CrossFit has been going mainstream of late, though it has been around for about 20 years. Many who have tried it out were converted into CrossFit apostles, and have been vital in marketing the workout concept across North America. Have you noticed that CrossFit has grown into a mainstream entity with nary a commercial?
The apostles have been believers, and they are instructed that if they are sold, to preach the gospel of CrossFit to every creature. Those who train at CrossFit centers would not be caught dead training anywhere else, and while the workouts are timed, even those who finish but are dead last are celebrated as warriors - while those who quit are not talked about ever again.
With the almost fanatical enthusiasm for CrossFit, can this training be considered a cult? And is that really a bad thing?
Well, we can stop ourselves from judging objectively, since we are proud to provide equipment for CrossFit facilities as well as other gyms across the country. But we can say that under an academic definition of a "cult," one of the aspects to a cult is that it is closed off , very selective in its membership and restricts access by "outsiders."
As CrossFit gyms are all over the country and anyone can come in and participate in a Workout of the Day (or WOD), it is not exactly closed off. But certainly one can think of the enthusiasm and energy of CrossFit devotees as being rather cultish. But one could safely say that it's at least a very enthusiastic (and fit!) fraternity.
