The List That Explains Everything You Do in the Gym

If you have ever wondered why CrossFit looks the way it does — why you run and lift and flip and jump all in the same program — the 10 general physical skills are your answer. Originally developed by Jim Cawley and Bruce Evans, founders of Dynamax Med Balls, the list appears in the CrossFit article, “What Is Fitness?” and defines exactly what a complete fitness program should develop.

The 10 skills break into three tiers. 

The top four — cardiorespiratory endurance, stamina, flexibility, and strength — are developed primarily through training.

The middle two — power and speed — require both training and practice in equal measure, drawing heavily on neurological capacity as well as physical development.

The bottom four — coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy — are developed almost entirely through practice.

The tiers are not rigid walls. All 10 skills are deeply interrelated. Better coordination improves the strength you can express. Better balance unlocks more power. Missing one skill creates gaps in the others, whether you notice it or not.

Why You Train Everything

CrossFit pursues all 10 skills because the world does not announce which ones it will demand of you.

An elite marathon runner has made a deliberate trade-off. Strength, flexibility, power, and speed have been sacrificed to get to a sub-two-hour finish. That is an extraordinary achievement, but it is built around a single goal. Your goal is different. You are training for the full range of what life might ask of you.

A friend invites you to go paddleboarding. A family member needs help moving heavy furniture. A storm rolls through, and there is unexpected physical work to do. These situations call on different combinations of skills in ways you cannot predict. The broader your fitness, the better your odds of meeting the moment.

Open Workout 20.5

For time, partitioned any way:
40 muscle-ups
80-calorie row
120 wall-ball shots

Time cap: 20 minutes