CROSSFIT WOLFRAM: WHAT IS FITNESS? PART 2

In CrossFit, we’re constantly working to become well-rounded athletes, which means we need to understand the three metabolic pathways. These pathways are our body’s internal engines, fueling the activities we do during our workouts.

These “metabolic engines” allow us to perform at different levels of intensity, and knowing how they work can help us train smarter.

Let’s break them down:

1. Phosphagen (or phosphocreatine) pathway: This is the engine that kicks in for those highest-powered activities that last less than 10 seconds. Think of a heavy clean-and-jerk or a 100-meter sprint—this pathway is the one in charge.
2. Glycolytic (or lactate) pathway: When we move into moderate-powered activities, lasting a few minutes, this pathway takes over. Imagine doing a 400-meter run or a few rounds of Cindy. Your glycolytic system is fueling you through.
3. Oxidative (or aerobic) pathway: Finally, for longer, low-powered activities that last several minutes or more—such as a long-distance run, row, or endurance WOD—it’s the oxidative pathway that comes into play.

Here’s the thing: these three engines are always running simultaneously, but depending on the activity, one will dominate. So in CrossFit, we don’t want to overly rely on just one pathway. Instead, we want to train all three engines to be well-rounded and ready for any challenge.

This is the beauty of CrossFit. The total fitness we aim for requires us to be competent in each of these pathways. You can’t just focus on being great at short bursts of power while ignoring your endurance or mid-range capacity. Balancing these pathways is at the core of our metabolic conditioning, or “cardio,” as we often call it.
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He or she is fittest that’s best balanced across these three metabolic pathways. That’s why, in CrossFit, we’re constantly varying our workouts to ensure we’re hitting all three engines. It’s the balance across these systems that defines our fitness and readiness for anything life throws our way.

​Book a free No-Sweat Intro at CrossFit Wolfram today by clicking this link: https://www.crossfit-wolfram.com/nosweatintro-767787.html.

​We’re excited to welcome you to the CrossFit Wolfram community and support you on your journey to better health and fitness!