Ruth’s post from October discussed why it is near impossible for women to bulk up to bodybuilder size , so I’d like to spin off of Ruth’s topic and discuss a little about  beauty.  I know this is a widely debated topic because of  its subjectivity, however, I think that there are some things we all can appreciate.  As CrossFitters, we come to have a new found appreciation for hard work and bettering ourselves through intense physical training, development of mental fortitude, improved nutrition, and involvement in a community that encourages the pursuit of individual excellence.  We also come to understand that positive results, whether performance or aesthetic in nature, take time and require a dedication and patience that is hard for many to comprehend.  We slowly learn what it feels and looks like to be more healthy and fit as we increase our work capacity across broad time and modal domains (in layman’s terms:  performing better in a wider variety of time durations and situations).  The following CrossFit Journal articles are collages from the 2009 CrossFit Games that recognize the human form and the will in CrossFit’s top female and male athletes. 

“Beauty in Strength”

“Iron Will, Iron Bodies”

I contend that the human body, in its most natural form:  strong and capable of efficiently moving large loads quickly over long distances, is beautiful.  Despite the undernourished, emaciated models or the steroid enhanced body builders depicted in the popular media that have skewed the American public’s perception of beauty for so long, we CrossFitters are slowly reshaping the concept of beauty.  Post thoughts to comments.

REST DAY 12.13.09