No really, it is not.
People were deadlifting long before CrossFit. Doing HIIT before CrossFit. (Shoot before it was called HIIT even!) We have timed fitness tests for decades as we have pursued sport.
CrossFit is not novel, it is not new, and it is not the end all be all of fitness.
Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love it, and it is the best tool I’ve ever seen in my lifetime of fitness and athletics to get people together and working hard, and holy cow does it make people fit!
But that doesn’t mean you can’t and shouldn’t pursue things that you find interesting.
CrossFit is intentionally non biased and makes people not great at any one thing but good at a whole lot of things. It is called a GPP (general physical preparedness) program because of that.
It is a beauty and it can be a curse, because what if I want to be really good at something, or at least a lot less bad than I currently am?
It’s and interesting and valid question, and GPP may not be enough if you are attacking weaknesses or looking to specify and improve strengths.
What i find best about CrossFit is its ability to make athletes realize how far they can come at movements, and how far they still have to go. The other piece which I feel like I (rightfully) touch on weekly is the community aspect of CrossFit that makes the process and the journey, which can be unbearably challenging at times, not only manageable but downright enjoyable.
Realistically, it is only supplementing a new or different mindset a few times a week, along with a GPP program and you can come an awfully long way. That is not difficult to program, and you can do it during open gym time around the people you like to be around anyway!
So the next time you have an inkling to be better at something you did during a day. Is it muscle ups? Is it a 400 lb back squat? Is it losing or gaining 20 lbs? Let this journey through developing your own fitness and athleticism open new doors to what is interesting to you. We have programs and methods to help you, so don’t let GPP hold you back.
There is nothing I love more than someone who has been CrossFitting for years see how far they’ve come in a movement and then decide “heck ya! I’m going to get REALLY good now!”
The beauty of CrossFit and GPP is they will be there waiting for if and when you just want to get back to the hour a day of sweating it out with friends and being kinda good at a lot of stuff. But don’t think there isn’t more out there if you want it too.
