Intensity: Intentional Approaches To Maximal Results in Fitness

How many times have you talked to a non-CrossFit-er and heard some version of “That looks insane—I could never do that”? Frankly, we as CrossFit athletes (myself included) are known to battle self-thoughts during particular hard workouts… “am I insane?” But especially for outsiders, the barbell-snatching, muscle-up-flinging, sweat-angel-inducing highlight reels of top-athletes can make CrossFit seem unapproachable, reserved for superhumans who thrive on pain. It’s true that intensity is a core component of CrossFit - the independent variable most correlated to results - but when managed improperly, intensity can definitely lead to injury, burnout, and a decline in physical performance.

CrossFit has provided a definition for intensity: power output (or work) accomplished per unit of time. Yes, sometimes it’s easy to come into a workout and simply go “all-out”, “full-send”, or “red-line” - and that’s definitely a version of high-intensity that is beneficial for our bodies to experience. But this 100% all-out domain is not a requirement to properly achieve “high-intensity” and the associated results. Intensity could mean the typical “I went so hard I could barely breath” and result in a massive sweat puddle on the ground, but it could also mean that you gave all-out focus on technique elements of a snatch, made sure to keep maximal core stability during a farmer’s carry, or gave intentional effort to achieve a consistent pace through many rounds of 400m run repeats, etc. You can apply intensity to any and all aspects of a workout, and it doesn’t always need to have that typical heart-beating-out-of-your-chest feeling.

Without a thoughtful approach and great coaching, it’s easy to get carried away with too much of the wrong version of intensity in CrossFit - and that’s where bad stuff can happen (like injuries! - and believe me I’ve learned the hard way!). But the beauty of CrossFit lies in the measurable, consistent results from a methodology that gives room for many different styles of programming and development. Great CrossFit coaches don’t guess; they prescribe, watch, and adjust in real time, ensuring mechanics come first, consistency follows, and intensity builds progressively. No burnout, no ego lifts—just measurable gains in fitness that last a lifetime. You’ve all fallen in love (or at a minimum, are having fun flirting) with the CrossFit life, but when we are trying to help others join us and take their fitness and health to the next level, it’s important to understand how good CrossFit gyms and coaches manage and build athletes for performance, health, and longevity. CrossFit, when done correctly, is the most effective way to help anyone unlock a healthier, stronger, more capable self that applies to any stage of life or capability.

So keep getting after it in the gym, and always know that your version of intensity is waiting, and it’s exactly what your body needs to transform. 

CrossFit.com, among other sites, provides lots of great resources about intensity and the CrossFit methodology. A great article for more discussion on the topic of intensity can be found at https://www.crossfit.com/essentials/crossfit-how-much-intensity