How to Choose the Right Crossfit Gym
Subtle and not-so-subtle clues that you have found your new home.
You’re in one of two positions; either you are ready to move on from your current Crossfit gym or this is your first dive into the world of Crossfit. In either case the advice is relatively the same. Some of it can be pretty obvious while other suggestions are more subtle.
I’ve belonged to three Crossfit gyms myself; visited dozens more across the country and talked to many of the individuals that have chosen to join my home gym; BlackOut Crossfit.
Relatively Obvious Stuff
The most commonly cited reason to choose a particular Crossfit gym over another is class hours. Many times people can’t choose the gym they want because the classes start too late in the morning or not enough classes are offered in the evening. Even small differences between offering a 6:00am class vs a 5:30am class can be a deciding factor.
In a similar vein; whether a gym offers “Open Gym” hours is very important. Sometimes people cannot make it to an exact class time. Sometimes people have other stuff they want to work on; whether that is dedicated strength training or participate in other sports. Having a gym that offers and embraces Open gym is very important. No gym owners wants distractions from the main class; that is their bread & butter. Having space and a mentality that allows people to work on different things at different times is a key ingredient to a successful gym that has successful members.
Cleanliness isn’t just about mopping the floors and wiping down the equipment. It is also about maintaining the equipment. Nobody likes rusty barbells that don’t spin. Part of that is just consistently cleaning them off. Look around the gym you are dropping into. Are the members doing their part and taking pride in equipment by cleaning them off? Do the owners have heavy duty cleaning supplies or hire a service?
That brings us to the equipment itself. Do they have all the equipment that is typically programmed? Do they only have C2 rowers or do they also have Ski Ergs, Bike Ergs, Echo Bikes, and AssaultRunners? Do they have enough for a class or will people have to scale or wait?
The Subtle Stuff
Who the owner(s) are and how they operate really is the make or break of whether a Crossfit gym is successful.
Does the owner have a full time job in addition to running the gym? Is this just a hobby for them? If they do, is there another owner who is more omnipresent in the day-to-day operations?
How many coaches are on staff? If only the owner coaches or if they coach +50% of the classes, that could be a red flag. That sh*t gets old and they burnout. It’s one thing to do that at the beginning when first opening your gym and things need to be bootstrapped; it’s another when they gym is seasoned.
Another thing to look for is how the classes are programmed. In my experience it is much better to have your gym pay for programming from a larger gym such as Mayhem or HWPO than it is to have the coach program it themselves. It’s not that an owner can’t program; it’s more a sign of bootstrapping. When they get burnt-out (and they will) the programming will suffer.
Also take a look at their social media. Is there consistent posting or is it sporadic? Sporadic posting is a sign that they run their business on motivation rather than discipline. Personally I’d rather my second home be run on discipline.
Most Important of All
Vibe check. Do people in class seem happy? Healthy? Are they laughing and seemingly like each other? Are they doing what the coach is asking and going through the programming? Is everything you see mesh with what you are looking for in a Crossfit gym? That’s what matters. a gym could have the newest and best equipment and coaches, but if everyone is ultra-competitive and you are looking for more of a social-Crossfit vibe; then that gym might not be the best fit for you.
