18 Nov
Blog

The Formula for a Successful CrossFit Gym

There are now more than 10,000 CrossFit fitness studios worldwide – and the number is rising. While most follow the same general template, the nuances vary widely from affiliate to affiliate. Most gym goers will vehemently defend their own box as the best. But some elite boxes have seeped to the top of the pack, created a movement, and continue to thrive despite the fact that the market is overcrowded with competitors.

That's because they figured out the formula. The formula looks like this in my opinion:

Community x leadership (coaching + programming) = n

Where "n" is, "I would sell my house and move there to join this gym if I could."

While the math is winking, the formula is solid. Whether you're looking for the best gym in the area or want to build a great CrossFit gym, these components are key. Great leadership, coaching, and programming, without community, is flat. A fantastic community with subpar coaching and programming that may be fun will take you far from achieving your goals. A box must excel in all aspects of the formula to be effective.

This is a look at some of the boxes in North America who got it right.

CrossFit Milford – Milford, CT

CrossFit Milford offers a variety of different programs for people on every part of their fitness journey.

overview

CrossFit Milford is an eight year old boxing company based in the northeast with a long history of successful athletes like Kaleena Ladeairous and Elizabeth Warren. The team was second in the world in 2015. The box is led by master programmer and games-level coach Jason Leydon and offers a variety of different programs for people at every stage of their fitness journey. CrossFit Milford places great emphasis on community.

Community

This community focus is very evident at CFM and is not just limited to the walls of the box. From a mentoring program that matches new members with a more experienced member, to scholarship offers for high school athletes, to fundraising for charities, It's clear Jason and his wife, Jocelyn, set out to start a community when they opened CFM.

"Find the CrossFit gym that really understands it and you will enjoy a long and healthy relationship with that gym and with fitness."

The latest innovation from Leydon is a business directory where people in the community can leverage the skills of other gym members – such as plumbers, lawyers, and web developers. This only serves to strengthen the connecting links.

Coaching and leadership

Leydon is one of the most competitive programmers in the businessafter bringing a number of athletes to the 2015 Games, including the CrossFit Milford Team, Dan "Boomsauce" Tyminski, and Masters athletes Amanda Allen, Liz Warren and Robbie Davis. Everyone was on the podium, as was the Milford team. He trained a number of other athletes on successful Regionals moorings and was the head coach of the 2014 Philadelphia Founders' GRID team. He is widely respected in the larger CrossFit community as a coach with in-depth knowledge of the game.

In addition to almost twenty other trainers, CFM also employs a physiotherapist, an ART practitioner, a nutritionist, a masseur and a yoga teacher.

Programs and programming

CFM offers several program levels including general fitness. They have CrossFit group classes, skill classes for those who want to compete on-site and master higher skills, and competition levels for aspiring games participants.

An overview of the daily program for all levels shows a thoughtful, logical job that includes dynamic warm-up, pre-workout warm-up, strength, dexterity and conditioning (in that order), cool-down, and some optional finishing work if you just want some extra sweat .

For more information on CrossFit Milford, visit their website.

CrossFit Jääkarhu – Austin, Texas

Jääkarhu is based on strength in the community.

CrossFit Jääkarhu is based on strength in the community.

overview

There is a lot to like about CrossFit Jääkarhu, but their dedication to continuing education stands out the most. Jääkarhu is tenacious in her determination to share vital tips and coaching knowledge in order to improve her community. One only has to visit the blog section of their website to see a litany of current and ongoing educational opportunities.

Community

Jääkarhu is based on strength in the community. The concept of unity permeates almost everything they do, from top-down leadership where coaches and owners really like each other and enjoy spending time, to a consistent terminology that comes from their name Jääkarhu, which is in Finnish Polar bear means. They refer to the box as a detective (a community of bears). This concept also flows into their classes – CrossFit Kids are cubs and each programming level has a different name referring to the bear concept, e.g. B. Pit, cave, cave, etc.

"A box must excel in all aspects of the formula to be effective."

Stupid you say Far from it. I would defy any CrossFit box to do justice to the level of community and togetherness, like when the entire detective came together to produce this video for Mino Solomon. Mino was seriously injured in a weightlifting accident and the video was part of a general fundraiser to help cover his medical expenses.

This is family people. And it's just the tip of the iceberg.

Coaching and leadership

CrossFit Jääkarhu is home to some of the best coaches in the country, including game-level athletes Ingrid Kantola, Jessica Estrada, Ricky Redus and Orion Hones. Kantola and Redus are professional GRID athletes, and Redus is also a well-respected weightlifter who brings his knowledge of the Olympic weightlifting exercises to a series of on-site instructional videos. Estrada does the same for body weight movements. The prevalence of face-to-face teaching and training on the blog is further evidence of the quality of the coaching. Check out the videos. Would you like to be among these coaches at this box? My money says yes.

Programs and programming

Similar to Milford, Jääkarhu offers several program levels – fitness, sport and competition. Fitness encompasses the classes, exercise is designed to improve and make a good CrossFitter better, and competition is just that – If you're looking to compete on a regional or national level, this is the track for you.

You can connect to CrossFit Jääkarhu on their website.

12 CrossFit Labs – Glen Burnie, MD

12 laboratories CrossFit got the idea of ​​community in a nutshell.

From rowing workouts to seminars and competitions, 12 Labs CrossFit got the concept of community right to the point.

overview

12 Labs CrossFit is a three-location, membership gym based in Annapolis, Maryland. They were founded in 2007 as one of the first two hundred subsidiaries worldwide. The 12 lab team finished ninth in the world at the 2014 CrossFit Games and sixth in 2015.

Community

Community is very important at 12 Labs – so much so that they have an Events Director on the team whose job it is to organize events, competitions and parties to foster camaraderie within the gym and within the local CrossFit community. From rowing courses to holiday parties to seminars and competitions, 12 Laboratories got the concept of community to the point. From an experience report:

“This place and the people I met helped me overcome some mental struggles while gaining great physical strength and confidence. I am forever grateful to the coaches here, who have made a significant contribution to this positive change in my life. "

Coaching and leadership

Co-founded by a trio of senior athletes including game competitors Luke Espe and Brad Weiss, 12 Labs has some of the best trainers in the business. Several later played professionally in GRID, including Luke Espe and Christa Giordano. Many of the coaches are pursuing their OPT CCP certification, which is a testament to their commitment to looking beyond the standard CF certifications for further education.

Programs and programming

In addition to standard group courses, 12 Laboratories offers numerous specific types of programsincluding barbell, weight lifting, CrossFit Kids, personal training, remote and in-house custom programming, competitive programming, cardio-focused classes, and more.

"If your own gym is missing one of the critical elements of the formula, consider being a catalyst for change and taking your gym to a new level of excellence."

They are very conscious about their programming cycle. The one-year cycle is based on the CrossFit Games season and includes strength and skill, open prep, the games season, and a testing phase. All athletes, regardless of their ability, follow the cycle in some way so that the entire box is always moving towards a goal. There's no such thing as random kitchen sink WOD or meandering programming. Everything is goal-specific and intelligently designed for a whole year.

For more information on 12 Crossfit laboratories, visit their website.

Find a gym that gets it

Not all boxes are created equal. You owe it to yourself to find a box that fits your goals. If you live anywhere near any of the boxes highlighted here, consider yourself lucky because you know what an awesome CrossFit gym looks like. It's not always the biggest box in the area, by the way.

Find the CrossFit gym that really does it and you will enjoy a long and healthy relationship with that gym and fitness. If your own gym is missing one of the crucial parts of the formula, consider being a catalyst for change and taking your gym to a new level of excellence.

I plan to do a similar check every six months or so. So if your box matches the invoice, notify me in the comments section below the item and I'll check.

More like that:

Photo 1 courtesy CrossFit Milford.

Photo 2 courtesy of CrossFit Jääkarhu.

Photo 3 courtesy of 12 CrossFit Labs.

Cover picture courtesy of Jorge Huetra Photography.

27 Jul
Blog

A Successful Career in Fitness With Tony Gentilcore

A conversation with Tony Gentilcore about the many ways to a fitness career.

In this episode, I'm excited to discuss with Tony Gentilcore how he made his way in the fitness industry and built a thriving business through coaching, writing, and education.

Continue reading

24 Jul
Blog

A Successful Career in Fitness With Tony Gentilcore

A conversation with Tony Gentilcore about the many different ways of starting a fitness career.

In this episode, I'm excited to discuss with Tony Gentilcore how he made his way in the fitness industry and built a thriving business through coaching, writing, and education.

Continue reading

30 Jan
Blog

A Successful Coach or Trainer Needs Emotional Intelligence

Personal trainers for beginners first need a training certificate and a high school diploma to successfully find a job.

However, coaching as a career path requires something more – Emotional Intelligence (EI). According to Columbia University's Melinda Abbott, 1 49% or more of successful coaching relies on a coach's ability to monopolize emotional intelligence. In addition, the ability to connect on a social level has been shown to increase the motivation and effectiveness of teaching.

The bottom line is that a coach should focus a significant amount of their time on exercise psychology.

The advantages of conscious coaching

A well-known coach, Brett Bartholomew, brings up the importance of understanding the types of people you are coaching in his book Conscious Coaching 2. Recently, there has been increasing evidence of how to understand personality types for professional success in the workplace and academic performance training

However, this is also becoming increasingly important in the sports sector. As Mark Rippetoe points out in his book, Hands-on Programming for Strength Training 3, a strength trainer will spend more time with an athlete during their career than any other trainer. Therefore, knowing your athlete or client is of the utmost importance

Focus less on re-counting and more on the client's needs and know when to refer them.

Trainers are not licensed as psychiatrists or doctors (unless one holds that title); However, understanding how EI is applied to a customer's lifetime requires some explanation.

EI is a type of social intelligence that includes the ability to monitor one's own emotions and those of others, to discriminate between them and to use the information to direct one's thoughts and actions, according to Salovey & Mayer, 1990.

In the context of coaching, this first requires an understanding of how a person approaches instruction, how to deal with failure, success, plateaus and their interaction with diet and general personal wellbeing.3,4,5,6

Emotional intelligence in coaching creates trust

One of my sessions consisted of six minutes in which a client discussed their problems the day before the mobility work and isometric exercises. EI enables the customer to feel comfortable and to build trust.

Without trust, a customer is unlikely to follow directions and the customer comes first.

You can get a Ph.D. in biophysics, but the client might care less; Her main areas are:

  1. Achieving the intended results
  2. I feel valued

Those six minutes for my client made the rest of her day much more enjoyable and she will be looking forward to her next session.

As a coach, graduation makes it easier to read blood counts and discussion with a client's doctor becomes more insightful. The customer learns that you care beyond the aspect of the job. This creates buy-in. 2

It is more likely that this customer will refer others to you and take more engaging training.

Another client quickly learned that their wellbeing in and out of the competition is most important. At a time like COVID-19, customers are much more reluctant to engage with their coach, let alone buy high-fidelity coaching programs.

When clients come back, it's far more important to meet mental health needs with the same vigor as a premium program or nutrition plan.

Athletes in particular faced with an interruption in events or an entire season may feel displaced without a coach leading them.

Contrary to popular belief, athletes often suffer from more mental illnesses than the average athlete.

In addition, they are less likely to seek advice on mental health issues.

As a trainer, it is required that red flags in normal functioning are recognized sooner rather than later and that your gym or office is a safe place. Proper establishment of emotional intelligence improves client outcomes. 7

References

1. Abbott, Melinda. "Qualities of a successful personal trainer." PhD theses, Columbia University / Academic Commons, 2018.

2. Bartholomew, B., Conscious Coaching: The Art and Science of Building Buy-In. Bartholomew Strength, LLC. 2017, p. 286.

3. M. Rippetoe, L. Kilgore & S. E. Bradford. Hands-on programming for strength training, Aasgaard Company. 2006. Vol. 222.

4. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor, Handbook for Job Prospects, Fitness Instructors, and Instructors (visited January 13, 2021).

5. Richard C. Thelwell, Andrew M. Lane, Neil J.V. Weston, and Iain A. Greenlees, "Exploring the Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Coaching Effectiveness." International journal for sport and movement psychology. 2008.6: 2.224-235.

6. John D. Mayer, Peter Salovey, "The Intelligence of Emotional Intelligence." Intelligence, Volume 17, Issue 4, 1993, 433-442.

7. Scott B. Martin, (2005) “Attitudes of High School and College Athletes to Sport Psychology Counseling,” Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 17: 2, 127-139.

29 Jan
Blog

A Successful Coach or Trainer Needs Emotional Intelligence

Personal trainers for beginners first need a training certificate and a high school diploma to successfully find a job.

However, coaching as a career path requires something more – Emotional Intelligence (EI). According to Columbia University's Melinda Abbott, 1 49% or more of successful coaching relies on a coach's ability to monopolize emotional intelligence. In addition, the ability to connect on a social level has been shown to increase the motivation and effectiveness of teaching.

The bottom line is that a coach should focus a significant amount of their time on exercise psychology.

The advantages of conscious coaching

A well-known coach, Brett Bartholomew, brings up the importance of understanding the types of people you are coaching in his book Conscious Coaching 2. Recently, there has been increasing evidence of how to understand personality types for professional success in the workplace and academic performance training

However, this is also becoming increasingly important in the sports sector. As Mark Rippetoe points out in his book, Hands-on Programming for Strength Training 3, a strength trainer will spend more time with an athlete during their career than any other trainer. Therefore, knowing your athlete or client is of the utmost importance

Focus less on re-counting and more on the client's needs and know when to refer them.

Trainers are not licensed as psychiatrists or doctors (unless one holds that title); However, understanding how EI is applied to a customer's lifetime requires some explanation.

EI is a type of social intelligence that includes the ability to monitor one's own emotions and those of others, to discriminate between them and to use the information to direct one's thoughts and actions, according to Salovey & Mayer, 1990.

In the context of coaching, this first requires an understanding of how a person approaches instruction, how to deal with failure, success, plateaus and their interaction with diet and general personal wellbeing.3,4,5,6

Emotional intelligence in coaching creates trust

One of my sessions consisted of six minutes in which a client discussed their problems the day before the mobility work and isometric exercises. EI enables the customer to feel comfortable and to build trust.

Without trust, a customer is unlikely to follow directions and the customer comes first.

You can get a Ph.D. in biophysics, but the client might care less; Her main areas are:

  1. Achieving the intended results
  2. I feel valued

Those six minutes for my client made the rest of her day much more enjoyable and she will be looking forward to her next session.

As a coach, graduation makes it easier to read blood counts and discussion with a client's doctor becomes more insightful. The customer learns that you care beyond the aspect of the job. This creates buy-in. 2

It is more likely that this customer will refer others to you and take more engaging training.

Another client quickly learned that their wellbeing in and out of the competition is most important. At a time like COVID-19, customers are much more reluctant to engage with their coach, let alone buy high-fidelity coaching programs.

When clients come back, it's far more important to meet mental health needs with the same vigor as a premium program or nutrition plan.

Athletes in particular faced with an interruption in events or an entire season may feel displaced without a coach leading them.

Contrary to popular belief, athletes often suffer from more mental illnesses than the average athlete.

In addition, they are less likely to seek advice on mental health issues.

As a trainer, it is required that red flags in normal functioning are recognized sooner rather than later and that your gym or office is a safe place. Proper establishment of emotional intelligence improves client outcomes. 7

References

1. Abbott, Melinda. "Qualities of a successful personal trainer." PhD theses, Columbia University / Academic Commons, 2018.

2. Bartholomew, B., Conscious Coaching: The Art and Science of Building Buy-In. Bartholomew Strength, LLC. 2017, p. 286.

3. M. Rippetoe, L. Kilgore & S. E. Bradford. Hands-on programming for strength training, Aasgaard Company. 2006. Vol. 222.

4. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor, Handbook for Job Prospects, Fitness Instructors, and Instructors (visited January 13, 2021).

5. Richard C. Thelwell, Andrew M. Lane, Neil J.V. Weston, and Iain A. Greenlees, "Exploring the Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Coaching Effectiveness." International journal for sport and movement psychology. 2008.6: 2.224-235.

6. John D. Mayer, Peter Salovey, "The Intelligence of Emotional Intelligence." Intelligence, Volume 17, Issue 4, 1993, 433-442.

7. Scott B. Martin, (2005) “Attitudes of High School and College Athletes to Sport Psychology Counseling,” Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 17: 2, 127-139.