COORDINATION
Children develop coordination by learning to perform several distinct movement patterns into a singular distinct exercise. For example, when doing a pushup, a child must balance on her hands, tighten her abdominal muscles, maintain a rigid core, bend her elbows, lower her body, and push back up – all without falling to the floor.
BALANCE
Described by Coach Glassman as the “ability to control the placement of the body’s center of gravity in relation to its support,” balance is one of the critical skills children develop through the CrossFit Kids program. By learning how to stabilize their midline while performing a range of movements, like gymnastics drills and pushups, kids’ form, posture, carriage and overall strength improve.
FLEXIBILITY
An often-neglected aspect of fitness, flexibility refers to a child’s ability to effectively bend and move without injury. Flexibility increases when kids are able to boost their range of motion and improve their bone, ligament and joint stability. Some exercises that build flexibility include the bear crawl and other animal movements. Drawing on each of these developing skills, CrossFit Kids workouts deliver constantly varied, functional movements...
AGILITY
Requiring balance, coordination, reflexes, speed and strength, agility gives kids the ability to transition quickly from one movement pattern to another. Obstacle courses, for instance, which are typically incorporated into the CrossFit Kids’ program, train young people to use explosive strength, nimble movements and rapid directional changes.
STAMINA
Directly related to cardiovascular endurance, stamina development centers on performing high-intensity movements for increasingly longer periods of time. As the kids’ stamina improves, they’ll be able to exert themselves more and more – and reap the benefits of improved metabolism, oxygen flow and recovery time.
STRENGTH
Defined by Coach Glassman as “the ability of a muscular unit or combo of muscular units to apply force,” strength is a general physical skill that’s measured by a child’s ability to move a heavy object, regardless of time. CrossFit Kids helps young people build strength and biomotor skills through weight lifts, like a deadlift and shoulder press, as well as medicine ball throws and handstand pushups.
