10 General Physical Skills

In CrossFit, we are training to develop a broad, general and inclusive fitness.  We work to develop competency across 10 General Physical Skills.  These skills are:

• Cardiorespiratory Endurance: The ability of body systems to gather, process, and deliver oxygen.
• Stamina: The ability of body systems to process, and deliver, store, and utilize energy.
• Strength: The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply force.
• Flexibility: The ability to maximize the range of motion at a given joint.
• Power: The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply force in minimum time.
• Speed: The ability to minimize the time cycle of a repeated movement.
• Coordination: The ability to combine several distinct movements patterns into a singular distinct movement.
• Agility: The ability to minimize transition time from one movement pattern to another.
• Balance: The ability to control the placement of the bodies center of gravity in relation to its support base.
• Accuracy: The ability to control movement in a given direction or at a given intensity.

Gymnastics, Weightlifting, Monostructural/Cardio

CrossFit seeks to develop competency in 10 general physical skills, using a variety of modes of exercise types (you may hear these called “modal domains”)  Everything we do in the gym can be categorized into one of three modal domains.

• Gymnastics: Moving your own body in space.  Think: air squats, pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, dips, ring dips, handstands, muscle-ups
• Weightlifting: Moving an external object in space. Think: barbells, kettlebells, sandbags, sleds, medicine balls, dumbbells
• Monostructural Cardio: Repetitive, cyclical movements.  Think: running, rowing, swimming, cycling, “cardio” in the traditional sense.

Time Domains

Not only do we want you to be competent across a lot of different types of physical activity, we want you to be competent across a wide range of time domains as well. Think short, medium and long duration workouts. You’re not just a sprinter, and you’re not just a long-distance runner. You can run a 100 meter sprint and sign up for a 5K and do pretty well in each because you’re fitness is well-rounded.  Read more about energy systems here.

Increased Work Capacity

The goal of CrossFit’s training methodology is “increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains.” This means that your fitness, or your ability and capacity to “do work” is increasing not just in one aspect (long distance running, or heavy back squats), but across all the different types of exercise and across various lengths of workouts.

Observable, Measurable, Repeatable

CrossFit by nature is empirical; it’s data driven.  You will know you are getting better because we have the data to back it up.  We can observe you performing a movement or workout to a particular standard, measure the outcome (load, distance, time) and then attempt the movement or workout again after a training cycle and see how you have improved.  There is no guess work because we are taking a scientific approach.

If you can do the same amount of work in less time, you are more fit!

Or if you can do more work in the same amount of time, you are more fit!

Training Journals

We strongly encourage you to take ownership of your fitness by recording your training in your composition notebook.  Every day record your times, the weight you used, your maxes and your personal records (PRs!) Also record how you are sleeping, mental state, and your energy levels.  This will give you a great idea of all the factors influencing your improvement and overall health and well being.