Greg Glassman co-founded CrossFit, a branded high-intensity fitness program, in 2000. The method combines constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity, drawing from gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, calisthenics, running, and other training disciplines.
Glassman developed the approach from his background as a gymnast and personal trainer. An early workout called Fran combined thrusters with pull-ups, illustrating CrossFit’s preference for demanding, mixed-modality sessions. Glassman and Lauren Jenai incorporated CrossFit, Inc. in 2000, then opened a gym in Santa Cruz, California, in 2001.
CrossFit expanded rapidly after its workouts were posted online. Police officers, military personnel, firefighters, and recreational athletes began using the sessions, and the first affiliated gym, CrossFit North in Seattle, opened in 2002. Affiliated gyms are often called “boxes,” reflecting the program’s warehouse-style origins.
The brand later developed a competitive sport with the CrossFit Games, first held in 2007 at a ranch in Aromas, California. CrossFit is sometimes confused with generic HIIT, but HIIT describes a broad training format; CrossFit is a named methodology and trademarked fitness brand with its own coaching and affiliate system.