The overall program is simplistic in design yet optimizes physical competence in each one of the ten recognized fitness domains; Cardiovascular and Respiratory endurance, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Balance and Accuracy. CrossFit founder Greg Glassman sums it up like this:
World Class Fitness in 100 Words:
Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, Clean, 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 - Greg Glassman