CrossFit Athletic Group

The fitness industry accepts 10 categories that someone can improve while doing a fitness program. They are:

• Cardio/respiratory endurance
• Stamina
• Strength
• Flexibility
• Power
• Speed
• Coordination
• Accuracy
• Agility
• Balance

These were made popular by the guys who made the med balls we use (not Ol' Floppy, but the other ones), openly referenced by CrossFit decades ago, and still used today. It's important to understand, though, that these words/categories are invented by humans to the best of their intelligence to describe what they see. Nature does not recognize or separate these 10 categories.

That is worth repeating: Nature does not recognize or separate these 10 categories.

Whatever energy systems, muscles, joints, and brain power it takes to kill a meal, move heavy stones, shovel the driveway, tackle a runningback, or throw a shotput happen without segmentation. It's not like you use agility for the first part of a tackle, then power on the next part, then balance on the next, and strength on the last. You just tackle; everything works in sync to make that happen.

This realization made it possible for you guys to get an absolutely miserable dose of "cardio" from 5 minutes of a "power" exercise.

When we want to get in shape - really get in shape - we have to look at what we are trying to get in shape for. Running, rowing, and cycling are the best ways to get in shape for... you guessed it, running, rowing, and cycling. The best way to get in shape in general is to use all combinations of movements as conditioning tools and adding intensity to them.

We’ve observed that cardiorespiratory capacity is transferable to other activities depending on the manner in which it was developed. The transferability of endurance training is greatest when it best matches the intended application.

Our endurance (cardio) is expressed in real life not by rowing or running for 30 minutes, but by combinations of lifting, throwing, running, jumping, pulling, pushing, and changing orientation, usually at a moderate or high intensity. If you don't feel the cardio dose after one of the workouts like yesterday, either the technique wasn't ready, or you weren't going hard enough.