Have you ever wondered why people who do CrossFit are so excited to talk about CrossFit? It’s because they love it! Think about something that you really enjoy doing, be it working out, biking, knitting, you name it. Now imagine that someone asked you about this hobby. Would you begrudgingly tell them about it, or would you enthusiastically tell them every minute detail. Of course you’d tell them every detail! Well, that’s what it’s like doing CrossFit.

The question is, why does CrossFit create such strong friendships? Though we’re not scientists, here’s why we think CrossFit forms such strong friendships.

Stressful Situations Build Strong Bonds

Did you ever go to summer camp as a child? If so, do you still remember some of the kids you met? If you answered “Yes” to the first question, there’s a good chance you also answered “Yes” to the second question. The reason being, stressful situations help form strong bonds. We’re in no way comparing military experience to summer camp, but it’s very well known that the friends you make during stressful military deployments tend to stay friends for life. Summer camp is a VERY stressful experience for young children. They’re out of their comfort zone and they’re encouraged to participate in events with kids they don’t know. Without a doubt, they tend to become good friends with these kids, because they had a shared experience together.

Have you ever done a CrossFit workout? If so, you’re well aware that they’re physically and mentally demanding. However, you’re doing them aloneside other people who are encouraging you along. When the workout is over, you can happily make sweat angels on the floor with your new friends, reminiscing about the difficulty of the last WOD.

Small Class Size Increases Social Aspect of Workout

Crossft boxes do a great job at not having too many people working out at the same time. Most have scheduling software that lets people sign up for a certain timeslot. Once a certain number of participants chose a timeslot, it closes. This is good for two main reaons. One, you’re not over-crowding class. People are paying good money for your classes and they want to feel like they’re getting their moneys worth. Two, when you have small classes, you’re members are more likely to get to know one another, share stories, phone numbers, who knows. It doesn’t feel as “cold and lonely” when you’re in a class of 10 people as it does when you’re in a class of 50 people.

“Family Events” Solidify Friendships Outside of the Box

We’re not sure about other gyms, but most CrossFit boxes have social events outside of working out together. Maybe it’s a BBQ at the owner’s house, or a mixer after the Friday night WOD. Whatever it is, it gives members a great social avenue to create friendships that aren’t based around their 6pm WOD. They can talk about their careers, their families, network with one another. Before you know it, you’ve got CrossFit members having parties at their own houses with their other CrossFit friends.

Well, there you have it. CrossFit fully understands the power of creating friendships amongst its members. These friendships make their members happy, and also help the bottom line of the gym. If all your friends keep doing CrossFit, why would you ever want to stop. Happy members means higher member retention. A win-win situation.

Image Credit:
http://shieldcrossfit.com
http://wodmasters.com
http://www.crossfitwest.com