Greg Glassman is the creator of the biggest brand in the sports industry, generating $100 million in annual revenue. CrossFit is not just training, but also spectacular events that attract millions of people who want to be involved in a he althy and beautiful lifestyle.
How did it all start?
The future creator of the global brand was born in California in July 1956 in the family of scientist Jeffrey Glassman. The boy had been ill with polio and was very weak. To restore muscle tone, he tried many sports, from weightlifting to gymnastics. Growing up, he got a job as a trainer in the gym.
Greg loved his job. He sought to captivate clients and complement their gym sessions with general physical fitness. This did not please the managers of the sports club. The administration decided that it was impossible, while working in a respectable fitness institution, to do extraneous things, such as jumping training through a plyometrics bench (sports technique that improves the performance of athletes). Therefore, the innovative coach was fired.
Greg continued to work in rented halls as he thoughtcorrect. The visitors to his training were mainly firefighters, military, police. One of his clients, the head of the police station, once asked if it was possible to improve the general physical fitness (GPP) of the employees of his police station. Then CrossFit was invented. Only the name appeared later.
Unique training system
Greg married one of his clients. Greg Glassman and Lauren Genai (pictured below) were now great allies in promoting the business.
Glassman's technique was bought by the Reebok company, training was sharpened specifically for this brand. The first crossfit gym opened in 2001. By 2015, there were already thirteen thousand. There were plenty of visitors.
Greg Glassman and Lauren Genai convinced that CrossFit is not just a sports program, but a philosophy designed to improve the physical characteristics of a person. The training system involves combinations of activities that are functionally close to natural:
- running;
- machine rowing;
- rope climb;
- jumping rope;
- strength exercises;
- work on the bar and rings.
It matters to work in groups to quickly "pull up" newcomers and effective competition among regular community members.
Greg Glassman sold his technique and training in huge quantities to the police and fire departments. Things were going well, because this is work with the budget, not personal wallets. Classes were calculated for both male and female audiences.
In addition, special applications were created for the program:
- for aging people;
- for kids;
- for pregnant women;
- for persons seeking to get into combat special units, etc.
Thus, the target audience expanded and covered as widely as possible.
Workout or show?
The company was looking for additional options for the development of the business model: a game was needed to add entertainment to the classes. Since 2007, public competitive games have been held continuously, mainly in the summer.
Special interest of participants and spectators lies in the fact that the sports direction and conditions of the competition are not announced in advance - that is, the athlete must be ready for anything. It grabs people's attention and makes them want to be on the team.
Glassman vs Coca-Cola
When Greg Glassman worked to expand his influence among the masses, he made an aggressive attack on the Coca-Cola Company. He owns a tweet that caused a big public outcry: “Discover Diabetes.”
Greg didn't expect his demarche to be so noticeable.
Glassman is now continuing his fight against sugary sodas as they cause type 2 diabetes (usually accompanied by obesity). He proposes a tax onsimilar products. Glassman has a lot of supporters: for example, WHO believes that this measure is the most effective means of combating harmful drinks.
Power system
The company is actively engaged in educational work aimed at the prevention of diabetes. However, according to the well-known Moscow fitness trainer Lev Goncharov, Greg Glassman does this not only out of love for humanity: the basis of propaganda is commercial interest. CrossFit offers nutritional advice that aims to reduce calorie intake while still providing enough energy.
It makes no sense to torture yourself on a treadmill if you do not follow a diet, says CrossFit founder Greg Glassman. Before him, of course, many coaches came to this idea, but it was Greg who brought it to the mass consciousness and organically built it into his methodology.
Is CrossFit good for everyone?
With all the uniqueness and effectiveness of the training system, it has a lot of opponents. Ideally, only very he althy people should practice, since the intensity of individual work in the classroom is the highest. For example, the load on the heart muscle is so significant that many doctors consider it unacceptable.
High risk of injury, mainly due to sudden movements and extremely intense exercises. There are frequent cases of destruction of muscle tissue (rhabdomyolysis) for the same reasons. However, company representatives claim that the risks are no higher than in other sports. Anyway,full-fledged statistical studies and examinations of the training plan have not yet been carried out.
Brand could be different
At some point, Greg, who invested so much in his brainchild, conceived back in 1996, could lose full control over it, or even lose the company. It all started with a divorce from Lauren. By the way, this was not the only marriage of Greg Glassman, whose biography includes three wives and six children.
Lauren wished to sell her share of the business to outside buyers. This share was estimated at sixteen million dollars. In order not to divide the company, Greg began to look for funds. One of the investment groups agreed to give Glassman a loan, most likely secured by his own stake in the business. Now the pioneering coach is the sole owner of a company that doesn't even have a board of directors.
Result
A unique mass project was created at the beginning of the 21st century. The success of a business idea lies in its accessibility and decentralization. Any trainer can work on this system - it is enough to buy a certificate, confirmed annually, and take a two-day instructor training course. All information is freely available - the more materials the company distributes, the faster it gets rich.
Totally free business model, though open, is heavily copyrighted by Greg Glassman, creator of the most recognizable fitness brand of the new century.
