What Happened To Intensity?

Today, athletes all over the world are trading intensity for volume and it shows.

Whereas CrossFit coaches like me that have been around for nearly two decades once challenged each other with creating the best sub-five-minute piece of art, coaches today compete to see who can fit the most jibberish on a whiteboard.

We’re using our community as a crutch. Instead of cultivating something extraordinary along with excellent methodology, we’re hoping the community will pick up the slack on the workout floor.

Guys like me spent a lot of time educating people on the value of intensity. We taught that we didn’t need to live in the gym to be fit. And that the best workouts were the short ones. And you know why? Because it’s true. And more importantly, because it’s already hard enough to bring fitness to the masses without a legion of idiots celebrating endless workouts that highlight suffering instead of effort.

I get it though; it’s about camaraderie. We get the community organized around a rigorous task and watch it support and connect with one another. This is great, of course, but totally unnecessary. Especially when that stops working, and shockingly, athletes remember they started CrossFit to get results.

A decade ago, when we programmed Fran, you couldn’t find a parking spot.

Athletes came as early as they could, got their workout in, happily posted their scores, and stayed for hours cheering on their friends. And that was it. The next day we snatched heavy and back squatted. And athletes attended that day as well. And they snatched and stayed and cheered all the same. The day after that we ran 800-meters with some burpees. And that’s it.

Athletes had abs and lives and loved each other. Now we prescribe entire weeks worth or questionable workouts that are sending the wrong message, more athletes than ever are injured, and people are leaving.

What happened to pride? What happened to giving people what they need? What happened to intensity?

Fitness isn’t suffering through endless bouts of pointless activity, and it doesn’t take ludicrous events to build a community. It takes intensity. Passion-filled, genuine, balls-out intensity.

“Be impressed by intensity, not volume,” CrossFit founder, Greg Glassman.