Why does CrossFit cost so much?

I’ll admit, this question is what drove me to train solo for much of my CrossFit experience. Why pay $150+ per month at a garage gym or CrossFit facility when I can join the local globo-gym for $45 per month AND get unlimited access?

Even though I fall into the category of wanting needing to save money, I always recommend that new recruits find a legitimate coach to work with for awhile before going solo - 3 months at a minimum. There’s a wealth of freely available information on the internet, but that’s not a substitute for quality instruction. Mechanics are too important and it’s incredibly difficult to figure them out on your own. But, inevitably the rate comparison shows up. Here’s a couple morsels for those of you debating the costs of your local affiliate or garage gym:

What are you paying for?

Compare what you get at a traditional gym with what you get at a CrossFit facility (I’m referring CrossFit-like facilities here as well; there’s a lot of growth in the industry and some incredible coaches are entirely unaffiliated with CrossFit).

Let’s say I pay $150 per month for 3 days per week at my local affiliate. That seems to be about average. And let’s take $45 per month for my monthly fees at the globo-gym (that’s how much I currently pay at mine, but I don’t get to use the gym during peak hours - fine by me).

CrossFit, and similar programs, are different in the sense that you have limited class sizes, specific/specialized equipment, and certified instructors who are focused on your personalized needs and goals. Sounds like what you might get with a personal trainer, right? Right. On average in my town, PTs charge $50 - $75 per hour. So let’s say, at our globo-gym, I find someone willing to charge me $50/hour and I sign up for 1 hour per week. The math speaks for itself:

$45 + (4 x $50) = $245 per month

At a minimum, you’ve just spent $95 more for very little exchange in value (arguably less since you’ve also got to deal with waiting for equipment, limited instruction, and a lot more leg work to maintain your own programming). There’s all sorts of branching we can do from this argument (the merits of most traditional PTs vs. a qualified CrossFit instructor is one I normally jump to), but for me, the value is the biggest factor. If you average 3 days per week at your CrossFit affiliate, you’re paying about $12.50 per hour. For personalized training from someone committed to your success as an athlete. Seems a better question is why are you paying so much for a globo-gym?

But why?

There’s a good video at AgainFaster.com, intended to help newly established CrossFit affiliates get started. In short, Jon demonstrates the general fixed costs of an affiliate and what the model looks like if one were to charge $75 per month vs. $150 per month. The $75/month option does a couple things from a business perspective: 

  1. In order to cover fixed costs at that lower rate, you have to double your membership - just to cover costs. 
  2. More members means more equipment, more utilities, more staff, etc. - more fixed costs, lower profit margin, reduced ability to make a living.

It’s important to note: the more athletes a coach has to support, the bigger the class, the less focused time that coach has for each member. A degredation in value.

At the higher monthly fee, a gym owner is able to keep his fixed costs lower and his membership requirements smaller. It also keeps his profit margin from dipping below an acceptable level. It’s a business, and everyone is entitled to make the living he/she chooses. CrossFit and similar programs are high value, and come with a sticker price that reflects that value. You wouldn’t pay Suzuki prices for a BMW, right?

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