Fit For Anything – Why CrossFit Trains Real Fitness
When you think about fitness, you might think about running, lifting weights, getting stronger or improving your cardio.
But what are you actually training for?
At CrossFit Affinity, we believe fitness should prepare you for more than what happens inside the gym. It should help you stay strong, capable and confident for whatever life throws at you.
That’s one of the reasons CrossFit trains such a broad range of physical skills.
Fitness is more than strength or cardio
CrossFit uses 10 general physical skills as a framework for developing well-rounded fitness:
Cardiovascular endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy.
You don’t need to be an expert at all of them. In fact, you probably won’t be.
The point is to develop a useful level of ability across all of them rather than becoming highly specialised in just one.
Think about the difference between being able to run 10km and being able to run, lift, carry, jump, climb, balance and move well.
Both are forms of fitness. But they prepare you for different things.
Why does CrossFit train so many different skills?
Because life doesn’t tell you what it’s going to ask of you.
You might go for a long hike one weekend, help a friend move house the next, spend a day playing with your kids or grandkids, paddleboard on holiday, or simply need the strength and mobility to do everyday tasks as you get older.
Those activities don’t require just strength. Or just cardio.
They require different combinations of physical skills.
That’s what we mean when we talk about being fit for life.
The goal isn’t to be the strongest person in the gym or the fastest runner in Beachlands.
It’s to build enough overall fitness that you’re capable of doing more.
The skills you don’t like might be the ones you need most
One of the interesting things about CrossFit is that you’ll inevitably come across movements or skills that don’t feel natural.
Maybe your balance isn’t great. Maybe you’re not particularly flexible. Maybe anything involving coordination makes you feel like your brain and body aren’t communicating.
That’s okay.
Those areas are part of your fitness too.
CrossFit isn’t designed around doing only the things you’re already good at. Your training should also help develop the areas where you have room to improve.
And that’s where good coaching matters.
At CrossFit Affinity, movements and workouts are scaled to suit the person in front of us. You don’t need to arrive already fit or know how to do everything.
You learn, practise and improve over time.
This becomes even more important as we get older
As we age, staying strong is important. But strength is only part of the picture.
Maintaining the ability to move well, produce power, balance, coordinate movement and maintain cardiovascular fitness all contribute to staying physically capable.
That’s why we don’t believe fitness should become narrower as you get older.
The goal is the opposite: keep building your capacity to do the things you want to do.
Whether that’s keeping up with your kids, heading away for an adventure, playing sport, travelling, getting down on the floor and back up again, or simply carrying the groceries without thinking twice about it.
Build fitness that carries over into real life
You don’t train CrossFit so you can be good at CrossFit.
You train so you can become fitter, stronger and more capable — and take that fitness with you when you leave the gym.
That’s what the 10 general physical skills are really about.
Building a broad base of fitness that gives you more options in life.
At CrossFit Affinity, that’s what we’re trying to help everyday people build: fitness that lasts, strength that supports you, and the confidence to do more.
You don’t need to be fit before you start. You just need to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 10 general physical skills in CrossFit?
They are cardiovascular endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy.
Why does CrossFit train all 10 physical skills?
Because real life requires different combinations of physical abilities. Developing a broad range of skills helps you become more capable across different activities and situations.
Do I need to be fit before starting CrossFit?
No. CrossFit workouts can be scaled to suit your current fitness, experience and ability. You build your fitness progressively through coaching and consistent training.
Is CrossFit good for fitness as you get older?
Yes. Developing and maintaining strength, cardiovascular fitness, mobility, balance, coordination and power can all contribute to staying physically capable as you age.
What does CrossFit help you do in everyday life?
CrossFit develops a broad range of physical abilities that can carry over into everyday activities, sport, recreation, travel and the physical demands of daily life.
Want to find out if CrossFit is right for you?
Get started with a Free Consult with me.
No workout. No pressure. Just a conversation about where you’re at, what you want to achieve and how we can help.
Get started with a free consult now
Troy
Owner & Head Coach
CrossFit Affinity
Pine Harbour, Beachlands
