace with a 10-minute limit. It should be steady but not rushed.
ƒƒ Cue throughout.
ƒƒ 800-m run.
ƒƒ Two rounds, 15 reps of each movement, of (first round/second round):
• Squat therapy/PVC front squats.
• Ring rows/strict pull-ups (banded, if necessary).
• Push-ups/PVC shoulder presses.
• AbMat sit-ups/hollow-body rocks.
• Hip extensions/Supermans.
:13-:23
PULL-UP SPECIFIC WARM-UP (10 MINUTES)
If an athlete can perform 8-10 consecutive pull-ups in the warm-up, it is
likely the athlete can complete the prescribed reps in the workout.
ƒƒ Bar hang (30 seconds).
• Look for: grip strength.
ƒƒ 10 kipping swings.
• Look for: tight body position.
ƒƒ 10 kipping swings focusing on a big kip.
• Look for: vertical displacement of the hips.
ƒƒ 10 pull-ups (banded if necessary).
ƒƒ Teach: gymnastics versus butterfly kip.
• Allow 5 minutes for athletes to practice and refine mechanics.
• Encourage small sets of refined movement and ensure athletes
do not unduly fatigue themselves.
:23-:36
THRUSTER SPECIFIC WARM-UP (13 MINUTES)
Assess movement to determine proper workout loading.
ƒƒ 60-second barbell rack-wrist stretch.
• Allow them to come off/on tension as needed.
ƒƒ 6 front squats with a pause at bottom.
• Look for: hips pushing back to initiate.
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ƒƒ 6 shoulder presses with a pause overheard.
• Look for: neutral spine.
ƒƒ 6 thrusters on the coach’s cadence with a reset at the rack position.
• Look for: timing of the press.
ƒƒ 6 thrusters on their own cadence.
• Encourage them to move fast.
ƒƒ Instruct athletes to add weight to reach their workout load.
• On their own cadence, they perform 3 sets of 3 reps per set.
• After each set, they perform 3 pull-ups.
• Scale loads as appropriate
:36-:39
BREAK & LOGISTICS (3 MINUTES)
ƒƒ Bathroom break.
ƒƒ Remind athletes that additional scaling might occur during
the workout.
ƒƒ Review scaling options with each athlete.
ƒƒ Safety check: Ensure adequate room around barbells (including for
bounces after bars are dropped) and pull-up spaces (e.g., boxes to the
side of a working athlete).
ƒƒ Rebrief workout, flow and safety considerations.
:39-:50
WORKOUT: START AT :39 (11 MINUTES)
Cue athletes to achieve better positions while maintaining technique.
Further scale the workout as needed.
ƒƒ Thruster: Look for athletes who shift weight forward to the toes and
press too soon (fatiguing the arms).
ƒƒ Pull-up: Look for full range of motion at bottom and the top.
:50-:60
COOL-DOWN (10 MINUTES)
ƒƒ Clean up equipment.
ƒƒ Shoulder stretch (1 minute each side).
ƒƒ Forearm “smash” (e.g., lacrosse ball) (1 minute each arm).
ƒƒ Collect scores, celebrate new personal records, and exchange
high fives!

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WOD SCALE: FRAN
WORKOUT
Fran
21-15-9 reps of:
95-lb. thrusters
Pull-ups
Score: total time
SCALING THIS WOD
This workout is classic benchmark
that allows athletes and coaches
to assess progress. Fran, a couplet
of gymnastics and weightlifting
movements, is a relatively fast
workout elite finish in less than
2 minutes.
The suggested female Rx’d weight is
65 lb. for the thruster. Either element
may be modified in load. Athletes
should aim to complete the workout
under 10 minutes. Coaches are
encouraged to use their judgment
to find challenging but manageable
substitutions for their athletes.

BEGINNER
21-15-9 reps of:
65-lb./45-lb. thrusters
Ring rows
ƒƒ The reps remain unchanged
and should be acceptable
for most beginners with the
reduced loads.
ƒƒ The thruster weight is lowered.
ƒƒ Ring rows lower the upper-body
demand while still developing
basic pulling strength. Adjusting
the athlete’s foot position to keep
the body more vertical reduces
the upper-body demand; choose
a position that allows him or her
to complete each set with no
more than 2 breaks.
INTERMEDIATE
21-15-9 reps of:
95-lb./65-lb. thrusters
15-12-9
Pull-ups
ƒƒ Many intermediate athletes can
do this workout as prescribed.
ƒƒ In cases where kipping pullups are a newly acquired skill,
consider reducing the reps. If
8-10 consecutive pull-ups are not
yet feasible, it is recommended
coaches lower the volume.

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LESSON PLAN: BACK SQUAT
WORKOUT
Back squat
5-5-5-5-5
Score: maximum load for a set of 5 reps
INTENDED STIMULUS
This workout is a single-modality weightlifting heavy day. Today, the sets are
ascending (i.e., add weight after every set). At 5 reps per set, the workout has a
slight bias toward strength-stamina versus top-end strength.
The goal is to lift the maximum load possible for a set of 5 reps while
maintaining sound technique. Adequate rest (i.e., 3-5 minutes) must be taken
between these sets to maximize loading.
BREAKDOWN
ƒƒ The goal is to develop strength, although at 5 reps per set the loads will not
be close to 1-repetition maximums.
ƒƒ Athletes are expected to add load after a successful 5-rep set.
ƒƒ New personal records should be attempted in the third or fourth set.
ƒƒ Scaling options are modulated by load.
ƒƒ Coaches should ask if any athletes are injured.
ƒƒ Coaches should demonstrate the movement, including movement
standards.
ƒƒ Coaches should explain the score is the maximum load for a set of 5 reps.
ƒƒ The load is reduced when 5 reps are not achieved or form degrades
significantly.
ƒƒ Suggested rest periods: 3-5 minutes between working sets.

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Coaches: All parts of the class are coach led. Demonstrate each new piece
before athletes perform it. Cue athletes to achieve better positions throughout
each section.
:00-:03
WHITEBOARD (3 MINUTES)
ƒƒ Explain the workout, intended stimulus and breakdown (above).
:03-:08
GENERAL WARM-UP (5 MINUTES)
Assess for hip, knee and ankle range of motion. Athletes might need
assistance selecting an appropriate PVC pipe height.
OVER-UNDER
ƒƒ Partner 1 holds a PVC pipe parallel to the ground at approximately
hip height.
ƒƒ Partner 2 lifts one leg at a time over the PVC, then squats and moves
underneath it to return to the other side.
ƒƒ Partner 2 completes 5 reps with each leg, and then the partners
switch roles.
ƒƒ Each person completes two turns in each role.
WALKING LUNGE STRETCH
ƒƒ Athletes step out with one leg into a lunge while the hands, with
interlaced fingers, reach up and to the opposite side of the front leg.
ƒƒ Have the athletes stand and repeat with the opposite leg until they
have completed 5 steps with each leg.
:08-:23
BACK SQUAT SPECIFIC WARM-UP (15 MINUTES)
Assess movement to determine proper workout loading.
ƒƒ Have athletes partner or group together on racks set to
appropriate heights.
ƒƒ One athlete at a time is cued through this sequence:
• Place the barbell on the back.
• Brace the abdominals.
• Step two steps back from the rack.
• Squat to full depth.
• Pause at the bottom.
• Stand up aggressively.
• Exhale at the top.
ƒƒ Have each athlete repeat that sequence 4 more times on his
or her own.
ƒƒ Rotate new athletes in. Continue in this manner, cueing the first rep
and allowing 4 independent reps, until everyone has completed a set.
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• Look for: hips initiating back and down, lumbar curve maintained
and weight on the heels.
ƒƒ Instruct athletes to warm up to their first working set (about 80
percent of current max).
• They perform 3-4 sets of 5 reps per set, increasing the load
after each.
• They do not need to pause at the bottom.
ƒƒ Inform athletes they must be spotted on 1 rep in one warm-up set.
• Teach and demonstrate spotting techniques before athletes
practice them.
:23-:26
BREAK & LOGISTICS (3 MINUTES)
ƒƒ Bathroom break.
ƒƒ Remind athletes that coaches will be cueing during lifts.
ƒƒ Continue to review scaling options with each athlete.
ƒƒ Safety check: Ensure adequate room around racks for bailing, and
ensure athletes understand how to spot.
ƒƒ Re-brief workout, flow and safety considerations.
:26-:53
WORKOUT: START WORKOUT AT :26 (27 MINUTES)
Cue athletes to better positions while maintaining technique. Reduce load
when needed.
ƒƒ Ensure athletes load and unload barbells safely.
ƒƒ Ensure plates are clearly off the platform and will not create a hazard if
a barbell is dropped.
ƒƒ Make suggestions for loading based on technique displayed.
:53-:60
COOL-DOWN (7 MINUTES)
ƒƒ Clean up equipment.
ƒƒ Hip-flexor stretch (1 minute each leg).
ƒƒ Collect scores, celebrate new personal records, and exchange
high fives!

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Running a CrossFit Class, continued

WOD SCALE: BACK SQUAT
WORKOUT
Back squat
5-5-5-5-5
Score: maximum load for a
set of 5 reps

SCALING THIS WOD
This workout is a single-modality
weightlifting heavy day. For today’s
heavy day, the sets are ascending
(i.e., add weight after every set).
Regardless of experience, all athletes
should find a heavy set of 5 relative
to their capacity. For this workout,
it is acceptable for beginner or
intermediate athletes to complete
more than 5 working sets if they
have not yet previously established
a 5-rep maximum, but coaches
need to ensure the overall volume
remains appropriate.

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LESSON PLAN: 20-MINUTE AMRAP
WORKOUT
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
Run 400 m
15 L pull-ups
205-lb. clean and jerk, 5 reps
Score: completed rounds and reps
INTENDED STIMULUS
This workout is a triplet of monostructural, gymnastics and weightlifting
movements. Coaches should expect athletes to complete 4 or more rounds.
This workout taxes athletes metabolically and technically: The 400-m run
elevates the heart rate, increasing the difficulty of the other two elements. L
pull-ups require greater midline and pulling strength than strict pull-ups. The
clean and jerk loading is intended to be moderate so the reps can be performed
touch-and-go or as relatively quick singles.
BREAKDOWN
ƒƒ Given the added stress from the run, the loading and reps of the L pullups and clean and jerk should be well within the athlete’s capacity when
considered independently.
ƒƒ The suggested female Rx’d weight is 135 lb. for the clean and jerk.
ƒƒ The scaling options include reduced volume on the run, reduced volume and
load on the L pull-ups, and reduced load on the clean and jerk.
ƒƒ Coaches should demonstrate each movement, including movement
standards.
ƒƒ Coaches should explain the workout is scored by completed
rounds and reps.
ƒƒ Coaches should ask if any athletes are injured.
ƒƒ Athletes should aim to complete at least 4 rounds. Approximate maximum
estimates of time spent on each component: 2 minutes for the run, 2 minutes
for the L pull-ups and 1 minute for the clean and jerks.

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Coaches: All parts of the class are coach led. Demonstrate each new piece
before athletes perform it. Cue athletes to achieve better positions throughout
each section.
:00-:03
WHITEBOARD (3 MINUTES)
ƒƒ Explain the workout, intended stimulus and breakdown (above).
:03-:09
GENERAL WARM-UP (6 MINUTES)
If athletes are laboring on the run, struggling to perform the straight-leg
raises or pull-ups, or not maintaining positioning in the deadlifts, scales are
needed for the workout.
ƒƒ 100-m run + 6 kip swings + 6 deadlifts (empty barbell).
ƒƒ 100-m run + 6 straight-leg raises to an L + 6 deadlifts (empty barbell).
ƒƒ 100-m run + 6 strict pull-ups + 6 deadlifts (empty barbell).
:09-:23
SPECIFIC CLEAN AND JERK WARM-UP (14 MINUTES)
Assess movement to determine proper workout loading.
CLEAN
ƒƒ 6 deadlift-shrugs with empty barbell.
• Look for: straight arms.
ƒƒ 6 deadlift-high pulls with empty barbell.
• Look for: bar staying close to the body.
ƒƒ 6 power cleans with empty barbell.
• Look for: proper receiving position and reset of the feet.
JERK
ƒƒ 6 jump and land without barbell.
• Look for: jumping through heels.
ƒƒ 6 jump and land with hands at shoulders.
• Look for: full hip extension.
ƒƒ 6 jump and punch hands overhead.
• Look for: timing of press after hip extension.
ƒƒ 6 push jerks with empty barbell.
CLEAN AND JERK
ƒƒ 6 power clean and jerks with pause after receiving the clean.
• Teach: reset of the hands and feet.
ƒƒ 12 power clean and jerks with athletes on their own cadence.
• Look for: all major points of performance to determine for
proper loading.
ƒƒ Instruct athletes to work up to their workout load.
• Athletes perform 3-4 sets of 3 reps per set, increasing the load
after each set.

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• Athletes should be capable of performing 5 reps within short
succession.
• Coaches should scale loads appropriately based on movement
in warm-up.
:23-:30
L PULL-UP SPECIFIC WARM-UP (7 MINUTES)
Ensure athletes are prepared for the workout without being too fatigued
from work in this section.
ƒƒ 3 strict pull-ups (banded if necessary).
• Remind athletes proper range of motion includes arm extension
at the bottom (this will be challenging in the L pull-up).
ƒƒ 3 straight-leg raises with pause in L position.
• Teach athletes to squeeze heels together with toes pointed and
legs straight.
• Capacity displayed here will help coaches determine whether L
pull-ups should be used in the workout.
ƒƒ 3 L pull-ups (banded if necessary).
• Remind athletes that the pull-up starts with the legs elevated in
the L position; it is not a “kipping” rep in which the legs swing to
the L position with momentum.
:30-:33
BREAK & LOGISTICS (3 MINUTES)
ƒƒ Bathroom break.
ƒƒ Remind athletes that additional scaling might occur during
the workout.
ƒƒ Review scaling options with each athlete.
ƒƒ Safety check: Ensure adequate room around pull-up bars and barbells.
ƒƒ Re-brief workout, flow and safety considerations.
:33-:53
WORKOUT: START AT :33 (20 MINUTES)
Cue athletes to better positions while maintaining technique. Scale workout
further if needed.
ƒƒ Consider scaling for athletes who do not complete the first round in
about 4 minutes; scale those who take more than 5 minutes.
:53-:60
COOL DOWN (7 MINUTES)
ƒƒ Clean up equipment.
ƒƒ Hip-flexor stretch (1 minute each leg).
ƒƒ Lat stretch (1 minute each arm).
ƒƒ Collect scores and exchange high fives!

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WOD SCALE: 20-MINUTE AMRAP
WORKOUT
Complete as many rounds as
possible in 20 minutes of:
Run 400 m
15 L pull-ups
205-lb. clean and jerk, 5 reps

BEGINNER
Complete as many rounds as
possible in 20 minutes of:
Run 200 m
10 banded L pull-ups
115-lb./75-lb. clean and jerk, 5 reps

Score: completed rounds

ƒƒ The distance for the run has
been reduced.

SCALING THIS WOD
This workout is a triplet of
monostructural, gymnastics and
weightlifting movements. Coaches
should expect athletes to complete
4 or more rounds.
The suggested female Rx’d weight
is 135 lb. for the clean and jerk. One,
two or all of the workout elements
may be modified in volume or load.
Coaches are encouraged to use their
judgment for finding a challenging
but manageable substitution
for athletes.

ƒƒ The L pull-ups have been
modified in reps and loading
to reduce the demand on the
midline and upper-body pulling
muscles. The band should allow
for full range of motion in proper
positions.
ƒƒ The clean and jerk load is
lowered to allow for a relatively
quick set.
INTERMEDIATE
Complete as many rounds as
possible in 20 minutes of:
Run 400 m
10 L pull-ups
155-lb./105-lb. clean and jerk, 5 reps
ƒƒ The L pull-ups reps have been
reduced so that each round can
be completed in about 2 sets.
ƒƒ The clean and jerk load has
been reduced to keep the
intensity high.

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Anatomy and Physiology for Jocks, continued

Anatomy and Physiology for Jocks
Originally published in August 2003.
Effective coaching requires efficient communication. This communication is greatly
aided when coach and athlete share a terminology for both human movement
and body parts.
We have developed an exceedingly simple lesson in anatomy and physiology
that we believe has improved our ability to accurately and precisely motivate
desired behaviors and enhanced our athletes’ understanding of both
movement and posture.
Basically, we ask that our athletes learn four body parts, three joints (not including
the spine), and two general directions for joint movement. We cap our Anatomy
and Physiology lesson with the essence of sports biomechanics distilled to
three simple rules.

Spine
Sacroiliac Joint

Trunk:
pelvis and spine
(trunk neutral)

Pelvis

Hip Joint

(hip extended)

Femur
Leg:
tibia and femur
(leg extended)
Tibia

Knee Joint

Figure 1. Essential Anatomy and Physiology.

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Anatomy and Physiology for Jocks, continued

Trunk neutral, hip extension, leg extension

Trunk extension

Trunk flexion

Leg flexion

Hip flexion
Figure 2. Flexion and Extension of the Trunk, Hip, and Leg.
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Anatomy and Physiology for Jocks, continued

Power comes
from the hip

Pelvis chasing
femur
(muted hip)

Pelvis and spine
stay together

Figure 3. Midline Stabilization Versus Muted Hip.
We use a simple iconography to depict the spine, pelvis, femur, and tibia. We show
that the spine has a normal “S” shape and we show where it is on the athlete’s body.
We similarly demonstrate the pelvis, femur, and tibia (Figure 1).
We next demonstrate the motion of three joints. First, the knee is the joint
connecting tibia and femur. Second, working our way up, is the hip. The hip is the
joint that connects the femur to the pelvis. Third, is the sacroiliac joint (SI joint),
which connects the pelvis to the spine. (We additionally make the point that the
spine is really a whole bunch of joints.)
We explain that the femur and tibia constitute “the leg” and that the pelvis and
spine constitute “the trunk.”
That completes our anatomy lesson–now for the physiology. We demonstrate
that “flexion” is reducing the angle of a joint and that “extension” is increasing the
angle of a joint.
Before covering our distillation of essential biomechanics, we test our students to
see if everyone can flex and extend their knee (or “leg”), hip, spine, and sacroiliac
joint (or “trunk”) on cue. When it is clear that the difference between flexion and
extension is understood at each joint, we cue for combinations of behaviors, for
instance, “flex one leg and trunk but not your hip” (Figure 2).
Once the joints, parts, and movements are clear we offer these three tidbits
of biomechanics:
• Functional movement generally weds the spine to the pelvis. The SI
joint and spine were designed for small-range movement in multiple
directions. Endeavor to keep the trunk tight and solid for running,
jumping, squatting, throwing, cycling, etc.
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Anatomy and Physiology for Jocks, continued

•

The dynamics of those movements comes from the hip–primarily
extension. Powerful hip extension is certainly necessary and nearly
sufficient for elite athletic capacity.

•

Do not let the pelvis chase the femur instead of the spine. We refer to
this as “muted hip function”: the pelvis chases the femur. The hip angle
remains open and is consequently powerless to extend (Figure 3).

Four parts, three joints, two motions, and three rules give our athletes and us
a simple but powerful lexicon and understanding whose immediate effect is to
render our athletes at once more “coachable.” We could not ask for more.

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Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

Squat Clinic, continued

Squat Clinic

Originally published in December 2002.
The squat is essential to your well-being. The squat can both greatly improve your athleticism and keep your hips, back, and knees sound and functioning in your senior years.
Not only is the squat not detrimental to the knees, but it is remarkably rehabilitative of cranky, damaged, or delicate knees. In fact, if you do not squat, your knees
are not healthy regardless of how free of pain or discomfort you are. This is equally
true of the hips and back.
The squat is no more an invention of a coach or trainer than is the hiccup or sneeze.
It is a vital, natural, functional component of your being.
The squat, in the bottom position, is nature’s intended sitting posture (chairs are not
part of your biological makeup), and the rise from the bottom to the stand is the
biomechanically sound method by which we stand up. There is nothing contrived
or artificial about this movement.
Most of the world’s inhabitants sit not on chairs but in a squat. Meals, ceremonies,
conversation, gatherings, and defecation are all performed bereft of chairs or seats.
Only in the industrialized world do we find the need for chairs, couches, benches,

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Squat Clinic, continued

and stools. This comes at a loss of functionality that
contributes immensely to decrepitude.

How to Squat

Frequently, we encounter individuals whose
doctor or chiropractor has told them not to squat.
In nearly every instance this is pure ignorance on
the part of the practitioner. When doctors who
do not like the squat are asked, “By what method
should your patient get off the toilet?” they are at
a loss for words.

1.

In a similarly misinformed manner we have heard
trainers and health care providers suggest that
the knee should not be bent past 90 degrees. It is
entertaining to ask proponents of this view to sit
on the ground with their legs out in front of them
and then to stand without bending the legs more
than 90 degrees. It cannot be done without some
grotesque bit of contrived movement. The truth
is that getting up off of the floor involves a force
on at least one knee that is substantially greater
than the squat.
Our presumption is that those who counsel against
the squat are either just repeating nonsense they
have heard in the media or at the gym, or in their
clinical practice they have encountered people who
have injured themselves squatting incorrectly.
It is entirely possible to injure yourself squatting
incorrectly, but it is also exceedingly easy to bring
the squat to a level of safety matched by walking.
On the athletic front, the squat is the quintessential hip extension exercise, and hip extension is
the foundation of all good human movement.
Powerful, controlled hip extension is necessary and
nearly sufficient for elite athleticism. “Necessary” in
that without powerful, controlled hip extension you
are not functioning anywhere near your potential.
“Sufficient” in the sense that everyone we have
met with the capacity to explosively open the
hip could also run, jump, throw, and punch with
impressive force.

Here are some valuable cues to a sound squat.
Many encourage identical behaviors.
Start with the feet about shoulder width apart
and slightly toed out.

2. Keep your head up, looking slightly above
parallel.
3. Do not look down at all; ground is in the
peripheral vision only.
4. Accentuate the normal arch of the lumbar
curve and then pull the excess arch out with
the abs.
5. Keep the midsection very tight.
6. Send your butt back and down.
7.

Your knees track over the line of the foot.

8. Do not let the knees roll inside the foot. Keep
as much pressure on the heels as possible.
9. Stay off the balls of the feet.
10. Delay the knees’ forward travel as much as
possible.
11. Lift your arms out and up as you descend.
12. Keep your torso elongated.
13. Send your hands as far away from your butt as
possible.
14. In profile, the ear does not move forward
during the squat; it travels straight down.
15. Do not let the squat just sink, but pull yourself
down with your hip flexors.
16. Do not let the lumbar curve surrender as you
settle into the bottom.
17. Stop when the fold of the hip is below the
knees–break parallel with the thigh.
18. Squeeze the glutes and hamstrings and rise
without any leaning forward or shifting of
balance.
19. Return on the exact same path as you
descended.
20. Use every bit of musculature you can; there is
no part of the body uninvolved.
21. On rising, without moving the feet, exert
pressure to the outside of your feet as though
you were trying to separate the ground
beneath you.
22. At the top of the stroke, stand as tall as you
possibly can.

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Squat Clinic, continued

Secondarily, but no less important, the squat is among those exercises eliciting
a potent neuroendocrine response. This benefit is ample reason for an exercise’s
inclusion in your regimen.
The Air Squat
All our athletes begin their squatting with the “air squat”; that is, without any weight
other than body weight. As a matter of terminology, when we refer to the “squat”
we are talking about an unladen, body-weight-only squat. When we wish to refer
to a weighted squat we will use the term back squat, overhead squat, or front
squat, referring to those distinct weighted squats. Training with the front, back, and
overhead squats before the weightless variant has been mastered retards athletic
potential and compromises safety and efficacy.
When has the squat been mastered? This is a good question. It is fair to say that
the squat is mastered when both technique and performance are superior. This
suggests that none of the points of performance are deficient and fast multiple reps
are possible. Our favorite standard for fast multiple reps would be the Tabata squat
(20 seconds on/10 seconds off repeated 8 times) with the weakest of eight intervals
being between 18 and 20 reps. Do not misunderstand­—we are looking for 18-20
perfect squats in 20 seconds, rest for 10, and repeat seven more times for a total of
eight intervals.
The most common faults to look for are surrendering of the lumbar curve at the
bottom, not breaking the parallel plane with the hips, slouching in the chest and
shoulders, lifting the heels, and not fully extending the hip at the top (Figure 1). Do
not even think about weighted squats until none of these faults belong to you.
A relatively small angle of hip extension, while indicative of a beginner’s or weak
squat and caused by weak hips extensors, is not strictly considered a fault as long
as the lumbar spine is neutral.
Causes of a Bad Squat
1)

Weak glute/hamstring. The glutes and hams are responsible for powerful
hip extension, which is the key to the athletic performance universe.
2) Poor engagement, weak control, and no awareness of glute and
hamstring. The road to powerful, effective hip extension is a three-tofive-year odyssey for most athletes.
3) Attempting to squat with quads. Leg extension dominance over hip
extension is a leading obstacle to elite performance in athletes.
4) Inflexibility. Tight hamstrings are a powerful contributor to slipping into
lumbar flexion–the worst fault of all.
5) Sloppy work, poor focus. This is not going to come out right by accident.
It takes incredible effort. The more you work on the squat, the more
awareness you develop as to its complexity.
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Not breaking the parallel plane

Rolling knees inside feet

Dropping Head

Losing lumbar extension (rounding
the back­—this may be the worst)

Dropping the shoulders

Heels off the ground

Not finishing the squat­­—not
completing hip extension

Figure 1. Common Faults or Anatomy of a Bad Squat.
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Squat Clinic, continued

Table 1. Squat Troubleshooting: Common Faults
and Therapies
Faults

Causes

Therapies

Not going to
parallel (not
deep enough)

Weak hip extensors,
laziness, quad dominance

Bottom to bottoms, bar
holds, box squatting

Rolling knees
inside feet

Weak adductors, weak
abductors, cheat to quads

Push feet to outside of
shoe, deliberately abduct
(attempt to stretch floor
apart beneath feet)

Dropping head

Lack of focus, weak upper
back, lack of upper-back
control

Bar holds, overhead squats

Losing lumbar
extension

Lack of focus, tight
hamstrings, cheat for
balance due to weak glute/
hams

Bar holds, overhead squats

Dropping
shoulders

Lack of focus, weak upper
back, lack of upper-back
control, tight shoulders

Bar holds, overhead squats

Heels off
ground

Cheat for balance due to
weak glute/hams

Focus, bar holds

Figure 2. Bar Hold Squat Therapy.

Therapies for Common Faults
Bar Holds: Grab a bar racked higher and
closer than your normal reach at the bottom
of a squat, then settle into a perfect bottom
position with chest, head, hands, arms,
shoulders, and back higher than usual (Figure
2). Find balance, let go, repeat closer and
higher, etc. This lifts the squat (raises head,
chest, shoulders, and torso), putting more
load on heels and glute/hams. This immediately forces a solid bottom posture from
which you have the opportunity to feel the
forces required to balance in good posture.
This is a reasonable shoulder stretch but not
as good as the overhead squat.

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Figure 3. Bottom-to-Bottoms Squat Therapy.
Box Squatting: Squat to a 10-inch box, rest at the bottom without altering posture,
then squeeze and rise without rocking forward. Keep a perfect posture at the
bottom. This is a classic bit of technology perfected at the Westside Barbell Club.
Bottom-to-Bottoms: Stay at the bottom, come up to full extension, and quickly
return to the bottom, spending much more time at the bottom than the top; for
instance, sitting in the bottom for five minutes, coming up to full extension only once
every five seconds (60 reps) (Figure 3). Many will avoid the bottom like the plague.
You want to get down there, stay down there, and learn to like it.
Overhead Squats: Hold broomstick at snatch-grip width directly overhead, arms
locked. The triangle formed by the arms and stick must stay perfectly perpendicular to the ground as you squat (Figure 4). This is a good shoulder stretch and lifts
the squat. With weight, this exercise demands good balance and posture or loads
become wildly unmanageable. The overhead squat is a quick punisher of sloppy
technique. If shoulders are too tight, this movement will give an instant diagnosis.

Figure 4. Overhead Squat Therapy.
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Squat Clinic, continued

You can move into a doorway and find where the arms fall and cause the stick to
bang into the doorway. Lift the arms, head, chest, back, and hip enough to travel
up and down without hitting the doorway. Over time, work to move the feet closer
and closer to the doorway without hitting it. The broomstick foundation is critical
to learning the snatch–the world’s fastest lift.
Air Squat
• Maintain the arch in the back
• Look straight ahead
• Keep weight on heels
• Reach the full range of motion (i.e., below parallel)
• Keep the chest high
• Keep the midsection tight
The squat is essential to human movement, a proven performance enhancer and
a gateway movement to the best exercise in strength and conditioning.

Figure 5. Air Squat.
Front Squat
• Bar rests on chest and shoulders with loose grip–“racked”
• The mechanics are otherwise like the air squat
The hardest part of the front squat might be the rack position. Practice until you
can get the bar and hands in the proper position. Handstands help. This one will
force shoulder and wrist flexibility.

Figure 6. Front Squat.
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The Overhead Squat, continued

The Overhead Squat

Originally published in August 2005.
The overhead squat is the ultimate core exercise, the heart of the snatch, and
peerless in developing effective athletic movement.
This functional gem trains for efficient transfer of energy from large to small body
parts–the essence of sport movement. For this reason it is an indispensable tool
for developing speed and power.
The overhead squat also demands and develops functional flexibility, and it
similarly develops the squat by amplifying and cruelly punishing faults in squat
posture, movement, and stability.
The overhead squat is to midline control, stability, and balance what the clean and
snatch are to power–unsurpassed.
Ironically, the overhead squat is exceedingly simple yet universally nettlesome
for beginners. There are three common obstacles to learning the overhead squat.
The first is the scarcity of skilled instruction—outside the weightlifting community
most instruction on the overhead squat is laughably, horribly wrong—dead
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wrong. The second is a weak squat­—you need to have a rock-solid squat to learn
the overhead squat. The third obstacle is starting with too much weight–you have
not a snowball’s chance in hell of learning the overhead squat with a bar. You will
need to use a length of dowel or PVC pipe; use anything over 5 lb. to learn this
move and your overhead squat will be stillborn.
Learning the Overhead Squat
1) Start only when you have a strong squat and use a dowel or PVC pipe, not
a weight. You should be able to maintain a rock-bottom squat with your
back arched, head and eyes forward, and body weight predominantly
on your heels for several minutes as a prerequisite to the overhead
squat. Even a 15-lb. training bar is way too heavy to learn the overhead
squat (Figure 1).

Figure 1. An Overhead Squat Depends on a Proficient Air Squat.
2)

Learn locked-arm “dislocates” or “pass-throughs” with the dowel. You
want to be able to move the dowel nearly 360 degrees, starting with the
dowel down and at arms’ length in front of your body, and then moving it
in a wide arc until it comes to rest down and behind you without bending
your arms at any point in its travel. Start with a grip wide enough to easily
pass through, and then repeatedly bring the hands in closer until passing
through presents a moderate stretch of the shoulders (Figure 2). This is
your training grip.

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The Overhead Squat, continued

Figure 2. Shoulder Dislocates to Determine Grip Width.
3)

Be able to perform the pass-through at the top, the bottom, and
everywhere in between while descending into the squat. Practice by
stopping at several points on the path to the bottom, hold, and gently,
slowly, swing the dowel from front to back, again, with locked arms. At
the bottom of each squat, slowly bring the dowel back and forth moving
from front to back (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Shoulder Dislocates Throughout the Overhead Squat Range of Motion.
4)

Learn to find the frontal plane with the dowel from every position in the
squat. Practice this with your eyes closed. You want to develop a keen
sense of where the frontal plane is located. This is the same drill as Step 3
but this time you are bringing the dowel to a stop in the frontal plane and
holding briefly with each pass-through (Figure 4). Have a training partner
check to see if at each stop the dowel is in the frontal plane.

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Figure 4. Shoulder Dislocates Stopping in the Frontal Plane.
5) Start the overhead squat by standing tall with the dowel held as high as
possible in the frontal plane (Figure 5). You want to start with the dowel
directly overhead, not behind you, or, worse yet, even a little bit in front.

Figure 5. Overhead Position.
6)

Very slowly lower to the bottom of the squat, keeping the dowel in the
frontal plane the entire time (Figure 6). Have a training partner watch
from your side to make sure that the dowel does not move forward
or backward as you squat to the bottom. Moving slightly behind the
frontal plane is acceptable, but forward is dead wrong. If you cannot
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keep the dowel from coming forward your grip might be too narrow.
The dowel will not stay in the frontal plane automatically; you will have
to pull it back very deliberately as you descend (particularly if your chest
comes forward).

Figure 6. Overhead Squat.

7) Practice the overhead squat regularly and increase load in tiny
increments. We can put a 2.5-lb. plate on the dowel, then a 5, then a 5
and a 2.5, and then a 10. Next use a 15-lb. training bar, but only while
maintaining perfect form (Figure 7). There is no benefit to adding weight
if the dowel, and later the bar, cannot be kept in the frontal plane.

Figure 7. Increasing Weight when Learning the Overhead Squat.

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With practice, you will be able to bring your hands closer together and still keep the
bar in the frontal plane. Ultimately you can develop enough control and flexibility
to descend to a rock-bottom squat with your feet together and hands together
without the dowel coming forward. Practicing for this is a superb warm-up and
cool-down drill and stretch.
The overhead squat develops core control by punishing any forward wobble of the
load with an enormous and instant increase in the moment about the hip and back.
When the bar is held perfectly overhead and still, which is nearly impossible, the
overhead squat does not present greater load on the hip or back, but moving too fast,
along the wrong line of action, or wiggling can bring even the lightest loads down like
a house of cards. You have two, and only two, safe options for bailing out–dumping the
load forward and stepping or falling backward, or dumping backward and stepping or
falling forward. Both are safe and easy. Lateral escapes are not an option.
The difference between your overhead squat and your back or front squat is a solid
measure of your midline stability and control and the precision of your squatting
posture and line of action. Improving and developing your overhead squat will fix
faults not visible in the back and front squat.
As your max overhead, back, and front squat each rise, their relative measure
reveals much about your developing potential for athletic movement.
An average of your max back and front squat is an excellent measure of your core,
hip, and leg strength. Your max overhead squat is an excellent measure of your
core stability and control and ultimately your ability to generate effective and
efficient athletic power.
Your max overhead squat will always be a fraction of the average of your max
back and front squat but, ideally, with time, they should converge rather than
diverge (Figure 8).
Should they diverge, you are developing hip and core strength, but your capacity
to efficiently apply power distally is reduced. In athletic pursuits you might be
prone to injury. Should they converge, you are developing useful strength and
power that can be successfully applied to athletic movements.
The functional application or utility of the overhead squat might not be readily
apparent, but there are many real-world occurrences where objects high enough
to get under are too heavy or not free enough to be jerked or pressed overhead
yet can be elevated by first lowering your hips until your arms can be locked and
then squatting upward.
Once developed, the overhead squat is a thing of beauty–a masterpiece of
expression in control, stability, balance, efficient power, and utility. Get on it.
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A:

The torso’s angle of inclination above horizontal.
As a squat matures this angle increases. The squat
becomes more upright as the athlete’s strength
and neural “connectedness” to the posterior chain
increase. Lower angles of inclination are created
in an attempt to cantilever away from a weak
posterior chain and onto the quadriceps. While
technically correct, the lower angle is mechanically
disadvantaged, particularly in loaded variations.

f.
a.
c.

90-A: This is the angle of rotation of the arms, at the
shoulders, past overhead. The lower A is, the greater
the rotation, 90-A, required of the shoulders to keep
the bar in the frontal plane. The larger 90-A is, the
wider the grip required to allow the shoulders to
rotate to keep the bar in the frontal plane. Ultimately
the connectedness/strength of the posterior chain
will determine the width of the grip, elevation of
the squat, and degree of rotation of the shoulders.
Maturity and quality of the squat are determinants
of all of the mechanics of the overhead squat.
g:

These lines mark horizontal.

f:

This line defines the frontal plane. It divides the
athlete’s front half from back half. In the squat (as
with most weightlifting movements), the athlete
endeavors to keep the load in this plane. If a load
deviates substantially from this plane the athlete
has to bring the load back, which in turn pulls the
athlete off balance.

b:
a:

d.

b.

g.

f.

g.

Figure 8. Relative Angles and Bar Positioning
in Squat Variations.

This is roughly the position for a back or front squat.
This is the position for the overhead squat. With
perfect stability, movement, and alignment this
position does not increase the moment about the
hip or back. The difference in an athlete’s strength
when squatting here, overhead, as opposed to
Position b, the back or front squat, is a perfect
measure of instability in the torso, legs, or shoulders;
improper line of action in the shoulders, hips, or
legs, and; weak or flawed posture in the squat.

c:

This position has the load behind the frontal plane.
It can actually decrease the moment on the hip
and back. As long as balance is maintained, the
position is strong.

d:

This is a fatal flaw in the overhead squat. Even
slight movement in this direction greatly increases
the moment in the hip and back. Moving in this
direction with even a small load can collapse the
squat like a house of cards.

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Shoulder Press, Push Press, Push Jerk, continued

Shoulder Press, Push Press, Push Jerk

Originally published in January 2003.
Learning the progression of lifts that moves from the shoulder press (Figure 1) to the
push press (Figure 2) to the push jerk (Figure 3) has long been a CrossFit staple. This
progression offers the opportunity to acquire some essential motor recruitment
patterns found in sport and life (functionality) while greatly improving strength in
the “power zone” and upper body. In terms of power zone and functional recruitment patterns, the push press and push jerk have no peer among other presses
such as the “king” of upper-body lifts, the bench press. As the athlete moves from
shoulder press to push press to push jerk, the importance of core-to-extremity
muscle recruitment is learned and reinforced. This concept alone would justify
the practice and training of these lifts. Core-to-extremity muscular recruitment
is foundational to the effective and efficient performance of athletic movement.
The most common errors in punching, jumping, throwing, and a multitude of other
athletic movements typically express themselves as a violation of this concept.
Because good athletic movement begins at the core and radiates to the extremities, core strength is absolutely essential to athletic success. The region of the body
from which these movements emanate, the core, is often referred to as the “power
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Shoulder Press, Push Press, Push Jerk, continued

zone.” The muscle groups comprising the “power zone” include the hip flexors, hip
extensors (glutes and hams), spinal erectors, and quadriceps.
These lifts are enormous aids to developing the power zone. Additionally, the
advanced elements of the progression, the push press and jerk, train for and
develop power and speed. Power and speed are “king” in sport performance.
Coupling force with velocity is the very essence of power and speed. Some of
our favorite and most developmental lifts lack this quality. The push press and
jerk are performed explosively–that is the hallmark of speed and power training.
Finally, mastering this progression gives ideal opportunity to detect and eliminate
a postural/mechanical fault that plagues more athletes than not–the pelvis
“chasing” the leg during hip flexion (Figure 4). This fault needs to be searched out
and destroyed. The push press performed under great stress is the perfect tool to
conjure up this performance wrecker so it can be eliminated.

SHOULDER PRESS
SET-UP:

Take the bar from supports or clean to a racked position. The
bar sits on the shoulders with the grip slightly wider than
shoulder width. The elbows are below and in front of bar. The
stance is approximately hip width.

PRESS:

Press the bar to a position directly overhead. The head must
accommodate the bar.

Figure 1. Shoulder Press.

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Shoulder Press, Push Press, Push Jerk, continued

PUSH PRESS
SET-UP:

The set-up is the same as the shoulder press.

DIP:

Initiate the dip by bending the hips and knees while keeping
the torso upright. The dip will be only a couple of inches.

DRIVE:

With no pause at the bottom of the dip, the hips and legs are
forcefully extended.

PRESS:

As the hips and legs complete extension, the shoulders and
arms forcefully press the bar overhead until the arms are fully
extended.

PUSH JERK
SET-UP:

The set-up is the same as the shoulder press and push press.

DIP:

The dip is identical to the push press.

DRIVE:

The drive is identical to the push press.

PRESS
UNDER:

This time instead of just pressing, you press and dip a second
time simultaneously, catching the bar in a partial squat with
the arms fully extended overhead.

FINISH:

Stand to fully erect with bar directly overhead, identical to the
finish position in the push press and shoulder press.

The Role of the Abs in the Overhead Lifts
Athletically, the abdominals’ primary role is midline stabilization, not trunk flexion.
They are critical to swimming, running, cycling, and jumping, but never is their
stabilizing role more critical than when attempting to drive loads overhead, and,
of course, the heavier the load, the more critical the abs’ role becomes. We train
our athletes to think of every exercise as an ab exercise but in the overhead lifts it
is absolutely essential to do so. It is easy to see when an athlete is not sufficiently
engaging the abs in an overhead press–the body arches so as to push the hips,
pelvis, and stomach ahead of the bar. Constant vigilance is required of every lifter
to prevent and correct this postural deformation.

Figure 2. Push Press.
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Shoulder Press, Push Press, Push Jerk, continued

Figure 3. Push Jerk.

Figure 4. The Muted Hip in the Dip Phase.
Summary
From shoulder press to push jerk the movements become increasingly more
athletic, functional, and suited to heavier loads. The progression also increasingly
relies on the power zone. In the shoulder press, the power zone is used for stabilization only. In the push press the power zone provides not only stability but also
the primary impetus in both the dip and drive. In the push jerk the power zone is
called on for the dip, drive, second dip, and squat. The role of the hip is increased
in each exercise.
With the push press you will be able to drive overhead as much as 30 percent more
weight than with the shoulder press. The push jerk will allow you to drive as much
as 30 percent more overhead than you would with the push press.
In effect the hip is increasingly recruited through the progression of lifts to assist
the arms and shoulders in raising loads overhead. After mastering the push jerk

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Shoulder Press, Push Press, Push Jerk, continued

you will find that it will unconsciously displace the push press as your method of
choice when going overhead.
The second dip on the push jerk will become lower and lower as you both master
the technique and increase the load. At some point in your development, the loads
will become so substantial that the upper body cannot contribute but a fraction
to the movement, at which point the catch becomes very low and an increasing
amount of the lift is accomplished by the overhead squat.
On both the push press and jerk, the “dip” is critical to the entire movement. The
stomach is held very tightly and the resultant turnaround from dip to drive is sudden,
explosive, and violent.
Try These
1) Start with 95 lb. and push press or push jerk 15 straight repetitions, rest
30 seconds, and repeat for total of 5 sets of 15 repetitions each. Go up in
weight only when you can complete all 5 sets with only 30 seconds of
rest between each and do not pause in any set.
2)

Repetition 1: shoulder press, Repetition 2: push press, Repetition 3: push
jerk. Repeat until shoulder press is impossible, then continue until push
press is impossible, then five more push jerks. Start with 95 lb. and go up
only when the total repetitions exceed 30.

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The Deadlift, continued

The Deadlift
Originally published in August 2003.
The deadlift is unrivaled in its simplicity and impact while unique in its capacity
for increasing head-to-toe strength.
Regardless of whether your fitness goals are to “rev up” your metabolism, increase
strength or lean body mass, decrease body fat, rehabilitate your back, improve
athletic performance, or maintain functional independence as a senior, the deadlift
is a marked shortcut to that end.
To the detriment of millions, the deadlift is infrequently used and seldom seen
either by most of the exercising public and/or, believe it or not, by athletes.
It might be that the deadlift’s name has scared away the masses; its older name,
“the healthlift,” was a better choice for this perfect movement.
In its most advanced application the deadlift is prerequisite to, and a component
of, “the world’s fastest lift,” the snatch, and “the world’s most powerful lift,” the
clean, but it is also, quite simply, no more than the safe and sound approach by
which any object should be lifted from the ground.
The deadlift, being no more than picking a thing off the ground, keeps company
with standing, running, jumping, and throwing for functionality but imparts quick
and prominent athletic advantage like no other exercise. Not until the clean,
snatch, and squat are well developed will the athlete again find as useful a tool
for improving general physical ability.

“The deadlift keeps
company with
standing, running,
jumping, and throwing
for functionality but
imparts quick and
prominent athletic
advantage like no
other exercise.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

The deadlift’s primal functionality, whole-body nature, and mechanical advantage
with large loads suggest its strong neuroendocrine impact, and for most athletes
the deadlift delivers such a quick boost in general strength and sense of power
that its benefits are easily understood.
If you want to get stronger, improve your deadlift. Driving your deadlift up can
nudge your other lifts upward, especially the Olympic lifts.
Fear of the deadlift abounds, but like fear of the squat, it is groundless. No exercise
or regimen will protect the back from the potential injuries of sport and life or the
certain ravages of time like the deadlift (Table 1).
We recommend deadlifting at near-max loads once per week or so and maybe one
other time at loads that would be insignificant at low reps. Be patient and learn to
celebrate small, infrequent bests.

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The Deadlift, continued

Major benchmarks would certainly include body-weight, twice-body-weight, and
three-times-body-weight deadlifts, representing “beginning,” “good,” and “great”
deadlifts respectively.
For us, the guiding principles of proper technique rest on three pillars: orthopedic
safety, functionality, and mechanical advantage. Concerns for orthopedic stresses
and limited functionality are behind our rejection of stances wider than hip to
shoulder width. While acknowledging the remarkable achievements of many
powerlifters with the super-wide deadlift stance, we feel that its limited functionality (we cannot safely, walk, clean, or snatch from “out there”) and the increased
resultant forces on the hip from wider stances warrant only infrequent and
moderate to light exposures to wider stances.
Experiment and work regularly with alternate, parallel, and hook grips. Explore
carefully and cautiously variances in stance, grip width, and even plate diameter–
each variant uniquely stresses the margins of an all-important functional
movement. This is an effective path to increased hip capacity.
Consider each of the following cues to a sound deadlift. Many motivate identical
behaviors, yet each of us responds differently to different cues.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Natural stance with feet under hips.
Symmetrical grip whether parallel, hook, or alternate.
Hands placed where arms will not interfere with legs while pulling
from the ground.
Bar above the knot of the shoelaces.
Shoulders slightly forward of bar.
Inside of elbows facing one another.
Chest up and inflated.
Abs tight.
Arms locked and not pulling.
Shoulders pinned back and down.
Lats and triceps contracted and pressing against one another.
Keep your weight on your heels.
Bar stays close to legs and essentially travels straight up and down.
Torso’s angle of inclination remains constant while bar is below the knees.
Gaze straight ahead.
Shoulders and hips rise at same rate when bar is below the knees.
Arms remain perpendicular to ground until lockout.

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The Deadlift, continued

Table 1. Transcript of a Conversation Between
a Doctor and Coach Glassman
Doc:

Many of my patients shouldn’t be doing the deadlift.

Coach:

Which ones are those, Doc?

Doc:

Many are elderly, marginally ambulatory, and frail/feeble and osteoporotic.

Coach:

Doc, would you let such a patient, let’s say an old woman, walk to the store to
get cat food?

Doc:

Sure, if the walk weren’t too far, I’d endorse it.

Coach:

All right, suppose after walking home she came up to the front door and
realized that her keys were in her pocket. Is she medically cleared to set the bag
down, get her keys out of her pocket, unlock the door, pick the bag back up,
and go in?

Doc:

Of course, that’s essential activity.

Coach:

As I see it, the only difference between us is that I want to show her how to do
this “essential activity” safely and soundly and you don’t.

Doc:

I see where you’re going. Good point.

Coach:

Doc, we haven’t scratched the surface.

Deadlift
• Look straight ahead.
• Keep the back arched.
• Arms do not pull; they are just straps.
• Bar travels along legs.
• Push through the heels.
The deadlift, like the squat, is an essential functional movement and carries a
potent hormonal punch. This is core training like no other.

Figure 1. The Deadlift.
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The Deadlift, continued

Sumo Deadlift High Pull
• Start with bar at mid-shin.
• Wide, “sumo” stance.
• Take narrow grip on bar.
• Look straight ahead.
• Keep back arched.
• Pull with hips and legs only until both are at full extension.
• Aggressively open hip fully.
• Powerfully shrug.
• Immediately pull with arms to continue the upward travel of the bar.
• Keep the elbows as far above your hands as possible.
• Bring the bar right up under the chin briefly.
• Lower to hang.
• Lower to mid-shin.
For range of motion, line of action, and length and speed of action, the sumo
deadlift high pull is a great conjugate to the thruster. At low loads this is our favorite
substitute for Concept2 rowing.

A

B

C

D

E

F

Figure 2. Sumo Deadlift High Pull.

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Medicine-Ball Cleans, continued

Medicine-Ball Cleans

Originally published in September 2004.
The clean and jerk and the snatch, the Olympic lifts, present the toughest learning
challenge in all of weight training. Absent these lifts, there are no complex
movements found in the weight room. By contrast, the average collegiate gymnast
has learned hundreds of movements at least as complex, difficult, and nuanced
as the clean or snatch. In large part because most weight training is exceedingly
simple, learning the Olympic lifts is, for too many athletes, a shock of frustration
and incompetence.
Sadly, many coaches, trainers, and athletes have avoided these movements
precisely because of their technical complexity. Ironically, but not surprisingly, the
technical complexity of the quick lifts exactly contains the seeds of their worth; that
is, they simultaneously demand and develop strength, power, speed, flexibility,
coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy.
When examining the reasons offered for not teaching the Olympic lifts we cannot
help but suspect that the lifts’ detractors have no first-hand (real) experience with
them. We want to see someone, anyone, do a technically sound clean or snatch at
any weight and then offer a rationale for the movement’s restricted applicability.
Were they dangerous or inappropriate for any particular population, we would
find coaches intimate with the lifts articulating the nature of their inappropriateness. We do not.
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Medicine-Ball Cleans, continued

Figure 1. Medicine-Ball Clean.
At CrossFit, everyone learns the Olympic lifts–that is right, everyone.

“We review here the
bad rap hung on the
Olympic lifts because
we have made exciting
progress working
past the common
misconceptions and
fears surrounding
their introduction,
execution, and
applicability to general
populations. The
medicine-ball clean
has been integral to
our successes.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

We review here the bad rap hung on the Olympic lifts because we have made
exciting progress working past the common misconceptions and fears surrounding their introduction, execution, and applicability to general populations. The
medicine-ball clean has been integral to our successes.
The Dynamax medicine ball is a soft, large, pillowy ball that ranges in weight from
4 to 30 lb. available in increments. It is nonthreatening, even friendly.
Working with Dynamax balls, we introduce the starting position and posture of the
deadlift, then the lift itself. In a matter of minutes we then shift our efforts to front
squatting with the ball. After a little practice with the squat we move to the clean.
(A similar approach is used to teach the shoulder press, push press, and push jerk.)
The clean is then reduced to “pop the hip and drop–catch it in a squat” and it is
done. The devil is in the details, but the group is cleaning in five minutes. It is a
legitimate, functional clean. More so even than cleaning with a bar, the medicine-ball clean might in fact have clearer application to heaving a bag of cement
into a pick-up or hucking up a toddler to put in a car seat.
The faults universal to lifting initiates are all there in as plain sight with the ball as
with the bar. Any subtleties of matured and modern bar technique not possible
with the ball are not immediate concerns, and their absence is plainly justified
by the imparted understanding that this is functional stuff and applicable to all
objects we might desire to heave from ground to chest.
In a group of mixed capacities the newbies get the light balls and the veterans
get the heavy ones. In 30-rep doses whoever ends up with the 30-lb. ball is going
to get a workout regardless of his or her abilities. The heavier balls impart a nasty
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Medicine-Ball Cleans, continued

Heels up

Back rounded

Head down

Corrected
starting position:
heels down, head up,
back arched

Arms bent

Pulling too high

No hip extension

No shrug

Low, slow elbows
in catch

Correction:
Catch with elbows
high

Curling the ball

Corrections:
Arms locked, full
extension, shrug, pull
the body down, ball
kept close to body

Figure 2. Medicine-Ball Clean Common Faults and Corrections.

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Medicine-Ball Cleans, continued

wallop far beyond the same work done with a bar or dumbbell of equal weight;
considerable additional effort is expended adducting the arms, which is required
to “pinch” the ball and keep it from slipping.
We use the medicine-ball clean in warm-ups and cool-downs to reinforce the
movement, and the results are clearly manifest in the number and rate of personal
records we are seeing in bar cleans with all our athletes. Yes, the benefit transfers
to the bar—even for our better lifters!
In the duration of a warm-up there are uncountable opportunities to weed out
bad mechanics. Pulling with the arms, not finishing hip extension, failing to shrug,
pulling too high, lifting the heels in the first pull, curling the ball, losing back
extension, looking down, catching high then squatting, slow dropping under,
slow elbows—all the faults are there (Figure 2).
With several weeks’ practice, a group will go from “spastic” to a precision medicine-ball drill team in perfect sync. In fact, that is how we conduct the training effort.
We put the athletes in a small circle, put the best clean available in the center as
leader, and ask the athletes to mirror the center. Screw-ups are clearly evident by
being in postures or positions out of sync. Attention is riveted on a good model
while duplicating the movement in real time. The time required for “paralysis
through analysis” is wonderfully not there (Figure 2). Thinking becomes doing.
Individuals generally impervious to verbal cues become self-correcting of faults
made apparent by watching and comparing to others. It is not uncommon for
shouts of correction to be lobbed across the circle from participant to participant.
Coaching cues and discussion are reduced to the minimum and essential as the
process is turned into a child’s game of “follow the leader.”
Where this becomes “dangerous,” “bad for the joints,” “too technical to learn,”
or any other nonsense routinely uttered about weightlifting, we do not know.

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The Glute-Ham Developer (GHD), continued

The Glute-Ham Developer (GHD)
Adapted from Coach Glassman’s March 18, 2007, L1 lecture in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Our definition of core strength is midline stabilization. In profile, there is a reference
line that trisects the spine and bisects the pelvis. Midline stabilization is the ability
to maintain rigidity, stability, and a lack of deflection about that line (Figure 1). This
translates to improved efficiency and performance and greater power output.
It is critical to the deadlift, to the laden squat, to the shoulder press, and to any
sport. In a swimmer’s stroke—when the left leg kicks and right arm pulls—if the
torso deviates to one side, you lose energy. Energy is lost in its deflection, whether
throwing a punch, riding a bicycle, or squatting. The abdominals, with the hip
flexors, control one side of the torso, with the hip extensors and erectors involved
on the other side.
However, what we have in modern physical culture is an excessive awareness
and focus on the anterior and not on the posterior. As a culture of athletes and
non-athletes alike, we are unfortunately frontally fixated. Pecs—what about the
rhomboids? Abs—what about the erectors? Quads—what about the glute-hamstring? And for the best of functional movement—punch, jump, throw, run—the
impetus comes out of the posterior.
We see communities where there is a very deliberate and concerted effort to
minimize hip-flexor involvement in exercise. And yet, by insertion and origin, by
mechanical position and advantage, and just kinematically, the hip flexors, have
several times the contraction capacity that is estimated of the abdominals. All of
it: hip extensors, hip flexors, trunk flexors, and extensors are essential to midline
stabilization. The abdominals are just one
part of the story.
For core strength (midline stabilization), we are
talking about static control. We do not want
this relationship of spine to pelvis deflecting.
Nevertheless, a lot of the commonly used “core”
movements involve dynamic movements: the
crunch is a very deliberate flexion of the trunk.
Conversely, when we deadlift, we very deliberately hold that relationship static.

Figure 1. Midline Stabilization.

What is amazing is how many communities
that are regularly involved in physical training
(PT) have 1) almost no effort focused on hip
extension and 2) almost no awareness of the
spine-to-pelvis relationship. About the only
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The Glute-Ham Developer (GHD), continued

“Midline stability,
control of the major
body axis, is a CrossFit
constant.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

thing that we see them paying attention to is dynamic trunk-flexion work. There
is no trunk-extension work, no hip-extension work, and hip flexion is deliberately
limited. Some of these communities also have problems with chronic back injury,
which comes at no surprise. If there is anything to “muscle balance,” it makes sense.
In how many communities are they doing an equal number of deadlifts and squats
to their sit-ups? Most of the military/law-enforcement PT is completely devoid of
full-range-of-motion hip extension. Rucking, running, jumping jacks—all will not
do it. The run, pull-up, sit-up, push-up, lather-rinse-repeat PT has no real good core
movement. The crunch does not count.
While a cumbersome and space-taking piece of gear, the GHD has been essential to
our work. We have four of them in 2,500 square feet, so one every 600 feet. We use
the GHD for four exercises to heighten awareness and develop capacity at midline
stabilization. The punchline to the story is that static contractions that stabilize the
midsection are the most important and functional (powerful) muscular contractions in that region. Static contractions for midline stabilization are the best ab
exercises known. No amount of crunches are ever going to get you to the same
end point as the L-sit, overhead squat, deadlift, etc.
What we suspect is that if you could sequentially fire the abs with the same force
in any kind of dynamic pattern, you would have the ability to seriously injure your
spine. If you could ever crunch with the same force that you can stabilize, you
would be able to break your back at will. We have come hardwired unable to do
that—that is my guess.
The movements are presented in the order in which they should be developed in
a client. The first thing is a simple hip extension: articulate at the hip only, maintaining the distance from xiphoid process to pubic bone. There is no shortening
of the trunk. There is no trunk flexion, just hip extension and flexion while maintaining midline stabilization.
The erectors are being used
statically, and the primary
movers here are glutes
and hamstrings working
concentrically and eccentrically. Be careful such that
the client’s femur is on the
pad and the pelvis is free.
If the pelvis is trapped, the
athlete will not be able to
hold the lumbar curve. The
hip extension is static in the
trunk and dynamic in the hip
Figure 2. Trainers Can Provide Assistance for
(Figures 2 and 3).
Hip Extensions Until Capacity Is Developed.

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The Glute-Ham Developer (GHD), continued

A

B

C

D
Figure 3. GHD Hip Extension.

Not only is this movement exceedingly safe, but it is also incredibly rehabilitative of the lower back. Even people with near-acute lower-back injury can do
this, but ensure there is no flexion in the torso. With the capacity to do 25-30
consecutive repetitions without momentum, they will find there is substantial
mitigation in whatever was bothering them. This is a milder stimulus to that region
than a moderate-weight deadlift. An air squat and an insignificant-load deadlift
combined with this movement create a great launching point. It is a critical part
of our beginning efforts with our clients regardless of age.
Once a client has shown some competence here (25-30 consecutive reps), the next
movement is the back extension. The pad has to be adjusted such that it is under
the pelvis. In this movement, the athlete deliberately surrenders the lumbar curve,
thereby engaging in trunk flexion and extension. The erectors are now working
dynamically, with the glute and hamstring working statically or isometrically.
We are doing it controlled—not bouncing, not flopping. We are doing it initially
unladen (Figure 4).
When there is proven capacity in the back extension (25-30 consecutive reps), we
move on to the hip-and-back extension. The pad is adjusted back to the setting
used for hip extension. Starting from the bottom, extended in the spine, full flexion
in the hip, the pelvis first lifts followed by a wave of contraction from lumbar all
the way to the cervical, finishing with a rhomboid pull back at the top. The initial
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The Glute-Ham Developer (GHD), continued

A

B

C

D

E
Figure 4. GHD Back Extension.

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The Glute-Ham Developer (GHD), continued

A

B

C

D

E

F

G
Figure 5. GHD Hip-and-Back Extension.

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The Glute-Ham Developer (GHD), continued

A

B

C

D

E
Figure 6. Trainers Should Initially Spot Clients and Shorten the
Range of Motion in the GHD Sit-up.

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The Glute-Ham Developer (GHD), continued

A

B

C

D

E

F
Figure 7. GHD Sit-up.

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The Glute-Ham Developer (GHD), continued

A

B

C

D

E

F

G
Figure 8. AbMat Sit-up.

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The Glute-Ham Developer (GHD), continued

movement comes out of a powerful, dynamic glute-hamstring movement that
extends the hip. Then the back extends sequentially along the spine from “south
to north” (Figure 5).
This movement does a lot for a coach. It heightens a neurological awareness. It
allows me to introduce some essential vernacular to the client. If we do not have
cues that allow me to talk about hip flexion, trunk flexion, hip extension, trunk
extension, I am fairly worthless with a client. Very early, get clients to know terms.
Be able to call it out and get the response you need.
This movement demonstrates tremendous control. There is hip flexion, hip
extension, trunk flexion and trunk extension in a combo “snake” move. Using those
muscles is essential for midline stabilization and working the posterior.
The fourth movement on the GHD is a sit-up but involves no trunk flexion. For the
GHD sit-up, the pad is set so that the pelvis is free, and the athlete descends back
to touch the ground and then comes back to seated. More than a few exercise
physiologists and certified trainers have observed that this movement is pure hip
flexion and consequently asserted “there’s no abs in that.”
But what the abs are doing in this exercise is midline stabilization.
Before having clients perform the GHD sit-up, ensure they have demonstrated
capacity in the hip extension, back extension, and hip-and-back extension. Even
still, their first GHD sit-ups should be performed in a shortened range of motion,
with the trainer spotting behind them (Figure 6). That might be it for the first dose.
Once they come back and you can determine the effect from that dose, increase
the range of motion and volume as their capacity allows.
To perform a GHD sit-up, there is some leg flexion in the descent. Then, the leg
extends dramatically and pulls the athlete to seated (Figure 7). Conversely, if the
athlete does not extend the leg to come to seated, the primary movers are the hip
flexors, but specifically the psoas.
The psoas comes off the femur, runs through the pelvis (without attachment)
and attaches to the lumbar spine. The hip flexors also include a very powerful
complement to the psoas: the rectus femoris, which is the dominant piece of the
quadriceps. The rectus femoris does not attach to the lumbar spine, but it attaches
to the pelvis. This attachment to the pelvis is a point of enormous mechanical
advantage and leverage. And to fully engage that, the leg must extend dramatically. The leg cannot sharply extend without working rectus femoris—a leg
extensor and a hip flexor.
The force with which an athlete comes up is amazing. Rather than being pulled
from the psoas alone, which is a fairly dysfunctional kind of pull, the athlete uses
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The Glute-Ham Developer (GHD), continued

the full complement of hip-flexor musculature. Any time you are using a fraction of
the primary movers responsible for that articulation, it is not natural, not functional,
and contrary to nature. Not extending the leg can also be a little irritating to the
low back due to this shearing force on the lumbar spine. Performed correctly, the
movement is not irritating to the low back. Straightening that leg enables profound
musculature to lift from the pelvis.
There are people who have this irritation in the spine from a shear force. If you can
teach them to extend the legs to work the full complement of hip flexors, we will
move the margins where this irritation occurs from 3 reps to 4 reps to 10 reps and
so on. That is rehabilitation. That is neuromuscular re-education.
There is an adjunct movement to GHD sit-up in which the athlete is dynamic in
the trunk and static in the hip. It is the AbMat sit-up, where we deliberately take
the hip flexors out of the equation and work the torso dynamically. The hip flexors
are working statically or possibly to no significant degree.
To do this, the hip flexors need to be removed from the line of action. The fat part
of the AbMat goes toward the glutes, and the athlete puts the bottom of his or her
soles together with the knees butterflied. This positioning makes the hip flexors
tangential to the line of action; i.e., they cannot do any productive work. This is
done deliberately. Then the athlete slowly and under control comes to seated by
contracting the abdominals. This is a very dynamic bit of trunk flexion and the hip
flexors are removed (Figure 8).
As the athlete fails, adduct and extend the legs to some degree. This creates more
purchase for the hip flexors and brings them into the line of action. This allows the
athlete to modulate the assistance and keep each rep focused on the midsection.
If reps are performed slowly and deliberately, most athletes will fail a sit-up without
an AbMat. The failure is not necessarily a neuromuscular failure. It is not necessarily
a weakness or deficiency. The truth is the movement is defective minus the AbMat.
Without an AbMat, the athlete has a solid point of contact below the upper back.
To move, I need to act off of something immovable. When the athlete gets full
contraction of the rectus, the lower back actually goes flat. This is not enough to
bring him up to seated. When this space between the low back and the floor is
filled with something to act against (like the AbMat), the athlete can curl to seated.
There is a very short range of motion available in lumbar flexion to protect the
spine. The beauty of the spine is that each piece moves a very short range of
motion in all directions, and in total they get some pretty cool dynamics. But that
lumbar region is fairly inflexible, and all that range of motion that is available moves
one from spinally extended through to neutral. There is no more shortening or
flexion to it; it is not enough to sit up.
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The Glute-Ham Developer (GHD), continued

Without the AbMat, the sit-up is a biphasic movement. While I have solid contact,
I use upper rectus and create enough momentum to throw the load to the hip
flexors, where I have more connection. This means that the full rectus has little
stimulus—it is pulling me from spinally extended through to neutral, but absent of
any load. The upper rectus is worked where there is a fulcrum, so the back flattens,
but it is the hip flexors that pull me to seated. There is no amount of sit-ups you
can do on the ground that is ever going to work you from pubic bone to about
3 or 4 inches above the belly button. The AbMat moves the athlete from spinally
extended through to neutral in the lumbar spine against a load.
How big would your bench press get if you only pushed air? You would get as
strong as your abs will with a ground-based sit-up. With or without the pad, there
is the same contraction and range of motion in the midsection. Without the pad,
the fibers shortened but there was no load and no real work completed. With the
pad, they got the same motion but under a load, and it produced fruitful work.
The two sit-ups, GHD and AbMat, complement each other beautifully. One is
dynamic in the hips and static in the trunk; the other is dynamic in the trunk and
static in the hip. In conjunction with the L-sit (static in the trunk and hip), they
develop a formidable capacity in the midline.

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Where Do I Go From Here, continued

Where Do I Go From Here?
When an individual fully participates in the Level 1 Certificate Course and passes
the Level 1 test, he or she earns the designation CrossFit Level 1 Trainer (CF-L1).
This credential can be used in a resume or biography and is valid for five years from
the date of course completion. To maintain the credential, trainers must retake
the course every five years (or sooner) or pursue higher-level CrossFit credentials.
The Level 1 Course is an effective, broad survey of CrossFit’s foundational methodology and movements, and earning the Level 1 Certificate should be considered
the first step for training others. The purpose of this article is to provide guidance
for additional professional development of new CrossFit trainers. The article is
divided into three sections:
1) How to Be an Effective Trainer.
2) How to Develop as a Trainer.
3) How to Train Others While Gaining Experience.
The term virtuosity—doing the common uncommonly well—can be used to
describe the mastery of movement technique that CrossFit athletes seek to achieve.
Chasing virtuosity can also describe the path to coaching mastery. Master coaches
display an unmatched capacity to improve others’ fitness. True mastery demands
a lifetime commitment to improvement of craft; those looking for mastery never
consider their development complete.
How to Be an Effective Trainer
An effective trainer must have capacity in six different abilities:
• Teaching.
• Seeing.
• Correcting.
• Group and/or gym management.
• Presence and attitude.
• Demonstration.
This list can be viewed as similar in principle to the list of 10 general physical skills for
fitness outlined in “What Is Fitness? (Part 1).” Athletes with capacity in each of the 10
skills are considered fitter than athletes who demonstrate excessive capacity in any
one skill to a detriment of capacity in the others. Similarly, effective trainers demonstrate capacity in each of the six abilities listed above, not just one or two. The more
effective the trainer, the greater his or her capacity in each ability. These six areas
are the focus of study and practical application at the Level 2 Certificate Course.
1.

Teaching–The ability to effectively articulate and teach the mechanics
of each movement. This includes the ability to focus on major points
of performance before more subtle or nuanced ones and the ability to
change instruction based on the athlete’s needs and capacity.
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Where Do I Go From Here, continued

A trainer’s ability to teach others reflects his or her knowledge as well as the ability
to effectively communicate that knowledge. To communicate knowledge to others,
a coach must understand what defines proper mechanics and what causes bad
or inefficient movement. This requires continual study, and one’s teaching will
improve with greater understanding in all fields that intersect with fitness.
An effective teacher also has a unique ability to relate to every student, regardless
of his or her background and ability. This requires the teacher to distill a large body
of knowledge to a single point or a few salient points specific to the current need
of the athlete and the movement being taught. An effective teacher also takes
ownership for recognizing when communication between the teacher and athlete
breaks down. Generally, the more forms of communication a teacher employs
(verbal, visual, tactile, use of different examples/ analogies, etc.), the more likely
the athlete will find success in training.
2.

Seeing–The ability to discern good from poor movement mechanics
and to identify both gross and subtle faults whether the athlete is
in motion or static.

An effective trainer demonstrates the ability to see movement and determine
whether the mechanics are sound or unsound. This ability first requires knowledge
of when to observe and evaluate very specific aspects of the athlete’s movement
(e.g., trunk-to-femur relationship for hip extension, center of pressure on feet
for posterior-chain engagement). It also requires knowledge of the differences
between good and poor positions. An effective trainer can see faults both when
the athlete is moving (e.g., hip extension) and not moving (e.g., the receiving
position of a clean). Newer coaches tend to have the greatest difficulty spotting
movement faults while athletes are moving.
3.

Correcting–The ability to facilitate better mechanics for an athlete
using visual, verbal, and/or tactile cues. This includes the ability to
triage (prioritize) faults in order of importance, which includes an
understanding of how multiple faults are related.

Once a trainer can teach the movements and see faults, he or she is then able
to correct the athlete. Effective correction makes an athlete’s mechanics better.
Correcting hinges on the trainer’s ability to:
• Use successful cues.
• Know multiple corrections for each fault.
• Triage faulty movement.
• Balance critique with praise.
Any cue that results in improved movement mechanics is successful and therefore
a “good” cue. There are no specific formulas, formats or rules to follow for cues,
and their value is based on the result.
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Where Do I Go From Here, continued

However, short, specific and actionable cues – “push the hips back” – tend to result
in a greater success rate. A trainer needs multiple strategies for each fault because
different clients often respond to the same cue in a different manner.
When multiple faults occur at once, a trainer is best served by attacking them one
at a time in order of importance (i.e., triaging). The ordering is based on the severity
of the deviation from ideal and the athlete’s capacity relative to the task; no single
ordering of faults can be used across all athletes and movements. Throughout the
cueing process, a trainer needs to celebrate small changes or even just celebrate
hard work to build rapport and acknowledge a client’s effort even when those
efforts are not immediately successful.
Newer trainers tend to be lacking in their ability to see and correct movement.
When coaching others, trainers need to focus on movement. Good coaches relentlessly watch movement with a critical eye. Good coaches are constantly asking the
following questions: How could an individual be more efficient and safe? What
cues would result in a better position? How can cues be delivered to produce the
best response from the athlete? Good coaches produce noticeable changes in
their athletes’ movement. To develop this critical eye, coaches can work with great
trainers, film themselves or other athletes, or film classes.
4.

Group Management–The ability to organize and manage, both
at a micro level (within each class) and at the macro gym level.
This includes managing time well; organization of the space,
equipment, and participants for optimal flow and experience;
planning ahead; etc.

Group management speaks to the trainer’s ability to reduce the logistical set-up
and preparation time during a class to maximize the amount of teaching and
movement time. This means the trainer plans the instruction ahead of time (see
“Running a CrossFit Class” article) and perhaps pre-arranges the equipment and/
or weights to avoid excessive talking at the expense of moving.
Practice time in every class is necessary for both the trainer and client. Practice time
gives the trainer time to observe and cue movement mechanics, and it gives the
client time to work on movement with improved form. Every student should feel
he or she received personal coaching within the group atmosphere. Regardless
of each athlete’s experience, trainers should make an honest assessment of the
time and attention given to each client after each training session. The goal is to
maximize a trainer’s effectiveness and reach.
5.

Presence and Attitude–The ability to create a positive and engaging
learning environment. The trainer shows empathy for athletes and
creates rapport.

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Where Do I Go From Here, continued

Although presence and attitude are more intangible than the other criteria, clients
immediately feel their absence. “Positive” should not be interpreted as fake or
forced. A trainer should be authentic, with a goal of creating a positive training
experience for clients. A positive learning environment might take many different
forms, and an effective trainer recognizes each person has different needs and
goals. It is the trainer’s responsibility to determine how to relate to and motivate
each individual in order to help him or her reach stated goals. An effective trainer
demonstrates interpersonal skills by interacting and communicating clearly with
each client individually.
Care, empathy, and a passion for service are traits commonly displayed by trainers
with positive presence and attitude. Effective trainers care about improving the
quality of their clients’ lives. Clients perceive this care more quickly than they
perceive a trainer’s ability to explain mechanics, anatomy or nutrition.
6.

Demonstration–The ability to provide athletes with an accurate
visual example of the movement at hand. Demonstration also
includes the concept of leading by example: A trainer should follow
his or her own advice and be an inspiration to clients.

A trainer must be able to provide a visual demonstration of the movement.
Demonstration is a useful teaching tool to show safe and efficient movement
and range-of-motion standards. It requires a strong awareness of one’s own
movement mechanics. It is acceptable to use others for this purpose in cases of
physical limitations. A trainer with a good eye should have no problem quickly
finding someone for this purpose.
Demonstration extends beyond moving well in a single class; demonstration
also means a trainer leads by example, adhering to the same range-of-motion
standards as his or her clients, following his or her own programming or nutrition
advice, or putting forth the positive and supportive attitude he or she wants to
see in clients.
While understanding the necessity of these six qualities is simple, the challenge
is simultaneously demonstrating them in a dynamic environment such as group
coaching. A commitment to improving each area is the hallmark of a successful
trainer, regardless of the trainer’s current level of proficiency. Just as the athlete
must refine and improve movement mechanics, a trainer must refine coaching
skills across a career to become great. Doing so develops virtuosity in coaching.

“There is a compelling
tendency among
novices developing any
skill or art, whether
learning to play the
violin, write poetry, or
compete in gymnastics,
to quickly move past
the fundamentals and
on to more elaborate,
more sophisticated
movements, skills,
or techniques. This
compulsion is the
novice’s curse - the
rush to originality
and risk.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

How to Develop as a Trainer
To keep up with athletes’ progress, a coach must continue to refine and develop
his or her knowledge. If a trainer’s clients are not testing the limits of his or her
knowledge, the trainer is not doing a good enough job with them. An expert
coach is eager and proud to have a student exceed his or her abilities but seeks
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to delay it by staying ahead of the athlete’s needs rather than by retarding the
athlete’s growth. Coaches should focus on development in both academic and
practical environments.
Here are some suggestions for how trainers can develop:
1) First and foremost, teach to learn. It is only through experience that a trainer
will learn and gain competency. It is imperative to work with people in a dynamic
environment, even if they are friends or family in the beginning. Understanding
biochemistry, anatomy and teaching methodologies is important and supportive of
this endeavor, but it is not enough to allow a trainer to apply knowledge in real time.
2) Watch more experienced coaches–regardless of their specific discipline. Watch
what they watch and when they watch for it. Listen to their cues. The best coaches
often need very few words to produce noticeable improvement in mechanics. Also
watch their rapport with clients. What draws clients to them?
3) Film yourself coaching others. This can also help with your ability to see and
correct movement faults as you have the luxury of slowing down the footage. Be
critical of yourself and use the six criteria detailed above to assess strengths and
areas for improvement.
4) Attend a Level 2 Certificate Course (L2). The L2 allows trainers to work on their
coaching (specifically seeing and correcting movement) in the presence of their
peers. Where the Level 1 Course is important for understanding the conceptual
framework of CrossFit, the goal of the L2 is to improve one’s coaching skill set. The
course is designed to give trainers practical feedback based on the six qualities of
an effective trainer. It also provides practical drills for trainers to improve specific
coaching areas.
5) Attend additional courses. CrossFit has a host of specialty courses: Weightlifting,
Gymnastics, Aerobic Capacity, Kettlebell, Kids, etc. These specialties offer an
in-depth look at a modality or specific skill set. Specialty teaching methods might
differ from the general information provided in the Level 1 Course. Instead of
focusing on the differences in methods, focus on understanding the concepts of
how and why differing methodologies are appropriate for different applications.
CrossFit also offers online courses, such as Scaling and Spot the Flaw. Under
its Certification branch, CrossFit offers courses on topics such as anatomy and
physiology and best business practices. Those pursing advanced credentials in
CrossFit may use these courses for required continuing-education credits, but the
courses are open to anyone.
6) Read and study everything related to training, movement and health. The
CrossFit Journal is a great place to start. It covers material from all the seminars
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and provides examples, opinions and practical experiences from some of the best
trainers in the community.
7) Study and follow CrossFit.com. The archives (since 2001) contain years of original
CrossFit programming. It is a great resource for learning and experimenting with
workouts. We challenge all trainers to follow CrossFit.com programming for at
least six months to understand well-varied and challenging CrossFit programming. It provides a good model for the type of workouts, the variance and the
volume (i.e., one workout a day) required for long-term results. It will also provide
experience on how to scale appropriately, as only the most advanced athletes
can complete all CrossFit.com workouts as prescribed (Rx’d). More information on
scaling can be found in “Scaling CrossFit,” and every CrossFit.com WOD is scaled
by CrossFit on the @crossfittraining Instagram account for beginner, intermediate
and advanced athletes.
8) Pursue higher credentials, such as CrossFit Level 2 Trainer, Certified CrossFit
Trainer (Level 3) and Certified CrossFit Coach (Level 4). More information about the
Level 2 credential can be found on CrossFit.com, and more information about the
certifications can be found on CrossFit.com. The CrossFit Level 4 Coach credential
is the preeminent trainer designation offered by CrossFit: This evaluation provides
distinction for expert coaches within the community.
How to Train Others While Gaining Expertise
Expert training comes from years of experience and study long after the completion
of the Level 1 Certificate Course. However, a novice or less experienced person can
still train others. Three important principles should guide trainers at all levels:
• Master the fundamentals.
• Limit the scope.
• Pursue excellence.
Master the Fundamentals
New athletes are most successful when adhering to the charter of mechanics,
consistency and then intensity. Coaches often manage the time frame in which
clients reach high levels of intensity. A trainer should not be fooled into thinking
new clients need overly complex movements and high-volume workouts to be
“sold” on his or her services. Coach Glassman wrote specifically about this in the
2005 article “Fundamentals, Virtuosity, and Mastery: An Open Letter to CrossFit
Trainers.” Trainers need to take time teaching clients proper mechanics and
ensuring they move correctly before high levels of intensity are applied. Insist on
consistently safe and correct mechanics, then very gradually increase load and
volume—watching closely for movement faults. Not only does this decrease the
risk for injury, but it also sets athletes up for greater success in the long term:
Efficient and sound mechanics allow ever-increasing speeds and loads. These
guidelines enable trainers to learn and gain experience while safeguarding the
health and well-being of people in their care.
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Applying intensity at either end of the spectrum–too much too soon or too
little/none at all–blunts the overall benefit from the program. Pushing one’s
limits drives new adaptation, and this cannot happen without intensity. On the
other hand, pushing too hard too soon can result in long-term inefficiencies or
injury. When the trainer is in doubt, it is better to err on the side of caution and
progress slowly. Even at low intensity, many participants see benefits simply from
performing varied functional movements, and it will become clear over time when
intensity can be added.
Limit the Scope
Many CrossFit affiliates follow a group-class model, which can be difficult for
a novice coach. The demands of teaching and class management often take
the attention away from seeing and correcting movement. New trainers are
encouraged to coach friends and family in individual or small group sessions
(two or three athletes) to perfect their ability to improve mechanics before taking
on large group classes. Another option is to assist a head coach for classes and
small-group training. The new trainer can improve his or her ability to discern
poor movement and cue good movement, while the head trainer addresses the
other logistics. New trainers should seek out internships or assistant roles at local
affiliates to gain this experience. A trainer needs to increase the size of classes
gradually to continually deliver quality training, as Coach Glassman articulated in
2006 in “Scaling Professional Training”:
“To run group classes without compromising our hallmark laser focus and
commitment to the athlete, the trainer has to learn to give each member of the
group the impression that he is getting all the attention that he could get in
one-on-one training, and that requires tremendous training skill. We’ve seen this
skill fully and adequately developed by only one path–gradually migrating from
one-on-one to group sessions. … There’s no way a new trainer can walk into this
environment and do well.”
Beyond the demands of running one quality class is the demand of delivering
that quality training for multiple sessions a day. As Coach Glassman wrote when
training in Santa Cruz, California: “Five appointments per day is about all we could
handle without an unacceptable drop in energy, focus, and, consequently, professional standards.”
Limiting the scope also means trainers should have the clarity and self-awareness
to admit when they do not know something. Whether it is a question regarding
anatomy in the squat, why someone has back pain or why excess sugar can
compromise health, it is not wise to try to make up information when an issue is
beyond the current level of knowledge or scope of practice. Working only within
the limits of one’s knowledge will help protect the safety of clients and build credibility. A trainer cannot be expected to know all things related to health and fitness.
Develop and foster a community of other professionals clients can be referred to
with confidence when necessary. Seek to learn the answers to any questions, and
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in the case of any medical condition, the trainer should always refer the client
to a physician.
Pursue Excellence
To be a successful trainer (or affiliate), CrossFit’s recommended “business model”
is the relentless and continual pursuit of excellence. Pursuing excellence was the
guiding tenet from the early days of the original CrossFit gym in Santa Cruz, and the
concept continues to guide larger decisions related to CrossFit.com, the CrossFit
Journal, and the Level 1 Certificate Course, for example. The overarching purpose
is to bring more quality training to more people. Rather than devising a business
model in the pursuit of money, devise one that is focused on making the training
(and, by extension, the clients) better. The most effective business plan comes from
achieving excellence and letting the market bring the money to you.
To pursue excellence, ask the question, “What would make the training or the
affiliate better?” An analysis of pros and cons can muddle every decision, and most
issues can be decided by a simple question: “Will it improve the quality of the
programming or the training experience?” If the answer is “Yes!” you are most
likely pursuing excellence.
CrossFit Community and Representation
The Level 1 Certificate Course is a great way to formalize one’s involvement in
the CrossFit community. It provides the conceptual framework of the program.
It also serves to transmit the community’s ethos: a sense of camaraderie and
support among like-minded individuals who are humble, hard-working and
committed to service.
Along with our affiliates, those who become Level 1 Trainers are the community’s
most important ambassadors. The CF-L1 credential is the first step toward affiliation; more information on that process can be found on CrossFit.com. The global
community is more than 13,000 affiliates strong. Whether working at an existing
affiliate or opening a new affiliate, each CrossFit trainer can positively influence
lives every day. It is the daily effort of performing constantly varied functional
movements at high intensity coupled with a diet of meat and vegetables, nuts
and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar that can reverse the tide of chronic
disease. It can empower people to achieve feats they never thought possible, even
outside the gym. It can dramatically improve people’s quality of life, as well as
provide a social and supportive network. One of the best times to witness the
power of the community is during the CrossFit Games Open, when more than
380,000 people worldwide come together to test their fitness and–more importantly–push each other to be better than yesterday.
The greater CrossFit community is changing mainstream beliefs about fitness,
nutrition and physique. While the goal of CrossFit, Inc. has always been to favorably
affect more people with CrossFit training, it is the worldwide community that drives
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these changes. CrossFit wants its trainers to be a vibrant and engaged addition to
the community. Feedback is always welcomed at coursefeedback@crossfit.com;
your comments ensure that CrossFit, Inc. best supports its aims.
CrossFit hopes that its trainers care about and protect the community as they would
care about and protect anything they value and respect. Thousands of CrossFit
trainers have used the Level 1 Certificate Course as a springboard to their coaching
careers. New trainers should use the material learned from the Level 1 Course and
this guide and slowly apply it to others, incrementally increasing their scope over
time. This continued development will eventually lead to coaching virtuosity.

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Responsible Training
Being an expert coach is about improving fitness and safeguarding the health of one’s
clients. Keeping clients safe includes knowing the movement points of performance
and being able to identify and correct violations. However, client safety also includes
multiple logistical factors, such as programming, specific needs for special populations,
equipment layout and accurate representation of one’s credentials. This article is meant
to prime new Level 1 Trainers to responsibly train others while gaining expertise.
Mitigate Clients’ Risk of Rhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis, while rare, can develop from high-intensity or high-volume exercise,
including CrossFit or any other process that damages muscle cells. Rhabdomyolysis
(often simply referred to as “rhabdo”) is a medical condition that might arise from
breakdown of muscle tissue and release of the muscle cells’ contents into the bloodstream. This process can damage the kidneys and can lead to renal failure or death
in rare cases. Rhabdo is diagnosed when a patient with an appropriate history has an
elevated level of creatine kinase, also known as CK or CPK. CPK is easier to measure in
the blood than myoglobin and is generally used as a marker for rhabdo, even though
it is the myoglobin that does the damage.
Treatment consists of generous amounts of intravenous (IV) fluids to dilute and flush
the myoglobin through the kidneys. In the worst cases, patients might need dialysis
while the kidneys recover. Death, though rare, can result when kidney failure causes
imbalances in the usual electrolytes, which can cause cardiac arrhythmias. Most
patients make a complete recovery after being rehydrated with IV fluids over anywhere
from several hours to a week or so, depending on the severity.
There are a few ways a CrossFit trainer can protect athletes from rhabdomyolysis:
• Follow the charter of mechanics, consistency, intensity.
• Know the movements that have a higher rate of rhabdomyolysis incidence
(those that prolong the eccentric contraction), and be mindful of the total
volume that is programmed with these exercises.
• Scale workouts for clients appropriately.
• Avoid progressive scaling.
• Educate clients on the symptoms of rhabdomyolysis and when it is
appropriate to seek medical attention.
Following the mechanics-consistency-intensity charter best prepares the athlete for
long-term success, but it is also a way to mitigate the potential of developing rhabdomyolysis (and other injuries). Slow and gradual increases in intensity and volume allow
the body to acclimate to high-intensity and higher-volume exercise. Even athletes
who quickly demonstrate sound mechanics still need a gradual increase in intensity
and volume. When working with new athletes, trainers should focus on using modest
loads, reducing volume and coaching the athlete on technique. At affiliates where
there are “elements” or “on-ramp” classes that last a couple of weeks, athletes should
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still be heavily scaled beyond this introductory period to ensure adequate time to
acclimate to CrossFit training. If there are no separate classes for beginners, treat the
workouts as technique sessions for newer athletes–focus on their mechanics rather
than speed or load. There is no set protocol for how quickly to increase intensity, but
it is wise to err on the side of caution and work toward long-term fitness. Multiple
months at scaled loads and volumes are well within a normal timeframe for even the
best athletes, with gradual increases in intensity implemented after that. Trainers need
to frequently check in with athletes to determine how the previous dose of exercise
affected them. Although intensity is a significant part of CrossFit, each athlete has his
or her entire life to continue to improve fitness and tolerance for intensity.
The second way to mitigate the risk of rhabdomyolysis is to know the movements
associated with a higher rate of incidence. Beginner athletes should keep “negatives”
(movements which prolong the eccentric phase) to a minimum. Although negatives
can be an effective way to increase strength, they should not be used in high volumes
with beginners. Athletes may increase the volume of negatives gradually over time.
While the eccentric phase of movements cannot and should not be avoided, there
are movements in which people are more likely to prolong the eccentric phase. In
CrossFit, these tend to be jumping pull-ups and full-range-of-motion glute-ham
developer (GHD) sit-ups. In the jumping pull-up, the athlete should not prolong the
descent but should instead immediately drop to an extended-arm position once the
chin has cleared the bar, absorbing the impact with the legs. Similarly, in the full-rangeof-motion GHD sit-up, newer athletes should use fewer repetitions and potentially a
shortened range of motion until capacity is developed. It is also prudent for trainers
to scale the number of repetitions and the range of motion for athletes who do not
routinely use GHD sit-ups regardless of their CrossFit experience. There are no exact
rules for total volume, but beginners and new CrossFit athletes (and even advanced
CrossFit athletes who have not been routinely using the GHD) should start with
relatively low repetitions of the partial-range-of-motion GHD sit-up (i.e., to parallel)
and gradually increase from there with consistent exposure.
Progressive scaling–the practice of continually adjusting the difficulty of a workout
so that an exhausted athlete can keep moving–must be avoided with the beginner
or even intermediate athlete. Allow these athletes to stop and take rest as needed to
complete the workout. An example: A trainer keeps lowering the load so the athlete
does not have to stop completing reps (e.g., 135-lb. barbell for thrusters dropped to 115
to 95 to 65 to 45 across the workout duration). Progressive scaling may be used, but it
must be applied very cautiously even with the most advanced of athletes.
It is also wise to educate athletes about the potential risk for rhabdomyolysis, strategies
to reduce the risk and the symptoms. This will help them understand the rationale
for scaling their workouts, especially when they are zealous to perform a workout “as
prescribed” (“Rx’d”).

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Alcohol and drug use increase the risk of rhabdomyolysis, and athletes should avoid
heavy drinking, especially in proximity to training. Certain medications, including
statins (cholesterol-lowering agents), increase the risk of rhabdomyolysis.
Symptoms of rhabdomyolysis include severe generalized muscle pain, nausea and
vomiting, abdominal cramping, and, in severe cases, dark-red or cola-colored urine.
The discoloration of the urine comes from the muscle’s myoglobin, which is the
same molecule that gives red meat its color. If these symptoms appear following a
workout (or at any time with regard to dark-red urine), the athlete should seek medical
attention immediately.
The athletes at highest risk seem to be those with a reasonable baseline level of fitness
obtained through some non-CrossFit training, those who are returning to CrossFit
after a layoff, or even experienced CrossFit athletes who reach volume or intensity
significantly outside their established “norm.” These athletes have sufficient muscle
mass and conditioning to create enough intensity to hurt themselves. Generally, the
most deconditioned seem to be at less risk (but not zero). It is suspected they do not
have enough muscle mass or the capacity to generate high levels of intensity. This
being said, trainers must properly scale and focus on mechanics with every client
regardless of current capacity.
Minimize Equipment- And Spotting-Related Injuries
Beyond following the charter of mechanics, consistency, and intensity, affiliate
owners can further minimize risk of injury within their gym. Very real risks exist from
equipment condition, use, and arrangement, as well as from improper spotting of
athletes during movements.
Equipment condition refers both to installation and day-to-day maintenance.
Installation often applies to building pull-up rigs, hanging gymnastics rings, assembling
a GHD, among other things. Professional assistance should be used when an owner
is inexperienced.
Pull-up-bar rigs and gymnastic rings and associated straps should be designed to
bear a load far higher than the expected maximum weight to be supported. These
structures need to be tested at maximum loading before regular client use.
Regularly scheduled maintenance of all equipment is paramount. Equipment that
places the athlete’s feet off the ground or inverts the athlete requires extra time and
attention. Support pieces like straps, racks or bars and locking mechanisms need to
be kept in working order and checked regularly for routine wear. Some might become
compromised during use. Where there is a risk for handles or collars to come apart,
dumbbells, kettlebells, and even barbells need to be inspected regularly for integrity.
Trainers must repair, replace, and discontinue use of faulty equipment immediately.

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Arrangement refers to the layout of equipment and athletes during a class or workout.
Each athlete needs enough space to perform the movements, with an additional buffer
to account for the errant-moving equipment, missed attempts, and safe passage of
coaches or other athletes. Under no circumstances should a trainer permit extra
equipment like bars, plates, boxes, etc. to be left lying around the workout area. This
equipment might trip athletes or cause a ricochet if other equipment lands on it.
It is also imperative for a trainer to prepare for falls during dynamic movements. It is
possible that an athlete might lose his or her grip during a kip (pull-up or muscle-up).
Trainers might encourage athletes to wrap their thumbs around any bar in an effort
to provide additional feedback to the athlete. This is not foolproof, however, and can
sometimes be even less secure, particularly for athletes with small hands. Whatever
the hand position chosen, it does not replace the need for the athlete to develop body
awareness of when to end the movement if his or her grip is compromised (wrapping
thumbs is always recommended for barbell and ring movements to help provide
better balance and control, especially in higher-risk scenarios such as a bench press
or muscle-up). Boxes and racks should not be beneath, behind or directly in front of
these athletes. Adjustable rings should be lowered to the appropriate height. Where
assistance boxes are necessary, they are best placed to the side of the working athlete
(and not in another athlete’s way) to leave a clear path should an athlete leave the
apparatus prematurely. A suggestion for trainers trying to manage these risks is to do
a “dry run” of the workout before it begins: check the working space for each athlete
for each of the proposed movements. This can be as simple as organizing the class to
rotate stations on the trainer’s call and perform a quick walk-through to check spacing
and arrangement. Trainers can then instruct participants to move to the same spot
during the workout to ensure safety.
Athletes also need instruction regarding how to bail safely from lifts and how to spot
other athletes where appropriate. In most weightlifting movements, the athletes only
need to learn how to bail safely. Trainers need to teach athletes this skill and allow
them to practice it before any significant load is lifted. Trainers should also ensure
enough empty space exists around a working athlete so a missed lift does not have a
ricochet effect, as mentioned above. Spotting is not recommended for weightlifting
movements, except for a bench press (where it is mandatory) and potentially a back
squat (especially where a low-bar position is used). A trainer cannot assume athletes
understand how to spot correctly, and again, instruction and practice at lighter
loads are necessary.
Experienced trainers or athletes may also provide a spot for gymnastics movements.
Trainers or athletes should employ a spot that minimizes risk to both spotter and
athlete. Generally, gymnastics movements are spotted at the torso or hips to provide
adequate support for the movement, but spotting at the hips or legs can be successful
(e.g., handstands). The spotter may be to the rear of the athlete if the risk of getting
hit is low (e.g., ring support, GHD sit-up), but often a position beside the athlete is best
(e.g., handstand).
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Trainers need to be sure equipment is cleaned regularly to reduce the chance of
infection, and proper disinfectants and sterilizers, with clean cloths, should be staged
near the gym floor to clean blood off bars immediately. A blood-spill cleanup procedure
can be found in the CrossFit Journal.
Monitoring Athletes for Conditions That Need Medical Attention
Although a trainer is primarily there to instruct and improve athlete movements, he
or she needs to monitor the level of exertion during the workout and ensure athlete
health is protected. As CrossFit workouts use relatively high intensity, athletes are
working at their physical and psychological tolerances. It is possible for athletes to push
too hard, and confounding environmental factors might exacerbate certain situations.
Extreme temperature fluctuations, especially heat, can be problematic. Trainers
should be ready in unseasonably hot and humid weather with sufficient water, and
they should watch for common signs of overexertion (e.g., dizziness). Hot weather also
increases the potential risk for rhabdomyolysis (although some cases have occurred in
cold climates), and trainers should encourage athletes to stay hydrated (with the caveat
that they should not be excessively hydrated. Current mainstream literature suggests
rates of 1.2 L/hour, which are actually too high and can lead to overhydration). In the
event of a potential heat stroke following a workout (e.g., athlete demonstrates an
altered mental state), a trainer should remove excess clothing from the athlete and
then douse him or her with cool water before medical attention arrives.
Weather aside, other conditions might need medical attention. Symptoms such as
numbness or chronic pain in joints and muscles should be referred to medical professionals. Medical attention is immediately necessary for any non-responsive athlete.
Trainers can be best prepared for medical emergencies by getting trained in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED), and
by having an AED at the gym. Most states require this by law, and CrossFit trainers and
affiliates should ensure they are in compliance with all state laws. CPR/AED credentials often last for one or two years depending on the organization (e.g., Red Cross,
American Heart Association), and trainers should keep them current.
Hydration
Drink when you are thirsty, do not when you are not.
We advise against rehydration strategies that encourage consumption of fluids to
prevent loss of body-weight during activity. Dehydration during physical activity is
a normal physiological process, and the thirst mechanism is sufficient in regulating
hydration and serum sodium concentration during exercise.
Drinking beyond thirst in an attempt to prevent body-weight loss during exercise
offers no benefit to health or performance. It also presents a serious risk of exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH), a potentially deadly dilution of the body’s serum sodium
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concentration. EAH is caused by overconsumption of fluid and can be viewed as an
iatrogenic condition due to the prevailing belief that exercising athletes should drink
“as much fluid as tolerable” during training.
“Fluid” that can contribute to EAH includes electrolyte-enhanced sports drinks.
Contrary to popular belief, these commercial beverages do not reduce risk of hyponatremia. Because of flavoring and sugar content, these drinks might present greater
risk for overconsumption of fluid than water alone, increasing the risk of potentially
deadly EAH in athletes.
Special Populations
Any potential athlete with a medical condition needs to be cleared by a physician
for exercise before a trainer recommends a fitness regimen. A medical-history form
can be a useful tool for a trainer to assess any potential issues, although trainers are
also encouraged to ask questions regarding medical status and be aware of common
medical conditions that need clearance (e.g., diabetes, prescription medications).
Common special populations include pregnant athletes, and a trainer should still
request medical clearance and guidelines from the physician once the condition is
known. The CrossFit Journal contains many resources regarding scaling for pregnant
athletes, such as the article “Pregnancy: A Practical Guide for Scaling.” A trainer
should be especially aware of reducing the risk of potential falls in workouts (e.g., box
jumps, rope climbs) and be observant for complaints of calf pain or swelling, which
can be signs of more serious issues.
Many athletes have found improved recovery while staying active after surgery. While
CrossFit workouts are indeed scalable for these athletes, trainers should seek clearance
from the surgeon before restarting a workout regimen with them.
A trainer’s scope of practice allows promotion of any individual’s desire to participate
in exercise and provision of direction; this does not extend to diagnosing or treating
any medical condition.
Legal Use of the “CrossFit Level 1 Trainer” Credential
Passing the exam at the Level 1 Certificate Course earns an individual the designation
of CrossFit Level 1 Trainer, which can be abbreviated “CF-L1 Trainer.” The American
National Standards Institute (ANSI), the third party through which the course is
accredited, has approved this title.
It is important for CrossFit trainers to:
• Use the correct terminology for the credential.
• Act in accordance with the Level 1 Trainer Certificate License Agreement.
Participants sign this document as part of receiving their test results.

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A CrossFit Level 1 Trainer holds the Level 1 Certificate. The Certificate is valid for a
period of five years. See the Participant Handbook for details regarding maintaining
an active trainer status. CrossFit’s public Trainer Directory can be used to verify any
individual’s credentials. Those who pass the exam should not use the term “certified.”
While the distinction in terminology appears minor, the use of “Level 1 Certified” is
a misrepresentation of the credential and is not endorsed by CrossFit. A “Certificate
Course,” such as the Level 1 Certificate Course, is a course with learning objectives and a
test that is tied to those specific objectives. It includes both an educational or “training”
component as well as a test to determine if the participant has learned the course
material. A “certification,” such as the Certified CrossFit Trainer or Certified CrossFit
Coach credential, is only a test with no educational component. Certifications are
designed to assess competency across an entire profession. Preparation work for the
certifications is done on the applicant’s own time and under his or her own guidance.
In layman’s terms, and in the case of the CrossFit credentials, a certification generally
demonstrates a greater scope of professional competency versus a certificate.
The CrossFit Level 1 Trainer credential may be used next to one’s name similar to
other educational credentials (e.g., M.S., R.N., D.C.). It may be used on a website with a
biography or on a business card. It does not allow use of the name “CrossFit” to market
services (e.g., personal CrossFit training, CrossFit classes). To market services, a trainer
must first apply to run a CrossFit affiliate.
During the Level 1 Course, participants were exposed to a large amount of knowledge.
Much of it can be found elsewhere free to the public and is commonly known to or
accepted by the fitness industry in some form. However, this knowledge is not found so
organized and packaged outside the Level 1 Course. This defines the CrossFit method.
An individual can use the CrossFit method to train himself or herself and friends and
family without charge. However, to use the CrossFit name or logo (i.e., the CrossFit
brand) to market services, a Level 1 Trainer must affiliate. An individual is not permitted
to advertise, market, promote or solicit, in business or service, without licensing the
CrossFit name. Licensing the CrossFit name is called “affiliation.” More information
regarding affiliation can be found on CrossFit.com.
		
The risk-to-benefit ratio for CrossFit participants is very low; however, it is also the
trainer’s responsibility to maintain the low risk for his or her clients. The guidance
presented here should serve as a resource for new CrossFit trainers to keep clients
safe in the gym.

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Fundamentals, Virtuosity and Mastery: An Open Letter to CrossFit Trainers, continued

Fundamentals, Virtuosity and Mastery:
An Open Letter to CrossFit Trainers
Originally published in August 2005.
In gymnastics, completing a routine without error will not get you a perfect
score, the 10.0–only a 9.7. To get the last three tenths of a point, you must demonstrate “risk, originality, and virtuosity” as well as make no mistakes in execution
of the routine.
Risk is simply executing a movement that is likely to be missed or botched; originality is a movement or combination of movements unique to the athlete–a move or
sequence not seen before. Understandably, novice gymnasts love to demonstrate
risk and originality, for both are dramatic, fun, and awe inspiring–especially among
the athletes themselves, although audiences are less likely to be aware when either
is demonstrated.
Virtuosity, though, is a different beast altogether. Virtuosity is defined in
gymnastics as “performing the common uncommonly well.” Unlike risk and originality, virtuosity is elusive, supremely elusive. It is, however, readily recognized by
the audience as well as coaches and athletes. But more importantly, more to my
point, virtuosity is more than the requirement for that last tenth of a point; it is
always the mark of true mastery (and of genius and beauty).
There is a compelling tendency among novices developing any skill or art,
whether learning to play the violin, write poetry, or compete in gymnastics, to
quickly move past the fundamentals and on to more elaborate, more sophisticated
movements, skills, or techniques. This compulsion is the novice’s curse–the rush
to originality and risk.
The novice’s curse is manifested as excessive adornment, silly creativity, weak
fundamentals and, ultimately, marked lack of virtuosity and delayed mastery. If
you have ever had the opportunity to be taught by the very best in any field you
have likely been surprised at how simple, how fundamental, how basic the instruction was. The novice’s curse afflicts learner and teacher alike. Physical training
is no different.
What will inevitably doom a physical training program and dilute a coach’s
efficacy is a lack of commitment to fundamentals. We see this increasingly in both
programming and supervising execution. Rarely now do we see prescribed the
short, intense couplets or triplets that epitomize CrossFit programming. Rarely do
trainers really nitpick the mechanics of fundamental movements.

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Fundamentals, Virtuosity and Mastery: An Open Letter to CrossFit Trainers, continued

I understand how this occurs. It is natural to want to teach people advanced and
fancy movements. The urge to quickly move away from the basics and toward
advanced movements arises out of the natural desire to entertain your client and
impress him with your skills and knowledge. But make no mistake: it is a sucker’s
move. Teaching a snatch where there is not yet an overhead squat, teaching an
overhead squat where there is not yet an air squat, is a colossal mistake. This rush
to advancement increases the chance of injury, delays advancement and progress,
and blunts the client’s rate of return on his efforts. In short, it retards his fitness.
If you insist on basics, really insist on them, your clients will immediately recognize
that you are a master trainer. They will not be bored; they will be awed. I promise
this. They will quickly come to recognize the potency of fundamentals. They will
also advance in every measurable way past those not blessed to have a teacher so
grounded and committed to basics.
Training will improve, clients will advance faster, and you will appear more experienced and professional and garner more respect if you simply recommit to the basics.
There is plenty of time within an hour session to warm up, practice a basic
movement or skill or pursue a new personal record (PR) or max lift, discuss and
critique the athletes’ efforts, and then pound out a tight little couplet or triplet
utilizing these skills or just play. Play is important. Tire flipping, basketball, relay
races, tag, Hoover-ball, and the like are essential to good programming, but they
are seasoning–like salt, pepper, and oregano. They are not main courses.
CrossFit trainers have the tools to be the best trainers on Earth. I really believe that.
But good enough never is, and we want that last tenth of a point, the whole 10.0.
We want virtuosity!

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Professional Training, continued

Professional Training
Originally published in January 2006.
I am a fitness trainer. My practice is more
than just a job; it is my passion. My clients
are my top priority and their successes are
my life’s work–I am a professional.
On the surface, my job is to shepherd my
athletes (I view all my clients as athletes
regardless of their age or ability) toward
physical prowess, but I recognize a
purpose to my efforts and an impact on
my athletes that transcends the physical.
I view training as a physical metaphor for
habits and attitudes that foster success
in all arenas. I stress that point to all who
train with me, and I know I have been
successful only after they bring back
concrete examples.
The lessons learned through physical training are unavoidable. The character traits
required and developed through physical training are universally applicable to all
endeavors. Perseverance, industry, sacrifice, self-control, integrity, honesty, and
commitment are best and easiest learned in the gym. Even clients who have found
spectacular success in business, sport, war, or love find their most important values
buttressed, refined, and nourished in rigorous training.

“If a trainer’s clients are
not testing the limits
of his knowledge, he
is not doing a good
enough job with them.”

Being a professional, I believe that my competency is solely determined by my
efficacy. My methods must be second to none. Accordingly, fitness trends and
fashions are distractions, not attractions. To the extent that my methods are
often unconventional, unaccepted, or unique, they reflect the margins by which
I dominate my industry, and I take those margins to the bank. A trainer who lusts
for popular approval is chasing mediocrity or worse.

—COACH GLASSMAN
Committed to unrivaled efficacy, I have often had to develop new tools and
methods. This cannot be done without study and experimentation; consequently,
a lot of my work is done not in the gym but in books and scientific literature and
in communication with other trainers and coaches.
My competency is determined by my efficacy, which is ultimately determined by
my athletes’ performance–performance that must be measured. Competition,
testing, and recordkeeping let me know the difference between merely looking
or feeling good and actually being good at what I do.
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Professional Training, continued

My commitment to my athletes is clearly expressed and perceived in our first
meeting. I am all theirs. They are the object of my focus and the focus of my
conversation. They come back not because of my physical capacity but because
they believe in my capacity to develop theirs. World-class athletes rarely make
world-class trainers.
I understand that the modern and near-universal trend of skill-less and low-skill
programming delivers inferior results and makes cheerleaders of trainers. I will
have none of it. I have to understand the mechanics, cues, and techniques of
complex movements and to be able to teach them to others. I bring a skill set to
my training that scares off most trainers.
Keeping up with my athletes’ progress demands that I continue to refine and
advance my understanding of advanced skills. If a trainer’s clients are not testing
the limits of his knowledge, he is not doing a good enough job with them. The
master trainer is eager and proud to have a student exceed his abilities but seeks
to delay it by staying ahead of the athlete’s needs rather than by retarding the
athlete’s growth.
Because I want my clients’ training experience to transcend the physical realm, I
am obligated to understand their jobs, hobbies, families, and goals. Motivating
clients to transcend fitness requires that I be involved in their lives. This is not going
to happen without my being both interested in them and interesting to them.
Being a voracious reader of books, newspapers, and magazines, I have no shortage
of conversation, ideas, and knowledge to share, and so you will find me at my
clients’ parties, weddings, and family gatherings. Indeed, I am a personal friend to
nearly every one of my clients. This is extremely gratifying work and often emotionally charged, but that is all right because I am an integral part of my athletes’ lives,
and life is full of laughter, tears, and hope.
Our friendship, the fun we have, and the frequency of our contact, coupled with
the scope of fitness’s impact and the technical merits of my training, contribute to
a professional relationship with my clients that they value uniquely.
In appreciation, they do all my marketing. I do not advertise, promote, or market.
I train very, very well. The more clients I get, the more clients they bring. I do not
have time for promotion; I am too busy training.

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Scaling Professional Training, continued

Scaling Professional Training
Originally published in January 2006.
The standards expressed in “Professional Training”—unyielding commitment to
client and efficacy–have guided everything that we have done. More than just the
backbone of CrossFit’s strength and successes, it has been, we believe, the primary
reason for our success.
Using this template, we built a practice that kept us both busy from roughly 5
to 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday. That schedule produced a low-six-figure
income, which is really amazing given that we got to work together, with our
friends, having a positive impact on people’s lives, and keep afternoons free for
family, recreation, and study.

“The trainers who are
running group classes
without growing into
them are typically
not working to the
professional training
standards that we
have described.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

Training with the attention and commitment that we bring to our practice, though
fun and immensely rewarding, is also draining, and five appointments per day is
about all we could handle without an unacceptable drop in energy, focus, and,
consequently, professional standards.
Eventually, the demand for our training exceeded the time we were professionally
able or willing to allot. In an effort to accommodate more athletes, we began to
hold group classes.
We had used group classes to train some of our athletic teams, and everyone
loved them, trainers and athletes alike. The social dynamic of group classes is
extremely powerful. Run correctly, they motivate an athletic output that is only
rarely matched in one-on-one training. The competition and camaraderie of the
group classes motivated our line “men will die for points” and the recognition that
CrossFit is “the sport of fitness.”
Group classes also dramatically increase training revenues!
There are, however, two drawbacks to group classes. The first is space–more athletes
require more space to train, but, fortunately, the space required to train 10 people
is not 10 times that required for one, and space adequate for one athlete can serve
three or four athletes well.
The second drawback is that the reduced trainer-to-trainee ratio can dilute the
professional training standards that we have embraced. This natural dilution can,
however, be compensated for by the trainer’s development of a skill set that is
only very rarely found.
To run group classes without compromising our hallmark laser focus and
commitment to the athlete, the trainer has to learn to give each member of the
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Scaling Professional Training, continued

group the impression that he is getting all the attention that he could get in
one-on-one training, and that requires tremendous training skill.
We have seen this skill fully and adequately developed by only one path: gradually
migrating from one-on-one to group sessions. The trainers who are running group
classes without growing into them are typically not working to the professional
training standards that we have described. They also seem to have an inordinate
difficulty filling their classes.
This is exactly how we built our group classes. After working for years at the limit
of our one-on-one capacity, we started accepting new clients by doubling them
up with other one-on-one clients to form one-on-two appointments.
We introduced the shift to group classes by telling the existing one-on-one clients
that we had good news for them: “Your training rate is going to go down and we’re
going to introduce you to a new friend.” Where there was resistance to sharing the
time we asked for a trial period. It went swimmingly well.
We structured payment so that a client who was paying, say, $75 per session would
now be paying only $50. This drives the trainer’s hourly revenue up and reduces
the clients’ costs per session. This prompted many to come more often. When our
schedules filled and it became necessary to bring a third person to each group,
we brought the individual rate to $40 per session, and again the trainer’s hourly
rose and the client’s costs fell. With the addition of each new athlete to the session,
the rates fall for the athlete and rise for the trainer, and it all works perfectly unless
there’s a perceived reduction in attention.

“The pursuit of
excellence is the heart
of our business plan.”
—COACH GLASSMAN

All the demands on the trainer skyrocket in this situation however. Attention,
enthusiasm, voice projection, and engagement all have to escalate. It is an acquired
skill–an art, really. Our goal is to give so much attention and “in your face” presence
to each participant that each is actually grateful that he did not get more attention.
The essential shift is that the level of scrutiny and criticism is ratcheted up along
with the rate of praise and input for each client. The trainer becomes extremely
busy. There is no way a new trainer can walk into this environment and do well.
(Imagine the decline in standards for those trainers who are participating in
their classes while trying to lead them. We see this too often, and the training is
always substandard.)
Within two years we had morphed our one-on-one practice to all group classes
without increasing the number of hours we worked each week, although we both
kept a couple of choice one-on-one clients. We charged $15 per class and averaged
10 to 15 athletes per session.
This substantially raised our income. It also gave a much-noticed boost to the
stability of our practice. Seasonal fluctuations due to summer and Christmas
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Scaling Professional Training, continued

Figure 1. Free Markets Reward Those
Who Achieve Excellence.
vacations largely disappeared. With a one-on-one practice, when three clients you
see two or three times per week are, by coincidence, on vacation simultaneously,
income takes a hit. Not so with group classes.
At the same time we started converting our practice from one-on-one to group
classes we launched CrossFit.com. The launch of the website was motivated by
the same commitment to client and efficacy that motivated our training. We were
looking not to increase our revenues but to favorably impact more people with
our training. The difference might seem inconsequential, but the public clearly
knows the difference.
The group classes, the CrossFit.com website, the CrossFit Journal, our seminars,
and our affiliate program were all introduced to bring more quality training to
more people. Each of these additions also increased CrossFit’s value for everyone
involved. It was our original one-on-one clients who initially came to and benefited
from the group classes, subscribed to the journal, visited the website, and attended
the seminars. Every CrossFit expansion has served the entire community.
We are in pursuit not of money but of excellence. The difference, we believe, is
the difference between success and failure. The pursuit of excellence is the heart
of our business plan.
Money is, for many, elusive because markets are unknowable. But while markets
are unknowable, excellence is obvious to most everyone, especially free, and
large, markets.
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Scaling Professional Training, continued

If you can accept the three premises that:
• Markets are largely unknowable
• Excellence is obvious to everyone, and
• Free markets reward excellence
it becomes obvious that the most effective business plan comes from achieving
excellence and letting the market bring the money to you (Figure 1). The efficiency
and effectiveness of this paradigm is breathtaking.
We have used the pursuit of excellence to guide our every move. For instance,
when we were considering the last expansion of CrossFit Santa Cruz we could not
determine whether it would be financially feasible or not. The variables were too
numerous and the assumptions too uncertain to convince any accountant of the
wisdom of expansion, but when we asked the simple question, “Will it improve
the quality of the programming and the training experience?” the answer was a
resounding “Yes!” On expansion, the CrossFit Santa Cruz numbers tripled within
six months and the extra space allowed for some refinements and additions to our
programming that would not have been possible otherwise.
As our seminars, journal, website, and affiliate program grew, we handed off the
group classes to a new generation of CrossFit trainers who now cover most of the
overhead costs of CrossFit Santa Cruz. This has afforded us time and opportunity
to commit more energy and resources to new projects that support and develop
the CrossFit community.

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CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certificate License Agreement in Plain English, continued

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certificate License
Agreement in Plain English
Following the successful completion of the CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course
and obtaining a passing score on the CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course examination, you must agree to the CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certificate License Agreement
(“Agreement”). Be sure to read it thoroughly to gain a clear understanding of what
is permitted and prohibited as a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer (“CF-L1”). This document
will provide a summary of the Agreement in laymen’s terms, although you are
responsible for everything required under the full Agreement.
First, it is important to understand the difference between the CrossFit® methodology, and the CrossFit® brand. While the CrossFit® methodology is free to use and
to follow on CrossFit.com (and has been for over a decade), the CrossFit® brand
name is not free. Even as a CF-L1, you cannot use the CrossFit® brand name to
advertise, market, promote, or solicit business or service in any way. If you do, you
will be in breach of the Agreement and potentially liable for trademark infringement under Federal Law.
To obtain a license to advertise, market, promote, and solicit business for CrossFit®
training (i.e., advertise using the CrossFit® brand name), you must become a
licensed CrossFit, Inc. affiliate. Affiliation is described in detail on CrossFit.com,
but in summary, you must submit an application (and be accepted) and pay the
affiliation fee each year.
As a CF-L1, you may only use the terms “CrossFit Level 1 Trainer” or “CF-L1 Trainer”
on a resume, business card, or in a trainer biography on a website. Nothing more
is permitted regarding use of the CrossFit® brand name including use of the title
“Certified” CrossFit Trainer (which is reserved for CrossFit Level 3 Coaches and
above). You can, however, train yourself, teach your friends for free, and introduce
the methodology to others, but you cannot use the CrossFit® brand name or
CrossFit® copyrighted material (such as this CrossFit Level 1 Training Guide or
Participant Handbook) to market your services.
Finally, as a CF-L1, you are required under the Agreement to uphold the highest
standards of ethics and behavior; actions that reflect unfavorably on CrossFit, Inc.
constitute a breach of the Agreement.
Our legal department aggressively pursues any unlicensed use of the CrossFit®
brand name and CrossFit® copyrighted material everywhere in the world. If you
are unsure of the appropriate use of the CrossFit® brand name, please contact
legalintake@crossfit.com. To report suspected unlicensed use of the CrossFit®
brand name, please fill out a form at iptheft.crossfit.com.

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Frequently Asked Questions, continued

Frequently Asked Questions
Can I teach “CrossFit” classes with a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certificate?
If you are teaching at a licensed affiliate, you may teach CrossFit® classes and
advertise that you are a CF-L1 at that affiliate. If you are not at a licensed
affiliate, such as at a commercial gym, you cannot use the CrossFit® brand
name in any way to advertise your classes.
If I am a CF-L1, can I advertise or market training similar to CrossFit without
using the CrossFit® name?
As a CF-L1, you may use the CrossFit® methodology and you may train
people on your own, but only affiliation entitles you to use the CrossFit®
trademark (and other CrossFit, Inc. protected intellectual property) to
describe your own programming and advertise your services as “CrossFit.”
To learn more about becoming a licensed affiliate, visit CrossFit.com.
If I am a CF-L1, can I tell my clients we are doing “CrossFit” without advertising it
in any written or marketing materials?
No. Word-of-mouth marketing of CrossFit® training is not permitted without
first becoming an affiliate. As a CF-L1, you may use the CrossFit® methodology and you may train people on your own, but only affiliation entitles you
to use the CrossFit® trademark to describe your own programming, even
by word of mouth.
If I hold a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certificate but do not work at an affiliate, how
can I promote that I do CrossFit® training without opening a gym?
A personal trainer with a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certificate who trains clients
in non-affiliate locations (e.g., at their homes, commercial gyms) cannot
use the CrossFit® trademark without becoming an affiliate. See above.
However, as outlined in the Agreement, a CF-L1 may state their credential
on a business card, resume, or trainer biography.
Can I call myself a “Certified” CrossFit Trainer?
No. This terminology is reserved for CrossFit Level 3 trainers and above. The
correct terminology to describe your certificate is “CrossFit Level 1 Trainer”
or “CF-L1 Trainer.”
What does obtaining a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certificate afford an individual
beyond a designation?
Your status as a CF-L1 means you will be listed in the CrossFit Trainer
Directory, an online database for the public to locate licensed CrossFit®
trainers. The CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certificate also is a prerequisite for
trainers to earn Specialty Course designations in the CrossFit Trainer
Directory (e.g., “CrossFit Gymnastics Certificate”).

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Frequently Asked Questions, continued

What does obtaining a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certificate afford an individual
for furthering his or her education?
The CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certificate is a prerequisite for more advanced
courses offered by CrossFit, Inc., including the CrossFit® Level 2 Certificate
Course, and obtaining Specialty Course designations (e.g., “CrossFit
Weightlifting Certificate”).
What else am I required to do under the Agreement?
We require all CF-L1s to uphold the highest standards of ethics and
behavior; actions that reflect unfavorably on CrossFit, Inc. constitute a
breach of the Agreement.
How do I contact CrossFit, Inc. if I suspect other CF-L1s are misusing the CrossFit®
brand name?
Please fill out the reporting form at iptheft.crossfit.com. Our legal department
aggressively pursues any unlicensed use of the CrossFit® brand name and
CrossFit® copyrighted material everywhere in the world.

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CrossFit Credentials, continued

CrossFit Credentials

CERTIFIED
LEVEL 4 COACH
(CF-L4)

PREREQUISITES:
CF-L3

OBTAIN:

Pass performance evaluation

MAINTAIN:

Keep CF-L3 active

CERTIFIED
LEVEL 3 TRAINER
(CF-L3)

MAINTAIN:

PREREQUISITES:

CF-L1
CF-L2
Pass the
-accredited
CCFT examination

Every 3 years: acquire 50 CEUs
+ 300 CrossFit training hours,
current CPR/AED

LEVEL 2 TRAINER *
PREREQUISITES:

(CF-L2)

Current CF-L1
50 hours training others
in CrossFit (recommended)
Completion of the
Online Scaling Course
(recommended)

OBTAIN:

100% participation in
Level 2 Certificate Course
Pass exam
(effective January 2018)

MAINTAIN:

Every 5 years:
Re-attend & pass exam

* FO RM ERLY COACH’S PREP COURSE

LEVEL 1 TRAINER
(CF-L1)

PREREQUISITES:
None

OBTAIN:

100% participation in
Level 1 Certificate Course
Pass exam

MAINTAIN:

Every 5 years:
Re-attend & pass exam

Visit CrossFit.com to learn more about CrossFit’s credentials.

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MOVEMENT GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit



Nine Foundational Movements Summary
Effective coaching can be measured as a trainer’s capacity in six areas: teaching,
seeing, correcting, group management, presence and attitude, and demonstration. This section helps participants learn the fundamentals of the first three:
teaching, seeing, and correcting the nine foundational movements of the Level 1
Certificate Course.
The nine foundational movements of the Level 1 Course are:
• The Air Squat
• The Front Squat
• The Overhead Squat
• The Shoulder Press
• The Push Press
• The Push Jerk
• The Deadlift
• The Sumo Deadlift High Pull
• The Medicine-Ball Clean
Teaching requires knowing the necessary points of performance for proper
execution, including set-up and finish positions. Seeing builds on this knowledge
by requiring the trainer to assess these points of performance (and deviation from
them) in real time. Correcting is the ability to improve a client’s mechanics to better
adhere to the points of performance.
Each movement has at least two sections: 1) Points of Performance; and 2) Common
Faults and Corrections. Where applicable, some movements also have a third
section: 3) Teaching Progression. These progressions break complex movements
down into simple steps that focus on developing the primary points of performance in the full movement.
This section is not meant to serve as an exhaustive resource of all the knowledge,
teaching progressions, or possible corrections when coaching movements. Rather,
it is a sufficient introductory guide to support the development of new trainers.

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The Air Squat, continued

MOVIE

THE AIR SQUAT

The air squat is the cornerstone movement of CrossFit and is foundational to the front squat and
overhead squat. The air squat raises one’s center of mass from a seated to standing position.

1. SET-UP
• Shoulder-width stance.

2. EXECUTION
• Hips descend back and down.
• Lumbar curve maintained.
• Knees in line with toes.

3. FINISH
• Hips descend lower than knees.
• Heels down.

• Complete at full
hip and knee
extension.

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The Air Squat, continued

THE AIR SQUAT COMMON FAULTS AND CORRECTIONS

(A)

FAULT:
• Loss of a neutral position due
to flexion in lumbar spine.

CORRECTIONS:
• Cue the athlete to lift the chest.
• Have the athlete raise the arms as he or she
descends to the bottom of the squat. (A)

(B)

FAULT:
• Weight on toes or
shifting to toes.

(C)

CORRECTIONS:
• Have the athlete exaggerate weight on the
heels by lifting the toes slightly throughout the
entire movement. (B)
• Give a tactile cue to push the hips back and down. (C)

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The Air Squat, continued

(D)

FAULT:
• Not going low enough.

CORRECTIONS:
• Cue “Lower!” and do not relent.
• Have the athlete squat to a target that
places the hip crease lower than the knee to
develop awareness of depth. (D)

(E)

FAULT:
• Improper line of action: hips
do not travel back, knees
move excessively forward
placing weight on the toes.

CORRECTIONS:
• Give a tactile cue to push the hips back
and down.
• Block the knees' forward travel with the hand
at the initiation of the descent to encourage
movement of the hips. (E)

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The Air Squat, continued

(F)

FAULT:
• Knees not tracking in line with
toes, which usually causes them
to roll inside the feet.

CORRECTIONS:
• Cue “Push your knees out” or “Spread
the ground apart with your feet.”
• Use a target on the outside of the
knee for the athlete to reach. (F)

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The Air Squat, continued

FAULT:
• Multiple-fault squat: Inability to
¡¡ Maintain lumbar curve;
¡¡ Keep weight on the heels;
¡¡ Keep the knees tracking in line
with the feet; and
¡¡

FAULT:
• Immature squat: All points of
performance are maintained
but the athlete has to cantilever
forward excessively onto the
quads to maintain balance.

Get to depth all at the same time.

CORRECTION:
• Squat Therapy: Set the athlete facing a wall or racked bar with a target at
depth. Set him or her in the proper stance, with heels to the box, chest close to
wall. Have the athlete squat to the box slowly, maintaining control and weight
on the heels.

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The Front Squat, continued

MOVIE

THE FRONT SQUAT
The points of performance, common faults, and corrections carry over from the air squat.
The new element of the front squat is the addition of a loaded barbell to the front of the
body. The barbell is supported by the torso in the front-rack position.

1. SET-UP
• Shoulder-width stance.
• Loose fingertip grip on the bar.

• Hands just outside shoulders.
• Elbows high (upper arm parallel to the ground).

2. EXECUTION
• Hips descend back and down.
• Lumbar curve maintained.
• Knees in line with toes.

3. FINISH
• Hips descend lower than knees.
• Heels down.

• Complete at full
hip and knee
extension.
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The Front Squat, continued

THE FRONT SQUAT COMMON FAULTS AND CORRECTIONS
All faults and corrections from the air squat apply to this movement, plus the following:

(A)

FAULT:
• Improper rack position where the bar
is not in contact with the torso.

CORRECTIONS:
• Ensure the athlete has an open grip and the bar
is resting on the fingertips.
• Cue “Elbows high!”
• Manually adjust the rack position. (A)

(B)

FAULT:
• Elbows drop during the squat.

CORRECTIONS:
• Encourage the athlete to move their elbows
away from the trainer’s hands. (B)
• Cue “Elbows up!” and encourage athlete to lift
the chest.

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The Overhead Squat, continued

MOVIE

THE OVERHEAD SQUAT
The points of performance, common faults, and corrections carry over from the air squat.
The new element in the overhead squat is a load added in the overhead position.

1. SET-UP
• Shoulder-width stance.
• Shoulders push up into the bar.
• Arms extended.

• Wide grip on the bar (wide enough
to perform a pass-through).
• Armpits face forward.

2. EXECUTION
• Hips descend back and down.
• Knees in line with toes.
• Lumbar curve maintained.

3. FINISH
• Hips descend lower than knees.
• Heels down.
• Bar moves over the middle of
the foot.

• Complete at full
hip and knee
extension.
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The Overhead Squat, continued

THE OVERHEAD SQUAT COMMON FAULTS AND CORRECTIONS
All faults and corrections from the air squat apply to this movement, plus the following:

(A)

FAULT:
• Inactive overhead position due to flexed
elbows and/or inactive shoulders.

CORRECTIONS:
• Cue athlete to press the bar up.
• Use a tactile cue to push the elbows straight,
shoulders up, and armpits forward. (A)

FAULT:
• Bar moves forward of the frontal plane.

CORRECTION:
• Cue the athlete to press the bar up and pull
it back over midfoot or slightly behind the
frontal plane.

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Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Shoulder Press, continued

THE SHOULDER PRESS

MOVIE

The shoulder press is foundational to all the overhead lifts. The key elements of this lift are a neutral
spine, straight bar path and correct overhead position.

1. SET-UP
• Hip-width stance.
• Elbows slightly in front of
the bar.

• Hands just outside shoulders.
• Full grip on the bar.
• Bar rests on torso.

2. EXECUTION
• Spine neutral and legs extended.
• Heels down.

3. FINISH
• Bar moves over the middle
of the foot.
• Shoulders push up into the bar.

• Complete at full
arm extension.

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The Shoulder Press, continued

THE SHOULDER PRESS COMMON FAULTS AND CORRECTIONS

(A)
FAULT:
• Overextending the spine
with the ribs sticking out.

CORRECTIONS:
• Have the athlete tighten the abdominals by pulling the rib
cage down (be sure to check the overhead position again
after this fix). (A)
• Have the athlete use a slightly wider grip if needed, until
flexibility improves.

(B)
FAULT:
• Bar finishes forward of
frontal plane.

CORRECTIONS:
• Cue the athlete to press up and pull back on the bar as it
travels overhead.
• Use a tactile cue and gently push the bar back into the
correct position. (B)
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The Shoulder Press, continued

FAULT:
• Elbows are bent or shoulders are not active.

CORRECTION:
• Cue “Press up!” and use a tactile cue to lock
out the elbows and push the shoulders up.

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The Shoulder Press, continued

FAULT:
• Bar arcs out around the face instead of moving straight up and following the frontal plane.

(C)

CORRECTIONS:
• Cue the athlete to pull the head back and out of the way of the bar.
• Check that elbows are not too low in the set-up.
• Block the forward travel of the bar with another object, such as a piece of PVC. (C)

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The Push Press, continued

MOVIE

THE PUSH PRESS

The push press builds on the shoulder press. The set-up, bar path and spinal and overhead positions
are the same as in the shoulder press. Unique to the push press is a vertical dip of the torso followed
by a rapid extension of the hips, which adds velocity to the movement.

1. SET-UP
• Hip-width stance.
• Elbows slightly in front of
the bar.

• Hands just outside shoulders.
• Full grip on the bar.
• Bar rests on torso.

2. EXECUTION
• Torso remains vertical as hips
and knees flex in the dip.
• Hips and legs extend, then
arms press.

3. FINISH
• Heels remain down until hips
and knees extend.
• Bar moves over the middle of
the foot.

• Complete
at full hip,
knee, and arm
extension.

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The Push Press, continued

THE PUSH PRESS TEACHING PROGRESSION

STEP 1:
• Dip and hold.

STEP 2:
• Dip-drive, slow.
STEP 3:
• Dip-drive, fast.

STEP 4:
• Full push press.

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The Push Press, continued

THE PUSH PRESS COMMON FAULTS AND CORRECTIONS

(A)

FAULT:
• Forward inclination
of the chest during
the dip.

(B)

CORRECTIONS:
• Have the athlete hold the dip. Manually adjust him or her to an
upright position. (A)
• Cue a shorter dip.
• Cue “Knees forward."
• Stand in front of athlete to prevent the chest from coming forward.
• Dip Therapy: Have the athlete stand against a target with hips
and shoulder blades touching the target (heels slightly away).
Then have the athlete dip and drive while keeping the hips and
shoulders in contact with the target. (B)

(C)
FAULT:
• Muted hips: hips push
forward during the dip.

CORRECTIONS:
• Use a tactile cue to help the athlete create flexion of
the hip in the dip. (C)
• Cue “Push the hips back slightly.”
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The Push Press, continued

FAULT:
• Pressing early: press begins before the hip extends.

(D)
CORRECTIONS:
• Take the athlete back in the teaching progression (p. 185) to perform two dip-drives before
adding the press.
• Place your hand at the top of the athlete’s head when fully standing; keep it at that height
and then ask the athlete to hit your hand during the drive before pressing. (D)

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The Push Jerk, continued

MOVIE

THE PUSH JERK

The push jerk builds on both the shoulder press and push press. The set-up, bar path and spinal and
overhead positions are the same, as are the dip and drive. Unique to the push jerk is the press under
the bar. After extension of the hip, the athlete presses against the bar and receives the lift in a partial
overhead squat before standing to finish the lift.

1. SET-UP
• Hip-width stance.
• Elbows slightly in front of
the bar.

• Hands just outside shoulders.
• Full grip on the bar.
• Bar rests on torso.

2. EXECUTION
• Bar rests on torso.
• Torso remains vertical as hips
and knees flex in the dip.

3. FINISH
• Heels stay down until hips
and knees extend.
• Hips and knees extend
rapidly, then arms press to
drive under the bar.

• Complete at full
hip, knee, and arm
extension.

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The Push Jerk, continued

THE PUSH JERK TEACHING PROGRESSION

STEP 1:
• Jump and land with hands at sides. Stick the landing before standing.

STEP 2:
• Jump and land with hands at shoulders. Stick the landing before standing.

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The Push Jerk, continued

STEP 3:
• Jump and extend the arms after the hip opens. Stick the landing before standing with
arms overhead.

STEP 4:
• With the PVC in hands, complete the full push jerk.

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The Push Jerk, continued

THE PUSH JERK COMMON FAULTS AND CORRECTIONS
All faults and corrections from the shoulder press and push press apply to this movement,
plus the following:

FAULT:
• Lack of full hip extension.

(A)

CORRECTIONS:
• Cue “Jump higher.”
• Place your hand at the top of the athlete’s head when fully standing; keep it at that height
and then ask the athlete to hit your hand during the drive. (A)
• Take the athlete back to steps 1-3 of the teaching progression (pp. 189–190). Have the
athlete focus on reaching hip extension before moving on to the next step.
• Encourage the athlete to squeeze the glutes and quads before pressing under.
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The Push Jerk, continued

FAULT:
• Poor/inactive overhead position (particularly when receiving the bar).

CORRECTION:
• Cue the athlete to press up on the bar while in the receiving position, before standing
to extension.

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The Push Jerk, continued

FAULT:
• Lowering the bar before standing all the way up.

(B)

CORRECTIONS:
• Cue the athlete to keep the bar overhead until hips and knees are fully extended.
• Use a tactile cue: hold your hand over the athlete’s head and instruct him or her to hit the
hand before lowering the bar. (B)

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The Deadlift, continued

MOVIE

THE DEADLIFT

The deadlift is foundational to all pulling lifts. For proper execution of the deadlift, the spine should
be neutral at all times and the object should be kept close to the frontal plane throughout the
range of motion.

1. SET-UP
• Hip-to-shoulder-width stance.
• Hands just outside hips.
• Eyes on the horizon.

• Full grip on the bar.
• Shoulders slightly in front of or over the bar.
• Arms straight and bar in contact with the shins.

2. EXECUTION
•
•
•
•
•

Lumbar curve maintained.
Hips and shoulders rise at the same rate until the bar passes the knee.
Hips then open.
Bar moves over the middle of the foot.
Heels down.

3. FINISH
• Complete at full
hip and knee
extension.  

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The Deadlift, continued

THE DEADLIFT COMMON FAULTS AND CORRECTIONS

(A)

FAULT:
• Loss of lumbar curve due to
flexion of the spine.

CORRECTIONS:
• Abort current lift and decrease the load to where the lumbar
curve can be maintained.
• At a lower weight, cue the athlete to “lift the chest” and do
not relent. (A)

FAULT:
• Weight on, or shifting, to
toes.

CORRECTION:
• Have the athlete pull the hips back and settle on the
heels. Have him or her focus on driving through heels.

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The Deadlift, continued

FAULT:
• Shoulders behind bar in
set-up.

CORRECTION:
• Raise the hips to move the shoulders over, or slightly in
front of, the bar.

FAULT:
• Hips too high in set-up.

CORRECTION:
• Lower the hips to move the shoulders over, or slightly
in front of, the bar.

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The Deadlift, continued

FAULT:
• Hips do not move back to initiate the descent.

CORRECTION:
• Cue the athlete to initiate the return by pushing the hips back and delaying the knee bend
until the bar passes below the knees.

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The Deadlift, continued

FAULT:
• Bar loses contact with legs.

(B)

CORRECTIONS:
• Cue “Pull the bar in to your legs the whole time.”
• Use a tactile cue to help engage the upper back. (B)

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The Deadlift, continued

FAULT:
• Hips rise before the chest (stiff-legged deadlift).

(C)
CORRECTIONS:
• Cue “Lift your chest more aggressively.”
• Give a tactile cue at the hips and shoulders so they rise in unison. (C)

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The Deadlift, continued

FAULT:
• Shoulders rise without the hips. Bar travels around the knees instead of straight up.

(D)

CORRECTIONS:
• Cue “Push the knees back as your chest rises.”
• Be sure the athlete is set up correctly and that the hips are not too low.
• Give a tactile cue at the hips and shoulders so they rise in unison. (D)

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Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Sumo Deadlift High Pull, continued

MOVIE

THE SUMO DEADLIFT HIGH PULL

The sumo deadlift high pull builds on the deadlift but uses a wider stance and a narrower grip. The
sumo deadlift high pull also adds velocity and range of motion. This movement is a good example
of a core-to-extremity movement: the bar is accelerated by the hips and legs before the arms are
engaged to finish the pull.

1. SET-UP
• Slightly wider than shoulder-width stance.
• Hands inside legs with a full grip on the bar.
• Shoulders slightly in front of or over the bar.

• Knees in line with toes.
• Arms straight and bar in contact with the shins.
• Eyes on the horizon.

2. EXECUTION
• Lumbar curve maintained.
• Hips and shoulders rise at the
same rate until the bar passes
the knee.
• Hips then extend rapidly.
• Heels down until hips and
legs extend.

3. FINISH
• Shoulders shrug, then the
arms pull.
• Elbows move high and outside.
• Bar moves over the middle of
the foot.

• Complete at full
hip and knee
extension with the
bar pulled under
the chin.  

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The Sumo Deadlift High Pull, continued

THE SUMO DEADLIFT HIGH PULL TEACHING PROGRESSION

STEP 1:
• Sumo deadlift.

STEP 2:
• Sumo deadlift-shrug, slow.
STEP 3:
• Sumo deadlift-shrug, fast.

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The Sumo Deadlift High Pull, continued

STEP 4:
• Full sumo deadlift high pull.

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The Sumo Deadlift High Pull, continued

THE SUMO DEADLIFT HIGH PULL COMMON FAULTS AND CORRECTIONS
All faults and corrections from the deadlift apply to this movement, plus the following:

FAULT:
• Pulling early: the shoulders shrug or the arms bend before the hips are completely extended.

(A)

CORRECTIONS:
• Take the athlete back in the teaching progression (pp. 202–203) to work the deadlift-shrug
at a speed that allows correct timing. Once the deadlift-shrug is correct at speed, try two
deadlift-shrugs for every one full sumo deadlift high pull.
• Give a tactile cue to have the athlete hit your hands with his or her shoulders before pulling
with the arms. (A)
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The Sumo Deadlift High Pull, continued

(B)

FAULT:
• Athlete pulls with the elbows low
and inside.

CORRECTIONS:
• Cue “Elbows high!”
• Give a tactile cue to have the athlete
hit your hands where his or her elbows
should finish. (B)

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The Sumo Deadlift High Pull, continued

FAULT:
• Incorrect descent (hips flex before the arms extend).

CORRECTION:
• Slow down the movement and have the athlete practice the return in a segmented fashion
by extending the arms first before re-introducing speed.

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The Sumo Deadlift High Pull, continued

FAULT:
• Shoulders rolling forward in the set-up or during the pull.

(C)

CORRECTIONS:
• Correct the position in the set-up or at the top of the pull. (C)
• Widen the grip and/or reduce the range of motion so the shoulders remain in the proper
position.

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The Medicine-Ball Clean, continued

MOVIE

THE MEDICINE-BALL CLEAN

The medicine-ball clean builds on the deadlift and the sumo deadlift high pull. Unique to the medicine-ball clean is the pull-under, which allows the athlete to bring the object to a position of support
(the front-rack position).

1. SET-UP
• Shoulder-width stance.
• Ball between the feet with palms
on the ball.

• Knees in line with toes.
• Shoulders over the ball.
• Eyes on the horizon.

2. EXECUTION
• Lumbar curve maintained.
• Hips extend rapidly.
• Shoulders then shrug.

3. FINISH
• Heels down until the hips and
knees extend.
• Arms then pull under to the
bottom of the squat.
• Ball stays close to the body.

• Complete at full
hip and knee
extension with
the ball at the
rack position.

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The Medicine-Ball Clean, continued

THE MEDICINE-BALL CLEAN TEACHING PROGRESSION

STEP 1:
• Deadlift.

STEP 2:
• Deadlift-shrug, fast.

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The Medicine-Ball Clean, continued

STEP 3:
• Front squat.

STEP 4:
• Pull-under.

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The Medicine-Ball Clean, continued

STEP 5:
• Full medicine-ball clean.

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The Medicine-Ball Clean, continued

THE MEDICINE-BALL CLEAN COMMON FAULTS AND CORRECTIONS

FAULT:
• Lack of full hip extension.

(A)

CORRECTIONS:
• Take athlete back to the teaching progression (pp. 209–211), and have him or her do two
deadlift-shrugs for every one medicine-ball clean.
• Give a tactile cue to have the athlete hit your hand with his or her head before pulling
under the ball. (A)

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The Medicine-Ball Clean, continued

FAULT:
• Curling the ball.

(B)
CORRECTIONS:
• Stand in front of the athlete to block him or her from curling (can also use a wall). (B)
• Cue “Elbows high and outside!”

CORRECTION:
• Require the athlete to keep the laces (or any markings) of the ball facing out for the entire movement.
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The Medicine-Ball Clean, continued

FAULT:
• Collapsing in the
receiving position.

CORRECTION:
• Take the athlete back to the teaching progression
(pp. 209–211) and have him or her practice the pull-under
with sound front squat mechanics.

CORRECTION:
• Cue the athlete to lift the chest in the front squat.

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The Medicine-Ball Clean, continued

FAULT:
• Receiving too high.

(C)
CORRECTIONS:
• Hold the ball at the peak of the shrug and let the athlete practice the pull-under without
moving the ball higher. (C)
• Take athlete back to the teaching progression (pp. 209–211) and have him or her practice
the pull-under. Have him or her do two pull-unders for every one medicine-ball clean.

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The Medicine-Ball Clean, continued

FAULT:
• Tossing or flicking the medicine ball up
without pulling under.

CORRECTION:
• Have the athlete hold the ball without
the fingers, using palms or fists only.

CORRECTION:
• Hold ball at the peak of the shrug and let athlete practice the pull-under to feel the rotation
of the hands.

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The Medicine-Ball Clean, continued

FAULT:
• Not standing up before lowering the weight.

(D)

CORRECTIONS:
• Give a tactile cue to have the athlete keep the ball at the chest until his or her shoulder
contacts a target. (D)
• Cue the athlete to stand all the way up before lowering the ball from the chest.

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Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit



Four Additional Movements Summary
“The most important
criterion for
exercise selection is
neuroendocrine effect.
Regardless of your
sport or your fitness
goals, these moves are
the shortest path to
success.”

The four additional movements of the Level 1 Course are:
• The Pull-up
• The Thruster
• The Muscle-up
• The Snatch
As in the instructions for the nine foundational movements, each movement has
three sections: 1) Points of Performance; 2) Common Faults and Corrections; and
3) Teaching Progression.
We teach these movements at the Level 1 Course to improve participants’ mechanics
and also to provide a teaching method for more complicated movements.

—COACH GLASSMAN

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The Pull-up, continued

MOVIE

THE PULL-UP

The kipping pull-up is CrossFit’s default pull-up. It allows the athlete to accomplish more work
in less time (higher power) due to the hips assisting the upper-body pull. CrossFit recommends
athletes have at least one strict pull-up before performing kipping pull-ups.

1. SET-UP

2. EXECUTION

• Hands just outside
shoulder width.
• Hang with arms
extended.

• Initiate kip swing with the shoulders.
• As feet swing forward, push bar straight down with the arms.
• Chest stays up with the eyes forward.

EXECUTION, CONTINUED
• Pull until chin is higher than the bar.
• Push away from the bar to begin the descent.

• Return to full extension to begin the
next repetition.

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The Pull-up, continued

THE PULL-UP TEACHING PROGRESSION

STEP 1:
• Kip swings.

STEP 2:
• Two kip swings and a kip.
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The Pull-up, continued

STEP 3:
• Two kip swings and a pull-up.

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The Pull-up, continued

STEP 4:
• Two kip swings, a pull-up, and two kip swings.
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The Pull-up, continued

STEP 5:
• Multiple pull-ups without additional swings.

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The Pull-up, continued

THE PULL-UP COMMON FAULTS AND CORRECTIONS

FAULT:
• Initiating the swing with the legs.

CORRECTION:
• Have the athlete go back in the progression (pp. 220–223) to the kip swing and initiate the
movement from the shoulders.

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The Pull-up, continued

FAULT:
• Not pushing away after clearing the bar, sending the athlete straight down instead of
following the arc of the kip swing.

(A)

CORRECTIONS:
• Have the athlete pause at the top of the pull-up, focusing on pushing away from the bar.
• Have the athlete perform two kip swings in between each pull-up, practicing a sound return.
• Give the athlete a target at the back to encourage him or her to push away. (A)

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The Pull-up, continued

FAULT:
• Losing midline stabilization by overextending the spine or exaggerating the swing.

(B)

CORRECTIONS:
• Have the athlete work on the kip swing in a tighter position by keeping the legs together
and the knees straight.
• Have the athlete put a towel between his or her feet to encourage a tight body position. (B)

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The Thruster, continued

MOVIE

THE THRUSTER

The thruster combines the front squat and push press in a single movement. Unlike the loose fingertip
grip used in the front squat, the thruster requires a full grip on the bar and a lower elbow position.
The athlete must move in a core-to-extremity movement pattern by extending the hip then pressing.

1. SET-UP
• Elbows in front of the bar.
• Bar rests on front rack.

• Hands just outside shoulders.
• Full grip on the bar.
• Shoulder-width stance.

2. EXECUTION
•
•
•
•
•

Hips descend back and down.
Hips descend lower than knees.
Lumbar curve maintained.
Knees in line with toes.
Elbows stay off knees.

3. FINISH
• Hips and knees extend rapidly,
then arms press.
• Heels down until hips and
knees extend.
• Bar moves over the middle
of the foot.

• Complete at full
hip, knee and arm
extension.

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The Thruster, continued

THE THRUSTER TEACHING PROGRESSION

STEP 1:
• Front squat.

STEP 2:
• Push press (wide stance).

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The Thruster, continued

STEP 3:
• Thruster (pausing at reset).

STEP 4:
• Multiple thrusters (no pausing at any point in the movement).

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The Thruster, continued

THE THRUSTER COMMON FAULTS AND CORRECTIONS
Most faults and fixes from the front squat and push press apply to this movement,
plus the following:

FAULT:
• Pressing the bar before extending the hips.

CORRECTION:
• Use a tactile cue and instruct the athlete to hit the hand before pressing.

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Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Thruster, continued

FAULT:
• Descending into the squat before the bar is in the rack position.

CORRECTION:
• Take the athlete back in the progression (pp. 228–229) and have him or her pause at the
rack position before squatting.
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MOVEMENT GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Muscle-up, continued

MOVIE

THE MUSCLE-UP

The muscle-up combines the pull-up and dip into one movement. The athlete pulls from a hang to a
position of support, in this case above the rings. The false grip and the positioning of the rings during
the transition are the keys to linking the pull-up and dip. Due to the dynamic nature of the rings,
CrossFit recommends athletes achieve a strict muscle-up before attempting kipping muscle-ups.

1. SET-UP
• Rings set approximately shoulder width apart.
• False grip on the rings.
• Hang with arms extended.

2. EXECUTION

3. FINISH

• Pull rings to sternum as torso leans back.
• Move the chest over the rings; hands and elbows stay close to
body.

• Complete at full arm
extension in support
position.
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MOVEMENT GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Muscle-up, continued

THE MUSCLE-UP TEACHING PROGRESSION

STEP 1:
• Ring support.

STEP 2:
• Ring dip.

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MOVEMENT GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Muscle-up, continued

STEP 3:
• False grip.

STEP 4:
• Kneeling muscle-ups. Raise the rings or move the feet further in front of the athlete to
increase the challenge.

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MOVEMENT GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Muscle-up, continued

STEP 5
• Muscle-up.

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MOVEMENT GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Muscle-up, continued

THE MUSCLE-UP COMMON FAULTS AND CORRECTIONS

FAULT:
• Losing the false grip.

(A)

CORRECTIONS:
• Ensure the false grip is set before beginning a repetition. (A)
• Allow the athlete to use bent arms as he or she continues to develop the strength to hold the false
grip with extended elbows.

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MOVEMENT GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Muscle-up, continued

FAULT:
• Keeping the body too vertical in the pull so that the rings will not be in a position for an
efficient transition.

CORRECTION:
• Lean back so the rings can be pulled to the chest.

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MOVEMENT GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Muscle-up, continued

FAULT:
• Letting the elbows flare during the pull or transition.

CORRECTION:
• Have the athlete keep the elbows close to the ribcage throughout the movement.

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MOVEMENT GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Muscle-up, continued

FAULT:
• Not pulling the rings low enough before beginning the transition.

(B)

CORRECTIONS:
• Cue the athlete to lean back and pull the rings to the sternum before beginning
the transition.
• Have the athlete go back in the progression (pp. 233–235) to the kneeling muscle-up
drill, selecting a ring height that is challenging. (B)

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MOVEMENT GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Snatch, continued

MOVIE

THE SNATCH

The snatch—the world’s fastest lift—moves the barbell from the ground to overhead in one
movement. Its complexity brings great benefit to CrossFit athletes.

1. SET-UP
• Hip-width stance.
• Hands wide enough that bar rests in crease of hips when knees
and hips are extended.
• Hook grip on the bar.
• Shoulders slightly in front of the bar.
• Eyes on the horizon.

2. EXECUTION
• Lumbar curve maintained.
• Hips and shoulders rise at the same rate.
• Hips then extend rapidly.

• Heels down until hips and knees extend.
• Shoulders shrug, followed by a pull-under
with the arms.

EXECUTION, CONTINUED

3. FINISH

• Bar is received at the bottom of an overhead squat.

• Complete at full hip,
knee and arm extension
with the bar over the
middle of the foot.
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MOVEMENT GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Snatch, continued

THE SNATCH TEACHING PROGRESSION

STEP 1:
• Deadlift to mid-thigh.

STEP 2:
• Deadlift-shrug.

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Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Snatch, continued

STEP 3:
• Muscle snatch.

STEP 4:
• Overhead squat.

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MOVEMENT GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Snatch, continued

STEP 5:
• Hang snatch.

STEP 6:
• Snatch.

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MOVEMENT GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Snatch, continued

THE SNATCH COMMON FAULTS AND CORRECTIONS
Most faults and fixes from the deadlift, sumo deadlift high pull, and medicine-ball clean apply to
this movement, plus the following:

FAULT:
• Lack of hip extension.

(A)
CORRECTIONS:
• Cue “Jump higher!”
• Place your hand at the top of the athlete’s head when he or she is fully standing; keep it at
that height and then ask the athlete to hit your hand during the drive. (A)
• Have the athlete perform two snatch deadlift-shrugs for every one snatch.

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MOVEMENT GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Snatch, continued

FAULT:
• Not moving the elbows high and outside or moving the bar around the body.

(B)
CORRECTIONS:
• If the athlete is using PVC, use a tactile cue to prevent him or her from swinging the bar out
in front. (B)
• Cue “Elbows high and outside!”
• Cue the athlete to brush his or her shirt with the PVC/barbell.

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MOVEMENT GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Snatch, continued

FAULT:
• Shoulders rise without the hips.

(C)

CORRECTIONS:
• Cue “Push the knees back as your chest rises.”
• Be sure the athlete is set up correctly and the hips are not too low.
• Give a tactile cue at the hips and shoulders to have them lift in unison. (C)

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MOVEMENT GUIDE

Level 1 Training Guide | CrossFit

The Snatch, continued

FAULT:
• Hips rise without the shoulders.

(D)

CORRECTIONS:
• Cue “Keep the chest lifted as you straighten your legs.”
• Be sure the athlete is set up correctly and the hips are not too high.
• Give a tactile cue at the hips and shoulders to have them lift in unison. (D)

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Copyright © 2002–2017 CrossFit, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. CrossFit is a registered trademark of CrossFit, Inc.



---

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