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ESSENTIALS

The CrossFit stimulus—constantly varied high-intensity functional movement coupled with meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar—prepares you for the demands of a healthy, functional, independent life and provides a hedge against chronic disease and incapacity. This stimulus is elegant in the mathematical sense of being marked by simplicity and efficacy. The proven elements of this broad, general, and inclusive fitness, in terms of both movement and nutrition, are what we term our CrossFit Essentials.

A Better Way to Track Progress Than Body Fat Testing

Published on July 26, 2025

Despite months of consistent training and clean eating, your expensive DEXA scan shows your body fat percentage has actually increased, leaving you confused and discouraged. The truth is, we're obsessing over numbers that fluctuate based on hydration, timing, and other variables, while ignoring metrics that actually matter for health and fitness. Here's what really matters when it comes to body fat.

Scientific Integrity Under Fire: A Point-by-Point Refutation of Misleading CrossFit Research

Published on July 23, 2025

A recent peer-reviewed article about CrossFit appeared to offer scientific insights into training strategies; however, a closer examination reveals numerous fabricated statistics, misrepresented studies, and unsupported claims regarding injury rates. This systematic analysis exposes over a dozen factual errors that paint an unfairly negative picture of CrossFit's safety profile, echoing past controversies where false data was used to attack CrossFit’s reputation.

Scaling in CrossFit Isn't Giving Up; It's Getting Better

Published on July 19, 2025

Refusing to scale workouts isn't toughness, it's ego sabotaging your progress and setting you up for frustration, stagnation, and injury. Learn why scaling is actually the smarter path to earning those Rx workouts and achieving the results CrossFit promises. Your future self will thank you for checking your pride at the door.

The Slow Fix: How Isometric Holds and Super Slow Reps Heal Stubborn Joint Pain

Published on July 16, 2025

Minor aches and pains in your knees, elbows, and shoulders don't have to sideline your training or turn into full-blown injuries. This rehabilitation approach, utilizing isometric holds and super slow repetitions, can effectively treat persistent joint pain while building strength and capacity, helping you return to peak performance in four to six weeks.

What CrossFit Taught Me About Thinking

Published on June 28, 2025

When Mark Bell started promoting the "Sugar Diet" – a plan that involves eating only fruit, honey, and even candy – my first instinct was to dismiss it as nutritional lunacy. Sound familiar? It's the same knee-jerk reaction people have to CrossFit before they actually step into a gym. This isn't about whether the Sugar Diet works (I honestly don't know yet), but about something more important: how we evaluate ideas that challenge our beliefs. If CrossFit has taught us anything, it's that the loudest critics are often wrong, and the most unconventional approaches sometimes produce the most surprising results.

How to Use Sleds to Recover From an Injury, Improve Conditioning, and Gain Strength

Published on June 25, 2025

Often overlooked and stored in gym corners, sleds are one of the most versatile training tools available, capable of supercharging everything from injury rehabilitation to sprint speed development. Whether you're recovering from a lower-body injury, building conditioning, or enhancing athletic performance, this simple piece of equipment delivers results that few other tools can match.

Squat Smarter: How Biomechanics Reveal Your Hidden Weaknesses

Published on June 21, 2025

Think all squats are created equal? Think again. The subtle differences in where you place that barbell — behind your back, across your shoulders, or overhead — completely transform how your body moves, what muscles work hardest, and where you're most likely to hit a wall. Whether you're missing front squats because your upper back gives out before your legs, struggling with overhead squats despite crushing back squats, or wondering why your ankle mobility matters more in some variations than others, understanding these biomechanical differences is the key to unlocking your squat potential and training smarter.

Burst vs. Sustainable Power: Why CrossFit Trains Both Types of Strength

Published on June 18, 2025

Can you jump higher than you can sustain a long met-con? If you're crushing your max clean and jerk but dying in Helen, you're experiencing the fascinating divide between burst power and sustainable power — two completely different athletic qualities that require different training approaches. Most people think power is just power, but the truth is far more nuanced. Understanding why your 40-inch vertical jump means nothing if you can't complete Fight Gone Bad will revolutionize how you think about CrossFit programming and why we need both crushing heavy days and lung-burning met-cons to build true, real-world fitness.

CrossFit Nutrition: Consistency Over Perfection

Published on June 14, 2025

Tired of the endless cycle of perfect meal prep followed by complete diet derailment after one "cheat meal"? The obsession with nutritional perfection is sabotaging your long-term success more than you realize. Discover why "consistently good" beats "inconsistently perfect" every time, and learn about the Three Pillars Method® — a flexible framework that makes success inevitable. This anti-perfectionist approach to nutrition will help you string together more successful days, reduce food-related stress, and actually achieve lasting results instead of losing the same 10 pounds over and over again.