Crossfit Models of Sickness-Wellness-Fitness 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to CrossFit's model, what happens to biomarkers like blood pressure and triglycerides as an individual moves from wellness toward sickness?
- They improve and reach optimal ranges
- They deteriorate and move outside healthy ranges (Correct answer)
- They remain unchanged regardless of fitness level
- They fluctuate unpredictably with no clear trend
Correct answer: They deteriorate and move outside healthy ranges
In the Sickness-Wellness-Fitness continuum, biomarkers deteriorate and move outside healthy ranges as a person moves toward the sickness end.
Question 2: Which of the following best illustrates the CrossFit principle that 'fitness is a hedge against sickness'?
- Fit individuals never get sick
- Superior fitness markers provide a buffer before levels become pathological (Correct answer)
- Wellness and fitness are the same state
- Sickness markers are irrelevant to exercise performance
Correct answer: Superior fitness markers provide a buffer before levels become pathological
Because fit individuals have biomarkers further from pathological thresholds, they have more buffer before those markers reach disease-level values.
Question 3: In the Sickness-Wellness-Fitness model, bone density that is two standard deviations below the mean would place an individual in which zone?
- Fitness
- Wellness
- Sickness (Correct answer)
- Neutral
Correct answer: Sickness
Bone density two standard deviations below the mean meets the clinical definition of osteoporosis, placing the individual in the sickness zone.
Question 4: Why does CrossFit argue that 'wellness' should not be the ultimate goal for its athletes?
- Wellness is impossible to achieve through exercise
- Fitness surpasses wellness and provides even greater health margins (Correct answer)
- Wellness markers are not measurable
- Wellness training requires equipment CrossFit does not use
Correct answer: Fitness surpasses wellness and provides even greater health margins
CrossFit argues that pursuing fitness moves biomarkers beyond the wellness zone into superior ranges, providing a greater hedge against future illness.
Question 5: Which biomarker, when elevated in a fit individual compared to a sedentary wellness-range person, supports CrossFit's continuum model?
- LDL cholesterol
- Fasting blood glucose
- HDL cholesterol (Correct answer)
- Resting heart rate
Correct answer: HDL cholesterol
HDL (good) cholesterol is typically elevated in fit individuals compared to those who are merely in the wellness range, supporting the idea that fitness improves beyond wellness.
Question 6: A coach explains the Sickness-Wellness-Fitness continuum to a new member. Which analogy best captures the model's core idea?
- Health is binary — you are either sick or not sick
- Health exists on a spectrum where fitness is the positive extreme and sickness is the negative extreme (Correct answer)
- Wellness is the peak of health and cannot be improved upon
- Fitness only matters for athletic performance, not disease prevention
Correct answer: Health exists on a spectrum where fitness is the positive extreme and sickness is the negative extreme
The model treats health as a continuous spectrum with sickness at one end and fitness at the other, with wellness in the middle.
Question 7: According to CrossFit's Sickness-Wellness-Fitness model, which population group would most likely have biomarkers farthest from pathological thresholds?
- Sedentary office workers with normal BMI
- Recreational walkers who exercise twice a week
- Elite CrossFit athletes with high work capacity (Correct answer)
- Individuals who eat well but do not exercise
Correct answer: Elite CrossFit athletes with high work capacity
Elite athletes with high work capacity sit at the fitness end of the continuum, placing their biomarkers farthest from pathological (sickness-zone) values.
Crossfit Models of Sickness-Wellness-Fitness 2
According to CrossFit's model, what happens to biomarkers like blood pressure and triglycerides as an individual moves from wellness toward sickness?