Anyone been into a new Golds gym facility?

[Daniel O'Brien]

I have multiple places I workout at, one being Golds Gym. They just built a new facility in town and I went to it the other day. They are now offering "Golds Fit." It is a separate membership and the room is exactly as a CrossFit affiliate setup. From the row of C2s to the wall mounted rig with wall ball targets, rows of KBs, rows of dynamax balls, rows of plyo boxes, etc.

They don't mention CrossFit anywhere but its very obvious what it is and what they are aiming for.

Curious if anyone has seen this, and what thoughts are?

I foresee injuries going up because a bunch of very unqualified trainers are going to try to teach CF methods in "Golds Fit."

[Jeff Enge]

Originally Posted by Daniel O'Brien

I foresee injuries going up because a bunch of very unqualified trainers are going to try to teach CF methods in "Golds Fit."

Not to mention it actually takes as much or more qualification to be a trainer at Gold's Gym than to open a CF affiliate.

Not saying they are all more qualified, or passing any judgement on either side's training ability because all cases are different. Just stating the fact of the matter.

[Daniel O'Brien]

Originally Posted by Jeff Enge

Not to mention it actually takes as much or more qualification to be a trainer at Gold's Gym than to open a CF affiliate.

Not saying they are all more qualified, or passing any judgement on either side's training ability because all cases are different. Just stating the fact of the matter.

I fully agree. I have been in both globo gyms and affiliates and seen both. Many trainers have a nice list of certs and can't coach a movement to save their lives. I also know people who have no certs and are far more skilled in lifting and coaching than the "qualified" trainers.

[Chuck Golden]

There's a smaller, non national chain gym that I just recently saw posting in Craigslist for X-fit classes. With the popularity of CF, I'm surprised more globo gyms haven't already tried to come up with a watered down version for themselves.

[Sean Dunston]

Yeah.
There's one about 4 miles from me. They're building their CF space now and breaking ground for a pool.
It will be interesting to see it when they're done.

Interestingly - that is the same gym where I met Rudy, when he was the head trainer there in 2006, before he opened CrossFit Alexandria (later to be renamed Outlaw).

[Christopher Morris]

This thread is pretty interesting to me. In 2010 my wife had her level I certification and really tried to talk the big box gym owner into giving her a space for a CrossFit affiliate. They couldn't agree to the details. He didn't want to give up the space they were using for Turbo Kick classes, and couldn't figure out any other space.

So my wife found a warehouse space to rent and started a new affiliate, in competition with the big box gym. (She and I discussed at length whether this was really in direct competition with the big box gym or not. Different training methodologies are going to attract different clients.)

Now the big box gym has a "Cross Camp" class that looks pretty similar to CrossFit but without barbells movements. The owner probably thought CrossFit was a trend he didn't want to get into, but changed his mind when he saw the popularity of it.

[Bill Walker]

Originally Posted by Sean Dunston

Yeah.
There's one about 4 miles from me. They're building their CF space now and breaking ground for a pool.
It will be interesting to see it when they're done.

Interestingly - that is the same gym where I met Rudy, when he was the head trainer there in 2006, before he opened CrossFit Alexandria (later to be renamed Outlaw).

Is that on route 1? Some friends of mine took a "gym field trip" while our globo was closed for remodeling. I saw some olympic rings in the background.

All in all, I think it's good news. More folks adding more to their fitness. I hope my gym adds in more stuff as well.

[Sean Dunston]

Originally Posted by Bill Walker

Is that on route 1? Some friends of mine took a "gym field trip" while our globo was closed for remodeling. I saw some olympic rings in the background.

All in all, I think it's good news. More folks adding more to their fitness. I hope my gym adds in more stuff as well.

Yep. That's it.

[Koa Meador-Levy]

UFC gym in Hawaii has pretty much everything one needs for WODS. Oly bar, platforms, prowler, KBs, etc all for 20.00 a month. Smart idea for corporate gyms. If a Golds was near me I would gladly train there. Get my gym and CrossFit in one place.

[Darryl Shaw]

Originally Posted by Daniel O'Brien

I have multiple places I workout at, one being Golds Gym. They just built a new facility in town and I went to it the other day. They are now offering "Golds Fit." It is a separate membership and the room is exactly as a CrossFit affiliate setup. From the row of C2s to the wall mounted rig with wall ball targets, rows of KBs, rows of dynamax balls, rows of plyo boxes, etc.

They don't mention CrossFit anywhere but its very obvious what it is and what they are aiming for.

Curious if anyone has seen this, and what thoughts are?

I foresee injuries going up because a bunch of very unqualified trainers are going to try to teach CF methods in "Golds Fit."

CrossFit didn't invent interval training, circuit training, Olympic lifting, rowing, sprinting, plyometric training, gymnastics, or any other kind of exercise. So I really don't see a problem with other businesses using this type of training providing they call it something other than CrossFit. Nor do I see a problem with them undercutting CrossFit's pricing structure, as it's an open market and they're free to charge whatever they like. If that means some CrossFit affiliates go bust, well that's bad luck for them, but business is business and that's just how it works.