The second [fitness] model is statistical and is a measure of an athlete performing well at any physical test thrown his or her way. Load a hopper with athletic tasks and the better athlete is able to do more of them better than the inferior athlete. CrossFit is designed for this type of general physical preparation. Life, on average, punishes the specialist. The more specialized you are, the less cross-adapted you are likely to be in other measures of physical prowess.
Elite endurance athletes are often looked upon as the prototypes of elite
fitness. Models 1 [see June 29, 2011] and 2 clearly debunk that prototype. Elite endurance athletes exhibit few of the physical skills of the first model and would fare poorly against the hopper.
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