The CrossFit Podcast

Dr. Kelly Starrett joins the CrossFit Podcast to look back on the early days of CrossFit and ahead to what the next 20 years can become. From finding CrossFit through a grainy GIF in the early 2000s to opening one of the first affiliates in the world, Starrett reflects on the ideas that shaped the methodology and the lessons learned through decades of coaching athletes, Olympians, and everyday people. This conversation explores durability over time, why pain is not a failure but a request for change, and how movement quality, range of motion, and basic strength set the foundation for performance at every age. Starrett and host Jocelyn Rylee dig into the future of CrossFit, from longevity and conditioning to the irreplaceable value of affiliates as places built around coaching and community. This episode is an honest look at what CrossFit has always been about and what it can become if we apply what we have learned. Topics Covered The early days of CrossFit and the original affiliate culture Mobility, durability, and reframing pain in training Why youth athletes need movement literacy before specialization Training for sport versus training only for fitness The future of CrossFit and longevity-focused strength and conditioning Resources Mentioned The Ready State  Becoming a Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett Built to Move by Kelly Starrett and Juliet Starrett 800-Gram Challenge Power Monkey Fitness The Anxious Generation  Kelly on Social Instagram Facebook Tiktok X YouTube Community Highlight Kristin Savage grew up around autoimmune disease. By age 5, she was dealing with joint inflammation, and years later, she was formally diagnosed with lupus. She found CrossFit in 2012 and later trained and coached at CrossFit Gambit, where she was mentored by Kelly Jackson. Kristin earned her Level 1 and Level 2 Trainer credentials and now has aspirations to pursue her Level 4. After a severe flare-up forced her to reassess how she trained, Kristin shifted her focus to nutrition, recovery, and scaled training — learning to work in rhythm with her body instead of against it. Within a year, she qualified for Desert City. Today, Kristin coaches CrossFit in Las Vegas and spends much of her energy helping others navigate training and chronic illness — sharing what she’s learned through experience. Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.

CrossFit was born from curiosity, trial and error, and the willingness to test ideas in real time. In this conversation, host Jocelyn Rylee and senior content writer Stephane Rochet revisit the roots of that culture and explore why self-experimentation remains one of the most powerful tools for improving performance, health, and well-being. They reflect on the early days of nutrition inside CrossFit, the experiments that shaped their own training, and why results-driven thinking cuts through dogma. From zone ratios to carb backloading, fasting, fruit fasts, and the realities of changing needs across life stages, this episode highlights how paying attention, tracking outcomes, and staying open-minded can reshape your relationship with food and training. Topics Covered The origins of self experimentation within CrossFit culture How to define “what’s working” in training and nutrition Lessons learned from decades of nutrition experiments Adjusting habits across changing life stages Building life skills around food, tracking, and personal agency Resources Mentioned Barry Sears and the Zone Mark Bell Mike Burgener Jocko Willink Community HighlightAmy and Jim Gay have been part of CrossFit Adaptation for over a decade. Last year, they became the gym’s new owners and quickly faced a challenge. Located just outside D.C., many members were hit hard by recent federal job cuts. One by one, people were getting laid off and preparing to cancel their memberships. Amy and Jim didn’t flinch. They told them, “Just keep coming in.”Then a coach had an idea: start a sponsorship program. Now, members with the means can chip in — either once or monthly — to cover membership costs for others going through tough times. The response has been huge. When things got hard, the community didn’t shrink. It stepped up. Amy and Jim’s advice to other affiliate owners? Don’t treat your gym like a normal business. The real magic is in the details — staying close, listening, and showing up. Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.

This marks the tenth and final episode of a special CrossFit Podcast collaboration with the CrossFit Medical Society.  Dan Uyemura, founder and CEO of PushPress, has a rare vantage point: data from thousands of CrossFit affiliates around the world. In this conversation, he breaks down what separates thriving gyms from struggling ones, why engagement matters more than marketing, and how technology can amplify, not replace, the human experience at the heart of CrossFit. From the “golden rule” for new members to the psychology behind retention, Dan and host Jocelyn Rylee dig into how affiliate owners can build stronger communities, smarter systems, and more sustainable businesses. TOPICS INCLUDED The data behind retention: what predicts whether members stay The connection between engagement, referrals, and sales How to onboard new members without making them feel stupid Using technology (and AI) to support, not replace, community Community Highlight The FDNY Barbell Club doesn’t just fight fires. They train like their lives depend on it. Founded in 2019 by firefighter Rick Roman, the department’s official CrossFit team blends competition, camaraderie, and accountability inside a firehouse gym outfitted with ropes, rowers, and barbells. They push through classic CrossFit workouts, monthly throwdowns, and competitions from local events to the World Police and Fire Games, where Roman and his teammates recently landed on the podium. For them, every rep has a deeper purpose: staying ready. In full gear, firefighters carry 60 to 130 lb into life-or-death situations, and CrossFit builds the strength, stamina, and grit they need when the alarm bell rings. “You want to do it right, do it hard, and make sure everyone goes home.” Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here. Share Your Thoughts: Email us [[email protected]]

The CrossFit Podcast team is pulling back the curtain for this special episode. Get a look behind the scenes at what it took to restart the CrossFit Podcast, what we learned the hard way, and the top moments of the show in 2025.  Spend a little bit of your holiday season with us — Denise Thomas, Jocelyn Rylee, and Maggie Mullen. We hope this episode brings you some holiday cheer, ideas for what to binge next, and a bit of perspective on what matters most. From all of us to you and your family — both CrossFit and nuclear — happy holidays, and please tell us how 12 Days of Christmas (or whatever WOD you’re hitting) goes.  Topics Covered Why CrossFit brought the podcast back and what changed in 2025. The turning point episode: Has CrossFit Lost Its Soul With James Hobart. Why we do this podcast – the most meaningful moments. Top five episodes worth revisiting from 2025.  Episodes Mentioned Top Five Episodes Worth Revisiting Dr. Chris Palmer Episode James Hobart Episode Dr. Fatty Acid Episode Dr. Allison Brager Episode Nicole Carroll Episode 1 Community and Culture Show Forging Elite Fitness The Standard Big Impact Nick Wells and Gino Aviles (Redemption Road; Episode) Helen Taylor (Core City Kids; Episode) Scott and Gwenna Bradley (Underground PDX; Episode)  Angie Manson (Elevate Addiction Services; Episode)  Sara Wilkinson (Step Up Foundation; Episode)  Other Mentions Dr. Rhonda Patrick Episode Maggie Mullen Episode Resources Mentioned Nikki Boyer “Brain Energy,” by Dr. Chris Palmer Brian Little, Ted Talk on Introversion and Extroversion Community Highlight CrossFit PolFed RAC exists because one officer, Pierre De Pelsemaeker-Godart, kept sharing something he cared about. In 2010, when his team in the Brussels Federal Judicial Police moved into an unfinished government building, Pierre had just discovered CrossFit. With no gym, no equipment, and no dedicated space, he organized workouts wherever he could—outside in the park, inside the office, and eventually in an empty underground concrete room. Pierre led his colleagues in building a training space from scratch using pallets, cardboard, and bodyweight movements. More officers joined because the workouts were simple, consistent, and open to anyone. By 2014, a small sports room became their home base. They pooled money for second-hand equipment, competed in the CrossFit Open, and officially founded the nonprofit CrossFit PolFed RAC. Years later, the affiliate is still active, serving dozens of members, because one person believed training together could change his workplace — and did the work to make it real. Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here. Share Your Thoughts: Email us [[email protected]].

In this episode, Denise Thomas sits down with Mark England, co-founder of Enlifted Coaching, to unpack the real meaning of “mindset,” not as a buzzword, but as the story you tell yourself. A former MMA fighter turned educator, Mark shares how injuries and failure led him to discover transformational wordsmithing: the process of changing your internal dialogue to change your life. He walks through practical tools that anyone, especially coaches and athletes, can use to rewrite limiting stories, calm their nervous system, and reclaim control through language and breath. This one’s part conversation, part masterclass. Grab a pen. TOPICS INCLUDED The link between words, breath, and awareness How victim mentality is formed and how to dismantle it The “soft talk” words that cause indecision and stress Real-time application: Denise and Mark’s live exercise on rewriting limiting beliefs RESOURCES MENTIONED Enlifted Coaching Mark England’s TED Talk Barbell Shrugged Podcast (Mark’s 2017 episode) Best Hour of Their Day Coaching Program CrossFit Paradiso (Venice, California) Community Highlight After two car accidents and a diagnosis of early-stage Parkinson’s, Becky Johnson refused to give up. Just days after spine surgery, she walked into CrossFit Loco Ocho — neck brace and all — to do her version of Murph. “Having a strong baseline of fitness prepares you for whatever life throws your way,” she says. “This is the sickness-wellness-fitness continuum in action. I got a devastating diagnosis, but I already had the antidote.” Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here. Share Your Thoughts: Email us [[email protected]].