What Is CrossFit?

Chances are you know someone who does CrossFit. Whether they are the co-worker who constantly talks about his WOD, the old college friend who suddenly has Michelle Obama-arms or your neighbor who does burpees in his driveway, it's hard to deny that this fitness trend is here to stay. What is it? CrossFit is a program developed to offer a full-body workout that combines elements of cardio, weight lifting, gymnastics, core training and more to prepare the body for the unexpected. According to the CrossFit website: "CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide." This high-intensity workout is extremely varied and all about getting the most bang for your workout buck. A CrossFitter will likely never do the same routine twice in one week and each workout will usually last between 45 minutes to an hour. CrossFit gyms are usually large warehouses (often referred to as the "box") which offer group classes where an individual may choose to workout anywhere between three to five times a week. CrossFit coaches either develop their own daily workout or follow the "WOD" or Workout of the Day from the CrossFit website. For example, a typical CrossFit WOD may look like this: Sample WOD: 20 Min AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) 100m Run 2 Burpees 2 Deadlifts 185lb 2 Pull-ups AMRAP means that you will do your best to complete as many rounds of this sequence as possible in the time allotted; in this case 20 minutes.