CrossFit is a precise combination of exercise and nutrition that has been proven to increase fitness and health for people of all ages and abilities. CrossFit is founded on the first scientifically rigorous definition of fitness: The program produces observable results that can be measured and replicated.

Yes. Everyone can do CrossFit regardless of age, injuries and current fitness levels. The program is modified for each person to help him or her safely become healthier and fitter. Grandparents and Olympians can perform modified versions of the same general workout.

No. CrossFit is the program that will get you in shape. No matter what your current fitness level is, you can start CrossFit. As you become fitter, workouts will become more challenging. Every workout is designed to help you succeed, improve fitness and move you toward your goals.

Yes. CrossFit training is very safe, and sitting on your couch is actually incredibly dangerous. In CrossFit boxes, credentialed trainers provide precise instructions and coaching to help people move safely and efficiently, helping people avoid all the diseases that come from inactivity, obesity and poor nutrition.

CrossFit improves general physical preparedness (GPP). We have designed our program to elicit as broad an adaptational response as possible. CrossFit is not a specialized fitness program but a deliberate attempt to optimize physical competence in each of 10 fitness domains: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. CrossFit was developed to enhance an individual’s competency at all physical tasks. People who do CrossFit are prepared for all challenges, whether they come in the gym, on a playing field or as part of daily life.

CrossFit holds a uniquely elegant solution to the greatest problem facing the world today: chronic disease. The CrossFit program—constantly varied high-intensity functional movement coupled with meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar—can give you a pass on chronic disease. If you are not sick, know that fitness provides a great margin of protection against the ravages of time and disease. Fitness is and should be “super-wellness.” To improve or preserve your health, do CrossFit.

The short answer: Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. To optimize health and fitness, you will need to measure and record intake, evaluate performance and potentially change intake until the desired results are achieved. This approach to diet is no different than the CrossFit approach to workouts. To start, we recommend everyone give the baseline Zone Diet prescription a try for four weeks. Doing so will help you establish measurable, observable, repeatable data on your input (food) and output (performance). Once you have completed a minimum baseline term of four weeks, you might find you have to make adjustments to the prescription until you achieve optimal levels of health and fitness. This type of measured, systematic self-observation will be the best guide as to whether you should eat any type of food or implement any diet “strategy.” For instance, experimentation will give you valuable information on grains, legumes, dairy, and salt, and it can even help you plan the frequency and timing of your meals. You might need to adjust your food intake for your lifestyle, goals, discipline, commitment level, etc. You might choose to experiment with supplementation, post-workout nutrition, fasting and so on. You might choose to include a cheat meal, eat more fat, consume more food, etc. Overall, diet is specific to each individual, and you can optimize your diet by carefully tracking input and output.