ESSENTIALS

That percentage on your workout board — 75%, 80%, whatever it says — was never meant to be gospel. It's just a starting point to get weight on the bar; the real programming happens when your coach watches you move and adjusts based on how you're actually performing that day, not what a spreadsheet calculated six weeks ago.

Starting in 2026, all CrossFit Games athletes will be required to complete a mandatory preparticipation medical exam before competing. Here's why this matters and what athletes need to know.

Fitness advice tells you to eliminate exercises as you age — first this movement, then that one, gradually restricting yourself until you're doing nothing at all. But the real risk isn't getting hurt doing a deadlift at 60; it's being 75 and unable to pick up your grandchild because you haven't practiced that pattern in 15 years.

When Kristin Savage started CrossFit 13 years ago, she had one goal: to gain weight and get stronger. But in 2024, CrossFit and nutrition proved to be the key to fighting Lupus.

The biggest risk you face as an aging athlete is not training at all. Here's why the strongest bodies are the safest bodies, and how CrossFit builds the physical capacity that protects you in the gym and in everyday life.

People call CrossFit a cult — and honestly, we get it. But if fighting disease, building real community, and staying strong enough to play with your grandkids at 80 makes us a cult, then maybe it's time to reconsider what you've been calling "normal."

Critics say CrossFit lacks progressive overload because you can't track it on a neat spreadsheet — but that's exactly the point. Constant variation creates a 10-year adaptation window where you're getting stronger, faster, and more skilled across every domain simultaneously, which is why you have athletes who can clean 400 lb and crush Fran in 2 minutes.

Pacing strategies can optimize your performance, but they can also become an excuse to avoid discomfort and make workouts easier than they should be. Every once in a while, forget the plan, rip into a workout with everything you've got, and rediscover what happens when you actually push your limits, even if it means crashing and burning.

Most fitness tests measure 10 things once a year and call it comprehensive, but what happens when they change the test, or when your real progress happens in the 47 areas they didn't measure? CrossFit tests you daily across unlimited movements, time domains, and challenges, so when any test comes, you're already ready.

It’s that time of year again! Here’s a list to kickstart your holiday shopping, with the best items for every CrossFit athlete in your life.