CrossFit is constantly varied functional movement executed at high intensity. We specialize in not specializing, looking to obtain a level of fitness that is broad, general, and inclusive. CrossFit is appropriate for any individual with enough motivation. "We scale load and intensity; we don’t change programs. The needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree not kind." - CrossFit HQ. 

To produce a broad level of fitness, also called General Physical Preparedness (GPP), our program borrows from the worlds of powerlifting, olympic lifting, gymnastics, and track and field. We believe you are as fit as you are balanced in the following ten athletic attributes: Endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Balance, and Accuracy. We can measure your level of fitness though your performance in randomly selected tasks.

Greg Glassman, the founder of CrossFit, has defined world class fitness in the following 100 words:

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports. 

Want to learn more? Check out these free articles from the CrossFit journal:

The Foundations article goes into greater detail about who is fit and how we know it. It lays out the basics of the CrossFit program.

This article goes into greater details about measuring fitness through the metabolic pathways, a little scientific.

Anatomy and Physiology for Jocks, know your body.

CrossFit is a strong medicine. Don't take too much too soon. Killer Workouts describes rhabdomyolysis. 

A CrossFit Grandma, a great story! There are also videos of Mary Conover in the journal, inspiring!

A Soldier's perspective on functional fitness, a good read for police officers and soldiers, who face the unknown everyday.

This article explains why fire fighters should do CrossFit!