To put it simply, CrossFit training is a fitness program centered on functional movements that are constantly varied and executed at a high intensity, says Denise Thomas, a certified CrossFit Level 4 Coach and CrossFit Seminar Staff trainer. The workout method can be broken up into three elements: weightlifting, gymnastics (aka controlled bodyweight moves), and monostructural metabolic conditioning (aka cardio), she explains.

To keep your body guessing and ensure you’re physically capable of tackling whatever life throws at you, the moves included in your workout and the prescribed reps, sets, and time for each will vary from one day to the next, says Thomas. And you might do a specific exercise just once every one to two weeks, she says. “One day, you might do a front squat, a run, and a pull-up, and tomorrow you might do a lunge, a press, and a row,” she adds. “The basis of the program is to be ready for the unknown, and the way we do that is by trying to be really good at a lot of different things.”

And while CrossFit workouts are high intensity, how you define "high intensity" is somewhat relative to you, individually — depending on factors such as your current fitness level, cardiovascular stamina, and more, says Thomas. “What makes it so inclusive is that you’re going to push your [own] limits,” she adds. “You can come from a completely different walk of life than the person next to you…and you’ll get [the intensity] you need.” Excluding the warm-up and cool-down portions of the training session, a CrossFit workout can last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, though most will hover around 20 minutes, says Thomas.