by Matt Newmann, Owner and Coach at CFDF
CrossFit, Fitness, and Physiology
Stimulating your brain is as much important as training your physical health. Research has proven that stimulating the mind with challenging thought processes can initiate a change within oneself, much like physical activity.
This personal reflective blog will be posted once a month in order to give perspective and thought on CrossFit, Fitness, Nutrition, Physiology, Biomechanics, and much more within the realm of my education. The blog is a personal opinion and should be taken as such. Valid and reliable data is available and will be attached to most statements made within this blog. All matters of opinion should be reflected upon as such and not taken as the truth but as perspective.
CROSSFIT
CrossFit has the best definition of their methodology written under one of the tabs on their webpage, crossfit.com. Click under the tab “What is CrossFit?” and you will find the following definition.
“CrossFit begins with a belief in fitness. The aim of CrossFit is to forge a broad, general and inclusive fitness. We have sought to build a program that will best prepare trainees for any physical contingency — not only for the unknown, but for the unknowable. After looking at all sport and physical tasks collectively, we asked what physical skills and adaptations would most universally lend themselves to performance advantage.”
This statement defines the unique quality that separates CrossFit from most other programs in the Fitness community. General physical preparedness vs. becoming the specialist. This is an advantageous method of adapting the human physical capacity to go above and beyond. Specializing in fitness results in poor adaptation to life challenges. For example, a runner is great at one thing. That one thing is running. A swimmer is great at one thing. That one thing is swimming. A powerlifter is good at one thing. That one thing is powerlifting. If you ask a powerlifter to swim a 1600m distance, most powerlifters would drown. If you asked a swimmer to deadlift 500 pounds, most swimmers spine would collapse under the load. Developing general physical preparedness (GPP) allows a human to be 75% to 80% at all modalities of fitness. If developed correctly with proper programming, GPP will allow all of life tasks to be easily handled. Creating a strong deadlift will help the house mom lift her child from the floor without contemplating if the child is too heavy. Creating a faster mile run will allow for dad to have more stamina to play with his children for longer than 10 minutes in the yard. Yes, we could even state that the olympic weight lifter could lift larger loads long distances quicker with skill development from an established CrossFit coach.
The statements above are the reason I, personally, fell in love with the idea of CrossFit. My background has always been in Kinesiology, Personal Training, and sport. Therefore, the study of human performance and adaptation have driven me to strive for greatness. I am always adapting my knowledge, skills, and physical capacity based on CrossFit methodology because I believe in the method. If done correctly, the CrossFit program works.
Matt Newmann, MS in Kinesiology
Owner and Head Coach at CFDF
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