SNEWS Qs: CrossFit about community, competition

Functional, CrossFit-type workouts are creeping into the training programs for athletes from everyday folks to mountain athletes.

That’s because functional fitness not only helps people get fit, but also helps avoid injuries during everyday activities by creating a more agile body versus working on isolated movements alone, said Todd Halderman, business development director for Rage Fitness.

Plus it’s just fun, he said.

Recently SNEWS chatted with Halderman and Jessica Wurtzel, director of marketing for Rage Fitness, a Denver, Colo.-based CrossFit-specific equipment and apparel manufacturer, about the trend, its products and CrossFit in specialty fitness retail locations.

What makes CrossFit such a desirable activity these days? 
Wurtzel: There’s an element of community in that we all have to go be face-to-face and work out with others. Also you’re competing and the competition and community components keep people going back and getting excited about it. You’re not just isolated in your own gym. For the most part, people by nature are competitive so that works in the favor of CrossFit.

Have you seen CrossFit spill into other industries like being used as cross training for mountain athletes, etc.? 
Halderman: Functional fitness is not just locked to CrossFit. You’re seeing everything from boot camp-style workouts to incorporating more functional movements. You can actually see it in machines that are going into commercial spaces like 24 Hour Fitness. There’s a trend in machines that have multipurpose functions.

What are some new products Rage Fitness has coming out that you’re most excited about?
Halderman: Our Pink Edition Line, which is a pink version of our line that benefits breast cancer research also has a component of empowering women. Another product that we just released is our Highlands Medicine Ball, which is our version of an Atlas Dome [soft medicine balls between 50 and 150 pounds].

What are your tips to specialty fitness retailers on how to benefit from the popularity of CrossFit? 
We are in stores like Fitness Gallery. Our brand, Rage Fitness, speaks to the enthusiast and the athlete and that’s really where specialty retailers’ niche lies. We have high-quality products at the right price point. If anybody is interested they can  touch base with somebody in our organization.

Was this your first year at the Health and Fitness Business Expo? 
This was our first year and it was an amazing experience because of the fact people were loving our brand. Our brand truly told the story behind the explosive force of high-intensity workouts and people were really gravitating toward our product. It was definitely a great experience. I absolutely believe we will be back next year.