Justin Lopez of CrossFit Grayson, in Grayson, Georgia, performs today's workout under the coach's eye of Seminar Staff Trainer Kristin Bowen. Grace: 30 clean and jerks for time.

In the final installment of her six-part series on the formula for the magic of CrossFit, Nicole Carroll explains how the CrossFit methodology organically shaped an ethos and formed a community that transcends the walls of the gym. "We never set out to create a community," Carroll writes. "Just like we didn’t devise our values or methods in a boardroom, that fierce sense of community and loyalty developed naturally. ... Someone might come to CrossFit because they want to try it, because they want a good workout, because they want to improve their health in some way. They aren’t necessarily looking to challenge themselves beyond their limits. But they show up, they put in the work, and the community — this human spark — keeps them coming back. In time, that community becomes something more than a bunch of good people sweating it out together. It becomes a lifeline."