This past Sunday, my BFF Jenn (J. Spice, to all you 603’ers) and I had a deliciously girly day. We had a fantastic breakfast at this cute little cafe in Nashua, then drove down to Burlington to do some shopping. (There’s a Nordstrom, and a Lululemon, and a Sephora at the Burlington Mall. It’s pretty much Girly-Girl Heaven.) We hit Lulu last, figuring we might be there a while.
So I’m in the dressing room, and I hear Jenn outside, talking to the Lulu-lady. The lady asks Jenn, “Do you do yoga, or…” and Jenn replies, “No, we CrossFit. Melissa owns a CrossFit gym in NH.” And the woman says, “I’ve never heard of that. What’s CrossFit?”
Long pause.
And then I hear Jenn doing her very best to try to describe CrossFit to the Lulu-lady. Now, Jenn’s been CrossFitting with me since before we even opened the affiliate. She knows CrossFit – hell, like the rest of us, she lives CrossFit. But the Lulu-lady had about six other customers… and perhaps she was only being polite in asking, but she was still patiently waiting for a quick response. And damned if Jenn wasn’t slightly stumped at having to come up with an on-the-spot CrossFit Elevator Pitch.
The concept of an Elevator Pitch comes from the business world. Wiki defines it as, “An overview of an idea for a product, service, or project.” The name reflects the fact that an elevator pitch can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (maybe thirty seconds, and no more than 100-150 words). Say you find yourself riding in the elevator with the big boss at your office. You’ve had this great marketing idea for a while now, and here’s your shot to finally pitch it! You’d better be able to impress him – and get the outline of your plan across – before those doors open, right?
As a new affiliate owner, I find myself having to give the CrossFit Elevator Pitch all the time. Friends, family, co-workers and potential clients all want to know what this CrossFit thing is all about. And in those three tiny words, “What is CrossFit?”, lies my challenge. I need to be able to get the key elements of CrossFit and my affiliate across in just a few concise sentences. I mean, no one is going to stand there while I read from the CrossFit Journal’s “What is Fitness” article, right? But I can’t be so brief and vague in my description that I make CrossFit sound like every other fitness program out there. The last thing you want to hear after your Elevator Pitch is, “Oh, so it’s kind of like my Zumba class?”
Plus, I’m trying to keep it brief, which means I need to choose my words carefully. Start tossing out things like “handstands” and “clean and jerks” and most women (and lots of guys) will immediately write it off as too advanced. And there are so many overused buzzwords in the fitness industry these days – make the mistake of using one of them carelessly and I guarantee you’ll lose your audience. Take “functional fitness”, for example. Functional movements are clearly a big part of CrossFit, but people’s eyes glaze over when you mention the words, because they’ve heard them used to describe everything from Swiss ball crunches to bicep curls on a stability board. Now you’re starting to see the dilemma. Be brief, but not too brief. Be descriptive, but not so technical that it’s scary. Tell the story, but avoid cliches and jargon. Whew. Tall order, huh?
You don’t have to be an affiliate owner or a trainer to face this issue. Everyone who CrossFits is asked, at one time or another, “What’s that crazy workout stuff you do?” And most of us are so passionate about the program and the results that we want to share it with everyone. So it’s important for all of us to be able to get the concept across, without fumbling for words, speaking in riddles or scaring the daylights out of a potential gym buddy.
I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I’ve had a lot of practice so far, but my own Elevator Pitch still isn’t perfect. Still, the more I say it, the better it gets, and I’d be a terrible blog hostess if I didn’t at least share with you what I’ve come up with so far. So here it is, as best as I can document it:
CrossFit is a fitness program designed around the things you do in the real world. Every day, you bend down and pick things up, you put things over your head, you squat down, you stand up, you run after your kids or jump over a puddle. CrossFit prepares you for all that and then some by performing those exact movements in our workouts. We borrow exercises from things like weightlifting, gymnastics, and track and field, and we mix it up a lot, so your body is always adapting, getting stronger, faster, better conditioned. And the key to the whole program is that you work really, really hard… so you get fit really, really fast.
Now, that’s pretty watered down, and certainly doesn’t encompass all the principles of CrossFit. But I’ve covered “functional exercises”, “constantly varied” AND “high intensity”, given a few examples of some of the things we do, and closed with a sweet little carrot… Come train with me. Get really fit.
Things I haven’t addressed include the group classes and the sense of community, the infinitely scale-able aspect of the programming, the ten components of fitness and our focus on safety, technique and intensity. But those are all things I can hit on pretty quickly if the person shows some interest. If I get a bite on my Elevator Pitch, then I can start really selling, based on exactly who I’m talking to. As just an opener, however, I’ve found this standard Pitch works pretty well.
So here’s my question. Have you thought about your Elevator Pitch? What do you say, what key elements do you address, what do you purposefully leave out so as not to overwhelm or scare the person off? Do you vary it based on who you’re talking to, or do you open with the same lines, regardless of who’s asking? Is your pitch too short, too long? Do people stay interested, ask follow-up questions, seem to “get it”? And finally, what do you think MY pitch is missing?
Consider this homework, people, and post thoughts to comments. You’ll thank me for it, the next time someone asks you, “How’d you get so fit, anyway?” In the meantime, I may have to go back to Lululemon to ask the Lulu-lady how Jenn did with her CrossFit Elevator Pitch. In the interest of research, of course. It has nothing to do with buying that gray pair of Boogie shorts that I reluctantly put back on the shelf.
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nice pitch… :)
What I use is basically this, and you know me and my style so this hits hard:
“This shit gets you in shape fast, gets you strong and keeps you that way, quite simple. It isn’t easy, but it works… look at me.”
cocky? yes… but we HAVE to be walking examples to convince people that CrossFit is a winner.
Hey sister! Love the entry for today. It can be a challenge to sum up all that we do when people are pressed for time. Your pitch is great, so consider this note as me giving you credit for adopting your pitch from this day forward. Hope the gym is well. Boogie shorts huh?
Chuck
Thank you for posting this! I’ve been thinking about this exact problem for a while now, without knowing that it had a name. It’s also good to find out about all the things I *don’t* want to say.
I don’t have an elevator pitch put together yet, but when I get one I’ll let you know.
My pitch:
It’s the single best way to train for the absolute unknown and unknowable, every useful movement and exercise is practiced and improved. It will get you strong, make you fast, and lean you out. If the zombie outbreak were to occur tomorrow, the crossfitters of the world would live the longest.
If they show any interest at all, i delve into how much freaking fun it is, and how it’s impossible to get into a rut with the (somewhat) random programming.
Melissa,
I've followed your blog & been a disciple CF for a while now – and am a personal trainer and future L1 Cert CF Instructor – and what a great question to pose and solicit answers to!
And you're so right – how do you best pitch CF? My husband always says (and I agree) you can't sell the same watch to everyone – I believe this is true for exercise and diet – at least initially. Once people are educated, seasoned, experienced..and hooked…it's almost a generalized pitch.
For the general (non-gymrat, non-serious exercise buff) Jane, e.g. LuluLemon store clerk/yoga afficionado, I like to add to the pitch: "too much fun (once you're done!), competitive (w/ yourself and others) and addictive".
Great blog, great site, and I'm sure great CF603. Hope to visit someday if I'm up there in NJ!
Great post! I agree that every Crossfitter runs into this problem at some point, and it’s good to be prepared with some thoughtful words.
Carswell, holla!
(For those of you who don’t know, Chuck Carswell is The Most Powerful Human Being In The Entire Universe, well documented.)
Considering you talk about CrossFit for a living, I will consider that a serious compliment. Feel free to borrow, sample or straight-up snatch any of my stuff, as long as the next time you get Coldstone, you invite me.
Hope tricks are good in the Dirty South. Thanks for dropping in.
Hi Melissa!
Having attended many hundreds of hours of sales training for my full time job, I am quite familiar with the elevator pitch. I use this:
CrossFit is a fitness methodology started on the West Coast. It's personal training, but in a group setting to make it more fun! It incorporates all kinds of stuff…we row, lift weights, run, jump on stuff…we do pull-ups, push-ups, squats. Our workouts are different every day so you never get bored, and they are scalable to any fitness level. We have semi-professional rugby players working out next to nursing Moms, but they are each working out at their own level of intensity. Most of the workouts are done for time, so it's up to you to set the pace for yourself.
If you avoid the gym like the plague because your workout is "boring", then you HAVE to come try CrossFit! It's a fun way to get in the best shape of your life.
(at this point I pull my before & after pictures out of my purse and show them to people so they can see how fat I was)
So far, this pitch has worked really well for me. I have used it a gazillion times, and while it doesn't 100% describe CrossFit, it does a fantastic job of catching people's attention.
If I told this to my boss in an elevator, he'd skip getting off at his floor and ride up and down in that damn elevator with me for 15 minutes asking questions.
And yes, I am QUITE familiar with the awesomeness of Chuck Caldwell. Some people wear Chuck Norris Pajamas, but Chuck Norris wears Chuck Caldwell Pajamas!
Another great post, and so far some great comments as well. As a new affiliate, this is on my dinner plate every day. I usually make small talk and try to bait folks into exposing some of their goals or less-than-stellar fitness programs they’ve tried. I like finding out what they really are curious about and try to address that. But I do need a good “elevator pitch” for those “what is crossfit?” times….
I’ll be using yours until I come up with something better! LOL!
Jennifer,
Ha. If I could find Chuck Carswell pajamas, I’d wear them. To work. And to the gym. And, of course, to bed.
About the elevator pitch, I usually talk to people about their fitness goals, their priorities, and how happy they are with the effectiveness of their current program (or lack of such). And, of course, I talk about how much fun we have doing different stuff, like when I was a kid on the playground. And then I might talk about “functional movement” and “intensity” and such so I don’t get the glazed eyes right from the beginning. It’s kinda fun to watch reactions when I respond to the “what do you do for your abs?” question with “lift heavy stuff overhead all the time”. But… I talk very differently to different types of people. I talk to my grandmother differently than I talk to collegiate rugby players.
Do you think the Chuck Carswell Pajama Line comes in a short-shorts version?
Jennifer, I really like these parts of your pitch: “It’s personal training, but in a group setting to make it more fun… workouts are scalable to any fitness level, so we have semi-professional rugby players next to nursing Moms, each working out at their own level of intensity.” I may need to tweak my pitch just a bit to hit those points. Thanks for sharing.
I also like to close all my CrossFit pitches by saying I’ve never seen any kind of workout program get people so fit, so fast – without exception. And I like to think I say that with such conviction, that alone would convince people to give it a go.
As a customer of crossfit, these 3 things sold me in order of importance:
1) I did the workouts. My body is smarter than my brain. I’m a skeptical person, none of these elevator pitches would have worked on me until I actually got in the gym to do the WODs. I think the affiliates that can afford to give a free week or more of training to recruits are very smart. It just doesn’t sink in until you do it, in my opinion.
2) Variety, as in, I’m not bored. We all know that consistency is key to continual improvements but most people burn out with the same old boring BB routine, video tapes, magazine workouts or whatever other people do.
3) Everything is recorded. No more ambiguous thoughts like “I really felt good today” or “my guns aren’t getting bigger” Either I went faster and lifted more…or I didn’t.
Byers-
Just last night a bunch of us from Front Range (Denver) were out celebrating the success of the regional games and the waitresses were asking “what IS CrossFit anyway?!”
I found myself, along with a few other fellow CF’ers, stumped. We definitely need a good elevator pitch. I did my best, however, and even ended up showing them what a burpee is.
My biggest thing that I always try to get across is this: when it comes to fitness, football, war… whatever… the key to success (or survival) is to TRAIN HOW YOU FIGHT, or play, or whatever…
Instead of talking about “functional training,” I talk about “getting fitter to live life better”….
I’m not much of a salesman though- so in the end I encourage them to try it because 9 times out of 10, if they do a WoD, Crossfit sells itself
Boy I really hacked up the spelling of Chuck’s last name, didn’t I?
Sorry Chuck!
PLEASE.
DON’T.
HURT.
ME.
I have two words for YOU.
“two pumpssssss!”
You have to sing it in a high pitched falsetto… “Twooooo puuuuu-mps!” Tuck, I miss you and your super-girly coffee order. Can’t wait to see you in June! xoBYERS
That pitch is great. I’ll have to practice a few times. I did hit the highlights today when I saw an old triathlon friend from my old gym. She wanted to know what I’ve been doing. She thought I looked great. I told her about picking heavy stuff up and the mixture of all types of exercises from a broad variety of sports.
I ran marathons and cycled my butt off with this girl and never got abs like I’ve got from Crossfit. Pretty soon I’m going to start showing my abs as the elevator pitch.
But seriously, Crossfit gets you really, really fit fast!
J.Spice
p.s. I’ll drive to Lululemon if you want. I would never miss a trip for new pants…I mean to hear if I passed the sales pitch test:)
I have a 6 yr old, so I end up talking to a lot of parents. Usually I describe Crossfit as the kind of play you used to do: run, climb something, run, pick something up and throw it, run, climb…
If the person already works out I’ll talk about the O lifts and gymnastic stuff. And sprinting.
If they don’t work out at all and are looking cross-eyed when I’m done talking, I’ll say everyone from Grandma’s to Green Berets do it. It’s scalable for everybody.
Just today, I got into this conversation and ended up with “it will keep your butt out of the nursing home.” Not the most elegant or informative statement but that seemed to work on a 40-something gentlemen I was chatting with!
And yes … Chuck is the real deal. Just spent a couple days in Milwaukee listening to his melodic tones and yes Chuck … you are YOUNGER than me. ;=) CrossFit actually makes me happy about getting older!
Tucker-
I now allow milk in my espresso.
WIXF?
It’s results oriented fitness training; we try to increase people’s ability to do work. Sometimes harder, faster or even longer. The work we do is the stuff that everyone should know how to do; bend down, stand up, push over head and run and jump. We want to be more capable of doing these things every day, so we measure and compare. Compare you to when you started, how you stack up against others, everything. We mix the empiricism of science with a the passion and intensity of Superbowl game. Along the way, you realize: “Holy Shit. I’ve got abds.”
Scoobi – You guys ran an amazing event! The Omaha crew couldn’t stop talking about what a fantastic job Front Range did with it – so smooth. Awesome volunteers (LOVED my judges) and you obviously put up some awesome competitors, too.
Hope you all had fun at the Pour House – we were there Sunday night and we got the same questions…
Ugh. Just realized I used ‘awesome’ twice in the same sentence. I hate that.
Hi guys, I wanted to comment as a YMCA crossfitter and someone who has practiced his elevator pitch endlessly on his jogger wife. I think the trick is to use words and analogies that people with no exposure can understand. It can be hard to remember on the inside (like in any profession) how much jargon we use. We’ve already bought in, but other people can’t even picture it.
So, I think these are good points to emphasize or analogies to make. Some of these might make you nervous because they are not precisely true, but hopefully they can get people to picture what it is we do:
• Circuit training. This is not exactly true, but people know what it is and they can visualize it. Plus it emphasizes that they are going to sweat and breathe heavy and get their “cardio” in. Lots of people, like my wife (a runner) worry that lifting weights means they won’t get any cardio.
• Bootcamp classes or high school soccer practice. People can start to picture this too. They get an imagine of running sprints, doing pushups and calisthenics, competing in a workout, etc.
• “Specialize in not specializing” is good wording once you know more about crossfit. But if you’ve never heard of it, what does this mean exactly? Maybe, tell people it means being able to run 3 miles and do 20 pullups. Everyone can picture a huge weightlifter who can’t run very far or the skinny runner who has bad knees and can’t do a single pushup much less a pullup. Tell them that you will be able to do both after crossfit.
Other good things to emphasize:
• The group dynamic makes it fun. Not in the step class sort of way, but again, in the bootcamp or soccer practice kind of way.
• Doing something different all the time is fun too. In a few ways.
o One, things are not boring because it changes and it’s not a rut.
o It’s hard (this is the high intensity part), so you can’t zone out. Part of a workout being boring is the low intensity slog of lifting light weights or running at a slow pace.
o Three, you do stuff that doesn’t seem like working out. Jumping up on boxes is not always what people think of as gym behavior. Playing on rings and monkey bars is like being a kid on a playground! So are handstands, cartwheels and jumprope and some of the others.
• The measuring and scaling of crossfiit is important too, because it shows progress and progress is addictive. It’s what makes you want to come back and gets people excited. Your first consecutive double unders, your first sold handstand or pullup. Breaking bodyweight on a big lift. These are totally exciting. But in theory, all workouts give you progress. But how many runners do you know have been running the same 27 minute 5k for 15 years? So how do you sell this part to someone in an elevator pitch? I guess, you have to emphasize that your gym’s “program” includes regular benchmarks and maybe just add that you personally keep coming back because you love to see the measured improvements.
Sorry for being so long winded, but hopefully there’s something here you can use!
Dave
here is our “what is crossfit” in toronto! http://www.crossfitto.com/2009/05/20/what-is-crossfit/
Interesting challenge. Try this:
“It’s a way of working out that makes you stronger, faster and better looking. It gives you more energy, more stamina, and better health. What we do is a huge variety of intense workouts that make your body function better in the real world: we lift weights, play, run, jump, throw things, and learn basic gymnastics moves. It’s really a lot of fun, and it works like you wouldn’t believe.”
I always say: “think of it as bootcamp on steroids…a different workout everyday which combines olympic weight lifting, gymnastics, rowing, running, and basic core exercises like situps, pushups and pullups. It will kick your ass!
I clicked onto the Crossfit website about 12months ago or so and remember thinking what a load of rubbish! “we specialise in not specialising”…huh? Then I saw blokes doing handstands in random places and thought this is just kinda weird…what normal person would want to train there? Anyway I kept hearing about Crossfit everywhere so I thought I’d have a crack at one of the WOD’s…hooked! I’ve been doing it for a few weeks… Now I wanna be an affiliate! (never one to rush in!) I’ve been trying to explain it to friends. I think the NYC black box guy sums it up really well.
“CrossFit is an extremely efficient and effective way to get into world-class shape.
CrossFit started at a maverick gym in Santa Cruz, and quickly spread to Olympic and professional athletes, police and military special operations units, champion martial artists, and (like most of us here at CrossFit NYC) everyday people looking for a serious kick in the butt.
CrossFit workouts are functional, varied and intense. They also scale to any ability level—our members range from elite athletes to eighty-something grandmothers—so whatever shape you’re starting from, you’ll be able to jump right in.
For more information, please read the article What Is Fitness?”
Probably a bit long for an elevator pitch but it does make sense to a normal person.
cheers
Oh I SO needed to hear this!
Also, this is a bit belated but I’m glad that I was able to incite the unprofessional chair dancing. I’ve listened to that song about 150 times and it still gets me going. PS: If you want it in context, rent Knocked Up.
PPS: Hope to meet you if you’re in Center City Phila soon!
-Meghan
I too have witnessed the man worthy of the peg above “Fitness” on the health spectrum, Chuck Carswell (thanks for the tip on resetting the false grip in the muscle-up, Chuck… I’m still pumped from knocking out 3 consecutive MU’s last week!)
My contribution to the homework assignment: I’ve had the best luck explaining CF to people with the “stuff-you-do-every-day” angle of attack.
add on… “we try to get everyone from the level they’re at to the next higher level. If that means a grandmother regaining her confidence in picking up her grandchild, awesome. If it means a strong athlete becoming an elite athlete, fantastic. This is for everyone.”
To explain the “specialize in not specializing” part, I have simply said, “our goal is to get as good as possible at as many things as possible”
Great discussion!
My husband and I are always running into this question, and I have to agree with RebelHealth Chick that the best pitch is going to be tailored to the listener. I emphasize very different aspects of CrossFit when I’m talking to a triathlete than I do when I’m talking to a Zumba-class girl, or a typical weight guy or my 60 year-old mother! People with different fitness goals will respond to different aspects of CrossFit.
Melissa, one thing I think your pitch is missing, and that seems to be missing from most of the pitches above, is how little time CrossFit requires for the fitness it produces. This is one of the biggest perks of CrossFit for me, and I know it is the thing that brings the most interest (and sometimes disbelief) from my listeners. No matter what your fitness goals, just about everyone likes the idea of getting in amazing shape in less time.
A question I have is: how do you pitch heavy weights to girls who are afaid of “getting big”? I tell them about how big muscles are primarily genetics (or steroids) and that they won’t end up looking like men, but I have a really hard time convincing them (despite the fact that I don’t look manly myself… at least I don’t think so!). Melissa, you have a very lean build, so as you’ve written, your worries go toward the “leaning out” end of the spectrum, but for stockier girls who gain muscle a bit easier than average, how would you convince them that CrossFit won’t make them into she-beasts?
Sorry I’m late to the convo, but since I work in the insurance industry, I’ve heard a lot of elevator pitches. Specificity is tricky: you need something that gives the listener pause and makes them curious.
I could say I’m a Tax Attorney, which is true, but . . . everyone THINKS they know what I do, even if they don’t. So if I answer that, everyone’s eyes glaze over. So I generally say something like “I’m a money lawyer. My job is helping people keep theirs.” From there I can get into really interesting conversations.
So here are some comments I’ve made to folks in no particular order:
“We train for strength, not bulk–What we do will make you leaner and stronger.”. I think women like that. It’s kind of “marketingy” but it has the added benefit of being true . .
“We can do a complete body workout in 15 minutes or less” (Just don’t mention the urpee-bays . . . )
“Abs in 15 minutes a day if you apply yourself and eat right and we don’t do one damn crunch.”
“Even if you love “running/lifting/hockey/rugby” we can train you in the things you’re not good at so that you’ll be even better at the things you love”.
“Private training with group classes, the grandpas next to the cops. Although sometimes they’re the same person. I know some badass grandpa cops.”
“It’s no bs boiled down concentrated fitness. It’s all the things that work and make you better at life and not a thing more.”
“It’s paradoxical fitness: We’re not about looks, but we look great. We get better at running but we hardly ever do it. We make abs show up by holding heavy stuff over our heads. And we can do all this in about two hours a week of actual work out time.”
Thanks for putting your elevator pitch into words! I have been trying to develop mine recently as well.
I usually share the same basic information that you wrote. I also include a few additional points that usually help separate CF from the average “fitness” program. I mention that CF gives you results FAST! There is no need to spend hours in the gym because we can kick your butt in 15 minutes. I also mention that CF isn’t just a diet and exercise plan, it’s a lifestyle change. If you follow the program you’ll be healthy forever! These two things usually catch peoples attention.
Nice posts because I'm sure I've tried to tell someone what CF is. Usually along the lines of weightlifting, rowing, some gymnastics, rope climbing, and running all thrown together.
I like most suggestions here more than mine.
melissa; I used your defininition in my blog "sw spartan strength" hope you don't mind I gave you credit. It just works. I am coaching a bunch of h.s. kids. Plus firefighters and cops. I know my blog is pretty lame compared to your work of art.
Yhanks, Del
Hey, Melissa thanks for the response. Did the whole blog come up when you Googled it? I tried to bring it up at work,but an older post from may keeps popping up.Not sure how to delete the first post and replace with the newest one.
Thanks,again
Del
Long time lurker. Love your writing. Especially this topic.
I thought I was the only one having trouble describing CrossFit to folks.
I plan on stealing…err borrowing your version. Thanks in advance.
Paddy
CrossFit Tulsa
melissa-
love your blog. have pretty much been reading old posts for the past 48 hours. i have been crossfitting for the past seven weeks and already look different. Am addicted, obsessed, etc. And friends are noticing both changes. I love the idea of the Elevator pitch becuase I need something good- and I need to remember some humility when people say- "oh- yes, I do lots of push ups in my sculpt class." or "sounds like my Power Hour at the Y." I typically am telling myself to not scrunch up my face or laugh or look apalled at the comment. Love your pitch. Keep up the writing and I will keep up the reading.
Carrie
Ultimate Crossfit- Charlotte, NC
Melissa,
Love the blog and have followed you for awhile. Great stuff!
Here's our site pitch which we make more conversational and tailor for the individual when we go live.
Thanks for the great resource!
Tony
BTW, I'll admit right now that I'm going to "borrow liberally" (read: steal) much of your Whole30 for a program in the spring.
I really like the pitch used in the article and will definitely give it a shot. However, mostly, I try to peak curiosity of Crossfit without getting into too many details… those things will come out when they ask more questions. Usually, I like to say:
It’s a ton of fun. You’re basically cut loose in a brickyard with your friends busting your tail to beat whatever the workout of the day is. Satisfaction comes when you begin doing things you never thought you’d do before. It did for me. And, really, there’s nothing quite like it anywhere.
So simple, and vague, yet I usually catch their interest and get them asking more questions.
Chad
Just last week over dinner with three friends we discussed fitness, athletics and working out. One of my friends attends a nice gym where he works with personal trainers and has had some success. The gym mostly caters to very good high-school athletes hoping to play their chosen sport after high-school, college athletes hoping to take the next step and a number of current professional baseball, football and basketball players. They do however have good programs for people 40 and above. The other although nearly 50 still plays competitive basketball, but has commented how his energy isn’t what it used to be and has tried P90X and his own in-home program but can’t stay motivated. As a sales person I smell opportunity.
When asked what is Crossfit I simply say; it is the most amazing way to train your body to do all the things your body needs to do. Everything we do is the same movements you make everyday simply living life. We add resistance, intensity and competitiveness to every workout. While everything is scalable you choose how hard you want to work your body. The greater the intensity the faster the results. I like to mention pull-ups, rope climbs and believe it or not the dreaded Burpee. The reason is these are all movements they can relate to from when they were younger, but probably haven’t given much thought to lately.
I am nearly 47 and had been following Crossfit online with my son for a year before joining a local affiliate last February. My son and I both got Level I Certified in January and had the privilege of being in Chuck’s class. Since that time my passion for CF has exploded and as such my desire to “convert” friends and family to the CF lifestyle is never ending.
I like to add that my Mom started doing crossfit shortly before turning 60…. (and before me!)