What is Crossfit? : The New Definition
Let’s say your kid falls down, and scrapes their knee, what do you put on it to help stop the bleeding and cover it so they can go back and play?
If You go to the Pharmacy and need one of those things that covers a small wound, what would you be looking for if an employee asked if you needed help finding something?
You would need some of these right?
But, what would you call them?
In these situations you would probably say you need some Bandaids and, without batting an eye everyone would know what you are talking about.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with saying that it might not actually be 100% true. That’s because Band Aids are not a “thing”, it’s actually the name brand of adhesive bandages owned by Johnson+Johnson and, when you say “I need a Bandaid” you probably mean you need any brand or type of adhesive bandage that is available; not just Band Aid Brand.
Unless you had a “special connection” with the Band Aid brand then I can safely say that you would easily use a bandage made by these guys
but, call it a bandaid.
Over time because of the popularity, market dominance/saturation and clever branding the general public used the trademarked “Bandaid” brand name to talk about all adhesive bandages and related products. This is true for the different companies with their own branding and own line of adhesive bandages. According to the general public they are all called “Bandaids” and these competing companies have to live with the fact that everyone calls their product by a different brand no matter how hard they try to convince them otherwise. This means the trademarked name had become genericized, which really means the brand is the actual product and no longer unique.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_trademark
If you don’t believe me, the next grocery store or pharmacy you go to ask an employee where to find some Nexcare, Dynarex Or Curad’s and see if they know what you’re talking about without needing to say adhesive bandages or bandaids.
Is this happening with Crossfit?
The Brand Name Turning Into a Word
I’m pretty confident in saying that 100% of the people that read this will have heard of the Company and Brand of Crossfit at least once whether they are avid readers of this site or not. True? Ok, let’s move on.
Let me start by asking you one important question.
What exactly is/isn’t Crossfit?
The “is” probably seems a lot easier to answer. You’re probably first jumping to say something like what their variety of slogans preach: “CrossFit is constantly varied functional movements performed at relatively high intensity”, “CrossFit Is Forging Elite Fitness”, “CrossFit Is Making People Better” etc. That would be correct but, cool slogans don’t usually answer questions well.
I tried to look up a defined answer from Crossfit.com but unfortunately, I don’t think Crossfit HQ helps me out with the type of definition I am looking for. The content explains some of their slogans and comes close but still leave me with a general thought of what Crossfit might be. The video they have on their “What is Crossfit” webpage gives more of a general look at what Crossfit might be from the perspective of the participant which is a great video but, it’s full of personal opinions and definitions of what it might be rather than what Crossfit actually is. Some say it’s a sport, others say its training, a healthy lifestyle, it’s happiness, it’s a community, family, it’s a gym, it’s an emotional journey, it’s competitions, it’s a workout, it’s an experience and it’s a fitness program. Great video but, I leave the page with general points about training instead of a definition of what Crossfit is today. In the first few years it might have been worked well to define it as their “constantly varied functional movements…” tagline but, I feel that it has outgrown that and I would assume that HQ would agree that as a company they are way more than just High Intensity Functional Exercises.
Without creating an itemized list of yes’s and no’s, the easiest and most general answer you can give is; Crossfit is a Brand in the Fitness Industry that spans across demographics and includes a variety speciality disciplines. In all honesty it’s probably the most accurate answer to that question even though it really doesn’t help to answer the question.
While that definition might seem fairly accurate and clear to a fellow trainer, coach, or specialist in our field I doubt that definition holds any weight to the general population. I could go as far as to say that there is probably a majority of people that just see the word Crossfit and immediately define it as just intense exercise and training inside or outside of a Crossfit Box. That’s what is becoming interesting. Since Crossfit HQ has not told us what they are, people are making their own definition of what it is and it’s becoming it’s own “generic word” that replaces people saying, healthy lifestyle, fitness,training,the gym,working out and plain old exercise.
It’s turning everything that happens around any gym into “Crossfit” because well, we don’t know what Crossfit is or what Crossfit isn’t.
Which one of these pictures is “Crossfit”? Are they all Crossfit? Are they all something else like boot camp, a running group or just a regular gym?
If you can’t tell without seeing the branding of each, how do you think other people see it?
THE AMBIGUITY OF WHAT CROSSFIT IS MAKES FELLOW PROFESSIONALS ANGRY
If I can’t define it then how do I know if I’m doing it or not?
You ever come across someone who scoffs at any mention of Crossfit regardless of the actual topic of conversation? I know I have.
We as pros know that Crossfit did not invent anything new or create the exercises that are popular in their WOD’s and their Crossfit Game events. Small group and class based training has been around a long time, Olympic Lifting, Powerlifting, Gymnastics and circuit training have been around for decades upon decades before Crossfit was a twinkle in the eye of Mr. Glassman. However, with all that being said it’s still easy to say that Crossfit played a tremendous role in bringing these disciplines to the general population and packaged them to drive their popularity like wildfire. I have even been around people who have only ever exercised around Crossfit and actually thought that Crossfit INVENTED the Clean&Jerk, Burpees, deadlift high pull and varieties of circuit training. Yup, invented it…that’s powerful
The affiliate system for the gym owners provides a powerful brand to stand behind but does not have the limitations and restrictions like a franchise. Crossfit Gym owners/affiliates/coaches can do pretty much whatever they want under that brand in terms of how they coach, program and advertise so it’s hard to say every Crossfit Gym is exactly alike. Some Crossfit Box’s might even look really close to what your facility looks like, offer similar services and even have similar specialties.
You and your facility may never program or do a WOD, prep athletes for the Crossfit Open and/or Crossfit Games, do High Rep Olympic Lifts, Kip a pull-up but, if you train people in groups, use circuit training, advocate the use of Barbells, Kettlebells, medicine balls, bodyweight exercises, running, the rower, sleds, olympic lifts, powerlifting or even use a whiteboard to display workouts and personal records someone in the general population might describe what you do as CrossFit. They might even tell their friends and family that what you do is “like Crossfit” just little different in one or two aspects. That fact alone is what angers some professionals that try to distance themselves from that Brand and do not want their training, their programs or their reputation associated with that brand name for better or worse.
Why is this happening?
No, It’s not a conspiracy against Crossfit HQ doing something they shouldn’t like collaborating with other companies to force a change or sueing everyone to be like them. It’s actually really simple.
Crossfit (possibly unknowingly at first) is the brand that now represents something called G.P.P. or “General Physical Preparation”. To put it in simple terms; GPP is to develop all of the general aspects of fitness, movements and even physical rehab before your training progresses to more specific means of training that directly relates to the sport or activity in which you might be competing in.(read more here) The definition of GPP kind of sounds like the most popular way to describe Crossfit doesn’t it “CrossFit is constantly varied functional movements…”
Today Crossfit as a company and business is no longer just a workout style. The other side of their empire deals in Trainer certifications, Continuing education seminars, speciality education courses, Gym ownership through the Affiliate system, The Open and Crossfit Games, Their training and apparel products designed for ReeBok and their sometimes brash advocacy positions and stances on the state of the Health and Fitness Industry and it’s future. That’s a lot of different aspects, specialties, disciplines about training and fitness all rolled into one nice short word and, people like using one word to describe something long and complex. Almost everyone knows something about Crossfit and it’s easier for a novice exerciser who might not be educated in fitness or talking to someone who is also a novice about training to say “I do Crossfit” then to describe all those those things independently and conveniently so they are understood. So, essentially the amazing branding and marketing strategy that made Crossfit look different to the general public in the beginning has slowly been turning all things associated with training into a generic/descriptive word (their trademarked brand)that just means fitness,exercise and intensity to the general population/novice exerciser. Crossfit HQ and their affiliates are not changing what a “non Crossfit” coach or facility does or has to do. They are not forcing them to train clients a certain way but, the public knows what Crossfit is more than they know what GPP or other aspects of training are so, to them it doesn’t really matter what brand is on the front door to the facility when telling other people what they do.
Even if your brand is saying nothing about Crossfit and you make sure to rarely say the word within earshot of other people, I bet there’s someone you train that describes all or part of what they do at your facility as being “like Crossfit” and, that fact alone makes some coaches upset or angry. While it’s true that only approved and paying affiliates have the permission to professionally and legally use the Crossfit trademark for business, there is nothing stopping the people who are exercising, participating and recreationally involved in fitness calling or describing what they do as Crossfit.
Just like there’s nothing Curad can do if someone holds a box of their own Adhesive bandages and calls them Bandaids to literally every person they know. It’s A Bandaid
I want to leave you with a few questions.
This is an evolving topic that will have people clearly on either side and proper debate is healthy for our industry.
Do you think Crossfit is becoming the new word for fitness/exercise (the New Bandaid brand) to the general public?
If it’s not, Why?
If it is, do you accept it or fight the association of what you do, and why might it be worth the fight?
If you choose to fight against it, What is “Not Crossfit” to you?
Originally published at fitletes.com
Thanks For taking the time out of your day to read.
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