It’s Time to Use Your Fitness: The Importance of Sports
In the 2002 publication “What Is Fitness?” CrossFit proposed a theoretical hierarchy for the development of an athlete. This hierarchy starts with nutrition and moves through metabolic conditioning, gymnastics, weightlifting, and finally, sports. Today, we’re focusing on the pinnacle of this pyramid: sport.
Are you spending hours in the gym only to spend your free time doing a whole lot of nothing? It’s time to use your fitness!
Sport plays a crucial role in the fitness equation. It is not just an extension of the training we do in the gym but rather an exciting arena where fitness truly comes alive. While our gym workouts are often structured and predictable, sports introduce an element of unpredictability and challenge us to apply our training in real-world scenarios.
In sports, we use and showcase the 10 general physical skills that we cultivate in the gym:
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 a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, 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.
Why is applying your fitness in sports so important?
Sports provide a dynamic environment where you can test and improve these skills. They push you to adapt and react to different situations, enhancing physical and mental adaptability. In the gym, you build the foundation, but in sports, you put that foundation to use. It’s where your hard work transforms into tangible results and where you experience the thrill of applying your fitness in a competitive setting.
So next time your friend invites you to a pick-up hockey game or suggests a bike ride, say yes! Imagine having a sports car—you wouldn’t just admire it from the garage; you’d take it out on the road and experience its capabilities. Do the same with the fitness you've built.
Life is meant to be lived fully. Consistently train hard, but remember that true fitness comes to life when you actively use it. Use sports and outdoor activities as a way to celebrate your hard work. Take your fitness outside of our four gym walls.