ESSENTIALS

In the final installment in her six-part series on the formula for the magic of CrossFit, Nicole Carroll explains how the CrossFit methodology organically shaped an ethos and formed a community that transcends the walls of the gym. "We never set out to create a community," Carroll writes. "Just like we didn’t devise our values or methods in a boardroom, that fierce sense of community and loyalty developed naturally. ... Someone might come to CrossFit because they want to try it, because they want a good workout, because they want to improve their health in some way. They aren’t necessarily looking to challenge themselves beyond their limits. But they show up, they put in the work, and the community — this human spark — keeps them coming back. In time, that community becomes something more than a bunch of good people sweating it out together. It becomes a lifeline."

CrossFit welcomes and unites people of all ages, abilities, and goals around a methodology that is accessible and effective for all. We train, persevere, and progress together. We build strong local communities that drive unparalleled progress and a deep sense of belonging.

Alex Gowers, Nuno Costa, and Todd Occhiuto complete today's skill work: Every 1:30 for 8 rounds, complete for quality: 25-ft handstand walk.

Katie Hayes is a Certified CrossFit Coach (CF-L4), a trainer on CrossFit’s Seminar Staff, a former affiliate owner, and a passionate advocate for CrossFit as a way to improve health and fitness. But prior to finding her way, Hayes underwent a transformation that changed her entire trajectory in life. 

Allie Clayton of CrossFit Soul Miami performs today's workout: For time: 10 front squats, 5 rope climbs, 10 front squats, 4 rope climbs, 10 front squats, 3 rope climbs, 10 front squats, 2 rope climbs, 10 front squats, 1 rope climbs.

“The mind is a powerful thing.” And so is a great coach.

When CrossFit arrived on the scene, commercial gyms were retail spaces filled with shiny machines. Physical training had been dumbed down to non-functional, often isolation-machine movements devoid of any skill requirement. Trainers were on hand to pass out towels and upsell memberships. They definitely weren’t needed to coach the movements their clients were doing, and they did not have the skills to teach effective ones. We changed all that.

The charter for our coaches can be summed up in a single sentence: “My competency is determined solely by my efficacy.” This means what determines how good you are is how good you are for your clients — your ability to deliver results.

Nuno Costa, Todd Occhiuto, and Alex Gowers of the CrossFit Seminar Staff perform today's workout: 21-15-9-6 reps for time of: Bike calories, Handstand push-ups.

In 2019, at 56, retinitis pigmentosa — an incurable degenerative eye disease — forced Carl Arredondo out of a beloved career of nearly 30 years. But instead of mourning what was lost, he focused on the opportunity ahead — a lesson he learned in the CrossFit gym. “CrossFit is about adapting no matter what, whether you’re in the gym or life situations,” he said.

Chris Torres (CF-L2) and Andrew Guarrasi of the New York Fire Department perform today's workout: New York Minute. Find a partner and complete as many reps as possible in 1 minute, switching every minute, until you complete: 150 wall balls, 30 muscle-ups, 30 clean and jerks.

Despite their roles as healthcare professionals, nurses suffer from an increased risk for lifestyle-related diseases; namely, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes — just like their patients. ICU nurse Olivia Tompkins’ mission is to show her peers that there’s a better way.

Olivia Tompkins, 27, is an ICU staff nurse specializing in cardiothoracic care in London, England. It’s a job that pushes physical, mental, and emotional endurance to its limits. To withstand it, it’s critical that Tompkins takes care of herself first. That’s why she does CrossFit.

The CrossFit ethos can be best understood by examining CrossFit’s prescription and the values that have very naturally developed out of it — values that have come to characterize CrossFit and the CrossFit community. These values include things like results, personal responsibility and accountability, belonging, humility, camaraderie, service, integrity and excellence, work ethic and discipline, resilience and grit, humility, and virtuosity.

The CrossFit Ethos was born out of what we do and how we do it. We say: You just have to show up and do the work and you’ll get the results. This rewards and develops work ethic and discipline. Your effort is measurable and you’re going to share your results with us, and with each other, with visible scores on the whiteboard. This fosters accountability and courage. And because it’s infinitely scalable — that is we scale to meet you where you are but we do not change programs — everyone knows the challenge you faced and you're respected and welcomed for your effort no matter who you are or where you land on the scoreboard. These are key ingredients that build genuine camaraderie and belonging.

CrossFit Education’s Senior Content Developer Stephane Rochet and Head Coach of PowerWOD Jesse Burdick discuss the evolution of powerlifting and the importance of aerobic fitness in a sport primarily focused on strength.

Max Isaak and CrossFit TILT perform today's workout: 5 rounds for time of: 50 double-unders, 50-ft single-arm overhead lunge.

Internet trolls love to point out how unnaturally masculine female CrossFit athletes look. But if a training and nutrition regimen increases one’s capacity and health, how can the resulting physique be anything but natural?

“What we practice at CrossFit is hard choices, and the result is we get a better life,” Auburn CrossFit member Dane Sanders says. It’s a practice that does not discriminate. Athletic or deconditioned, young or old, if you put in the work, you’ll get results — and you’ll be supported every step of the way. "Everyone welcomed me,” says 93-year-old Annie Holmes, who joined the affiliate at 89. “It makes you want to stay — and I did.”

Mike Giardina sits down with Bill Bowen, a six-year CrossFit athlete who started his CrossFit journey after surviving a battle with cancer and prioritizing exercise and nutrition to improve his health.