CrossFit Launches Medical Society, Targets Healthcare

CrossFit wants to up its impact.

What’s happening: The functional fitness company launched CrossFit Medical Society (CFMS), enlisting healthcare professionals to utilize its workout methodology for lifestyle intervention.

The membership-based organization seeks to turn CrossFit gyms into “health homes” where exercise is used to combat chronic disease.

Fitness MD. CFMS is CrossFit’s latest attempt to crack healthcare.

• 2017: CrossFit Health debuted under ousted founder Greg Glassman, who envisioned doctor-prescribed workouts.
• 2020: The effort reemerged as an education and event platform following a leadership change.
• 2021: It rolled out Precision Care, a telehealth service positioned as “primary care for CrossFitters, by CrossFitters.”

Pivoting, it shuttered the latter in 2023, transferring clientele to longevity medicine provider Wild Health.

Movement x medicine. On trend, CrossFit is renewing its commitment to exercise-led interventions as operators like Equinox, FITNESS SF, and Life Time implement a gym-as-clinic model.

Looking ahead: Beyond expounding exercise’s benefits, CrossFit and others must convince a sedentary population to participate, which may be harder than securing a doctor’s co-sign.