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This marks the eighth episode of a special CrossFit Podcast collaboration with the CrossFit Medical Society.
CrossFit Podcast producer Maggie Mullen steps out from backstage for a raw, unfiltered conversation about body image, nutrition, and the culture of CrossFit. From her early days as a competitor and fueling to perform, to finding balance, Maggie opens up about food neurosis, body dysmorphia, and an alternative view of diet culture.
This episode digs into the tension between discipline and obsession, aesthetics and health, and what it really means to chase your best self inside the gym and out.
TOPICS INCLUDED
How CrossFit reshaped Maggie’s relationship with food and body image
Body positivity vs. fat shaming — and finding a “third way”
The role of CrossFit in building self-awareness and resilience
CrossFit as moving meditation and mental health therapy
RESOURCES MENTIONED
M2 Performance Nutrition
Community Highlight
Duncan Seawell is a clinical psychologist and the president of Forging Youth Resilience (FYR), a nonprofit helping gyms open their doors to kids who otherwise couldn’t access CrossFit.
He launched a Steve’s Club chapter in Denver in 2015 and helped shape FYR into what it is today: a network of 20 active clubs reaching thousands of youth, from foster care to incarceration to kids just trying to find their place.
FYR partners with schools, gyms, and foster homes to deliver trauma-informed CrossFit, covering coaching, transportation, and nutrition. But its heart is FYR Camp, a week-long mountain retreat where kids train, hike, and sit in nightly circles to share their stories.
“It’s sort of a group therapy light context,” Duncan says. “One kid says, ‘I’ve been through this,’ and another says, ‘Me too.’ The power of that connection is amazing.”
As Duncan puts it: “Kids are growing unhealthier in all kinds of ways — physical, mental, metabolic. The solution is prevention. Our job is to make sure no kid is kept out of a gym because of money.”
Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.
Share Your Thoughts: Email us [podcasts@crossfit.com].
Dr. Nick (aka The Fittest Doc) joins Jocelyn Rylee to unpack how CrossFit shaped his approach to medicine. They dig into lifestyle versus pharmaceuticals, the role of identity in lasting change, and why doctors need to prioritize their own health.
Topics Covered
How CrossFit reshaped Dr. Nick’s discipline and medical practice
Lifestyle-first vs. pharma-first approaches to chronic disease
Performance as a predictor of future health
Building credibility: Should doctors practice what they preach?
The role of affiliates in bridging healthcare and community
Resources Mentioned
CrossFit for Health Summit
Dr. Nick’s Website
Community Highlight
The Phoenix is built on one idea: recovery is stronger in community.
Since 2006, they’ve reached nearly a million people impacted by substance use and mental health challenges — and CrossFit has become their most popular program. More than 100,000 people have found sobriety and support through Phoenix CrossFit classes, with 83% staying sober beyond the three-month mark.
We spoke with Gavin Young, a Phoenix leader and longtime CrossFit athlete in recovery, who shared how daily progress in training — one more rep, one more pound, one more second — becomes a cornerstone in rebuilding lives.
From Boston to Denver to Philadelphia, The Phoenix is proving what’s possible when fitness meets recovery: a resilient community built on hope, accountability, and shared struggle — one workout at a time.
Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.
Share Your Thoughts: Email us [podcasts@crossfit.com]
This marks the seventh episode of a special CrossFit Podcast collaboration with the CrossFit Medical Society.
Olympian and Power Monkey Fitness co-founder Dave Durante joins the CrossFit Podcast to talk about the transition from elite competition to lifelong fitness. After representing the U.S. in gymnastics at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Dave discovered CrossFit, and it changed his life.
He shares how CrossFit helped him stay healthy and strong beyond his competitive years, the story behind Power Monkey Camp, and why gymnastics remains one of the best foundations for athleticism at any age.
TOPICS INCLUDED
Life after elite sport: finding purpose and health beyond competition
How CrossFit reignited Dave’s passion for training
The creation and evolution of Power Monkey Camp
Building bridges between gymnastics and CrossFit
The importance of play, curiosity, and community in adult fitness
Why gymnastics is the ultimate foundation for all sports
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Power Monkey Fitness
Power Monkey Camp
CrossFit Gymnastics Courses
“Weight of Gold” (HBO Documentary)
Community Highlight
After two decades studying cancer genetics, Dr. Jennifer Beebe-Dimmer wanted to give patients something they could act on today. That’s how the CAPABLE program was born, a free, 12-week, CrossFit-based intervention for cancer survivors.
Coached by Level 1 trainers, participants train three times a week and complete pre- and post-testing for strength, conditioning, and biomarkers. Since 2019, more than 275 people have gone through the program, most of whom had never done anything like it before.
The results speak for themselves: significant improvements in quality of life, body composition, sleep, and A1C, with cognitive function up next.
Beebe-Dimmer calls CrossFit the “secret sauce,” not just for the workouts, but for the coaching and community that keep people coming back.“
When I look back at my career, this will be the most meaningful thing I’ve done.”
Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.
Share Your Thoughts: Email us [podcasts@crossfit.com] or complete our survey here.
Join us LIVE every Thursday at 10 a.m. If you love this podcast, please drop us a rating and review, and share it with everyone you love.
You’ve probably heard of the workout CHAD1000X (1,000 weighted step-ups for time) and The Step Up Foundation – the organization using fitness to raise awareness for mental health and veteran suicide prevention.
In this episode, we get to know the selfless leader behind both: Sara Wilkinson. After losing her husband, Navy SEAL Chad Wilkinson, to suicide in 2018, Sara turned grief into purpose, creating a global movement that’s brought thousands together each year to honor his legacy and support others who are struggling.
She opens up about what it means to carry grief, how community heals, and the importance of looking people in the eye and asking, “How are you, really?”
Topics Included
The story behind Chad1000X and its growth into a global movement
How Sara transformed grief into purpose through The Step Up Foundation
Compassion, resilience, and the power of community in healing
Suicide awareness, mental health, and the language we use around loss
The realities of military life, brain injury (CTE), and post-service transition
The importance of small acts of kindness and connection
Resources Mentioned
Chad 1000X
The Step Up Foundation
Home Base (Boston-based veteran brain clinic)
Sound Off (mental health therapy platform for veterans)
Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS)
Boston Frogman Swim
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Sara Wilkinson on Instagram
Willpower and Resilience, Live Big
Jocko Podcast
Cleared Hot Podcast
Community Highlight
Cory and Sara Fulana don’t just run two gyms — they run on purpose.
At Silk City CrossFit and CrossFit Hartford, service is part of the workout. Every month, they rally their community for something bigger — suicide awareness events with Uplift, women’s WODs supporting local female-owned businesses, Toys for Tots drives, marathon rows for the Boys and Girls Club, and Hero WODs that honor those who have served.
Their question is always the same: How can we give back?
Because for Cory and Sara, CrossFit isn’t just about fitness — it’s about using strength to serve others.
Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.
Share Your Thoughts: Email us [podcasts@crossfit.com] or complete our survey here.
CrossFit CEO Don Faul and Affiliate Council Chair Zia Rohrbaugh join host James Hobart for a pulse check on what’s happening across the company and the community. They discuss the role of CrossFit HQ and CrossFit affiliates, the importance of the CrossFit brand for affiliates, and how to support international communities.
Stay till the end to hear from special guests Troy Peterson of ValorFit and Mike Egan, as they preview their plans for Veterans Day.
Support Mike in his effort to break a world record and raise money for ValorFit HERE.
Let us know what you think –> podcasts@crossfit.com
Follow us on YouTube to join us every Thursday at 10 am PT.
“Forging Elite Fitness®” has been part of the CrossFit brand since 2003. And now, it’s representing CrossFit front and center once again after a few years of lurking behind the scenes. But what does it really mean? And what doesn’t it mean? And why are we bringing it back?
In this show, Denise Thomas is joined by Nicole Carroll, Craig Howard, and Jocelyn Rylee to unpack the phrase that debuted its revival tour this week in our new “Forging Elite Fitness” video and accompanying article. They’ll talk about where the misunderstanding often lies: Is it only about Games athletes? Is “elite” too aggressive? Or does it perfectly capture what CrossFit does for anyone who walks through the door, from grandparents to Games competitors?
Let us know what you think –> podcasts@crossfit.com
Follow us on YouTube to join us every Thursday at 10 am PT.
Dr. Fatty Acid, the viral creator behind @When_Nerds_Teach, joins Denise Thomas for a refreshingly honest conversation about finding CrossFit, battling fatty liver disease, navigating Wegovy, and rediscovering strength. A lifelong teacher, she talks about humor, vulnerability, and learning to love movement for what it gives, not how it looks.
Topics Included
Discovering CrossFit as a total beginner and overcoming intimidation
Balancing modern medicine (Wegovy) with lifestyle change
Teaching, burnout, and how CrossFit helps with decision fatigue
Managing body image, binge eating, and food anxiety
Resources Mentioned
Book: “Body Kindness” by Rebecca Scritchfield
Documentary: “Clemente” about Roberto Clemente’s life and legacy
CrossFit Tantrum (Dr. Fatty Acid’s affiliate)
Community Highlight
At just 16, Harrison Kennedy is already competing at the highest levels of CrossFit, but his story is about more than training.
After facing mental health struggles, Harrison found purpose again at CrossFit Delta Fox in northern England, a gym partnered with The 180 Project, which helps people rebuild their lives after prison, addiction, or trauma.
Now he’s giving back, coaching younger athletes and showing them the same thing CrossFit showed him: that community and hard work can change everything.
Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.
Share Your Thoughts: Email us [podcasts@crossfit.com] or complete our survey here.
James Hobart, Adrian Conway, and Craig Howard discuss competition within the fitness world. They share their perspectives on the role of rivals and how it impacts their community. The conversation explores both external competition and healthy rivalry among affiliates.
Let us know what you think –> podcasts@crossfit.com
Follow us on YouTube to join us every Thursday at 10 am PT.
This marks the sixth episode of a special CrossFit Podcast collaboration with the CrossFit Medical Society.
CrossFit affiliates are the force transforming how the healthcare system operates.
Zia Rohrbaugh of CrossFit Counter Culture and Josh Plosker of Invictus Boston have turned their gyms into full-service “health homes,” offering blood panels, IV therapy, and access to Community Care health plans — all built around CrossFit’s foundational principles.
In this conversation, Jocelyn Rylee explores how affiliates bring these systems to life, how members save money through HSA and FSA programs, and what it means for the future of CrossFit and community-based healthcare.
TOPICS INCLUDED
How affiliates are transforming into “health homes”
Partnering with the CrossFit Medical Society
Offering blood panels, IV therapy, and telemedicine in gyms
How Community Care provides affordable health coverage
Using HSA/FSA and TrueMed to make CrossFit memberships tax-free
The future of CrossFit as a global healthcare model
RESOURCES MENTIONED
CrossFit Medical Society and Community Care
TrueMed
CrossFit Counter Culture
Invictus Boston
Community Highlight
In 2011, Jaeho Woo discovered CrossFit as a college athlete in Seoul. What started as training for basketball became a lifelong passion — one that eventually took him to the most remote place on Earth.
After serving in the Korean military and coaching CrossFit, Jaeho opened an affiliate in Seoul — then shipped 500 lb of equipment to Antarctica to found the first CrossFit affiliate on the continent.
For 10 months, he’s coached his 18-person crew in a tiny gym surrounded by glaciers. When the endless dark set in and isolation hit hard, Jaeho kept showing up — knocking on doors, reminding his teammates: When you train together, you feel better, and you’re never alone.
As he prepares to leave Antarctica, Jaeho’s message is simple: Isolation is real. Resilience comes from connection. Wherever you are, don’t go it alone.
Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.
Share Your Thoughts: Email us [podcasts@crossfit.com] or complete our survey here.
Are the CrossFit Games CrossFit?
How does the test for the Fittest on Earth fit into the grand scheme of CrossFit as a brand? Where are the pain points and synergies between the tip of the spear and the rest of the community? The sport expression of CrossFit is a vital one, but how is it best incorporated into the brand so it serves the entire CrossFit ecosystem?
James Hobart, Dave Castro, and special guest Seth Page discuss this relationship and where they see the Games contributing to or detracting from the CrossFit brand.
Let us know what you think –> podcasts@crossfit.com
Follow us on YouTube to join us every Thursday at 10 am PT.
This marks the fifth episode of a special CrossFit Podcast collaboration with the CrossFit Medical Society.
Calley Means is a former food and pharma lobbyist turned healthcare reform advocate. He co-authored “Good Energy” with his sister, Dr. Casey Means, and co-founded TrueMed, a company working to make root-cause health solutions like exercise and nutrition eligible for HSA/FSA dollars.
In this conversation, Calley explains why our healthcare model is built to manage disease instead of preventing it, how CrossFit and lifestyle interventions are effective, and what policies and cultural shifts could finally turn the tide against chronic illness.
Topics Covered
Why the U.S. healthcare system is built to manage, not prevent, disease
The role of food policy, SNAP reform, and FDA guidelines in chronic illness
Calley’s personal journey from industry lobbyist to health advocate
The promise of functional medicine, biomarkers, and personalized care
TrueMed and making fitness/food eligible for HSA/FSA healthcare dollars
Resources Mentioned
Good Energy by Dr. Casey Means and Calley Means
Levels Health (continuous glucose monitoring)
TrueMed (Calley’s company leveraging HSA/FSA dollars for root-cause health)
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) reforms FDA nutrition and food additive guidelines
Community Highlight
Nick Johnson founded CrossFit Liminal, a nonprofit affiliate outside Atlanta serving one of the most diverse refugee communities in the U.S. What started in his garage with five members from Syria and Nepal, has grown into programs for Afghan women, refugee youth training for free, and community events like “Ruck for Refugees.”
As Nick puts it: “Trauma gets you out of your body. CrossFit gets you back in it.”
Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.
Share Your Thoughts: Email us [podcasts@crossfit.com] or complete our survey here.
What does the ideal CrossFit experience look like?
In this livestream, hosts James Hobart and Denise Thomas break down the non-negotiables of a great affiliate, as well as stylistic touches that make each gym unique. From the 60-minute class to the full journey, the conversation explores what members should expect, what owners and coaches must deliver, and how the best affiliates create environments where people thrive. Whether you’re a coach, owner, or member, this episode will leave you with a clear picture of what the “ideal member experience” really means in CrossFit.
Let us know what you think –> podcasts@crossfit.com
Follow us on YouTube to join future livestreams.
This marks the fourth episode of a special CrossFit Podcast collaboration with the CrossFit Medical Society.
Redemption Road CrossFit started inside Colorado’s prison system, where a small group of men turned CrossFit workouts into the first affiliate behind bars. Today, it’s a nonprofit changing prison culture through mentorship, accountability, and community — cutting recidivism to just 1.6% compared to the national average of 80%.
This week, we welcome Redemption Road CrossFit’s founder Nick Wells and founding member Gino Aviles to the show. Nick and Gino share their journey, from addiction and life sentences to freedom, sobriety, and leadership, and show how CrossFit’s methodology can transform not just fitness, but lives.
Topics Covered
Personal journeys from addiction, incarceration, and transformation
The origins of CrossFit in Colorado prisons
Building Redemption Road: the first affiliate inside a correctional facility
Overcoming stigma, violence, and systemic barriers through community fitness
Partnerships with CrossFit HQ and the broader community
Redemption Road’s measurable impact on recidivism and prison culture
Resources Mentioned
Redemption Road CrossFit – RF2.org
CrossFit Journal coverage of Redemption Road: Community Behind Bars and CrossFit in Prison
Morning Chalk Up articles on Redemption Road: Nick Wells and Mat Fraser
Books used in coach candidate curriculum: Overcoming Gravity,” “Becoming a Supple Leopard, “100 Days of Technique
Community Highlight
Troy Peterson founded ValorFit to connect veterans with CrossFit affiliates across the U.S.
For him, it’s personal. After serving in Iraq and earning a Purple Heart, Troy came home battling addiction, depression, and suicidal thoughts. At 300+ pounds and dependent on pills and alcohol, his wife gave him an ultimatum. That’s when he walked into a CrossFit gym and asked for help.
“I didn’t want to take the substances anymore because I wanted to go work out.” That shift changed everything.
Today, ValorFit covers six months of affiliate memberships for veterans — over 4,000 so far. The only requirement? Show up three days a week.
“Free breakfast on Veterans Day has never changed anyone’s life,” Troy said. “But showing up to the gym three days a week can.”
Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.
Share Your Thoughts: Email us [podcasts@crossfit.com] or complete our survey here.
Programming is one of the most debated topics in CrossFit. On this livestream, James Hobart and Denise Thomas sit down with the guys behind both mainsite and CrossFit Affiliate Programming (CAP), Joe Alexander and Spencer Hendel. Together, they’ll dig into the philosophy and practice behind effective programming.
They’ll cover the charter of CrossFit.com, how CAP supports affiliates, what makes programming successful (and what doesn’t), and how intensity, volume, and movement selection come into play.
Let us know what you think –> podcasts@crossfit.com
Follow us on YouTube to join future livestreams.
This marks the third episode of a special CrossFit Podcast collaboration with the CrossFit Medical Society.
In this episode, Jason Fernandez, longtime coach, Seminar Staff member, and co-founder of Best Hour of Their Day, and Matt Souza, 12-year affiliate owner of CrossFit Livermore, join host Jocelyn Rylee to dig into the overlooked fundamentals of hospitality, first impressions, and soft skills in CrossFit gyms.
They share hard-earned lessons on onboarding, reducing friction, building community, and why trust is the ultimate currency. Understand the type of service top CrossFit affiliates provide and how that’s the road to reducing the intimidation factor.
Topics Covered
Why hospitality is as important as coaching skills
How first impressions shape member retention
Onboarding systems that actually work
Reducing friction inside and outside the gym
Collaboration between affiliates and local businesses
Building trust as the ultimate foundation of community
4. Resources Mentioned
Level 1 and Level 2 Seminar Courses
AffiliateCon [Oct 24-26, 2025, Dallas, TX]
CrossFitLivermore.com (affiliate website example)
Will Guidara’s book “Unreasonable Hospitality”
Community Highlight
David Needham seems to do it all: full-time firefighter, owner of two CrossFit affiliates, contributor to WheelWOD and the Adaptive CrossFit Games, and mentor to other affiliate owners on business growth.
One of his biggest passions is serving on the Adaptive Athlete Foundation of Maryland, where he helps athletes secure life-changing prosthetics through insurance. Watching someone regain the ability to move and train is what drives him most.
And when asked what CrossFit means to him, David’s answer is simple … and very firefighter:“Because of CrossFit, I can save people from burning buildings.”
Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.
Share Your Thoughts: Email us [podcasts@crossfit.com] or complete our survey here.
This marks the second episode of a special CrossFit Podcast collaboration with the CrossFit Medical Society.
This week, we welcome Daniel Chaffey, a longtime leader in the CrossFit space. He owns CrossFit Louvre in Paris, one of Europe’s most established affiliates with over 3,100 members across three locations.
He also founded the major European competition, The French Throwdown, and Operating With Excellence, a workshop platform dedicated to helping affiliate owners build thriving businesses.
In this conversation, host Jocelyn Rylee dives into the essentials of CrossFit affiliates with Daniel: leadership, hospitality, and community. Chaffey, known for never mincing words, shares point-blank perspectives on everything from the future of CrossFit to the responsibility of affiliates in shaping that future.
Topics Covered
The role of leadership in affiliate success and sustainability
The difference between service and hospitality in gyms
Building and maintaining community in CrossFit
CrossFit’s role in health across generations
Optimism, anxiety, and the future direction of CrossFit
The importance of education and HQ’s role in supporting affiliates
Resources Mentioned
Jordan Peterson/Peterson Academy (leadership courses)
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (applied to member experience)
CrossFit Level 1 and Level 2 Courses
Affiliate gatherings/events (e.g., Banff, Canadian Affiliate Gathering)
Community Highlight
Saxon Panchik is having a full-circle moment.
With six CrossFit Games appearances, he’s now putting more energy into giving back to the community that built him.
His message:
Get into an affiliate and be active.
Uplift those around you.
Keep each other accountable.
“It is life-changing. We all have things we wish we knew when starting our fitness journey. Take a minute to share that with someone just beginning.”
Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.
Share Your Thoughts: Email us [podcasts@crossfit.com] or complete our survey here.
Over the next few weeks, we’re rolling out something different: a special CrossFit Podcast collaboration with the CrossFit Medical Society. Why? Because the CFMS isn’t sitting quietly on the sidelines. They are in the fight to cure chronic disease and put affiliates in the driver’s seat as the true health homes of their communities. This is a grassroots health revolution, and everyone should be paying attention. The mission is simple: empower affiliates, coaches, and members with real tools to reclaim their health and step out of the sickness economy. No quick fixes. Just CrossFit.
In this episode, Dr. Tom McCoy and Jenn Pishko, founders of the CrossFit Medical Society, join host Jocelyn Rylee to break down how affiliates can become the front line of community-based health care.
Recorded live at the 2025 CrossFit Owners and Coaches Conference and the 2025 CrossFit Games, the conversation digs into physician burnout, the launch of CommunityCare, and why the affiliate model is poised to be the future of preventative health.
Topics Covered
Burnout rates in primary care and why doctors are leaving medicine
How CrossFit affiliates can act as community health hubs
Launch of the CrossFit Medical Society and its goals
CommunityCare: a new model challenging U.S. health insurance
Biomarkers, bone density, and measures of health in CrossFit
Building trust between affiliates, coaches, and members
Shifting from “sick care” to true preventative health
Resources Mentioned
CrossFit Medical Society
CommunityCare program
Biomarker Hub
CEUs and CMEs
Community Highlight
Bobby Peters is the assistant superintendent of a rural California school district. He’s also an L2 trainer, a garage gym guy, and the founder of CrossFit Sierra Pacific, a nonprofit affiliate based in a public high school.⠀
It started small. A few local P.E. teachers got their L1s. Then came a weight-room renovation, a CrossFit course for students, and a 5 a.m. class open to any staff who wanted to move before the school day.
But Bobby didn’t stop there.
He helped launch a CrossFit program inside a juvenile incarceration facility. The setup is simple — bikes, sandbags, bodyweight movements — but the impact is massive.
“These kids didn’t talk to each other at first,” Bobby says. “Now they cheer each other on. They fist bump. They give feedback. It’s completely different.
”Bobby’s building confidence, leadership, and the possibility of a different path. His vision is clear: help these kids earn their L1s and reenter the world with something real.
He’s also pushing to get CrossFit recognized as a state-approved high school fitness curriculum — and he’s laying the groundwork to make it happen.
Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.
Share Your Thoughts: Email us [podcasts@crossfit.com] or complete our survey here.
Nutrition is one of the most debated topics in health and fitness — and it’s central to CrossFit’s methodology.
In this livestream, host James Hobart sits down with Jocelyn Rylee, Joe Alexander, and Jenn Pishko to talk nutrition. The conversation tackles CrossFit’s nutrition principles, how they apply in real life, and what the science actually says.
With so many competing voices in the space, we cut through the noise to address strategies for everyday CrossFit athletes, elite athletes, and those battling chronic disease. Expect honest discussion on food quality vs. quantity, calories in vs. calories out, the 80/20 rule, food addiction, and more.
Let us know what you think –> podcasts@crossfit.com
Follow us on YouTube to join future livestreams.
We talk about “the standard” in CrossFit all the time — but what does it really mean?
In this livestream, Denise Thomas sits down with Nicole Carroll, Chase Ingraham, and Adrian Conway to get real about what it takes to hold the standard in our gyms and on the competition floor.
The crew digs into where the standard came from, why it matters, and what happens when we don’t uphold it. They’ll break down coaching, defining fitness, and the ultimate goals of health and performance longevity.
Expect a candid conversation about what “holding the standard” actually means, why it matters, and how we’re doing on hitting the goal.
Let us know what you think –> podcasts@crossfit.com
Follow us on YouTube to join future livestreams.
Zach Long, DPT, better known as The Barbell Physio, joins Jocelyn Rylee to dig into the myths and realities around CrossFit injuries, mobility, programming, and long-term health. They unpack the latest research, expose scientific bias, and share practical strategies for athletes, coaches, and affiliate owners.
Read Zach’s point-by-point refutation of misleading CrossFit research here.
Zach brings his perspective as a physical therapist and longtime member of the CrossFit community to explain how to train through injury, why less is often more in mobility and programming, and how CrossFit has and continues to evolve.
Topics Covered
Is CrossFit dangerous? Injury data vs. public perception
How mobility training should actually work
Scientific integrity and fighting back against biased research
Training through injury vs. taking time off
Building medical-professional networks around affiliates
Programming pitfalls: volume vs. intensity and coaching time
Why complex skills (like the snatch) belong in CrossFit
Older adults as a critical growth area for affiliates
Zach’s advice for athletes, coaches, and the future of CrossFit
Resources Mentioned
Zach’s website: thebarbellphysio.com
Zach on Instagram/Facebook: @thebarbellphysio
CrossFit.com – Scientific Integrity Under Fire article
Zach’s YouTube channel: The Barbell Physio
Community Highlight
Trevor Pogue started CrossFit in 2020 with no lifting background and no plans to stick around. But it flipped everything.
He was working in medical research at the University of Florida, first in cancer, then anesthesiology, when he realized something: many of the problems hospitals treat could be prevented through lifestyle.⠀
In 2023, he bought CrossFit 1088, a small affiliate in Ocala, Florida that was about to shut down. The name comes from the gym’s youngest and oldest original members: 10 and 88. That spirit — CrossFit for everyone — is what Trevor is rebuilding.⠀
He took over with 32 members. A year later, they’re at 120 and growing.⠀
At their last anniversary party, Trevor watched 88-year-old Martha climb a massive water slide and fly down it while younger members stood by saying, “No way.”⠀
“That’s why we do CrossFit,” he said.
Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.
Share Your Thoughts: Email us [podcasts@crossfit.com] or complete our survey here.




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Let's cut out the dreadful swearing. Ruins an otherwise excellent show. Please.
Damn these host is cringy as f
how about stop using the word f*** after every other f****** weird.
Nothing since September?
my favorite episode yet
bout time...
You lost me at 'are you a feminist?' 'no.' if it wasn't for feminism, women wouldn't be competing at crossfit. Are you fucking serious asking her if she kept her name because she's a feminist in an accusatory tone? Yuck.
@brookeence you were so real and just brutally honest and thank you for not holding anything back. Matt you should definitely keep that photo up because it your process and you should be proud of what your doing. You guys have just amazing work ethic. We can loved the direction of the questions, keep it up! ❤