CrossFit Statistics and Facts - An Overview

CrossFit has taken the world by storm despite surfacing only recently in the early 2000s in California.

The now-popular workout routine has many interesting statistics to prove its popularity in the U.S. and around the globe as well as its effectiveness and how it changed the fitness world. If you’re interested, you’ll definitely want to take a look at the following CrossFit statistics.

Let’s dive in.

CrossFit Statistics in the U.S.A.

CrossFit was Coach Greg Glassman’s creation from the 90s. During that time, he trained police officers using several exercises without sticking to a single modality.

For instance, instead of just following resistance training or cardio, Glassman created a blend of high-intensity interval workouts that pushed the body to its full potential. Soon enough, in 2000, he launched his gym in California, which was the foundation for the CrossFit concept.

CrossFit Popularity By State

Now, CrossFit as a sport is highly popular across the United States with around 7,500 affiliates, according to Rally Fitness. Here’s a quick breakdown of the top five CrossFit-popular states based on the number of affiliates per capita and how trendy the term “CrossFit” is on Google:

Colorado
Hawaii
Texas

Utah
Washington

North and South Dakota came last in this ranking.

CrossFit Popularity By Age

You’ll notice that the ages of people who practice CrossFit can highly vary. It’s safe to say that people aged 25–44 make up the higher percentage of CrossFit participants.

This table explains CrossFit demographics in more detail:

Age Group	Percentage of CrossFit Participants
18 and under	18%
18–24	6%
25–34	40%
35–44	20%
45–54	8%
55–64	2%
65 and above	5%

If you’re wondering whether or not there’s a difference in the interest in CrossFit between men and women – there isn’t a difference. It turns out that there’s 50% male participation and 50% female participation.

CrossFit Gyms and Affiliates Statistics

Despite being the rage for the last two decades or so, the official brand of CrossFit took a hit back in 2020 when more than 500 gyms cut off their affiliation programs with it.

That was the result of the then-CEO Glassman’s controversial tweets in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Even more, Reebok decided to end its partnership with CrossFit later that year because of the same outrageous statements. Soon afterward, Glassman publicly apologized and resigned, selling 100% of CrossFit to Eric Roza, who became the company’s sole CEO and owner, according to Business Insider.

Then, in July 2021, Jason Dunlop became the company’s new president, who was followed by Don Foul, the newest CEO announced in 2022.

After that dip and the controversy surrounding its previous CEO and founder, the company is gradually going back to its former glory. Here are a few interesting statistics about CrossFit’s gyms and affiliates in 2023:

According to CrossFit’s official website, there’s an estimation of more than 5,000 CrossFit-affiliated gyms in the U.S. alone.

Being a CrossFit-affiliated gym costs around $3,000 a year.
On average, a person pays anywhere from $135 to $168 to sign up for an unlimited membership at a CrossFit gym.

How Popular Is CrossFit Globally?

Of course, CrossFit is most popular in the U.S. since 72% of its affiliates are based in the States. Yet, it’s not surprising that CrossFit has a huge global existence because it has more than 15,000 affiliates all around the world!

To better understand its worldwide presence, let’s take a look at the countries (outside of the U.S.) with the most CrossFit affiliates, shall we?

Country	Number of CrossFit Affiliates
Brazil	1,149
Italy	662
Australia	588
Canada	588
The United Kingdom	572
France	481

Here’s another table that describes CrossFit’s global popularity by general interest (using the top 5 CrossFit countries):

Country	Popularity Percentage
The United States	43.43%
Brazil	6.11%
Canada	5.78%
The United Kingdom	4.12%
Germany	3.97%

Awe-inspiring Global CrossFit Statistics

As if the previous table wasn’t enough to show how CrossFit is recognized outside the U.S., the following statistics further prove its powerful presence.

Just in 2018, there were around 1,000 new international CrossFit affiliates.
In 2021 and 2022 alone, more than 1,400 CrossFit gyms and affiliates emerged globally.
All over the world, there are more than 5 million people who practice CrossFit as a sport, lifestyle, or workout routine.

On average, Europe offers around 71 CrossFit courses, evaluations, and certifications per year.
Globally, there are more than 35,000 CrossFit-certified trainers that teach at different gyms.
The CrossFit Games keep getting popular with each passing year, with an estimated increase in participation of a roaring 166%!

People tend to participate in CrossFit classes in July more than in any other month of the year.

CrossFit Member Statistics

If you do CrossFit, the following statistics about other CrossFit members will give you some insight into what other participants’ lives are like!

CrossFit Member Statistics by Family Status

It’s been found that around 59% of CrossFit gym members have children.

CrossFit Member Statistics by Income

According to Rally Fitness, the average income of people who practice CrossFit is around $150,000 per year. While that might sound surprisingly high, it does not take into account those who do it outside of CrossFit affiliated gyms.

The average CrossFit membership costs about $150, whereas the average range for a normal gym membership will cost you anywhere between $10 to $100. The huge range in a gym’s subscription depends on numerous factors, such as location, reputation, additional features, whether or not it’s a big gym chain, etc.

CrossFit Member Statistics by Education

Last but not least, it’s interesting how CrossFit athletes fare in terms of education. Around 40% of CrossFit members have a postgraduate degree.

CrossFit Workout Facts and Statistics

Now that we’re done with all statistics regarding CrossFit’s popularity in the U.S. and worldwide, its gym members, and affiliates, let’s dive deeper into CrossFit as a workout.

The following explains many things about the nature of CrossFit’s routines, its most famous workouts, and more!

Workouts of the Day (WODs)

A CrossFit class or session isn’t your typical exercise routine. Each session is called workout of the day (WOD), and the exact workout you’ll be doing is usually a surprise.

In most cases, the class itself can have up to 18 participants, which can be a bit more or fewer depending on the space available.

Still, there’s a number of popular WODs that every regular CrossFitter knows, and these workouts sometimes have either female names or the names of fallen U.S. soldiers. The female names were done in the early 2000s and I remember seeing a video where Glassman was talking about mimicking them off of the names of hurricanes, like “Hurricane Lili.”

The humor is that something with such a sweet name being such a “not-sweet” experience.

Here are some of the most famous CrossFit workouts and what they include:

Workout of the Day Name	Type of Workout
Linda	● 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 deadlifts ● 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 cleans ● 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 bench presses
Annie	● 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 double-unders ● 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 sit-ups
Fran	● 21 thrusters ● 21 pull-ups ● 15 thrusters ● 15 pull-ups ● 9 thrusters ● 9 pull-ups
Grace	30 clean and jerks
Cindy	● 5 pull-ups ● 10 push-ups ● 15 squats
Helen	● 400-meter run ● 21 kettlebell swings ● 12 pull-ups
Murph	● 1-mile run ● 100 pull-ups ● 200 push-ups ● 300 squats ● 1-mile run
Jackie	● 1,000-meter row ● 50 thrusters ● 30 pull-ups
Angie	● 100 pull-ups ● 100 push-ups ● 100 sit-ups ● 100 squats
Diane	● 21 deadlifts ● 21 handstand push-ups ● 15 deadlifts ● 15 handstand push-ups ● 9 deadlifts ● 9 handstand push-ups

Becoming a Competitive CrossFit Athlete

Of course, there are certain performance standards you must meet if you want to be recognized as a competitive CrossFit athlete. These values vary from men to women.

Here’s a quick comparison that breaks it down for you:

Type of Workout	Men	Women
Deadlift	3 x 1.5 BW	3 x 1.5 BW
Pull-Up	25	18
Handstand Push-Up	10	7
Back Squat	3 x 1.25 BW	3 x 1.25 BW
Muscle-Up	3	3
Snatch	90% of body weight (BW)	80% of body weight (BW)
Press	3 x .7 BW	3 x .7 BW
1-Mile Run	7 minutes	7 minutes, 30 seconds

Amazing CrossFit Health Statistics

There’s no denying how effective CrossFit is when it comes to improving your health and stamina. Not only does it boost muscular and cardiovascular endurance to great degrees, but it also has low injury and risk rates!

These statistics highlight all of CrossFit’s benefits in more detail:

After completing a survey in 2013, 386 CrossFit athletes reported an injury rate of only 19.4%.

A January 2014 study found that athletes had a 22% improvement in their muscular endurance after taking up CrossFit for 12 weeks.
In a 2015 study on more than 3,000 competing CrossFit athletes, participants had fewer than 1 injury per 1,000 hours of exercise!
On average, you can burn anywhere from 12 to 20 calories per minute during a CrossFit session.

In a 2013 ACE study on 16 people who did CrossFit training, scholars discovered that most individuals reached 90% of their maximum heart rate doing two of the most popular CrossFit workouts.

CrossFit Professional Statistics

The professional world of CrossFit may seem like a huge deal to understand, but it’s fairly simple. It all starts with the CrossFit Open, which is an international competition where athletes submit their scores online.

Then, athletes with the top scores in the Open will be qualified to participate in the CrossFit Games.

CrossFit Open Facts and Statistics

On a global basis, 60% of CrossFit athletes are women.
The CrossFit Open competition lasts for three weeks, with a new challenge revealed at the beginning of each week.
You keep track of your results by recording them online.

The Open comes to an end when the top 10% of athletes of each continent reach the quarterfinals, which is an online competition that lasts for an entire weekend.
Then, athletes who make their way to the semifinals will go to one of 10 events in the six regions of the world (North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, Asia, and Europe), so that a minimum of one person from each region will qualify for the CrossFit Games.
There are standard weights and lifts that participants must meet to finish the Open and qualify for the CrossFit Games, and these were (for the 2022 Games):

Type of Workout	Men	Women
Dumbbell Snatch (12 reps)	50-pound dumbbells	35-pound dumbbells
Box Jump-Over (15 reps)	24-inch box	20-inch box
Wall Walk	3	3

CrossFit Games Facts and Statistics

During the CrossFit Games each year, 40 men and 40 women compete so that, eventually, the male and female winners are crowned the title “Fittest on Earth!”
Athletes from more than 120 countries participate in the Games, which were first launched in 2007 in Aromas, California.
You have to be at least 14 years old to participate in the CrossFit Games.

In 2019, the United States alone yielded 34 athletes to the CrossFit Games, which made up 11% of all Games participants.
According to the CrossFit Games page, the top five athletes at the CrossFit Games are awarded $310,000, $120,000, $80,000, $55,000, and $40,000 as prize money.
The average age of male athletes at the 2018 Games was 27, while that of female athletes was 28.

2022 CrossFit Games Winners

It makes sense to be curious about 2022’s CrossFit Games results since they were the most recent. Here’s a table that highlights the winners, second and third places, as well as their scores and prizes!

Athlete’s Name	Status	Final Score	Prize Money
Tia-Clair Toomey	Women’s division 2022 CrossFit winner	1,158 points	$338,000
Mallory O’Brien	Women’s division 2022 CrossFit second place	1,045 points	$127,000
Laura Horvath	Women’s division 2022 CrossFit third place	981 points	$90,000
Justin Medeiros	Men’s division 2022 CrossFit winner	1,184 points	$316,000
Roman Khrennikov	Men’s division 2022 CrossFit second place	1,157 points	$131,000
Ricky Garard	Men’s division 2022 CrossFit third place	1,068 points	$90,000

How Did CrossFit Change the Fitness Industry?

As all the previous statistics about CrossFit’s popularity pointed out, CrossFit is one of the fastest-growing, low-risk sports in the fitness industry. As if these two points aren’t enough, many more factors have aided CrossFit in reaching that status.

The thing about CrossFit is that it isn’t like other sports or fitness regimens. It doesn’t follow a certain system or rule, which makes it highly versatile and suitable for everyone. But what’s everything that CrossFit brought to the table that completely changed how we see the fitness world?

The following points sum it up!

1. There’s Always Something New

Every day, you’ll be gearing up for a unique, high-intensity CrossFit session where you’ll try a new blend of workouts in a way that’s different from anything you’ve done before.

One of the key components of CrossFit is that it is constantly varied. The program does not want your body to get used to it and get in a rut. So, you’re constantly being thrown wildly different workouts.

2. There’s Some Huge Marketing Backing It Up

Another valid reason behind CrossFit’s continuous growth is the way that it’s marketed. Besides its user-friendly, always up-to-date website that gets thousands of visits each day, CrossFit has depended on an organic marketing approach to end them all—word-of-mouth!

Unlike all types of marketing, word-of-mouth remains the most powerful and most reliable. By establishing and maintaining an exciting workout plan and building an empire around it, there’s no way that people are going to forget CrossFit any time soon.

All of this word of mouth has fueled the movement in spite of some pretty serious opposition from the mainstream fitness community.

3. It’s All About Functional Training

The last point that CrossFit brought to the fitness world is incredible functionality.

Functional training is different than isolated exercises like Bicep Curls. You don’t see those in a CrossFit gym. Functional training involves movements that directly apply to your daily life. The end goal is to make you a more functional human being, not to have big muscles in places that they wouldn’t normally be.

To Wrap It Up

So, there are your facts and statistics.

To get a better feel for what goes on in a CrossFit gym, just walk right in and check it out.

What is best about the community is that each gym has it’s own style. While we’re all working out on similar programs, each gym is still very unique. And every single CrossFit gym that I’ve been to has willing coaches that will welcome you and help you reach your potential.

References

https://www.fitnessadvisory.org/articles/the-history-of-crossfit

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/w/word-of-mouth-marketing.asp

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