“Your work capacity across broad time and modal domains” –Greg Glassman (CrossFit)

What does that mean?

Work Capacity: the ability to perform real physical work as measured by force x distance / time (which is average power)

Broad Time Domains: Varying durations. Can range from very short time periods, such as a 1-rep max attempt, which will only last a few seconds, all the way through to endurance time periods, such as running a marathon, which could last for several hours.

Broad Modal Domains: Varying modes of movement. Can be movements performed in a structured exercise setting; squats, running, pull-ups, deadlifts. Or movements performed in daily life; carrying groceries, picking up dog food, playing golf, walking up stairs.

What brought us to these definitions?

Our view of fitness and basic exercise science.

There are three different standards, or models, for evaluating and guiding fitness.

1. The 10 general physical skills widely recognized by exercise physiologists.
2. Performance of athletic tasks.
3. The energy systems that drive all human action.
   

The 10 General Physical Skills

Performance of Athletic Tasks

“…Fitness requires an ability to perform well at all tasks, even unfamiliar tasks and tasks combined in infinitely varying combinations.”

• Encourages the athlete to not invest in any set notions of sets, rest periods, reps, exercises, order of exercises, routines, periodization, etc.

“Nature frequently provides largely unforeseeable challenges; train for that by striving to keep the training stimulus broad and constantly varied.”

The Three Pathways

There are three pathways that provide the energy needed for human life.

• “The phosphagen dominates the highest-powered activities, those that last less than about 10 seconds.
• The glycolytic, dominates moderate-powered activities, those that last up to several minutes.
• The oxidative, dominates low-powered activities, those that last in excess of several minutes.”
  

Training these three systems equally is considered effective ‘metabolic conditioning’.

The three standards are present to ensure the “broadest and most general fitness possible”.

1. Efforts against a full range of general physical adaptations.
2. Breadth and depth of performance.
3. Measure is time, power, and consequently energy systems.

“The fitness CrossFit advocates and develops is deliberately broad, general and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life rewards this kind of fitness and, on average, punishes the specialist.” -Greg Glassman (CrossFit)