CROSSFIT UNC
A Student Run Club Affiliate
Five Year Vision and Growth Strategy
Prepared by David Blumberg
david45@email.unc.edu
What is CrossFit?
1. CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police
academies, US Navy SEALs, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite
and professional athletes worldwide1.
2. CrossFit has been embraced by the United States military, consequently affiliate
gyms have been established on multiple Marine bases. The Canadian Army is also
adopting CrossFit as its standard for physical training (PT).
3. CrossFit specializes in not specializing. The aim of the program is to achieve
higher levels of functional fitness, defined as one’s ability to complete random
physical tasks efficiently.
4. CrossFit workouts employ a diversity of movements to encourage complete
ranges of motion. Typical exercises include: gymnastic movements, jumping,
climbing, Russian kettle bell training, rowing, running, Olympic lifts and other
tasks combined at various intensities to improve muscular capacities along all
metabolic pathways.
5. Each workout performance can be definitively gauged by either time, repetitions
or weight loads, allowing one to systematically track progress. The ability to
measure performance also fosters competition, the best form of motivation.
6. CrossFit programs have no plateau period. The CrossFit “Workout of the Day”
(WOD) is not made available to the public until the night before. CrossFitters
consult the main website (crossfit.com) or their local affiliate’s website (e.g.
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Adapted from CrossFit.com
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crossfitunc.com) in order to procure the WOD. Almost every WOD is different;
the program lacks repetition, keeping one’s muscular memory in a total state of
flux.
7. All CrossFit WODs are scalable, meaning that everyone performs the same
movements (men and women) but at individually appropriate intensities. For
example, one may substitute 50 pushups for 100 pushups, or 200 pounds of
weight for 150 pounds of weight, as long as they are performing the same
movement along the same range of motion.
8. Typical CrossFit workouts, include a warm-up of 10 air-squats, 10 sit ups, 10
back extensions, 10 pull ups, 10 dips, and 10 Sampson stretches repeated for three
rounds (hence, the motto” Our Warm Up is your Work Out”). Afterwards, the
prescribed WOD is performed with maximum intensity, usually only lasting about
20 minutes. The whole process, in and out of the gym, lasts about a half hour.
9. CrossFit strongly advocates healthy eating habits, based particularly on the
Zone/Paleolithic Diet. Central to this idea is the rejection of processed foods, and
an emphasis on an almost equal balance of carbohydrates (derived from
vegetable, fruits, and whole grains), protein (in the leanest forms), and fats
(unsaturated and omega-3). In doing so, one maintains equilibrium in insulin
uptake, thus sustaining stable energy levels throughout the day and diminishing
the hormonal onset of hunger2.
10. CrossFit in 100 words, “Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little
starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body
fat. Practice and train major lifts: Dead lift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch.
Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups,
sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim,
row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many
combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep
workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports”3.
11. For more information go to http://www.crossfit.com/
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http://www.zonediet.com/EATING/ZoneDietExplained/tabid/81/Default.aspx
Greg Glassman, Founder of CrossFit
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CrossFit on Campus
1. CrossFit’s popularity on campus is growing at an exponential rate. Whereas three
years ago, CrossFit was all but confined to a few in the ROTC program, today
over 100 students identify CrossFit as their main workout program4.
2. Interest in CrossFit globally is at an all time high. There are over 400 affiliates in
the United States, and several others in every continent except Antarctica.
According to Canada's Business News Network, CrossFit is "one of the fastest
growing fitness movements on the planet".
3. Darryl Pierce, an ex-UNC basketball trainer, opened up his own commercial
affiliate in Chapel Hill in 2008, which enticed the DTH to run an article on the
program and the need for a school club:
http://www.dailytarheel.com/news/university/a_spartan_workout.
4. Several faculty members, including our proposed advisor, Dean James W. Dean,
endorse CrossFit. Other advocates include the directors of the ROTC program,
who have offered their services to work in any capacity we deem necessary, so as
to advance CrossFit UNC as a student organization.
5. Multiple universities across the nation have already started their own CrossFit
Club Affiliates. CrossFit Bellevue, CrossFit Purdue and CrossFit USC
(California) have been active for many years now. CrossFit Club Affiliates at The
University of Pennsylvania and Tufts University are also in the planning stages.
6. For the past 6 months, the founders of CrossFit UNC have been in contact with
the CrossFit organization, working on that end to get permission to start the club,
use their trademark, and gain access to their intellectual property free of charge.
7. CrossFit usually charges $2000 dollars per year in order to become a recognized
affiliate. They are willing to waive this fee for our club, and have also granted one
of our freshman students, Juan Hernandez, a free level 1 certification.
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Involvement is gauged through membership in the CrossFit UNC Facebook Group
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Why UNC needs a CrossFit Club Affiliate
1. No other University enterprise fulfills the wants and desires of students
attempting to transcend into the upper echelon of elite fitness. The CrossFit
program is unique and complex. Given its underground nature, the CrossFit
movement that has not come to the University’s attention, and therefore Campus
Recreation has not yet serviced the needs of this group of athletes.
2. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill strives to create an environment
that produces, as ex-Chancellor Moeser said, “a mentally as well as physically
healthy student body” . CrossFit UNC attempts to further this mission.
3. Carolina Fitness promotes several group workout classes on campus, from Zumba
to Aqua Motion. However, these programs lack the intensity and therefore the
results that CrossFit has to offer. From observation it can be seen that the main
participants in these group classes are females. There seems to be an unfulfilled
niche for males who would like to participate in group workouts- CrossFit will
address this need.
4. While CrossFit tends to attract a male demographic, the CrossFit philosophy
states that nothing prevents women from competing at the same levels as men.
CrossFit promotes gender equality by not differentiating along the male/female
line. Men and women perform the same WOD and the same movements. Many
times female competitors will outdo their male counterparts. Women especially
like the program because of the incorporation of body weight and gymnastic
movements. It has also been proven that high intensity full-body workouts are the
most effective means of burning fat.
5. The UNC Club Sports division lacks an arm that is devoted solely to exercise and
training. Although some clubs promote off season workouts, they do not have the
resources or energy to devise and execute a fitness program of their own. CrossFit
UNC could serve that position. Sport Club Director, Jason Halsey, agrees that a
CrossFit Club on campus would act as an invaluable asset to the campus and
serve a multitude of capacities.
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6. The Mission of CrossFit UNC is to promulgate effective and efficient fitness
programs for all fitness levels based on the CrossFit methodology of constantly
varied, functional movements, executed at high intensities. We will create an
atmosphere built on camaraderie and hard work. We will encourage a sense of
competition that maximizes effort and spawns innovation. We will promote
healthy lifestyle choices in an attempt to produce a more physically fit student
body.
Goals of the Club
1. To promote awareness and participation in CrossFit at UNC- Chapel Hill. This
will be accomplished by posting flyers advertizing the club on designated campus
bulletin boards and within the recreation facilities (i.e. Rams Head, the SRC,
Fetzer, and Woolen), perhaps even utilizing the flat screen televisions at the gym
entrances. CrossFit.com will also advertize our club, free of charge.
2. To create a professional website that will prove an invaluable resource to
members of the club and those who simply want to learn more about CrossFit.
The site will provide the programming of the workouts (i.e. announce the WOD
every night). It will also allow members to post comments to WODS indicating
how they preformed, which will enable them to track their progression and remain
competitive. There will also be a schedule and workout times section, so that no
one has to do a CrossFit workout alone. A T-shirt sales option will also be
featured so that anyone interested may buy club apparel, with the proceeds
directed towards club fundraising5.
3. To address equipment needs. CrossFit’s efforts on campus are hindered because
of the fact that our recreation facilities lack some of the equipment necessary to
complete the WODs. This includes gymnastic rings, kettle bells (1, 1.5 and 2
pood), glute-ham developers, boxes, and heavy wall balls. This equipment could
be purchased through school appropriated funds, or through fundraising efforts on
the part of the club. Then equipment to could be housed in the recreation
facilities, accessible to club members as well as the general student body.
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A screen shot of the club website can be seen in the Appendix.
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4. To create a separate, but not exclusive, CrossFit Facility on campus to serve this
unique training philosophy. This gym will enable students to conduct CrossFit
workouts in a more efficient and safer environment. The creation of this space
will also foster a sense of community and possible attract more people to CrossFit
and consequently to the healthy lifestyle it promotes.
5. To further the idea of a CrossFit community at UNC through discussion, advice,
and group workouts. CrossFit Certified trainers who are students at UNC would
host seminars on technique and nutrition. These trainers would also hold large
scale group workouts in facilities like the Eddie Smith Field House, where
workouts that use bodyweight resistance could be preformed. An Elements
Course would also be conducted once a month in order to introduce newcomers to
the movements of CrossFit. The Elements Course would be touted as the best way
to start with the CrossFit program.
6. To encourage symbiotic relationships with other sports clubs, where CrossFit
principles could be applied to the physical training aspect of their programs.
Discussion has already been initiated with the Carolina Boxing Club and Judo
Club, for example.
7. To organize and subsidize field trips to commercial affiliates so that members can
receive instruction from professional trainers in order to improve technique.
Quality affiliates in Durham and Chapel Hill have already indicated interest in
partially funding these trips. The club would also like to attract CrossFit speakers,
who tour the nation conducting certifications, to come to campus and present
lectures.
8. To sponsor a school wide CrossFit Games, similar to “Pump and Run” but
applying the CrossFit WOD structure. Proceeds from the sign up and related
fundraising would be donated to the charity, “Americans for Veterans”, or another
organization of our choice.
9. To promote CrossFit within the exercise and sports medicine major, allowing
students to practice their profession by becoming unaffiliated trainers for the
CrossFit club. Later down the line, we would also like to see CrossFit principles
explored in the classroom and incorporated into Lifetime Fitness.
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10. To eventually establish a collegiate level CrossFit circuit, much like weightlifting
competitions that Universities hold now. CrossFit clubs at other colleges already
support this idea, and have expressed interest in forming a competitive circuit
within the next couple of years
Timelines
1. Development and Progress
Year
Goals Achieved
Points
1
Promote CrossFit, Establish Website, and Acquire Equipment
1,2,3
2
Establish CrossFit Facility, Run Large Scale Group Seminars
4,5,6
3
Organize Field Trips to For-Profit Affiliates, Start CrossFit Games
7,8
4
Work with Exercise and Sports Medicine Majors
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5
Propose and Implement New Ideas while Continuing Old Traditions
2. Members
Year
Membership (Class A*)
Total Membership
1
20-30
40-50
2
30-40
60-70
3
40-50
70-80
4
50-60
80-90
5
50-60
100-110
* An old CrossFit adage says, “We are not practicing weightlifting, but
commitment”. CrossFit is strenuous and demanding. The program requires a great
deal of time, and an even greater amount of mental strength. Most students get
discouraged by the idea of pushing one’s body further then they have ever gone,
and then having to do it again the next day. For this reason, CrossFit has a 90%
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drop rate, the remaining 10% we will call our “Class A Members”. Class A
Members consult the CrossFit UNC website every day, perform the WODs
religiously, keep track of their progress, attend all seminars, and work to promote
CrossFit on campus. They will act as our exemplars. The remainder of our
members may not be as dedicated to the CrossFit workout routine, as they may
only participate in the WODs every so often. Nevertheless, they are supportive of
the lifestyle. A belief in the ideals of CrossFit is what matters most; members of
CrossFit UNC will all share that common bond.
Development of the Club
1. CrossFit Inc. has given CrossFit UNC permission to become a Club Affiliate,
granted that CrossFit Inc. is listed as an additional insured under one of the
University’s insurance policies. This issue must be addressed before we can move
forward.
2. CrossFit UNC will require a committed group of leaders in order to launch the
Club. Fortunately, much interest has been generated already, and positions
required can be filled by willing individuals. These include: Lead Trainer, Internal
Vice President, External Vice President, Website Manager, Outreach Coordinator,
Programs Officer, Fundraising Chair, Advertizing Executive, and
Facilities/Equipment Manager.
3. These positions will be appointed by the President of CrossFit UNC. All
positions, except for that of President, are subject to one year terms. The President
may hold his or her position for a maximum of 4 years, as long as he or she is in
good standing with the university. The President must appoint a successor before
they leave office.
4. CrossFit UNC will not discriminate in terms of membership in anyway. The club
will include students, graduate students, faculty and staff.
5. CrossFit UNC intends to garner funds by petitioning student congress, and
looking towards donations made available by the Alumni Association.
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6. CrossFit UNC will also launch a large fundraising effort, through the sale of TShirts and other merchandise. Club dues have been discussed but deemed
unnecessary, at the moment.
7. CrossFit UNC must have, within its membership, at least one certified CrossFit
Trainer, at all times. Without this individual, CrossFit Inc. will not recognize the
club. Therefore, every 4 years, enough money must be raised or negotiations must
be made with CrossFit Inc. so as to allow another freshman student to gain level 1
certification. This effort will be spearheaded by the preceding CrossFit UNC
trainer who acquired his certification by the same means.
8. For the time being, CrossFit group workouts will be limited in size and confined
to the facilities of the SRC and Rams Head and other suitable locations. Up for
discussion is also the idea of a dedicated facility for CrossFit UNC, outfitted with
the equipment necessary to perform the WODs6.
Appendix
The website, CrossFitUNC.com, has already been designed and coded, meaning that it
could theoretically be launched in about a week, given the University’s approval. Below
is a screenshot of the concept so far:
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Look towards, Purdue’s accommodations as an example: http://purduefit.blogspot.com/
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