If you have spent any time in a CrossFit gym, you have probably heard the phrase “constantly varied.” It is one of the main pillars of what we do. But what does it actually mean? And why is it so important to your fitness?
At its core, “constantly varied” means we are always changing the style of workouts you do. We change the movements, the weight, the reps, the distance, and the time domain. Some days are short and fast. Some days are long and grinding. Some days focus on heavy lifting. Other days feel almost like a sprint. You never repeat the same type of workout day after day, and that is on purpose.
CrossFit is a broad, general, and inclusive fitness program. That simply means we are not training you for one specific task. We are training you to be ready for anything life throws your way. We want you to run, jump, lift, push, pull, carry, and move well in your daily life, even when life surprises you. We are a general physical preparedness program. Our goal is to prepare you for the unknown and the unknowable. We are not a program that only trains one movement or one style of workout. We want you to be able to do many things well rather than only one thing extremely well.
If you only train one thing, you only get good at that one thing. If you always lift heavy but never move fast, your body will struggle when speed is required. If you only train short workouts but never long ones, long efforts will feel impossible. If you always practice the same set of movements, anything outside of that becomes a weakness. That weakness becomes a chink in your armor.
Your margin of experience is the range of physical challenges your body has been exposed to. If you only practice pull-ups in sets of 10, that becomes your margin. If you suddenly have to do 30 in a row, you are outside that margin. If you only run 200 meters at a time, but a workout calls for 800 meters, you are outside that margin again.
CrossFit expands that margin by constantly varying the workouts. We want that margin to grow wider and wider so you can move well in any situation. When your training covers many styles of movement and many different physical demands, you become more capable, more resilient, and more prepared for anything.
To do this well, we vary four key things more than anything else:
- Movements
We rotate through squats, presses, pulls, gymnastics skills, Olympic lifts, cardio machines, carries, jumps, and more. Each movement challenges your body in a different way. - Load
Some days are light and fast. Some days are heavy and slow. Changing the weight teaches your body to be strong, powerful, and controlled. - Reps or Distance
We change how many reps you complete or how far you travel. This exposes you to short bursts of work and longer, more demanding efforts. - Time
Sometimes you work for just a few minutes. Other days you work for 20 minutes or more. Time is one of the biggest influencers of intensity.
We focus on these variables because they connect directly to CrossFit’s power equation: Force times distance divided by time. The more force you apply, the more distance you move, and the less time you take, the more power you produce. In CrossFit, power is equal to intensity. Intensity is where results are created. But you cannot safely train at high intensity unless you have variety. Constant variation allows you to train at high intensity without burning out or overtraining the same pattern.
Critics of CrossFit often say that if you vary everything, you will never be great at one thing. The truth is they are correct. We are not trying to be the best at one thing. Becoming the absolute best at one physical skill means you have to sacrifice another one. Every specialist gives something up.
A strongman might lift massive weights, but their endurance is usually very limited. A marathon runner might have incredible stamina, but their strength is often low. A world-class powerlifter might squat 800 pounds, but running a mile would be extremely difficult. A gymnast might be skilled on the rings, but lifting a very heavy barbell might be challenging.
Specialists trade one skill for another. CrossFitters do not. We want to be good at everything, not great at only one thing. We want to lift well, run well, jump well, row well, climb well, and move well overall. We want balanced fitness, not extreme fitness in one direction. CrossFit trains broad fitness because life demands broad fitness. Life does not test you in only one area. It tests you everywhere.
Another major benefit of a constantly varied program is that it keeps training fun. If you did the same workout every week, the same rep scheme every Thursday, and the same movements over and over, you would eventually get bored. Your body would adapt and stop improving. You would hit plateaus. But when you walk into the gym and do not know what challenge is coming next, you stay mentally engaged. You stay curious and excited to see what your body can do.
Variance also pushes you to learn new skills you once believed were impossible. Maybe you never thought you would do a box jump, a handstand hold, a pull-up, or a power clean. But because CrossFit exposes you to new skills often, you get to practice them in small doses. Over time, you build confidence. You start to see progress. You turn “I cannot do that” into “I did it.” That sense of achievement is powerful and motivating.
Constantly varied training also allows us to play again. As adults, we often forget what it feels like to move with curiosity, fun, and freedom. Kids learn through play. They run, climb, jump, hang, fall, try again, and explore movement without fear. CrossFit gives us a chance to move like that again. It reminds us that our bodies are capable of learning new things at any age. As long as you stay open to new challenges and continue practicing, your body will respond.
In the end, constantly varied is not random and it is not chaotic. It is purposeful, structured, and thoughtfully designed. It expands your abilities, builds your confidence, strengthens your fitness, and prepares you for anything life may require of you.
A wide margin of experience leads to a wide margin of capability.
This is exactly why CrossFit is constantly varied.
