5 things to look for in a Crossfit Box to know it’s legit.

1. Friendly faces

These might seem like a strange requirement to start off with, but if you are looking for a box you need to find one that you can build friends at. The beauty of community-focused fitness is it contrasts between going to the gym with your headphones on to drag yourself through a lonely workout to going to see your friends and have fun doing a WOD. The staff may be very knowledgeable but if they can’t make you feel welcome you are going to feel awkward every time you show up for a workout. With the right gym environment, you’ll look forward to seeing all your friends at a class as one of the best hours of your day.

2. Lots of toys, lots.

You can buy a bar and a set of bumper plates for your garage or basement and pick up a jump rope at the local sporting goods store and do some variations of functional movements for intensity at home. If you are paying a premium for a CrossFit Box membership you should at least have bars and bumpers, balance trainers like the BOSU®, dumbbells, kettlebells, plyo boxes, rowers, air bikes, medicine balls, and unique items such as the Surge^® Storm. That's just the starter list. Many gyms will have another batch of tools that relate to their specialty bias; think gymnastics, strongman, or kickboxing equipment. Don’t get greedy and expect a swimming pool though.

3. Cleanliness

The more passionate about CrossFit you get, the more blood, sweat, and tears you will shed doing it. Your gym should have someone cleaning all that up. Writhing on the floor for 5 or 10 minutes after a miserable workout is cool unless the floor is so filthy that your sweat makes mud. And check the bathrooms, they will tell you a lot about how much a business values its clients.

4. Firebreathers and First-timers

A quick survey of a good box’s athletes should reveal a variety of experience and performance levels. Don’t be too impressed if the gym has elite competitor credentials like Regional or CrossFit Games qualifiers. Chances are that the high-level CrossFitters are training twice as much daily as you plan to. You want a gym with a coaching staff that is experienced at modifying workouts and building fitness in athletes with very little or no prior workout experience. Giving former college athletes a venue to stay engaged in athletics is great, but empowering grandparents with a level of functional fitness that enables them to roughhouse with their grandkids is better. Pick a box that has members with the fitness you aspire to obtain.

5. Culture

This is a tough one to recognize or discover. Look at a gym’s website and social media platforms and try to find a mission statement or creed. A CrossFit Box is more than a gym, it is a community, it should be engaged in some community service. Good boxes will show signs that they support their members in ways that transcend fitness, great boxes will show signs that their members support causes and efforts outside of the gym altogether.

Written by: JP Pocock

Owner, CrossFit Katana

CrossFit L1 Trainer

CrossFit L2 Trainer

CrossFit Kids

Shingitai Jujitsu Black Belt