Live the Functional Fitness Lifestyle Like a Pro

For CrossFit athletes who drank the Kool-Aid and have been neck-deep in the community ever since, functional fitness is the ultimate path to athletic greatness. 

Specializing is out. Well-roundedness is in. You want to be able to squat 500lbs and run a 5:00 mile (aka, The Castro Challenge). Or at least be able to hold your own in fitness tests that seem to contradict each other—clean and jerk your bodyweight, row a 5k, walk on your hands, jump up on a high box, string together tons of pull ups, do hill sprints without dying (impossible).  

There’s no denying that CrossFit has done amazing things for the fitness world in general. We’ve never before seen such dynamic athletes who can pretty much handle whatever task is thrown at them. CrossFitters often dominate weird fitness events because they train in all realms of skill, strength, and conditioning. 

Even entertaining the idea of making it to the CF Games takes grit, consistency, and maximum effort in nutrition, recovery, and each of the 10 CrossFit Commandments: 

1. Cardiovascular/Respiratory Endurance
2. Stamina
3. Strength
4. Flexibility
5. Power
6. Speed
7. Coordination
8. Agility
9. Balance
10. Accuracy

The beauty of CrossFit is that there’s always something to strive for. You can always be better at one or more of those elements, no matter how experienced you are.

The challenge for most meal-prepping, crew-sock-wearing, FitAid-drinking Type-A garage gym warriors is what program to follow. You should be able to have fun, suffer strategically, test your limits, and grind away at your weaknesses while seeing progress in your body composition.

Sometimes the programming at your regular gym (Does anyone use the word “box” anymore?) doesn’t cut it. But your friends are there! It’d suck to leave. Few things are more fun than throwing down with your homies on a Saturday morning, then going for brunch in your gym clothes and eating an obscene amount of pancakes.

But you know that reaching peak human condition takes real work and quality coaching. 

If you want to excel in gymnastics, weightlifting, and metabolic conditioning, only the best will do. The TrainHeroic Marketplace proudly offers just that—teams and programs by some of the top heroes in CrossFit.   

Get daily programming delivered to your phone where you can log your times, track your weights, and see specific, individualized feedback from massively successful coaches. 

No more tunneling through the pain cave without a goal in mind. No more snoozing in your comfort zone or staring at a plateau without knowing how to smash through it. 

Ready to maximize your work capacity across broad time and modal domains? Check out these big dogs in CF programming on TrainHeroic. Get ready to PR your Fran time, deadlift double bodyweight, or land that first muscleup. And don’t forget the celebratory donuts. 🍩

The Crossfit programs on the internet

TrainFTW Thrive

Matt Chan (@matt1chan) is one of the OGs. An ultimate hero, literally. He’s a firefighter, winner of the Titan Games, and SIX-time finisher at the CrossFit Games, placing 2nd overall in 2012. He’s a masters level athlete now—though you’d never guess by his awesome physique—with the wisdom and practice of three+ decades behind his programming at TrainFTW (@train_FTW). For an outdoorsman’s lifestyle approach to functional fitness that’s “balanced, fresh, and time-efficient”, look nowhere else.  

Who doesn’t want to train with a Titan Games winner? Fun fact, Matt Chan does the Train FTW training along with his subscribers. Trying to topple him from the group leaderboards is a surefire way to PR!

Jump Ship Training

Based out of Hawaii, Seth Page (@sethjumpedship), programs mega-successful CrossFit training with a team of killer coaches, which includes Games athlete, Chyna Cho (@chynacho). Their daily workouts are 90 minutes instead of the usual 60 you get in CrossFit classes, so you have a more dedicated warmup plus some bonus work. With a guide for modifications and daily extras for competitors, it’s no wonder Jump Ship Training (@jumpshiptraining) has such popular teams in the TrainHeroic Marketplace.

Gym Jones Cult Classic

Gym Jones (@gymjonessalvation) started in 2003 as a gritty, invite-only program with a no-nonsense approach to strength and conditioning. Gym Jones focuses on mindset, GPP (general physical preparedness), heavy lifting, and HIIT workouts with an emphasis on strength. One skim of their content says it all: big muscles, stacks of plates, and faces contorted in the pain of hard physical effort. “Mental mastery and spiritual growth through vigorous exercise, or something like that.”

DEUCE Delta Bravo

Perfect for the home gym warrior, the DEUCE (@deuce_gym) Delta Bravo team programs one-hour strength and cardio workouts 5 days a week. All you need is a pair of dumbbells (for real). These workouts are designed to be done pretty much anywhere—in your backyard, basement, local park, whatever space you have available. This is maximum-efficiency and inclusive at-home training at its best.. Head coach, Logan Gelbrich (@functionalcoach) is a pretty cool guy, too. 

The Jam Method JAMMERS 

Jamie Hagiya (@jamiejoyce2) is known for her CrossFit Games appearances, body positivity, and mad basketball skills. Her programming aims to get you stronger and develop your conditioning without spending hours in the gym. She’s all about fitness for fun, which is a refreshing approach to traditionally serious coaching. “The JAM Method (@jam_method) is for those who want to train hard, crush the occasional donut, and look good naked.”

Barbell WOD

The Barbell WOD (@thebarbellwod) is strength-focused programming developed by elite level weightlifting coach, Dave Spitz, of California Strength (@cal_strength). Cal Strength has put out record-breaking Olympians, so you can trust the Barbell WOD to develop your snatch, clean and jerk, squat, deadlift, and strength in other barbell movements. It always pays to be stronger, but be prepared for some efficient conditioning pieces alongside the smart barbell work. 

Honorable Mention: MFLH

MFLH (@movefastliftheavy) run by Games athlete, Christian Harris (@iamchrisharris), is an awesome brand with stellar programming and even cooler swag.