7 Ways Small Crossfit Gyms Can Maximise Space.

I was first introduced to CrossFit back in 2015, and since then most of my time has been spent either training, coaching, or doing both in small CrossFit gyms.

The reality is that not every gym has the luxury of a huge space with endless equipment, where every athlete can spread out like they’re in the middle of the desert.

The challenge is that most of the big programming providers design workouts with those large spaces in mind. But small gyms need something different; programming that makes the most of limited space, without sacrificing class sizes and losing that authentic CrossFit experience.

Over the years, I’ve learnt a lot about programming for smaller spaces. Here are 7 ways to maximise both space and equipment in a smaller CrossFit setting.

1: Exercise placement

2: Sharing equipment

3: Exercise selection

4: Staggered starts

5: Team workouts

6: Intervals

7: EMOM’s

1: EXERCISE PLACEMENT:

You may be surprised at how many more pieces of equipment can fit into a small space or how many more members can train in a small space, when the room is set up efficiently. 

Example 1: Placing bikes, row ergs and ski ergs under the rig when the rig is not needed during workouts. This opens up a lot more floor space. 

Example 2: Having set areas in the gym for certain exercises. This works really well when skipping is involved as it takes up a lot of space. When skipping is set up in one area and other movements in the workout are in other areas, it allows members to move around safely without the worries of a skipping rope whipping someone else. Plus you’ll be surprised at how little space other movements need when sectioned to one area of the gym.

2: SHARING EQUIPMENT:

Sharing is a game changer and can significantly reduce the amount of the equipment needed, which in return can lead to increasing class numbers or simply giving more space for each member to move around safely.

Example 1: Image 16 people in a class sharing a barbell. That’s 8 barbells being used instead of 16. That opens up floor space which can be utilised in many different ways.

Example 2: Most small spaces don’t have enough rig space for all members to have their own pull up bar. Creating a workout that allows for them to share rig space but not having them interfere with one another gives everyone in class the opportunity to get the most out of their workout, rather than having to wait for someone to finish.

3: EXERCISE SELECTION:

This is a big one as some movements take up more space than others. Certain movement combinations don’t work in small spaces, but small tweaks can make a big difference.

Example 1: Having skipping and Handstand Walking in the same WOD usually doesn’t work (I’ll provide an example at the end of this blog). Both movements require a lot of space. In this instance, choose the movement that is more important for the day and substitute the other one. 

Example 2: Changing a movement to similar one can also make a difference, instead of Line Facing Burpees, just do Burpees.

4: STAGGERED STARTS:

Running 2-3 heats with a staggered start allows for members to share equipment while also being able to get the correct stimulus from the WOD. 

Example 1: Generally there won’t be enough rowing ergs for everyone in class to use at once. But a staggered start can allow 2-3 members to share the same erg. 

Example 2: Not all gyms have enough space for everyone to have their own equipment whatever it may be. Staggered starts can allow athletes to share equipment, while also allowing them to do their own workout.

5: TEAM WORKOUTS:

These are always fun and is a great way to utilise odd objects like the Worm, Ropes, and Sandbags. Gyms wont usually have many of these pieces of equipment, especially small gyms.

Example 1: Teams of 4 can use 2,3 or 4 people worms. That is one piece of equipment to 4 people.

Example 2: Team workouts is a great way to get more people to share an area of the gym. This can open up more space in other areas of the gym. Using a worm has 4 people in one small area as they are close to each other.

6: INTERVALS:

Once again, it’s an awesome way for athletes to share equipment. Intervals can also encourage members to push harder.

Example 1: 2 Minutes On , 2 Minutes Off. I can be working for 2 minutes, while my buddy is resting and we swap every 2 minutes. We can also encourage one another while we are resting.

Example 2: I find intervals give athletes the same opportunity to get the correct stimulus from the workout, while also allowing more space for the athletes to train. 

7: EMOM’s

These would be my favourite way to maximise space. There is so much that can be done with an EMOM.

Example 1: Spread members across all movements and have them rotate stations at the same time. 

Example 2: You could run a workout like this, Every 6 minutes: 400m Run , 40 Double Unders , 15m Handstand Walk. Although skipping and handstand walking takes up a lot of space as mentioned earlier, This specific EMOM uses multiple ways to maximise space. With a full class, I would run this as 3 heats, with a 2 minute stagger. There will always be people out of the room and if each exercise has it’s own area, no one will be getting in each others way. 

ENDING NOTES:

Small Crossfit gyms need specific programming to utilise the space efficiently. There are many ways to do this, and often more than one way can be used to get the most out of the space. 

A lot of programs don’t think of space when they are written or at the very least, don’t think about smaller spaces and what will work for them.

Although a workout can sound fun, it needs to be practical in order to be used in a smaller space, otherwise it will take away from the member experience. 

As a coach, I’ve often felt frustrated, overwhelmed, and even annoyed when I’ve had to adjust workouts on the fly, or spend countless hours reworking them to fit the gym I was in. This usually happened when the programming was outsourced to one of the more established brands in the programming space, where workouts weren’t designed with smaller spaces in mind.