Has CrossFit's time come?

CrossFit is back on the market—again. The once-dominant fitness brand, which peaked with over 14,000 affiliated gyms, has been on a steady decline. In 2024, its affiliate network dropped to around 10,000, with over 1,400 gyms canceling memberships following a competitor's tragic drowning at the CrossFit Games. The brand has faced backlash, controversy, and increasing competition, and now, it’s at a crossroads.

I’m not surprised.

I did CrossFit for a year. I enjoyed it, but in the long run, it wasn’t for me. That said, I took away some valuable lessons—mainly in structure and form, particularly with Olympic lifts, which I’ve carried into bodybuilding. But like every fitness trend, CrossFit’s dominance wasn’t going to last forever.

Fitness moves in cycles.

Watch an old episode of Seinfeld and look at the gyms of the early ‘90s—spandex, Jazzercise, and low-fat everything. In the ‘80s, aerobics reigned, along with the steroid-fueled bodybuilding craze. By the late 2000s, CrossFit took over, bringing high-intensity functional fitness to the mainstream. Now, we’re deep into the era of biohacking—cold plunges, red-light therapy, and obsessing over microplastics, fueled by voices like Andrew Huberman and Dr. Rhonda Patrick.

Fitness evolves just like design trends. The way we used to have oak and brass kitchens in the ‘90s, we now demand sleek, modern interiors. The same goes for gyms. Today’s fitness spaces are designed for Instagram—black walls, LED hex lighting, colored turf lanes for functional workouts. Every new gym must have a cold plunge, an infrared sauna, a smoothie bar, and a recovery area.

This is exactly why I would never invest in a brick-and-mortar fitness concept like CrossFit, Burn Boot Camp, or F45. They all have a shelf life. With every new generation, there’s a new shiny object to chase.

CrossFit’s next owner will have to navigate the brand’s identity in a fitness world that’s rapidly shifting toward a softer, more wellness-focused model. Meanwhile, new contenders like HYROX are growing, building communities around structured races. Social running clubs, sauna studios, and recovery-focused gyms are shaping the next generation of fitness consumers.

Gyms will never go away—but they’ll continue to evolve. CrossFit may still have a place in the fitness world, but whether it remains relevant in its next iteration? That’s another story.