CrossFit is a fitness program created by Greg Glassman and is a registered trademark of CrossFit, Inc.  which was founded by Greg Glassman and Lauren Jenai  in 2000. Promoted as both a physical exercise philosophy and also as a competitive fitness sport, CrossFit workouts incorporate elements from high-intensity interval training, Olympic weightlifting, plyometrics, powerlifting, gymnastics, girevoy sport, calisthenics, strongman, and other exercises. It is practiced by members of over 13,000 affiliated gyms, roughly half of which are located in the United States, and by individuals who complete daily workouts (otherwise known as a “WODs” or “workouts of the day”).

Main critics of CrossFit is injury rate, rhabdomyolysis, kipping pull-ups, expensive memberships and having people perform complex lifts under time.

Judo olympian and BJJ black belt, Travis Stevens has been vocal in the past about his views on Crossfit. Here he talks about exactly why he felt that it was a waste of time for him.

The risk of injury associated with CrossFit training has been a controversial question since the program’s popularity began to climb in the early 2000s. Critics have accused CrossFit, Inc. of using dangerous movements, inappropriate levels of intensity, and allowing under-qualified individuals to become CrossFit Trainers.

A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research entitled “Crossfit-based high intensity power training improves maximal aerobic fitness and body composition” followed 54 participants for 10 weeks of CrossFit training. The study said that “…a notable percentage of our subjects (16%) did not complete the training program and return for follow-up testing.” The authors said “This may call into question the risk-benefit ratio for such extreme training programs…”

There are now over 10,000 CrossFit boxes worldwide. Critics are saying that it has peeked and is losing popularity while its supporters are saying that it is growing and will keep growing. Getting reliable statistics for 2015 and 2016 is very difficult.

In the video below Marc Lobliner discusses with Stephen Adele and Greg from Isatori why Crossfit isn’t gaining popularity anymore. They compare the growth of CrossFit to the trend of Jazzercise, a dance-based group fitness program that started in the 1980’s and lost popularity over the years.