CrossFit is a branded fitness regimen that involves constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity.

[6] The company forms what has been described as the biggest fitness chain in the world,[7][8] with around 12,000 affiliated gyms in over 150 countries as of 2022, under half of which are located in the United States.

[14][15] Studies indicate that CrossFit can have positive effects on a number of physical fitness parameters and body composition, as well as on the mental state and social life of its participants.

[2] The workout he created was called Fran that added thrusters (a combination of front squat and push press) to pull-ups.

Those who used Glassman's internet postings expressed an interest in officially incorporating his workouts into their training regimen, and the first affiliated gym (known as 'box'), CrossFit North in Seattle, Washington, was then formed in 2002.

[33][34][35] However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of around 20% of its gyms (around 25% in the US),[25][36] and disaffiliations due to the Glassman controversy in 2020 further reduced the number of paid affiliations to 9,400 by early 2021.

[40] On June 24, 2020, following the outcry after Glassman's comments regarding the murder of George Floyd it was announced that he was selling the company to Eric Roza, former CEO of Datalogix, in partnership with investment firm Berkshire Partners.

[46] CrossFit believes there are ten components or domains in physical fitness: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, accuracy.

[47][48] CrossFit proposes nutrition to be the foundation of fitness, and on this foundation metabolic conditioning can improve cardiovascular efficiency, gymnastics can build an athlete's spatial awareness and body control, while weightlifting and throwing allow for better control of external objects, so that a general physical preparedness required for any sport can be achieved.

[51] It also believes that physical training should be varied regularly to achieve a general level of fitness, rather than only excelling in any single activity.

However, the intensity, volume, or movements of the WOD can be adjusted to suit the fitness level, experience, ability, physical limitations or time constraints of the participants, and this is called "scaling".

[74] CrossFit gyms use equipment from multiple disciplines, including barbells, dumbbells, gymnastics rings, rope climbs, pull-up bars, jump ropes, kettlebells, medicine balls, plyo boxes,[75] resistance bands, rowing machines, exercise bikes, SkiErg, and various mats.

[86] CrossFit methodology is used by thousands of private affiliated gyms, fire departments, law-enforcement agencies, and military organizations, including the Royal Danish Life Guards,[87][88][89][90] as well as by some U.S. and Canadian high school physical education teachers, high school and college sports teams, and the Miami Marlins.

[28][91][92] The rise of CrossFit has been attributed as the primary reason for the popularity of HIIT as a form of exercise when it reached the top in a worldwide survey of fitness trends by American College Sports Medicine (ACSM) in 2013.

Athletes at the Games compete in workouts they learn about only hours beforehand, sometimes including surprise elements that are not part of the typical CrossFit regimen.

Athletes have several days to complete the workout and submit their scores online, with either a video or validation by a CrossFit affiliate.

[121] The Open has been described as the largest participatory sporting event in the world, and the number of worldwide participants reached 415,000 in 2018.

The Games include divisions for individuals of each gender, co-ed teams, and a number of Masters and Teenage age groups.

[126] The Games format returned to normal in 2021, but the qualification system was revamped; the participants qualified based on their continental regions, and a Quarterfinal stage was added between the Open and the Semifinals.

[127] During the 2024 Crossfit games, athlete Lazar Dukic died in the run swim event in Ft. Worth Texas.

After completing the Level One training course, one should be confident in conducting a class, scale workouts accordingly for athletes, and hold CrossFit to its standards.

[132] The risk of injury associated with CrossFit training has been a controversial question since the program's popularity began to climb in the early 2000s.

If the neutral-party analysis of the NSCA servers turns up any further misconduct, CrossFit may file an amended complaint for further sanctioning and compensation for lost revenue.

[164] CrossFit, Inc. has also been criticized for having a "cavalier"[165] attitude towards rhabdomyolysis by promoting a character known as "Uncle Rhabdo" (a cartoon clown dying dramatically—hooked up to a dialysis machine, with his kidneys and intestines falling on the floor).

[161] In response to this criticism, Greg Glassman stated, "We introduced (Uncle) Rhabdo because we're honest and believe that full disclosure of risk is the only ethical thing to do.

[2] On June 4, 2014, CrossFit uploaded a parody video to their Facebook page of Jesus, featuring concepts such as the "Holy Trinity of exercise".

[171] Yasmine Hafiz wrote in The Huffington Post that some "viewers are outraged at the disrespectful use of a Christian symbol", with one user asking "on what planet is it comical or encouraged to mock someones belief?

Berger's tweet followed the closure of a CrossFit location in Indianapolis due to the backlash it faced after canceling a special LGBT Pride Month workout.

The company also cited theft of intellectual property and Facebook's collusion with "food and beverage industry interests" as reasons for deactivating its social media accounts.

[177] Glassman also hosted a criticized Zoom call with CrossFit gym owners where he propounded conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and claimed that George Floyd had been killed as part of an elaborate cover-up of counterfeiting unrelated to racism.