A. Farmers Carry 7 x 2
B. Front Rack Walk 7 x 2
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World Class Fitness in 100 words- In October 2002, Greg Glassman famously defined fitness in exactly 100 words—a definition that laid the cornerstone of CrossFit as we know it today. “World-Class Fitness in 100 Words.” laid out a clear, holistic blueprint embracing what to eat, how to train, and how to live actively and creatively. This foundational message, first published in The CrossFit Journal: simple, eloquent, and all-encompassing, it’s a prescription suited to both novices and advanced athletes alike. What It Teaches Us: This approach isn’t about perfection—it’s about embracing balance, mastering movement, maintaining intensity, and relentlessly cultivating adaptability. Final Words: A Call to Action Let this concise prescription serve as more than guidance—it’s your call to action. Whether you’re just starting your journey or already pushing your limits, remember: Every great journey begins with one thoughtful decision: to show up!!!Follow this prescription, apply it consistently, and watch your fitness—and life—flourish!
Virtuosity in CrossFit
Virtuosity in CrossFit: Mastering the Basics for Lifelong Fitness The term “virtuosity” refers to “performing the common uncommonly well” Greg Glassman. In CrossFit this principle emphasizes the importance of mastering fundamental movements with precision and consistency before advancing to more complex exercises. The ideal squat, push-up, and pull-up are benchmarks we should all strive for. Virtuous movement is unmistakable—it commands attention. The Essence of VirtuosityAt its core, virtuosity in CrossFit is about executing basic movements—such as squats, push-ups, and deadlifts—with impeccable form and control. It’s not about performing flashy or advanced techniques; it’s about doing the everyday movements exceptionally well. This approach leads to greater efficiency, reduced risk of injury, and a solid foundation for tackling more challenging workouts. The Interconnectedness of Movements“Everything is everything” – At first glance, it might seem that perfecting a push-up has little to do with executing a snatch. However, CrossFit teaches that all movements are interconnected. Mastering the push-up, with its emphasis on core stability, shoulder alignment, and body control, lays the groundwork for more complex movements like the snatch. The discipline and attention to detail required in a push-up translate to improved technique and efficiency in advanced lifts. A common pitfall for many athletes is the “novice’s curse”—the tendency to rush past foundational skills in favour of more advanced, impressive movements (e.g. kipping pull-ups before strict pull-ups). While complex exercises like muscle-ups or handstand walks can be exciting, neglecting the basics can lead to poor mechanics and increased injury risk. By focusing on virtuosity, athletes ensure that their foundational movements are robust, making advanced techniques more accessible and sustainable. The Path to MasteryAchieving virtuosity involves a progression and discipline: This progression ensures that athletes build strength and skill safely, leading to long-term success in CrossFit. (Check out article 2 Mechanics – Consistency – Intensity) Virtuosity Beyond the GymThe principles of virtuosity extend beyond CrossFit. Whether it’s playing a musical instrument, cooking, or any other skill, performing common tasks with exceptional skill leads to mastery and satisfaction. Constantly seek virtuosity in the fundamental movements, knowing that excellence in the basics leads to success in all aspects of fitness. So here’s your call to action:Fall in love with the fundamentals. Let mastery begin where most people don’t pay attention—sink into your squats, drive your push-ups, and pull with control. When you commit to this, every action becomes an opportunity for excellence.
Mechanics → Consistency → Intensity
Article 2:Your Choices Make the Athlete: Mechanics → Consistency → Intensity In CrossFit, athletes are shaped not by shortcuts, but by deliberate progression—beginning with mechanics, advancing through consistency, and culminating in intensity. This sequence establishes a foundation for safe, sustainable, and high-performing fitness. Mechanics — Build the Foundation Why it matters:Mechanics refers to movement efficiency and safety—moving correctly, not just moving. Proper technique makes movements easier, safer, and more sustainable. It sets the stage for long-term progress and protects against injury. How to train mechanics effectively: Consistency — Repeat with Discipline What consistency means:Consistency is the ability to perform movements correctly, repeatedly—both within a workout and across sessions. It’s about ingraining muscle memory and ensuring reliable form under varying conditions. Why it matters:Regular repetition of sound mechanics builds resilience and adaptability. It prepares the body to maintain form under stress or fatigue—making progression possible. Intensity — Apply Power Wisely What intensity is:Intensity elevates training through increased speed, load, or complexity—doing more work in less time. It’s the spark that drives adaptation and fitness gains. Why timing matters:Applying intensity too soon leads to breakdowns in form and raises injury risk. Instead, patience ensures gains are built on mastery and consistency. The Real-World Test: Fran Fran—21-15-9 thrusters and pull-ups for time—is a benchmark CrossFit workout that epitomizes this progression. The other athlete, whose knees cave or form collapses under fatigue, struggles and suffers the consequences. Which athlete are you? If you find yourself in the latter category, now is the moment to reset your priorities—focus first on mechanics, then on consistency, and only then let intensity follow. What may feel like a step backward could actually be the springboard that propels you forward. Final Thought The progression—Mechanics → Consistency → Intensity—is more than a guideline; it’s the foundation of sustainable progress in CrossFit. By choosing discipline over shortcuts, you build not just a fitter body, but a better, longer-lasting athlete.Your daily choices define your journey. Happy training!!!
After over 16 years in the CrossFit community, we’ve found that returning to the fundamentals is often the most effective way to reignite inspiration and realign our focus. In this series, we’ll delve into the foundational principles that have sustained our journey and continue to drive our progress. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or just beginning, revisiting these core concepts can provide clarity and motivation. Join us as we explore the essence of CrossFit and uncover how these timeless principles can enhance your fitness journey. Enjoy the journey ahead… Series 1: CrossFit’s Theoretical Hierarchy of Athletic Development When progress stalls in the gym the instinct is often to complicate the approach. However, CrossFit offers a straightforward blueprint that returns to the fundamentals. By focusing on the foundational elements, athletes can unlock new levels of performance. This hierarchy serves as a practical guide, emphasizing the importance of mastering each layer to build a robust and sustainable fitness journey. CrossFit Hierarchy of Development CrossFit’s model frames fitness development as a five-tiered pyramid, progressing from foundational essentials to athletic application. Recognizing the importance of what lies beneath and identifying your own weaknesses enables you to make meaningful improvements and advance in your athletic journey. Progress in one layer fuels improvement in the layers above it. Let’s explore the pyramid: 1. Nutrition – The Foundation The phrase “the foundation of all fitness” aligns with CrossFit’s emphasis that nutrition underpins every other component of athletic development.Nutrition underpins every other layer: it fuels your workouts, aids recovery, and supports muscle, bone, and nerve health.Think of nutrition as the soil in which a garden grows. If the soil (nutrition) is poor, no matter how well you water (train), your plants (performance) won’t flourish. 2. Metabolic Conditioning – The Engine Enhances cardiovascular and respiratory efficiency, forming the “engine” that powers sustained effort. Fatigue will limit strength and skill gains without this foundation Without cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, you’ll tire out before you can effectively build strength or skill. 3. Gymnastics – Body Control Gymnastics develops essential physical skills such as spatial awareness, coordination, flexibility, balance, and body control. Mastery of one’s own body is crucial before progressing to the control of external objects. This foundational level encompasses strict movements such as pull-ups, push-ups, L-sits, and muscle-ups, which establish a base of strength and control. As proficiency in these movements increases, athletes advance to dynamic movements, including kipping variations, which further enhance coordination and body control. 4. Weightlifting & Throwing – Object Mastery This level emphasizes the ability to move external loads—such as barbells, kettlebells, or medicine balls—through powerful, functional movements. Building upon the foundations of metabolic conditioning and gymnastics, it teaches athletes to transfer force efficiently from the core to the extremities, enhancing strength and motor control. Mastery of this stage enables individuals to handle external objects with precision and power, laying the groundwork for athletic performance in various sports. 5. Sport – Putting It All Together Engaging in sport allows us to apply the foundational elements of fitness—nutrition, conditioning, gymnastics, and weightlifting—to real-world scenarios. Whether trained specifically for the sport or not, it provides the opportunity to test our abilities, adapt, and grow. Mastery of these foundational components instills the confidence and capability to perform, demonstrating the effectiveness of our training and preparation. With a solid base, there are no limits to what can be achieved in sport. Final Takeaway: The CrossFit Hierarchy of Athletic Development serves as a structured blueprint for building fitness. By consistently strengthening each foundational layer—from nutrition to sport—you pave the way for continuous improvement. Embrace this approach, and you’ll uncover the full potential of your athletic journey. I recommend you assess where you sit for each of the layers. Working from the base up will provide greatest rewards. Identify your weaknesses and take sustainable steps in the right direction. Remember we are here to help on step at a time…
WINTER ATTENDANCE CHALLENGE Fight off the WINTER blues and stay on track through the colder months! Staying consistent now sets you up to feel strong, lean, and energised as we head into the warmer months. Training through winter builds not just physical fitness, but mental toughness – and your summer self will thank you for it! CHALLENGE DATES: 11 July – 31 August 3 sessions per week = You’re in the game! 5 sessions per week = 100% Attendance & bragging rights! We’ll be tracking weekly (be sure to book in via Mindbody), keeping it fun and motivating – and yes, there’ll be some awesome prizes up for grabs along the way Let’s lift the energy and keep the fire burning this winter. Who’s in?! Grab a motivation buddy and let’s keep each other moving forward — together we rise!
Athlete Spotlight: Nikki Civitarese
As most of you will know, we are in the middle of a nutrition challenge and we couldn’t think of anyone more fitting to to be a feature than an athlete who achieved and continues to achieve great things since participating in our last nutrition challenge – please enjoy getting to know Nikki Civitarese. Tell us a bit about yourself: I am 34, I currently work as a Contracts Administrator in civil engineering for Shadforths Civil Engineering Contractors, I have been with the company for almost 4 years now. Prior to this I owned my own construction company building new homes and doing commercial refurbishments. I was born and raised in Griffith – NSW and moved around a lot when I was younger but did most of my schooling in Coffs Harbour and spent a lot of my younger years on the Gold Coast. I come from a big family, being 1 of 10 children and am the proud mother of a 13 year old boy, Sam. How long have you been doing CrossFit for? I started CrossFit briefly back in 2011 for about 4 months, when I was living in Mackay. I found it helped get me into the right mind frame as far as being motivated goes, however the box I went to were very competition orientated, so when I joined Coastal CrossFit in June 2013, I was blown away with the dedication Chris and Marie have to each and every individual member, ensuring that the movements were scaled to meet our abilities and correcting our form where required. This is what really made me want to keep coming back as it showed me that CrossFit wasn’t just for elite athletes, it was for everyone, even me. How did you first hear about CrossFit and how did you get started? After my marriage ended in 2011 I found myself extremely depressed, overweight, lacking self-esteem and having no control over my life, anything that could go wrong – went wrong, not long after my separation I was diagnosed with a malignant breast tumor, which was really a blessing disguise. It made me snap out of my world of self-pity and self-sabotage and realise the importance of my health and that I never really had been the best person I could be physically or mentally, and as long as I continued on my path of self-destruction, I was only going the continue to develop health problems, I also realised I needed to be a better role model for my son, I didn’t want him to learn my bad habits and think that was normal. Seeing a close friend of mine transform herself dramatically after only a year, it was incredible, she wasn’t just leaner and smaller in size, she was strong and she beamed with confidence, I wanted to be able to achieve the same thing, so I got in touch with her and she introduced me to CrossFit, this really was the turning point in my life. What is your favourite Movie? My favourite movie of all time is Pulp Ficton… very iconic. What is is your favourite Band/Musician? My favourite band of all time – Beastie Boys. What are your interests outside of CrossFit? Im a very social person, so I spend a lot of my weekends catching up with family and friends and I love to get outdoors whenever I can, especially if its taking my son down to the lake to fish or taking our kayaks out onto the water. We conducted a nutrition challenge last year which you achieved, and continue to achieve very good results through – can you detail your experiences and any advice for the members on our current nutrition challenge? The nutrition challenge was really what I call a “light going on” moment, what I took away from it was very invaluable, it made me realise that my preconceptions of what was “healthy” were actually doing me harm. After my body got past the initial shock of not being fed the “bad foods” it was used to in the 30 Days of the challenge I started to feel less fatigued, clear headed, my skin started to clear up, and I started to lose weight. After completing the challenge last year, it really inspired me to learn more about how food interacts with our body, so not long after I started a Diploma of Nutrition and Naturopathy, it certainly has been a learning curve, through this I have learnt what is right for my body. Since this I have managed to lose 9.5 kg in total, and am in certainly the best health I ever been in. It really is one of the best things I ever done and would recommend anyone take up the 30 day challenge, it really is life changing. We saw a shift in your training some time ago and you’ve made very good progress since this point. What was the trigger for this increased enthusiasm and what goals have you set yourself for the short and long term? I guess this goes hand in hand with the nutrition challenge, once I was starting to see results and starting to feel better within myself I wanted more. One of the best feelings in the world is being able to achieve something you previously never thought possible, and the more I pushed myself and changed my mindset, the more I could see what my body was capable of achieving, and then it just became addictive. I am inspired every day by the people around me at CrossFit, people that I see making massive progress and hitting some great PB’s, it drives me to continue to do the same. My favourite part of CrossFit is the weight lifting, so my ultimate goal is to be able to perfect the techniques so I can lift heavier weights and achieve some great PB’s.