CrossFit trend challenges unit fitness levels Published Oct. 7, 2009 By Master Sgt. John Mills Eastern Air Defense Sector Rome, N.Y. -- "3-2-1 Go!" No, we are not at the family picnic running relay races. This is how each CrossFit workout begins, and the cue each CrossFit athlete learns to respond to when working his or her way through a tough workout. This response becomes so ingrained in a CrossFitter; it can over ride their natural response to stop working and just rest. But it's not time to rest, not yet. You've just completed the first round of the posted WOD and there are two more to go. This is where the CrossFit trainer comes into play and gives that gentle nudge: "3-2-1 Go!" That is the road to fitness that is CrossFit. What is fitness? Ask any number of people and you'll get at least as many different answers, so let's summarize them into one of our own. Fitness is an increase in work capacity across broad modality and time domains. Basically, your workout needs to be broad, general, inclusive, and executed at a high enough intensity to promote favorable adaptation. Move more weights, farther and in less time to illicit a positive neuroendocrine response. If it's effective, it'll hurt. That's CrossFit. Many have heard about CrossFit, founded in 2003 by Coach Greg Glassman and his wife Linda, as the "new" fitness program. What usually gets people's attention is that the United States Marines, SEALS and other SpecOps units, big city SWAT teams, Firefighters and Law Enforcement departments, also parents, kids, grandparents, and now EADS members are able to experience it firsthand. I've been hooked on CrossFit for almost three years now. It only took one Workout of the Day and I was hooked. Like most people, I was limited at first in what types of exercises I could do because of the sometimes complex movements, but I stuck with it. In April, I attended a Level I certification seminar. Now I'm able to train people using these very effective methods. All athletes will be required to attend a four-session Fundamentals class. In these classes, the nine basic movements will be taught along with a few special "treats" and then some really amazing work will get done. Most adults have don't have the ability to lift and move a weight safely. That is the first priority of the Fundamentals class, learning to move correctly under a load. What makes this program so effective is that each workout is led by a CrossFit instructor, who determines the WOD for that day. We call this programming. By combining weightlifting elements with body weight/gymnastics-type movements and then mixing in occasional dose of mono-structural (cardio) intervals, you can come up with some pretty gnarly workouts. Also, because the movements are compound in nature, a lot of work can be accomplished in just a little bit of time with minimal risk of injury (not to be confused with soreness). That is how CrossFit defines intensity. Weight times distance divided by time equals power. This seemingly simple formula, which most of us remember (vaguely) from high school physics, can make time stand still or even feel like it's stopped all together. Intensity is what the athlete brings to the formula. By lifting more, moving it further, and doing faster we increase the intensity. CrossFit has standards of movement, and recommended weights, times, distances that have been proven to generate positive responses. The movements should be adhered to, after all that is the way the human body naturally moves, but the weights and times and distances can all be scaled to an individual athlete's ability. The goal is to reach for your mental and/or physical threshold and then back off just enough to be able to sustain the effort without sacrificing too much form. As a trainer, I'm encouraged every time I see an athlete reach that spot, push through it and realize they just did more work than they thought they could. Once an athlete has completed the Fundamentals class, he/she will be allowed to participate in any open class and is also encouraged to continue on their own. To be able to push maximum intensity, Coach Glassman recommends a three days on/one day off schedule. If your work week makes that difficult, then CrossFit can be molded to fit a five day on/two day off schedule. Most importantly, athletes should remember that CrossFit is designed to make you fitter for whatever physical activities you enjoy. It can be done by itself (and rather competitively too) or it can be combined with an endurance program or other sports.