At its peak, CrossFit was a global fitness empire with over 15,000 gyms, a $150M sponsorship with Reebok, and millions of loyal athletes worldwide. It built a community unlike anything else — but just a few years later, the brand is struggling, cycling through CEOs, and even putting itself up for sale again.
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Corrections/Update 9/6/25:
* I got the price for the Crossfit Open wrong (it’s $20, not $50). Sorry as I was doing that from memory.
* Crossfitters would like you to know that eventually, a judge ruled the NSCA ruled the study showing it was unsafe was full of errors and perjury.
* Greg Glassman made a bunch of money when the business was sold.
* Some commenters have noted that the affiliate fee math is high based on their understanding of the business at the time. It was designed to be illustrative that Crossfit Inc was a very profitable business.
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In this video, we dive into the rise and fall of CrossFit:
– How Greg Glassman’s contrarian vision created a fitness revolution
– The explosive growth of CrossFit gyms, licensing, and the CrossFit Games
– Why CrossFit was accused of being dangerous and faced mounting injuries
– The competition from Orangetheory, F45, Peloton, and at-home fitness
– The COVID-19 pandemic’s devastating impact on CrossFit affiliates
– The scandals that led to Reebok pulling sponsorship and Greg Glassman stepping down
– The leadership changes with Eric Roza and Don Faul
– And how tragedies at the CrossFit Games further hurt the brand’s reputation
This is the full story of CrossFit’s meteoric rise and dramatic fall, and the business lessons we can all learn from it.
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It got too culty unfortunately at one point it reached that point where people tried to out CrossFit each other
HYROX is the thing now right?
Glassman was right about what he said ☝️
Cross fit is hell for the body.
These are the same people responsible for buying and inflating the price of fully accessorized road going Jeeps.
Please do a review of how apple killed the IPOD to benefit it's own products. Kodak did not for the digital camera and died.
Is it me or does Greg Glassman have a beer belly?
Perfect way to sum up Crossfit……The Proper way to improperly work out
Competitive nature causing many injuries!
Well he wasn’t wrong Covid was bullshit and George Floyd had 3 times the lethal dose of fentanyl in his system he wasn’t murdered
CrossFit was great for finding muscle mommies
Limited time and high cost didn’t sit well with me.
Is CrossFit the problem, or the people who don't take responsibility for their own training volume and recovery?
Why do so many of these businesses look like re-inventing the wheel? Of course, there's always that penny drops moment and it all evaporates. In Crossfit's case it just looks like there's no actual product; what are you buying?
I remember seeing Noshawn Moreno go to a box in Denver, CO. The instructors put him through a workout where he was dying. I remember the instructors acting as if it legitimized them as real athletes because this NFL running back had a hard time finishing the workout. The funny part was 2 weeks later he had crushed all their workout records. It literally showed the difference between a professional athlete and someone who just trains professionally. He ended up losing 20 pounds and the Denver Broncos were like, if you want to continue being a NFL running back you better find those 20 pounds. So he stop doing CrossFit. The funniest part was the instructors were actually kind of glad he left lol.
It was just another dumb workout fad.
Sounds like they made him the Faul guy.
At least half of all people follow whatever trend is going on. Today it’s pickleball , tomorrow ????
F ALL CORPORATE GYM BULLSHIT!!!!!!!
To me CrossFit equals obsession. Slow and steady wins the race. Stay balanced. I know a few people that do CrossFit and it’s their life.
Im sure this is going to hurt thebfeelings of all the fat people on here commenting but, over 10,000 official CrossFit affiliates spanning 150+ countries
Not sure how that is 'failing'
And thats not to mention the over 4k thatbare doing the methodology but arent affiliated.
CrossFit has forever changed fitness and there is nothing anyone can do about it.
Wasn't Cross Fit started by chiropractors and orthopedic doctors?
Crossfit was a joke. Dangerous exercises and lifts for most people who had zero clue what they were doing.
You forget to mention how pathetic crossfit really is and thankfully WAS. Injuries, dipshit results that didn’t last becyof injuries, and trend folowers rather than a health focused mindset.
Talking to a person who did CrossFit was like talking to a vegan. They just had to let u know after the first few minutes of talking, that they did CrossFit without u ever asking them if they did CrossFit. Just like vegans needing to inform you that they’re vegan despite you not giving a 💩
Just sub
Cross fit is a fitness challenge not a style of training. You can’t redline everyday and max out everyday. You have to train like a human and challenge yourself occasionally. Or keep getting injured and quit.