Annie

50-40-30-20-10 reps for time of:
Double-unders
AbMat sit-ups

Then, complete the following post-workout skill work.

Every minute on the minute for 6 minutes:
25-foot handstand walk

Stimulus and Strategy:
Today’s workout is a fast, simple benchmark that will allow you to recover while still bringing intensity. Look at your previous attempt to compare the score. Scale the double-unders to allow for a fast pace. Reduce reps first, and then substitute single-unders if needed. Perform the skill work after the workout when you have had an opportunity to return to equilibrium. Use this time to practice positioning and technique. Don’t blaze through with “sloppy” technique.

“All CrossFit cares about is the scoreboard!”

“CrossFit is too intense to be safe!”

“CrossFit doesn’t care about technique!”

“High-rep Olympic lifts are dangerous!”

“You need to be fit before doing CrossFit, or you will get injured!”

“Normal people should NOT lift heavy!”

These are just a snapshot of the various comments I have seen and heard. For as long as CrossFit has been around, I am still thrown off by the assumption that the program is inherently dangerous or by a mindset that you cannot have a safe program that also drives intensity. By now, I don’t think the people saying these things even believe what they are saying is true.

In fact, many of the same elements that promote safety also help increase true intensity. Further, there needs to be a safety focus to drive long-term intensity. Before going further, let’s make sure we are on the same page with what intensity and safety are:

Intensity: CrossFit defines intensity as power (force x distance/time). The uniqueness and importance of this definition lie in its measurability. Absolute intensity (power) is enhanced by focusing on proper movement mechanics to move as efficiently as possible.

Another key component is that intensity is relative to the individual’s physical and psychological tolerance. This variable means CrossFit can be for everyone, and we modulate intensity via scaling to meet people where they are.

Safety: We are discussing the risk of injury. Safety is enhanced through proper movement mechanics, progressively increasing intensity over time, effective scaling, and sound judgment informed by each athlete’s daily needs.

It is important to note that we do NOT expect our program to be 100% safe. This is not a claim we have ever made. For other unfounded safety claims, read this. Instead, we focus on achieving outstanding results when assessing the safety, efficacy, and efficiency of our program for daily workouts and over the long term.

Why do people think safety and intensity are at odds?

Many individuals don’t understand what “intensity” is. Intensity, with a typical mindset, may be thought to be associated with reckless hard work at all costs. While hard work is a key attribute of our program, it is essential to note that our coaches look for the correct balance of intensity and sound mechanics. This balance is reconciled through threshold training. In short, we want athletes to push the boundaries of technique and intensity where the speed, volume, or loading may cause infrequent, minor deviations in mechanics. The coach is responsible for managing this for every workout, for every athlete.

Mindset Shift: Safety is the Foundation for Sustainable Intensity

CrossFit has a long-held blueprint for the program coaches and athletes alike may need to constantly revisit: Mechanics > Consistency > Intensity.

Mechanics: Establishing sound movement mechanics is prioritized in our program. This involves periods when athletes may move at slower speeds, with reduced volumes and lighter loads, while developing the mechanics of a movement. Focused development on movement mechanics is not solely reserved for new athletes. Nearly every session will involve focused skill-development work to refine mechanics and prepare for the specific demands of the workout.

Consistency: This means that athletes perform the mechanics correctly the gross majority of the time. Consistency also implies that athletes are consistently attending classes, so their adaptations are constant

Intensity: After mechanics and consistency are established, we can then start to focus on increasing intensity or difficulty through increased loads, increased speed, higher volumes, higher skill, etc.

The obvious benefit is that this charter reduces the risk of injury and allows for a gradual increase in difficulty. This charter also allows for a long-term improvement in intensity:

Being that this pathway enhances safety, this will allow the athlete to perform more high-intensity workouts in the years to come.

The pathway sets the foundation for efficient movement. Efficient movement allows more work to be done in less time, resulting in a direct increase in intensity (power). Efficient movement will also allow for increased loads to be lifted and higher-level skills to be developed.

10 overhead squats
5  pull-ups

8 rounds

♀ 65-lb barbell
♂ 95-lb barbell

Post rounds and reps to comments.

Stimulus and Strategy:
Make it a goal to hold a round every 2 minutes, shooting for 8 rounds. Overhead squat loading must allow for straight arms overhead and a full depth, flat foot position at the bottom of the squat.

Hang power snatch 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2 reps

7 rounds for time:

10 rounds of:

15-12-9-6-3 reps:

For time:

For load:

These standards ensure the broadest and most general fitness possible. CrossFit advocates and develops a fitness that is deliberately broad, general, and inclusive. Our fitness, or being “CrossFit,” comes from molding men and women who are equal parts gymnast, Olympic weightlifter, and multi-modal sprinter, or “sprintathlete.” Develop the capacity of a novice 800-meter track athlete, gymnast, and weightlifter, and you’ll be fitter than any world-class runner, gymnast, or weightlifter. Our specialty is not specializing.

This is a critical piece that is often missed or criticized by others who forget that CrossFit aims to build the healthiest and fittest people over the entirety of their lives. Critics often conflate CrossFit’s methodology with CrossFit Games athleticism — they’re not the same. Walk into any affiliate, and you’ll find the real story: people of all ages and abilities getting stronger, healthier, and more capable for the long haul. That’s the design. Games athletes represent an extraordinary pursuit that extends far beyond what CrossFit prescribes for optimal health and fitness. They train at volumes and intensities that would break most people, chasing a level of performance that, while inspiring, isn’t the goal for the vast majority. Affiliates don’t program for podium finishes; they program for parents, workers, retirees, and everyone in between who simply want to show up stronger tomorrow than they were yesterday, and still be moving well decades from now.

Over 20 years ago, CrossFit delivered to the world the definition of fitness. It works for all types of athletes and can be adapted for any population. It makes it possible to measure current fitness levels, identify weaknesses, and measure improvements or decreases in fitness. No one