By Shaina Hayutin, Coach at CrossFit Newtown 

On February 10th, 2001, the first CrossFit workout was posted on Main Site. Since then, the methodology has affected the entire fitness landscape for the better. What started as an underground, guerilla marketing experiment, has exploded into a global phenomenon. Like it or hate it, CrossFit has made a massive impact on the fitness world. Now that it’s become mainstream, how can we reinvigorate the next generation of CrossFitters? We start by taking a step back. 

Adrian Bozman, O.G. seminar staff leader and now head of the CrossFit Games, said on a recent episode of the podcast Varied Not Random, “Anytime something becomes mainstream, it’s going to be diluted – for better or worse- it’s just the nature of the beast. You look around [the fitness space] and it [CrossFit] has infected everything. You can go to ‘insert regular gym chain here,’ and find a functional fitness area where there’s bumper plates and kettlebells and rings- that’s just normal now.” 

History has a funny way of molding human lives. Whether it’s a plague or a pandemic, a political movement fighting for progress, a war in Vietnam or the Middle East, there is always something big happening that impacts a generation, and generations to come. It’s a ripple effect. I’m not equating CrossFit to a plague or a movement for justice. A movement for better health, absolutely. However, I am suggesting that its impact has been greater than many realize. 

It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day activities of our busy lives. When we take the time to step back, exit the monkey cage for a moment, and truly reflect, we are provided with much needed perspective. It reminds us how far we’ve come. History repeats itself. It’s our job to do our research, read about the past, and attempt to not make similar mistakes in the future. At least, that’s why I find history fascinating. We need to do the same with CrossFit. 

As time inevitably passes us by, this need feels even more imperative. Perspective learned from history can act as a wonderful guide. Perhaps I sound like a stubborn old grump, but I do believe there is value in knowing where you came from. Let’s dive into our ancestral past. 

Greg Glassman was the first to ever define “fitness” in his article “What is Fitness?” published in October of 2002. He said fitness is, “work capacity across broad time and modal domains.” What does this phrase mean though? 

• “Work capacity”: one’s ability to complete a task or get the job done.
• “Broad time”: one’s ability to move for short, medium and long periods of time or “time domains” as you often hear spoken in the CrossFit space. 
• “Modal domains”: a plethora of modalities, or different kinds of training
  • i.e. body weight training [aka gymnastics], utilizing external loading [aka weightlifting] and conditioning, or as CrossFit has coined “monostructural,” because as CrossFitters, we know that when you lift a bar fast, you certainly are achieving plenty of cardio. “Cardio” does not solely equate to running, biking, rowing, or other stereotypical forms of conditioning. 

This is how Glassman created one of the four pillars of the methodology: The Theoretical Hierarchy of Development. 

To have at least a novice understanding of how CrossFit came into existence makes practicing the methodology more fulfilling. It’s like riding a bike and understanding that Mesopotamians were the first to conceptualize the wheel. Can you ride your bike with zero knowledge of its origin? Sure. However, I believe you gain a greater appreciation with that understanding and can have a higher level of enjoyment on your ride. 

Back in the early 2000s, training gymnastics, weightlifting, and conditioning simultaneously sounded absurd. There’s no way to conquer these vastly different modes of fitness! But alas, we have proven we can. CrossFit is unique in its aim, and greedy in its results. We aim to be the most well-rounded humans on the planet. This is why it’s important to have days we “just” lift heavy, or days we “just” do rowing intervals. We want to be able to do a long chipper with as much success as we can a short couplet. We train all pathways, all modalities, and all time domains. 

As a seasoned CrossFitter, do you remember what it felt like to lift a heavy bar the first time? Or get your first pull up? Remember how your enthusiasm pushed you to work towards achieving high level skills? That’s the feeling this next generation is experiencing for the first time. 

We must be encouraging.

I get it, we know it’s a long process to achieve said high level skill. I’ve sure been that curmudgeon to shoot down a youthful sense of enthusiasm with an unnecessary dose of reality. But we have to do better than my curmudgeon self. 

We all can remember early memories of stepping into a CrossFit box. We likely saw average folks walking on their hands and lifting heavy things. It’s what made me fall in love with CrossFit. It’s easy to forget that because it has become the norm. But let’s not forget: what we do inside the four walls of our gym is pretty rad. When we see that glimmer in a newbie’s eyes, let’s fuel that fire. 

I’ll end with an anecdote. One of my favorite memories is when I first started coaching at my home gym in Arkansas. We had a new member, Grant, who was a freshman at the University. He had been a sporty kid in high school, but was brand new to CrossFit. After completing foundations [onboarding], he decided to come to the 8:15am class. This class was, and still is, notorious for being full of bad ass moms. 

Grant strolled into the 8:15 class for the first time and rope climbs were prescribed that day. As we warmed up, my dear friend Beth, who happens to also be one of the best CrossFit coaches I know, hops up and climbs the fifteen foot rope with ease. Grant, as a witness to this mastery, stared in awe, turned to me and said “that’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.” THAT. That right there is what I love about CrossFit. 

What’s even cooler, is when Grant saw Beth complete that rope climb, he had no idea how far she’d come in her own fitness journey. Beth used to be overweight and the opposite of athletic. In fact, she played trumpet in the marching band in high school. This is a different kind of cool in my opinion, but not exactly a jock, am I right? What Grant saw in that moment was a product of years of paying attention to her nutrition [the bottom of the pyramid] and showing up consistently. This former band geek has become one of the most fit humans, and one of the best coaches, I know. And she inspired an eighteen year old simply by being her badass self. 

That is the environment we should strive to encourage, especially with the new generation. Humans of all backgrounds and experience levels coming together to do hard things, and supporting each other along the way. That should be our goal, always. Complacency is for the birds.

Shaina Hayutin is a CrossFit Coach and Content writer at CrossFit Newtown in Newtown, PA. With a Degree in Journalism, a Level 2 CrossFit Coach, a Healthy Steps Nutrition Coach, and over a decade of experience in the fitness industry, she emphasizes the critical role that community plays in achieving optimal fitness results while maintaining long-term health and wellness.