CrossFit Journal Oct 2002 From an Article on Scalability and Applicability

Scalability and Applicability
The question regularly arises as to the applicability of a regimen like CrossFit’s to older and deconditioned or detrained populations.
The needs of an Olympic athlete and our grandparents differ by degree not kind. One is looking for functional dominance the other
for functional competence. Competence and dominance manifest through identical physiological mechanisms.
We’ve used our same routines for elderly individuals with heart disease and cage fighters one month out from televised bouts. We
scale load and intensity; we don’t change programs.
We get requests from athletes from every sport looking for a strength and conditioning program for their sport. Firemen, soccer
players, triathletes, boxers, and surfers all want programs that conform to the specificity of their needs. While admitting that there
are surely needs specific to any sport, the bulk of sport specific training has been ridiculously ineffective. The need for specificity is
nearly completely met by regular practice and training within the sport not in the strength and conditioning environment. Our terrorist
hunters, skiers, mountain bikers and housewives have found their best fitness from the same regimen.