Ten General Physical Skills of Functional Fitness
If you’re newer to Fit2live you may have noticed the 10 words painted on the wall. The words are Endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Speed, Power, Accuracy, Agility, Balance and Coordination. These are the 10 general physical skills that CrossFit is designed to improve and the key to being a well balanced human being. We believe that you are only as fit as you are proficient at all 10 skills. Some Powerlifters may be able to back squat 800lbs, but they can’t run half a mile. There are Ultra Marathoners who can’t touch their toes and Yogis that can’t deadlift half their body weight. You are only as fit as your weakest link. Being competent and balanced in all 10 general physical skills is the key to long term health and longevity. This is why we strive to improve all 10 of these skills on a weekly basis at Fit2Live.
It is also our goal as coaches to make sure you are well balanced with all 10 of these general physical skills. If we notice one skill lagging, you better believe we will be prescribing homework and emphasizing these skills in your workout to bring them up to par.
More About the 10 Skills
Endurance, Stamina, Strength and Flexibility are measurable physical changes to your body. The more you train effectively (Lifting weights, Running, Stretching) the more improvement you will see in these skills. Coordination, Agility, Balance and Accuracy are Neurological changes within your brain. To improve in these skills it requires mindful systematic practices (progressions, drills, skill work) Speed and Power are a combination of both the physical and neurological. You need both training and mindful practice to improve in these skills.
How We Practice These Skills at Fit2Live
In a given week at Fit2Live, you can expect to train, practice and develop all 10 of these general physical skills. This is why we do strength, skill, mobility and speed work, it’s also why we regularly complete higher intensity workouts and why we have specialty classes to dive deeper into each component of fitness (Barbell, Gymnastics, Endurance, Kettlebell, etc).
All movements we do in CrossFit require more than one of these skills. If you have a hard time with snatches it doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of strength. The problem may be a lack of flexibility. It may be a problem of coordination with more muscles not firing in the correct sequence. You might be off balance. When trying to learn a new skill like a muscle-up, repeatedly trying to attempt one isn’t the most effective route. Again, the problem may not be a lack of strength. Most likely, it’s a problem of coordination, flexibility, and balance. Probably, it’s a combination of all of these. The proper progression and drills to improve YOUR weakness is the better and safer route.
Take a look at all 10 general physical skills below, is there one that you have an opportunity to improve? Get to class regularly and we’ll attack these opportunity areas until you are a well balance Zombie fighting machine!
Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance – The ability of the body’s systems to gather, process, and deliver oxygen
Stamina – The ability of body systems to process, deliver, store, and utilize energy
Strength – The ability of your body to apply force
Flexibility – The ability to maximize the range of motion at a given joint
Power – The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply maximum force in minimum time
Speed – The ability to minimize the cycle time of a repeated movement
Coordination – The ability to combine several distinct movement patterns into a singular distinct movement
Agility – The ability to minimize transition time from one movement pattern to another
Balance – The ability to control the placement of the body’s center of gravity in relation to its support base
Accuracy – The ability to control movement in a given direction or at a given intensity
If you need help figuring out how to improve in a weaker area, you can schedule 1 on 1 Personal Training with one of our coaches and we’ll develop the right progression/path for you to make you a well balanced, functional human being. Balance is key, improving in skills where you are lagging will improve areas where you are already strong and will lead to better performance and overall health.
Email [email protected] to schedule your 1-on-1 session today!
See how Coach EJ became more well balanced with her 10 general physical skills with 1-on-1 training.
