In the first question-and-answer session following his presentation at the National War College at National Defense University, Coach Glassman expands on the principles behind his training approach and addresses questions about program structure and safety. He explains that the workout of the day is an advanced stimulus designed to push even highly trained individuals beyond their current fitness capacities. Because of this potency, training must follow a strict progression: athletes must first learn proper movement mechanics, then demonstrate consistency in those movements, and only afterward add intensity—typically measured with a timer. Establishing this foundation, often through weeks of practice, ensures that high-intensity training can be introduced safely and effectively.
Glassman also discusses the importance of General Physical Preparedness (GPP), arguing that broad, foundational fitness is frequently more valuable to athletic performance than highly specialized training. While athletes must still practice their sport, he notes that modern strength and conditioning programs increasingly emphasize fundamental movements such as squats and deadlifts rather than attempting to replicate sports movements in the gym. Addressing concerns about injury and connective tissue adaptation, he explains that when introduced responsibly, the program has consistently reduced all-cause injury in groups such as military and law enforcement units. He concludes by emphasizing that intensity is the primary driver of meaningful physiological adaptation, though it must be carefully managed due to the steep dose-response of high-intensity training.
This video, by BSI’s co-founder, was originally published in The CrossFit Journal. While Greg Glassman no longer owns CrossFit Inc., his writings and ideas revolutionized the world of fitness, and are reproduced here.
Coach Glassman named his training methodology ‘CrossFit,’ which became a trademarked term owned by CrossFit Inc. In order to preserve his writings in their original form, references to ‘CrossFit’ remain in this video.
Greg Glassman founded CrossFit, a fitness revolution. Under Glassman’s leadership there were around 4 million CrossFitters, 300,000 CrossFit coaches and 15,000 physical locations, known as affiliates, where his prescribed methodology: constantly varied functional movements executed at high intensity, were practiced daily. CrossFit became known as the solution to the world’s greatest problem, chronic illness.
In 2002, he became the first person in exercise physiology to apply a scientific definition to the word fitness. As the son of an aerospace engineer, Glassman learned the principles of science at a young age. Through observations, experimentation, testing, and retesting, Glassman created a program that brought unprecedented results to his clients. He shared his methodology with the world through The CrossFit Journal and in-person seminars. Harvard Business School proclaimed that CrossFit was the world’s fastest growing business.
The business, which challenged conventional business models and financially upset the health and wellness industry, brought plenty of negative attention to Glassman and CrossFit. The company’s low carbohydrate nutrition prescription threatened the sugar industry and led to a series of lawsuits after a peer-reviewed journal falsified data claiming Glassman’s methodology caused injuries. A federal judge called it the biggest case of scientific misconduct and fraud she’d seen in all her years on the bench. After this experience Glassman developed a deep interest in the corruption of modern science for private interests. He launched CrossFit Health which mobilized 20,000 doctors who knew from their experiences with CrossFit that Glassman’s methodology prevented and cured chronic diseases. Glassman networked the doctors, exposed them to researchers in a variety of fields and encouraged them to work together and further support efforts to expose the problems in medicine and work together on preventative measures.
In 2020, Greg sold CrossFit and focused his attention on the broader issues in modern science. He’d learned from his experience in fitness that areas of study without definitions, without ways of measuring and replicating results are ripe for corruption and manipulation.
The Broken Science Initiative, aims to expose and equip anyone interested with the tools to protect themself from the ills of modern medicine and broken science at-large.
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