It recently struck me that there is a close parallel between CrossFit athletes and the most successful species on our planet.
I’ve always been interested by evolution and biological anthropology and hold the belief that “Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution” (Theodosius Dobzhansky: 1975).
“Ecological specialization has been suggested as a major constraint impeding the response of species to environmental changes. Most neoecological studies indicate that specialists suffer declines under recent environmental changes. This was confirmed by many paleoecological studies investigating longer-term survival.” Colles et. al. 2009.
CrossFit competition is a vastly compressed ‘fast forward microcosm’ of the evolutionary process. Specialisation of organisms can be liked with an increased risk of extinction. Specialists are least well prepared for the ‘Unknown and the Unknowable’. For these specialists, any deviation from the narrow band of variables that allow survival results in extinction.
“When an environment is altered abruptly or systematically at a rate above normal background change, or beyond the capacity of adaptation via natural selection, specialist species with narrow ecological niches often bear the brunt of progressively unfavorable conditions such habitat loss and degradation… As a result, the rapid pace of habitat and climate change renders specialization a modern ‘‘curse’’ in evolutionary terms.”
While the stakes are slightly different (lack of competition success versus global species extinction), the comparrison remains sound. Just as specialist organisms will thrive in a suitable ecosystem, specialist atheltes will thrive as long as the event matches their specialisation, be it cardiorespiratory, weight bearing, or bodyweight.
An athlete, just like a species, will be more successful as a generalist. The more movements/time domains./loads or climates/food sources/environments the athlete or species can thrive under, the more successful it will be.
