What is Fitness?

What Is Fitness and Who Is Fit?

Outside Magazine crowned triathlete Mark Allen “the fittest man on earth” (http://web.outsidemag.com/magazine/0297/
9702fefit.html). Let’s just assume for a moment that this famous six-time winner of the IronMan Triathlon is the fittest of the fit,
then what title do we bestow on the decathlete Simon Poelman (http://www.decathlon2000.ee/english/legends/poelman.htm) who
also possesses incredible endurance and stamina, yet crushes Mr. Allen in any comparison that includes strength, power, speed, and
coordination?
Perhaps the definition of fitness doesn’t include strength, speed, power, and coordination though that seems rather odd. Merriam
Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines “fitness” and being “fit” as the ability to transmit genes and being healthy. No help
there. Searching the Internet for a workable, reasonable definition of fitness yields disappointingly little (http://www.google.com/
search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=fitness+definition). Worse yet, the NSCA, the most respected publisher in exercise physiology,
in their highly authoritative Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning doesn’t even attempt a definition.
Crossfit’s Fitness
For CrossFit the specter of championing a fitness program without clearly defining what it is that the program delivers combines
elements of fraud and farce. The vacuum of guiding authority has therefore necessitated that CrossFit’s directors provide their own
definition of fitness. That’s what this issue of CrossFit Journal is about, our “fitness.”
Our pondering, studying, debating about, and finally defining fitness have played a formative role in CrossFit’s successes. The keys to
understanding the methods and achievements of CrossFit are perfectly imbedded
in our view of fitness and basic exercise science.
It will come as no surprise to most of you that our view of fitness is a contrarian
view. The general public both in opinion and in media holds endurance
athletes as exemplars of fitness. We do not. Our incredulity on learning of
Outside’s awarding a triathlete title of “fittest man on earth” becomes apparent
in light of CrossFit’s standards for assessing and defining fitness.
CrossFit makes use of three different standards or models for evaluating and
guiding fitness. Collectively, these three standards define the CrossFit view of
fitness. The first is based on the ten general physical skills widely recognized
by exercise physiologists. The second standard, or model, is based on the performance
of athletic tasks, while the third is based on the energy systems that
drive all human action.
Each model is critical to the CrossFit concept and each has distinct utility in
evaluating an athlete’s overall fitness or a strength and conditioning regimen’s
efficacy. Before explaining in detail how each of these three perspectives
works, it warrants mention that we are not attempting to demonstrate our
program’s legitimacy through scientific principles.