The 17 Best CrossFit Boxes in the U.S.

Location: Lady Lake, FL

It began as a wellness center that had a box and yoga, until the owners quickly realized that the demand in the area was really for the sport of CrossFit. They decided to just transform the space into a 2,600 square-foot box, serving everyone from 16 year-old local football players to 72-year old FBI agents. “Our box may not be flashy and huge with a gazillion bucks put into it, and it may not be in a big city, but we sure do have heart,” says owner Bryan Baker. “People that drop in from across the country when visiting always tell us that we give them a tip or a memory to take home with their WOD.”

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Location: Thornton, CO

This 6,000 square-foot box features two bathrooms with one shower, a kids area, a 500 square-foot area for stretching, foam rolling, or relaxing before or after a WOD, and an outdoor space with a great view of downtown Denver. They offer multiple programs including CrossFit Kids, Barbell Club, Mobility, and Sweat Angels, a new program just for women. “I am in love with this class and I have lost 40 pounds to date while being enrolled,” says one member. “The social aspect and encouraging atmosphere fomented by the coaches makes me feel comfortable enough to discuss nutrition and issues that I have with my workouts.”

Location: Various locations across California

If anyone is going to open a successful box, it’s going to be Jason Khalipa, winner of the 2008 CrossFit games, and currently number one in the NorCal region going into this year’s Games. But this box isn’t meant to intimidate people. In fact, the website states, “If you think CrossFit is too intense and not for you, please come in and give it a try. All of our workouts can be scaled for any individual.”

The San Jose location has a ton of floor space, a separate room for intro classes, two pull-up structures, boxes, dumbbells, kettlebells, and a separate room for the Olympic Lifting Club. There’s also a jujitsu area. “I love the fact that everyone walks in the door ready to get better and work hard,” says Khalipa. “Finding a lazy person—in CrossFit or at NorCal CrossFit—won't happen.”

Location: Boulder, CO

“When I told my friends that I had started CrossFit, I realized that CrossFit had a reputation that was intimidating,” says owner Melissa Roza. “I wanted a place where women and men of all ages, shapes, and experience levels would feel welcome.” CrossFit Sanitas is located in 10,000 square feet of Boulder's busiest retail center. There’s on-site childcare seven days a week, locker rooms with showers, and multiple specialty classes including Olympic lifting, teen, mobility, strength, and endurance. But what really makes this facility different is that it has a cold plunge pool and massage therapists on staff.

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Membership at Golden State CrossFit gives you access to both locations (West L.A. and La Grange) so you’ll never miss a WOD. The first thing you see when you drive up is a rolled-up garage door and two huge tractor tires. Inside is a large open space with boxes, kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, rowers, rings, a pull-up rig, squat racks, prowler, climbing rope, and new Olympic lifting platforms. All of the coaches come from different athletic backgrounds too. “We have former D1 lacrosse players, dancers, gymnasts, cyclists, football players, boxers, and more,” says owner Kelsey Torres.

Location: New York, NY

CrossFit NYC is the largest CrossFit gym in the world, the 16th oldest of nearly 10,000 affiliates. The box has more than 24 coaches, holds more than 400 classes a week, and has two 40,000 square-foot locations in the Flatiron area and on the Upper West Side. “Our secret is focus,” says co-owner Josh Newman. “We don’t sell shoes or shakes, teach yoga or boot camps; we do just one thing: CrossFit training.” Right now, only the two-floor Flatiron location offers a locker room with showers and free towel service, but that is coming to the other location this fall.

Location: Baltimore, MD

Althought it’s only two years old, Athletic Asylum is thriving. The 10,000 square-foot box has a separate room for Olympic lifting with its own bars and plates, as well as an outdoor area for certain WODs. “My goal was to build a facility that not only helped build physical strength but mental strength as well,” says owner Mike Rosellini. “From my background in power lifting and Strongman, I knew early on that strength training gave me the confidence and self-esteem to do things that were previously outside of my comfort zone.” 

Location: Plymouth Meeting, PA

This box has it all, including pull-up stations, squat racks, rings, medicine balls, and dumbbells. Members are expected to work hard, but not harder than their bodies can handle. CF Ironborough enforces ground rules, like “If it hurts or feels wrong, don’t do it,” and “Say exactly what you mean,” every class. That doesn’t stop members from hitting new goals, though. “One thing that I love is our PR bell,” says Rich Hartford, one of the four owners. “If you set a new record for yourself, you ring the bell, everyone yells out for that athlete, and there are high fives all around.”

Location: Birmingham, AL

Want to take your workout outside? This box is located in a 5,000 square-foot warehouse that’s open air with three large bay doors that let the sunshine in—exactly owner Sean Dickson’s vision. “When I opened the facility, my intention was to bring the fitness lessons learned during my decade in the Army to the civilian world,” he says. “I wanted to create a confidence in people to be ‘fit for life' no matter what they did for a daily job.” And there’s space for everyone—with a 60-foot pull up rig and 14 lifting stations, tires to flip, and Concept rowers, crowding can never be an excuse.

Location: Summit, NJ

“Seeing someone jump on a 20-inch box for the first time and then continue to do it for an entire workout or having someone back squat their body weight after never having lifted weights prior to starting CrossFit makes leaving corporate America worth it,” says Leonardo Munoz, owner and coach. After recently moving to a larger location, he and his staff are still working on building out their Olympic lifting-specific area, which is next to the main gym floor, filled with kettlebells, dumbbells, pull-up bars, and rowers. The front room is used for stretching, foam rolling, and classes.

Location: New York, NY

The CrossFit conglomerate itself couldn’t keep away from creating a box of their own. Each of the coaches has the highest level of training—one of the owners has even gone to regionals this year. “My goal was to create a competitive, positive, educational and awesome CrossFit environment in what I consider the fitness capital of the world: NYC,” says co-owner Nate Forster. It's only fitting to put it in a location where everyone can see it, too: 5th Avenue. 

Location: Benicia, CA

When it comes to Olympic lifts, you can never be too careful—especially with form. That’s how co-owners Kara and Spencer Purves run their box. “Safety is their No. 1 concern,” says one member. “They are quick to stop people if they are seeing that the person isn't doing a lift right. They’ll teach them to scale accordingly.” The couple has created a welcoming environment for people from all walks of life to come work out and feel like a family. “We are not intimidating or overly intense like so many people assume about CrossFit,” says Kara. “Competition is not our main focus at our gym—quality of life is!"

Location: Plover, WI

This box is more than just 4,000 square feet to work out in. The clientele comprises more than 150 members (and is growing rapidly), created “CrossFitters for a Cause,” and hang out outside the gym regularly, volunteering and giving back to the larger community. Even more: 86 percent of the box’s athletes are women. Owner Scott Keyser also takes pride in the quality of coaching that is provided. “We are all competitive people, but it is the feeling of supportiveness and encouragement that dominates,” he says.

Location: Roanoke, VA

Owner Tim Maverick brings a lot of life experience to this box (after all, he was in the military and trained as a bodybuilder). Suffice it to say, he knows a lot about fitness. “When I opened my doors, I wanted people to know immediately that there was a difference in our level of knowledge,” he says. Maverick’s box is located in the back of a strip mall, and has your usual CrossFit equipment inside. Members also utilize the outdoor space for some WODs, as the box sits on five acres of land, with a garden, chickens, and ducks to check out. Every Friday, members wear red (to remember everyone deployed) and say the pledge of allegiance to begin each class.

Location: Pembroke Pines, FL

“My favorite thing about our box is that we have an indoor and outdoor CrossFit complex,” says owner Storm Kaufman. “We have a lot of toys!” Inside, the 13,000 square-foot space is complete with a master rogue rig, wooden and metal rings, gymnastic mats, climbing ropes, rogue logs, concept rowers, yokes, atlas stones, ab mats, plenty of bars, weights, kettle bells, and dumbbells. There's also a kid's room. Outside sits a rig for pull-ups, and lots of space for runs, sled pushes, tire flips, and jug runs.

Location: New York, NY

While New York City can sometimes feel crowded, this two-floor, 13,000 square-foot box wards off that feeling. Brick has three studios, a locker room, pro shop, lounge, and sauna. On top of just CrossFit, the gym offers other classes too, like yoga, bootcamp, mobility training, and Olympic weightlifting. The box, owners, and coaches pride themselves on elite training and being a judgment-free zone. “Respect is the simplest word,” says owner Jarett Perelmutter. "There is a high level of respect for everyone on all sides of the coin at Brick."

Location: Frederick, MD

“The driving factor with opening our box was to be able to offer CrossFit to our county and surrounding areas. We were the first box in Frederick County, Maryland,” says co-founder Amanda May. The box offers 60 classes per week, and each coach comes from a different background, bringing new ideas and a fresh take. And did we mention that members and visitors always comment on how clean the facility is? Bonus points!

Location: Millburn, NJ

It’s time to get your hands dirty in Jersey. Head coach Dan Epstein got into CrossFit after being bored with normal routines. He wanted people to see real-life improvements. “I envisioned individuals improving everything from running to golf to taking out the trash,” says Epstein. “Gains can be anything from increased energy during the day to a deadlift PR.” The box has your typical equipment including tires and a pull-up rig, but be ready to work when you come. Each class has a regular, endurance, and core WOD.

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