What does it mean to be fit? It sounds like a simple question — until you try to answer it.

Back in 2002, CrossFit founder Greg Glassman tackled this question head-on and argued that the fitness world had no agreed-upon definition of fitness — so he wrote his own. He defined ten physical skills that make up true fitness, and introduced the concept of the sickness-wellness-fitness continuum: a spectrum that places fitness as the opposite of sickness across measurable health markers like blood pressure, bone density, and blood sugar.

It's a powerful framework. But in this episode, Coach Chris pushes the conversation one step further.

Glassman's model is two-dimensional. But fitness is actually three-dimensional — because it depends entirely on what you're training for.

Tour de France cyclists have extraordinary endurance but a narrow physical profile. Powerlifters have elite strength but limited aerobic capacity. Navy SEALs need broad capability but still face real tradeoffs between strength and endurance. Each is profoundly fit — for their specific purpose. The same profile that makes one of them excellent at their task might make them average at everything else.

So who is actually fit? Coach Chris argues: if you're an athlete or have a physical job, your fitness is defined by readiness. If you're training for general health and longevity — which describes most of us — Glassman's balanced approach is exactly right.

You'll leave this episode knowing how to define fitness for your own life, stop chasing someone else's standard, and build the kind of broad, functional fitness that actually matters.