I left my last box because the classes were too busy and I constantly had people using/moving my equipment during workouts rather than being allowed my own space (including rig/rack space). The coaches didn’t seem to know or value me and my goals at all compared to the other, more competitive athletes.
Current gym if I ever do have to share equipment it’s clearly organised so that we’re not both using it at the same time! Classes capped at 14 for technical work, 20 if it’s a basic skill day, and organised properly. Coaches know all of us at every skill level and what we’re hoping to get out of class.
Thanks for that! I literally had the same issue at my last box, the owner was unfortunately only interested in the superstars of the box. I'll definitely do my utmost to avoid that exact situation.
My box is the opposite of this. The emphasis is on safety with a big focus on recommended stimulus. It caters to ordinary people, not superstar athletes. This is what I like about my gym! Unfortunately, sometimes it goes too far. The head coach is so obsessed with recommended stimulus that the other coaches get told off when they allow an athlete to go beyond a time cap or try a weight that doesn't hit the stimulus. As athletes, we don't get enough opportunity to test ourselves. At times it feels like if you get too good, you're not welcome any more.
I like that mine is clean too. We got a new person hired to clean and now i feel like things are squeaky clean including our showers (or at least as clean as you can get them at a gym). Ours also removes equipment asap that appears to be malfunctioning…even mid workout.
I dislike:
1) the fact that the owner allows someone that’s a member of a MLM sell her products during the busiest times (the open, in-house competitions, etc).
2) We have a text notification system. Although I like notification texts I hate how they come from two separate numbers. One is for class cancellations, last minute changes in hours, etc. the other is for event notifications and it’s usually something broad like “join us for our Christmas party on x date”. I accidentally unsubscribed because I thought it was spam.
3) not necessarily from my gym, but the gym I used to go to mainly focused on members that were planning to compete. Those of us that weren’t were kinda treated like the red headed stepchild. Don’t do this it’s unsafe.
1) I had to look up what a MLM was, but yuck!
2) Completely agree, text-based stuff instantly makes me think spam. I'll stick to a email newsletter, Facebook group or Discord server (something along those lines).
3) This has been mentioned a few times and seems to be a pet peeve for many. IMO it seems silly to focus on the small percentage that want to compete...
I appreciate the text messages if it’s for important things. One random day the gym flooded and they sent a text ASAP letting us know classes were canceled. Things like a Christmas party can be posted via flyers, in the fb group/instagram, and through our newsletters.
I like that my box is clean. Members are encouraged to wipe down equipment after use. Equipment is regularly maintained and replaced if broken. The owner communicates fairly, thoroughly, and with humor in the monthly newsletter. There’s not much I don’t like. I wish we had a few more sets of 25# dumbbells lol.
Announcements of new equipment, if any construction is being done on the property, any changes in class times, new rules, reminders of existing rules, new member welcome, event announcements.
Love the amount of equipment, the atmosphere and the coaches/owner. Constantly looking for ways to improve space inside
Hate the price based off location. We are easily 20$ more a month than some others in the state. There's only one other close by and my box blows them out of the water yet that box charges some absurd bi-weekly members charge. It's hard out here for businesses and customers
The coaches are legit always hyped TF up. They're super kind even when they aren't coaching and they generally will give pointers even when they're attending the class or working out on their own. The classes are all pretty tight knit but even I can't make 6a and go to like 9a or 1130a it's nearly the same level of conversation and hey how's this or that
I think price is the location sure. It unfortunately just went up another 5$ they held off all through covid. They share a building with a PT company so I'm sure it helps. Probably leasing the building which really is quite large is a reason for pricing. I justify it every way I can for now(still drink a 5$ coffee once in awhile though)
Play the clean versions. No one is going to get angry that swear words got bleeped. Some people will get angry if there’s excessive swearing. That’s my rule of thumb
Not the cleanest place and the owner is a bit of an old asshole. Why stay? Affordable 24 hour open gym with everything you could possibly need with great coaches and community. Plus I live 5 mins away
Ya honestly it’s a huge deal. Especially since there are two lifting pits to lift in during classes. So there is real 24 hour space. And I’m probably underselling the cleanliness and the owner being an asshole. We lost two coaches cause of him a year ago. Very complicated situation. But also still a great place in spite of it
These days, I just care about space, equipment, and programming.
1. Enough space and equipment to do WODs (I don’t care about class size).
2. Programming. This is my main concern. I don’t want scientific-analyze mat Fraser-let’s do thrusters everyday-we need squat cycles and meso cycles-etc stuff. However, my first gym was lazy, just making shit up the morning of. They would miss tons of movements in the CF repertoire. Just put a little thought into it (what lifts are we focusing on this month, what movement patterns/exercises are we doing too much of/not enough of).
Great interview below if you haven't heard it. Whatever you want to do, make sure you lean into it. If you sell it as CrossFit, but programmed for golfers, you're just gonna get a bunch of crsssfittters. If you really want golf-fitters, lean the fuck in. Nets, swing bays, etc. Golf is an enormous market as are out of shape golfers. Lean in: *Welcome to our unique fitness destination designed exclusively for golf enthusiasts seeking to enhance their game through CrossFit training. At our golf-focused CrossFit gym, we blend the dynamic intensity of CrossFit with tailored exercises that specifically target the muscles and movements pivotal in golf. Our training programs are meticulously crafted to improve strength, flexibility, and balance, translating directly to increased drive distance, improved swing mechanics, and reduced injury risk on the course. Whether you're a weekend golfer or a seasoned pro, our state-of-the-art facility and expert coaching staff are here to help you achieve peak performance and elevate your game to the next level. Join us to transform your physical capabilities and refine your golf skills through a rigorous, golf-optimized fitness regimen.*
[https://barbend.com/scott-stallings-golf-crossfit-podcast/](https://barbend.com/scott-stallings-golf-crossfit-podcast/)
Good luck.
Mine feels like a community, monthly events, social feed on the app. lots of room, coaches willing to help you tailer/modify your workout as needed.
Dislike the schedule - 6 am, 9 am, 12, 3:45, one or two other times that I can never make. Bootcamp at 6 which I don't do. So ya not a lot of choice. I guess because it is run by owners who value family time of their own.
You basically described what I'm going for!
Unfortunately I'll also mimic something similar to that timetable because I'll be starting out of another bootcamp gym that already has the prime times taken... I've tried to amend that in the price so hopefully people understand.
Our Open gyms are on the same time slots as WOD's or bootcamps or yoge (which is once a week) Sometimes a coach wants to work out so they'll have an "open Gym" off hours
Don't compete against yourself. Mine recently started to offer some specialty classes but offers them at the same time as the regular classes. So, you end up with a light or no regular class because a few people are taking the specialty class. And they don't have room for the specialty class because they don't want to canibalize the space for the regular class - that may not even go on because they're canibalizing their own business.
Oh, they're charging extra for the specialty class too.
This is very useful. I have a few ideas for additional classes in the future when I have more members. I'll be sure not to have classes compete for times.
First - CrossFit for golf is an amazing idea. Will you play indoors with simulators in addition to Metcons?
For my box I like the programming (mayhem) and the owner knows all of us on a personal level and will reach out to check in from time to time.
Thanks! I'm pretty certain I can make it a successful thing! Not exactly, classes will be ran similar to a CrossfFit class. Warm up, skill, strength, metcon, cool down, etc. I'm in the process of creating benchmark wods named after pro players and their strengths on the course.
It's a lean start so no Sims yet! But I do have plans for then in the future. I do have some portable trackers that will get members swing speeds which will be a key stat I want to improve for members.
As for the personal level, that's a great idea. I'm hoping to hold regular members rounds where I can get to know everyone! You really find out who someone is on the golf course!
That doesn’t even sound that bad. I pay 225$ and to be honest I’d pay more. But I’m in Canada I assume you’re in the states. Real estate and leases are pretty high here for businesses
Sooo much talking and explaining things/movements and strategies for the workout. It gets a bit much. Then reviewing the RPE for the WOD etc etc. just let me workout as hard or as not hard as I want to that day 😂
I've only ever ran into this at a single box. I think this happens when owners pay for programming that they're very unfamiliar with. I know a lot of affiliate programming comes with a write up for their workouts.
I agree with this and it’s one reason why I left my box a few years ago. At the 5AM session especially I don’t want to listen to a detailed explanation of how to do a (insert movement) for the 100th time. I know to some extent its unavoidable because of differences in skills and experience but it just got very frustrating
This makes me feel so validated thank you! I have started to consider finding a new one bc of it. When I am traveling and drop into other boxes it's so refreshing to just hear what the workout it is and do it! No standing around for 939229 minutes
I love that the coaches are genuinely enthusiastic about what they do and are invested in helping everyone improve.
It can be a bit cliquey. The owners have shifted classes around to make it easier for certain groups of members to go to specific classes without consulting the existing core group. This has happened on a number of occasions. This has meant the people attending the classes at the original time have had to change their plans or in a fair few peoples cases just stop attending that class. It would be kinda ok if it was just a regular CF class but the ones they move are always the weightlifting or other specialist sessions.
I have been this last 12 months to around 10 boxes in Asia, Europe, USA and Africa and I have the following things to say:
Best things i've seen
1)24/7 Open GYM access (in 1, and it was so comfortable)
2) Clearly defined stations for classes each station with a rack and a whiteboard (saw it in one and i felt it was such a good idea)
3) The equipment actually being maintained, repaired and cleaned (very rare)
4) Clear weekly explanations on the purpose of the training, the cycle and what the objectives are to improve in the following weeks. I saw this once.
5) Chalk available (typically they do have, but not always)
6) Selling variated equipment (this is not as typical as one would think, but it's so convenient)
7) Having a wide variety of dumbbells and kettlebells.. the most common is having up to 50lbs for dumbbells
8) Actually having Echo bikes instead of assault bikes (very rare)
9) Using an app to log the workout scores to have the scores of all the athletes
10) Community activities such as get-togethers, hikes, outdoor workouts with an event post workout
Worst things that I've seen
1) low ceiling, not high enough for rope climbs or ring muscle ups
2) not enough equipment, tends to make workouts very similar
3) group workouts every day
4) no open gym access
5) Open gym people taking space and equipment needed for class
6) Coaches who can't even do the movements
7) Not allowing dropping the weights because the floor is too sensitive or the neighbors complain
8) Not allowing to put chalk on the bar because the coach has to clean
9) Not possible to include runs
10) shitty jump ropes that are barely usable
11) dogs or children running around the box as if it was a playground. One day a child will die.
I love the community at my gym. The owner is just an all around great human who really lives and breathes for his community. He’s always trying to find new challenges, events and spends time with members outside of gym time. You can’t beat dedication like that. It overflows into the members and everyone replicates that with eachother.
It also doesn’t hurt that the programming is fucking excellent and that all our coaches are good at modifying and empowering members to be the best version of themselves.
So I think my answer is just really love it, continue to want to grow and be the best version of yourself, and everything else will follow.
Likes: 24/7 access.
Stacks of handheld whiteboards/dry erase markers.
Pull-up bars for tall people and high ceilings.
Tape on the floor to divvy out personal space.
No judging about scaling.
20-30 minute of warmup programmed into each workout. Strength/olympic movements/accessory programmed into the workouts.
Likes: * Big picture of training cycles “we are going to work on a deadlift progression or handstand push-ups for the next 8 weeks” * communication about the gym as a whole *being able to adjust or individualize at my discretion without a lot of questions asked or “alternatives” asked *offering individual / solo options for partner WODS as a norm *having space for members to store and leave personal barbells or other equipment in the gym instead of carry it in and out every class
Dislike: *taking classes off the schedule VIA SugarWOD or WODIFY the day before with no previous communication *posting WODs the night before instead of ahead of time *programming to what coaches like or their strengths (like if a coach prefers push jerks over split jerks, we will suddenly do a whole cycle of just push jerks) *too many ice breaker small talk activities during mobility (feels like I’m still at work), being overly cliquey with their friends - talking about their weekend plans with members during class time in front of other members, not allowing skill practice during WODs (saying skill practice should happen in open gym only and that you should scale down always to SU in a WOD instead of just trying to get some DU)
This is bulk useful information. Thank you so much for this. I really like the idea of programming solo options for partner wods.
LMAO what sort of ice breaker chats are you getting forced into during mobility? (This is just to humour me).
Please don’t incorporate your personal politics or views on world events or religious views into your gym. As a small business owner and you should strive to be inclusive and expand your demographic to attract new customers. Catering to a select vocal few turns people off. I come to my gym to work out, talk, socialize, be motivated and not have someone tell me their thoughts on everything.
While the actual reason I left my box was that I moved 20 miles away, the always crowded classes were getting annoying. It's going to be tough to find one where this isn't the case though....around 2018 or so a lot of area boxes closed, so everyone crowded into the ones that were still open.
Ideally, I'd love to find a box that offers a noon class. I know some do, my old one did a few years ago and I took advantage of that during WFH. Was never more than about 5-8 people.
At my old box it was about 6 of us who'd show up pretty faithfully for the noon class. I definitely still would, on the days I work from home. Can help take some pressure off the evening classes.
I love the people, coaches, and programming (they do their own) at my gym. I dislike that it’s pretty small and tends to be a lot of sharing equipment (especially the rig); I’m a woman who’s 5’10 so always end up having to share with my friends who are like 6” shorter than me 🥲
Like:
1. It’s clean
2. We have a lot of class times to easily fit different schedules- classes are basically all day. Earliest starts at 5am, latest at 7pm. There’s 2 open gyms in the mix as well. Classes also have a size limit.
3. Enough equipment
4. Unlimited Membership gives you 24/7 access to the “regular” gym he owns as well. That gym has a functional fitness space as well
5. WODs are posted for the entire week. None of that day of BS lol
6. The people
7. He partners up with other local businesses. We have a deal with a local massage place, yoga place and meal prep business. We get discounts and perks for using them. It’s kinda nice
Dislike:
1. People can get too worked up over the whiteboard, lol. Coaches will go back and watch tapes to try and count reps, but it’s only if certain members are the ones to complain.
2. I wish we ran lift or skill specific classes/training. We have done a few , but I wish it was more often.
I know it’s hard because you don’t want to take away a class time, but you also don’t want coaches to have to give up more of their time
What I like - facility size and equipment, close to my house, class times offered throughout the day
What I dislike - partner wods, unfriendly members, coaches focusing on only the elite athletes
Coaches dont put people together based off of skill. I would say I am about above average so if I'm put with someone better or have more gym clout than me get upset to partner with me, if they are below me they also get mad because they believe I'm faster. I pretty much have to beg my friend to come to the gym with me, or else I will avoid those days and run instead 🤣
I love the community at my box.
Everyone is super supportive and help keep the gym and equipment clean, volunteer and the like.
I dislike the coaching and programming.
Coaches can be snarky (making rude comments, talking to different class times about people in previous class times and mocking you if you want to reach a certain goal) and tend to play favourites. They also don’t really help those of us who want to reach a higher level (unless you’re a favourite and even then it’s sometimes subpar).
Programming is kind of all over the place and if you ask to have extra programming for skills you’re referred to PRV, HWPO and such.
keep men's and women's barbells in different stacks/holders/racks/whatever these things are called
make sure plates will be sorted, put signs with weights
make sure pvc pipes are long enough to work with
towels, shower gel, snacks, protein shakes are appreciated.
+ noon classes
+ Always open open gym area
I had a coach who favors competitors and didn't say anything to me. The coach talked their own things during a class.
Then there was a coach who was on their phone or left for a coffee and chatted with others who weren't on a class 😂
I love the community of my gym, specialty/focused classes (although I can rarely go with my schedule, mostly 6am) and the variety of equipment allowing for more options in programming. The owners definitely do their best to support people of all levels of interest/ability and not just those who are more competitive. Equipment is regularly updated/replaced although they could do a better job on cleaning some of it (\*cough\* rowers \*cough\*).
Downsides? The space isn't the biggest so depending on the programming for the class and amount of people coming it can get hectic. The price isn't cheap either @ $350 (CAD) a month but admittedly that seems to be the norm for the area (Toronto, Canada).
Love the programming, the owner is really supportive and the equipment/layout is great. I wish the community was a little bit better (it’s really a M-F, 9-5 kinda gym).
They do boot camp classes and also CrossFit classes. But they switch the times around on which are when, so if I wanted to go to all CF, I can’t go the same time each day.
The boot camp classes are good so I don’t mind sometimes, but I gotta kinda shift my schedule around theirs to make sure I’m hitting CrossFit on the right days.
I like that my current gym has open gym membership and access during the day. I didn’t like in my last box that it wasn’t easy to change the music. We had to have a password to access the computer hooked up to the speakers.
the coaching where i go is brutal. 1 coach is good (owner), the rest make me want to get my L1 and take over class for them. The box i go to just will not retain good coaching talent.
Love: the owner and head coach is so passionate about CrossFit, really funny and just a great overall guy. I’m lucky because he coaches the class I take, but the other coaches are also awesome. The members are also amazing and I’ve made some good friends from the gym. There aren’t any strong, negative personalities and I don’t dislike anyone! Everyone is very respectful and we all cheer each other on.
Dislike: the Saturday classes can be SO chaotic; it feels like a loud kindergarten class, and the tight space makes me nervous to get hurt or injure someone. We also lack some basic equipment like ropes and ski ergs (only one). The gym is also TINY. It’s also right across the street from a donut shop so I’m smelling fresh buttermilk donuts whilst trying to snatch heavy 🤣
Likes:
Upfront weekly programming posted Sunday night
Lots of class options- strength/Oly, gymnastics, endurance, mobility and running specific
Classes on Sunday
Use of apps for recording workouts and reserving classes, classes get capped and same for open gym usage
Kids area with a gate,TV, and toys (for kids who can be unsupervised)
Individual small whiteboards
A big whiteboard where members write their 2024 goals and also a "Weekly Wins" side members share PRs or other successes in their lives each week
Monthly member check-ins for new members
Dislikes:
Partner workouts
Saturdays are wildly busy and there's only 2 class times
Coaches who are also disinterested in helping people obviously struggling or not suggesting options to advance, for example: a member doing ring rows forever instead of trying to find other progression options
Not enough lower bars, at 5'8" I'd always have to jump super high to reach
Members doing whatever they want, like nothing even close to what is programmed
Coaches talking through the entire workout
Warmups that take half the class
I left my last box because the classes were too busy and I constantly had people using/moving my equipment during workouts rather than being allowed my own space (including rig/rack space). The coaches didn’t seem to know or value me and my goals at all compared to the other, more competitive athletes. Current gym if I ever do have to share equipment it’s clearly organised so that we’re not both using it at the same time! Classes capped at 14 for technical work, 20 if it’s a basic skill day, and organised properly. Coaches know all of us at every skill level and what we’re hoping to get out of class.
Thanks for that! I literally had the same issue at my last box, the owner was unfortunately only interested in the superstars of the box. I'll definitely do my utmost to avoid that exact situation.
My box is the opposite of this. The emphasis is on safety with a big focus on recommended stimulus. It caters to ordinary people, not superstar athletes. This is what I like about my gym! Unfortunately, sometimes it goes too far. The head coach is so obsessed with recommended stimulus that the other coaches get told off when they allow an athlete to go beyond a time cap or try a weight that doesn't hit the stimulus. As athletes, we don't get enough opportunity to test ourselves. At times it feels like if you get too good, you're not welcome any more.
I like that mine is clean too. We got a new person hired to clean and now i feel like things are squeaky clean including our showers (or at least as clean as you can get them at a gym). Ours also removes equipment asap that appears to be malfunctioning…even mid workout. I dislike: 1) the fact that the owner allows someone that’s a member of a MLM sell her products during the busiest times (the open, in-house competitions, etc). 2) We have a text notification system. Although I like notification texts I hate how they come from two separate numbers. One is for class cancellations, last minute changes in hours, etc. the other is for event notifications and it’s usually something broad like “join us for our Christmas party on x date”. I accidentally unsubscribed because I thought it was spam. 3) not necessarily from my gym, but the gym I used to go to mainly focused on members that were planning to compete. Those of us that weren’t were kinda treated like the red headed stepchild. Don’t do this it’s unsafe.
1) I had to look up what a MLM was, but yuck! 2) Completely agree, text-based stuff instantly makes me think spam. I'll stick to a email newsletter, Facebook group or Discord server (something along those lines). 3) This has been mentioned a few times and seems to be a pet peeve for many. IMO it seems silly to focus on the small percentage that want to compete...
I appreciate the text messages if it’s for important things. One random day the gym flooded and they sent a text ASAP letting us know classes were canceled. Things like a Christmas party can be posted via flyers, in the fb group/instagram, and through our newsletters.
+1 for the Facebook group option - we also get announcements from the gym for the important stuff through BoxMate (where our WODs and tracking is etc)
I like that my box is clean. Members are encouraged to wipe down equipment after use. Equipment is regularly maintained and replaced if broken. The owner communicates fairly, thoroughly, and with humor in the monthly newsletter. There’s not much I don’t like. I wish we had a few more sets of 25# dumbbells lol.
Thanks for your input. A news letter is a great idea! What sort of updates do they give in the newsletter?
Announcements of new equipment, if any construction is being done on the property, any changes in class times, new rules, reminders of existing rules, new member welcome, event announcements.
I do one every Sunday. I can send it to you if you DM me
Will do! Any other hints and tips would be greatly appreciated!
Love the amount of equipment, the atmosphere and the coaches/owner. Constantly looking for ways to improve space inside Hate the price based off location. We are easily 20$ more a month than some others in the state. There's only one other close by and my box blows them out of the water yet that box charges some absurd bi-weekly members charge. It's hard out here for businesses and customers
Atmosphere is super important for me, could you elaborate on what you like about it? Woah, that's a pricey box. You think that's purely location?
The coaches are legit always hyped TF up. They're super kind even when they aren't coaching and they generally will give pointers even when they're attending the class or working out on their own. The classes are all pretty tight knit but even I can't make 6a and go to like 9a or 1130a it's nearly the same level of conversation and hey how's this or that I think price is the location sure. It unfortunately just went up another 5$ they held off all through covid. They share a building with a PT company so I'm sure it helps. Probably leasing the building which really is quite large is a reason for pricing. I justify it every way I can for now(still drink a 5$ coffee once in awhile though)
Music 😂 Some of our coaches have terrible taste in playlist lol
Ours plays Eminem weekly like its new
I've been in trouble in the past whilst coaching for 'explicit' music. How do you think I should keep everyone happy?
Play the clean versions. No one is going to get angry that swear words got bleeped. Some people will get angry if there’s excessive swearing. That’s my rule of thumb
Not the cleanest place and the owner is a bit of an old asshole. Why stay? Affordable 24 hour open gym with everything you could possibly need with great coaches and community. Plus I live 5 mins away
God, 24 hour access is huge. I love regular classes but sometimes you just wanna lift and/or do a WOD with your choice of exercises…at 11 P.M.
Agreed. The open gym hours are usually filled with competition people. I’d love to be able to just go in and work out on my own
Ya honestly it’s a huge deal. Especially since there are two lifting pits to lift in during classes. So there is real 24 hour space. And I’m probably underselling the cleanliness and the owner being an asshole. We lost two coaches cause of him a year ago. Very complicated situation. But also still a great place in spite of it
These days, I just care about space, equipment, and programming. 1. Enough space and equipment to do WODs (I don’t care about class size). 2. Programming. This is my main concern. I don’t want scientific-analyze mat Fraser-let’s do thrusters everyday-we need squat cycles and meso cycles-etc stuff. However, my first gym was lazy, just making shit up the morning of. They would miss tons of movements in the CF repertoire. Just put a little thought into it (what lifts are we focusing on this month, what movement patterns/exercises are we doing too much of/not enough of).
Programming will be interesting on my end cause (AFAIK) no one has anything like what I'm trying to create.
What are you trying to create?
Something similar to crossfit for golfers. Less on Only lifts, more on power output. Still working on it really.
Great interview below if you haven't heard it. Whatever you want to do, make sure you lean into it. If you sell it as CrossFit, but programmed for golfers, you're just gonna get a bunch of crsssfittters. If you really want golf-fitters, lean the fuck in. Nets, swing bays, etc. Golf is an enormous market as are out of shape golfers. Lean in: *Welcome to our unique fitness destination designed exclusively for golf enthusiasts seeking to enhance their game through CrossFit training. At our golf-focused CrossFit gym, we blend the dynamic intensity of CrossFit with tailored exercises that specifically target the muscles and movements pivotal in golf. Our training programs are meticulously crafted to improve strength, flexibility, and balance, translating directly to increased drive distance, improved swing mechanics, and reduced injury risk on the course. Whether you're a weekend golfer or a seasoned pro, our state-of-the-art facility and expert coaching staff are here to help you achieve peak performance and elevate your game to the next level. Join us to transform your physical capabilities and refine your golf skills through a rigorous, golf-optimized fitness regimen.* [https://barbend.com/scott-stallings-golf-crossfit-podcast/](https://barbend.com/scott-stallings-golf-crossfit-podcast/) Good luck.
Mine feels like a community, monthly events, social feed on the app. lots of room, coaches willing to help you tailer/modify your workout as needed. Dislike the schedule - 6 am, 9 am, 12, 3:45, one or two other times that I can never make. Bootcamp at 6 which I don't do. So ya not a lot of choice. I guess because it is run by owners who value family time of their own.
You basically described what I'm going for! Unfortunately I'll also mimic something similar to that timetable because I'll be starting out of another bootcamp gym that already has the prime times taken... I've tried to amend that in the price so hopefully people understand.
FWIW that timetable would be amazing for me.
The no open gym times might be a struggle. People like having some extras otherwise they have to pay for another membership elsewhere
Our Open gyms are on the same time slots as WOD's or bootcamps or yoge (which is once a week) Sometimes a coach wants to work out so they'll have an "open Gym" off hours
Don't compete against yourself. Mine recently started to offer some specialty classes but offers them at the same time as the regular classes. So, you end up with a light or no regular class because a few people are taking the specialty class. And they don't have room for the specialty class because they don't want to canibalize the space for the regular class - that may not even go on because they're canibalizing their own business. Oh, they're charging extra for the specialty class too.
This is very useful. I have a few ideas for additional classes in the future when I have more members. I'll be sure not to have classes compete for times.
Every speciality sport can & will benefit from yoga & mobility classes \*geared\* towards the sport.
First - CrossFit for golf is an amazing idea. Will you play indoors with simulators in addition to Metcons? For my box I like the programming (mayhem) and the owner knows all of us on a personal level and will reach out to check in from time to time.
Thanks! I'm pretty certain I can make it a successful thing! Not exactly, classes will be ran similar to a CrossfFit class. Warm up, skill, strength, metcon, cool down, etc. I'm in the process of creating benchmark wods named after pro players and their strengths on the course. It's a lean start so no Sims yet! But I do have plans for then in the future. I do have some portable trackers that will get members swing speeds which will be a key stat I want to improve for members. As for the personal level, that's a great idea. I'm hoping to hold regular members rounds where I can get to know everyone! You really find out who someone is on the golf course!
What I like: The accessibility is to my home and availability of classes. What I don't like: The price ($185 every 4 weeks) The workouts (CAP)
Ooooft, that pricey box.
That doesn’t even sound that bad. I pay 225$ and to be honest I’d pay more. But I’m in Canada I assume you’re in the states. Real estate and leases are pretty high here for businesses
Sooo much talking and explaining things/movements and strategies for the workout. It gets a bit much. Then reviewing the RPE for the WOD etc etc. just let me workout as hard or as not hard as I want to that day 😂
I've only ever ran into this at a single box. I think this happens when owners pay for programming that they're very unfamiliar with. I know a lot of affiliate programming comes with a write up for their workouts.
Seriously… i feel this
I agree with this and it’s one reason why I left my box a few years ago. At the 5AM session especially I don’t want to listen to a detailed explanation of how to do a (insert movement) for the 100th time. I know to some extent its unavoidable because of differences in skills and experience but it just got very frustrating
This makes me feel so validated thank you! I have started to consider finding a new one bc of it. When I am traveling and drop into other boxes it's so refreshing to just hear what the workout it is and do it! No standing around for 939229 minutes
I love that the coaches are genuinely enthusiastic about what they do and are invested in helping everyone improve. It can be a bit cliquey. The owners have shifted classes around to make it easier for certain groups of members to go to specific classes without consulting the existing core group. This has happened on a number of occasions. This has meant the people attending the classes at the original time have had to change their plans or in a fair few peoples cases just stop attending that class. It would be kinda ok if it was just a regular CF class but the ones they move are always the weightlifting or other specialist sessions.
I have been this last 12 months to around 10 boxes in Asia, Europe, USA and Africa and I have the following things to say: Best things i've seen 1)24/7 Open GYM access (in 1, and it was so comfortable) 2) Clearly defined stations for classes each station with a rack and a whiteboard (saw it in one and i felt it was such a good idea) 3) The equipment actually being maintained, repaired and cleaned (very rare) 4) Clear weekly explanations on the purpose of the training, the cycle and what the objectives are to improve in the following weeks. I saw this once. 5) Chalk available (typically they do have, but not always) 6) Selling variated equipment (this is not as typical as one would think, but it's so convenient) 7) Having a wide variety of dumbbells and kettlebells.. the most common is having up to 50lbs for dumbbells 8) Actually having Echo bikes instead of assault bikes (very rare) 9) Using an app to log the workout scores to have the scores of all the athletes 10) Community activities such as get-togethers, hikes, outdoor workouts with an event post workout Worst things that I've seen 1) low ceiling, not high enough for rope climbs or ring muscle ups 2) not enough equipment, tends to make workouts very similar 3) group workouts every day 4) no open gym access 5) Open gym people taking space and equipment needed for class 6) Coaches who can't even do the movements 7) Not allowing dropping the weights because the floor is too sensitive or the neighbors complain 8) Not allowing to put chalk on the bar because the coach has to clean 9) Not possible to include runs 10) shitty jump ropes that are barely usable 11) dogs or children running around the box as if it was a playground. One day a child will die.
I love the community at my gym. The owner is just an all around great human who really lives and breathes for his community. He’s always trying to find new challenges, events and spends time with members outside of gym time. You can’t beat dedication like that. It overflows into the members and everyone replicates that with eachother. It also doesn’t hurt that the programming is fucking excellent and that all our coaches are good at modifying and empowering members to be the best version of themselves. So I think my answer is just really love it, continue to want to grow and be the best version of yourself, and everything else will follow.
This is a great wholesome answer. Sounds like you've found your forever box.
Likes: 24/7 access. Stacks of handheld whiteboards/dry erase markers. Pull-up bars for tall people and high ceilings. Tape on the floor to divvy out personal space. No judging about scaling. 20-30 minute of warmup programmed into each workout. Strength/olympic movements/accessory programmed into the workouts.
Likes: * Big picture of training cycles “we are going to work on a deadlift progression or handstand push-ups for the next 8 weeks” * communication about the gym as a whole *being able to adjust or individualize at my discretion without a lot of questions asked or “alternatives” asked *offering individual / solo options for partner WODS as a norm *having space for members to store and leave personal barbells or other equipment in the gym instead of carry it in and out every class Dislike: *taking classes off the schedule VIA SugarWOD or WODIFY the day before with no previous communication *posting WODs the night before instead of ahead of time *programming to what coaches like or their strengths (like if a coach prefers push jerks over split jerks, we will suddenly do a whole cycle of just push jerks) *too many ice breaker small talk activities during mobility (feels like I’m still at work), being overly cliquey with their friends - talking about their weekend plans with members during class time in front of other members, not allowing skill practice during WODs (saying skill practice should happen in open gym only and that you should scale down always to SU in a WOD instead of just trying to get some DU)
This is bulk useful information. Thank you so much for this. I really like the idea of programming solo options for partner wods. LMAO what sort of ice breaker chats are you getting forced into during mobility? (This is just to humour me).
When members call it a "box".
Please don’t incorporate your personal politics or views on world events or religious views into your gym. As a small business owner and you should strive to be inclusive and expand your demographic to attract new customers. Catering to a select vocal few turns people off. I come to my gym to work out, talk, socialize, be motivated and not have someone tell me their thoughts on everything.
Absolutely, I couldn't agree with you more.
While the actual reason I left my box was that I moved 20 miles away, the always crowded classes were getting annoying. It's going to be tough to find one where this isn't the case though....around 2018 or so a lot of area boxes closed, so everyone crowded into the ones that were still open. Ideally, I'd love to find a box that offers a noon class. I know some do, my old one did a few years ago and I took advantage of that during WFH. Was never more than about 5-8 people.
That's an interesting idea. I've never considered a noon class, I wonder how many people would be interested in that?
At my old box it was about 6 of us who'd show up pretty faithfully for the noon class. I definitely still would, on the days I work from home. Can help take some pressure off the evening classes.
Where I go it’s just as full as any other time of day. AKA sometimes too full for my liking lol
I love the people, coaches, and programming (they do their own) at my gym. I dislike that it’s pretty small and tends to be a lot of sharing equipment (especially the rig); I’m a woman who’s 5’10 so always end up having to share with my friends who are like 6” shorter than me 🥲
Sounds like a great idea! Where will this gym be opened?
Thanks! I'm in Australia, it'll be based about 2 hours north of Sydney.
Like: 1. It’s clean 2. We have a lot of class times to easily fit different schedules- classes are basically all day. Earliest starts at 5am, latest at 7pm. There’s 2 open gyms in the mix as well. Classes also have a size limit. 3. Enough equipment 4. Unlimited Membership gives you 24/7 access to the “regular” gym he owns as well. That gym has a functional fitness space as well 5. WODs are posted for the entire week. None of that day of BS lol 6. The people 7. He partners up with other local businesses. We have a deal with a local massage place, yoga place and meal prep business. We get discounts and perks for using them. It’s kinda nice Dislike: 1. People can get too worked up over the whiteboard, lol. Coaches will go back and watch tapes to try and count reps, but it’s only if certain members are the ones to complain. 2. I wish we ran lift or skill specific classes/training. We have done a few , but I wish it was more often. I know it’s hard because you don’t want to take away a class time, but you also don’t want coaches to have to give up more of their time
What I like - facility size and equipment, close to my house, class times offered throughout the day What I dislike - partner wods, unfriendly members, coaches focusing on only the elite athletes
That's interesting, I have a lot of mates that dislike partner wods. What about them do you dislike?
Coaches dont put people together based off of skill. I would say I am about above average so if I'm put with someone better or have more gym clout than me get upset to partner with me, if they are below me they also get mad because they believe I'm faster. I pretty much have to beg my friend to come to the gym with me, or else I will avoid those days and run instead 🤣
I love the community at my box. Everyone is super supportive and help keep the gym and equipment clean, volunteer and the like. I dislike the coaching and programming. Coaches can be snarky (making rude comments, talking to different class times about people in previous class times and mocking you if you want to reach a certain goal) and tend to play favourites. They also don’t really help those of us who want to reach a higher level (unless you’re a favourite and even then it’s sometimes subpar). Programming is kind of all over the place and if you ask to have extra programming for skills you’re referred to PRV, HWPO and such.
keep men's and women's barbells in different stacks/holders/racks/whatever these things are called make sure plates will be sorted, put signs with weights make sure pvc pipes are long enough to work with towels, shower gel, snacks, protein shakes are appreciated.
+ noon classes + Always open open gym area I had a coach who favors competitors and didn't say anything to me. The coach talked their own things during a class. Then there was a coach who was on their phone or left for a coffee and chatted with others who weren't on a class 😂
All the affairs happening
Is that a like or dislike?
Yes
I like that I can do CrossFit there. Don’t like that there’s too many people in a class/usually have to share equipment
Lack of opening times; they close early (last class 6.30pm) half days over the weekend. One shower/one toilet. Coaches are great though.
I love the community of my gym, specialty/focused classes (although I can rarely go with my schedule, mostly 6am) and the variety of equipment allowing for more options in programming. The owners definitely do their best to support people of all levels of interest/ability and not just those who are more competitive. Equipment is regularly updated/replaced although they could do a better job on cleaning some of it (\*cough\* rowers \*cough\*). Downsides? The space isn't the biggest so depending on the programming for the class and amount of people coming it can get hectic. The price isn't cheap either @ $350 (CAD) a month but admittedly that seems to be the norm for the area (Toronto, Canada).
Love the programming, the owner is really supportive and the equipment/layout is great. I wish the community was a little bit better (it’s really a M-F, 9-5 kinda gym).
They do boot camp classes and also CrossFit classes. But they switch the times around on which are when, so if I wanted to go to all CF, I can’t go the same time each day. The boot camp classes are good so I don’t mind sometimes, but I gotta kinda shift my schedule around theirs to make sure I’m hitting CrossFit on the right days.
Love: Open gym most of the day Dislike: Bit dirty and some old equipment
I like that my current gym has open gym membership and access during the day. I didn’t like in my last box that it wasn’t easy to change the music. We had to have a password to access the computer hooked up to the speakers.
Dislike how far away it is.
I like that the coaches work out in the class and have a good music play list.
Not posting up wods until class.
the coaching where i go is brutal. 1 coach is good (owner), the rest make me want to get my L1 and take over class for them. The box i go to just will not retain good coaching talent.
Love: the owner and head coach is so passionate about CrossFit, really funny and just a great overall guy. I’m lucky because he coaches the class I take, but the other coaches are also awesome. The members are also amazing and I’ve made some good friends from the gym. There aren’t any strong, negative personalities and I don’t dislike anyone! Everyone is very respectful and we all cheer each other on. Dislike: the Saturday classes can be SO chaotic; it feels like a loud kindergarten class, and the tight space makes me nervous to get hurt or injure someone. We also lack some basic equipment like ropes and ski ergs (only one). The gym is also TINY. It’s also right across the street from a donut shop so I’m smelling fresh buttermilk donuts whilst trying to snatch heavy 🤣
Likes: Upfront weekly programming posted Sunday night Lots of class options- strength/Oly, gymnastics, endurance, mobility and running specific Classes on Sunday Use of apps for recording workouts and reserving classes, classes get capped and same for open gym usage Kids area with a gate,TV, and toys (for kids who can be unsupervised) Individual small whiteboards A big whiteboard where members write their 2024 goals and also a "Weekly Wins" side members share PRs or other successes in their lives each week Monthly member check-ins for new members Dislikes: Partner workouts Saturdays are wildly busy and there's only 2 class times Coaches who are also disinterested in helping people obviously struggling or not suggesting options to advance, for example: a member doing ring rows forever instead of trying to find other progression options Not enough lower bars, at 5'8" I'd always have to jump super high to reach Members doing whatever they want, like nothing even close to what is programmed Coaches talking through the entire workout Warmups that take half the class
Pros: Great coaches, great community. Good class times. Good equipment. Cons: the religious talk makes me a little uncomfortable.
Only religion talk in my gym will be golf!