Most of the time I ate bad and to make matters worse I went out drinking around 4 nights per week. When I was drunk I’d “socially smoke” a few cigarrettes and I’d finish the night with friends at a late night fast food joint. My sleep schedule was anything but normal. I’d stay up until 4am either partying or working on my internet business and I’d sleep till the late morning or early afternoon most days.
To make matters worse, I couldn’t stand the sight of myself in the mirror. About the only thing I had going for me was the fact that I had built an internet business that allowed me to quit my day job.
But in the process of building this business I had completely let myself go. Crossfit was my last hope.
I trained first in a box in Berlin (CrossFit Werk), then on my own at the beach of Rio de Janeiro. Eventually I got back in the gym on my universities’ campus before I moved to Budapest. I learned all I could about CrossFit movements and techniques by watching Youtube videos and eventually got my CrossFit Level 1 Certificate in October 2013.
I first met Jordan longer before he started Crossfit. Just as I was becoming an entrepreneur, Jordan started coming to the gym more regularly. He’d stay long after class and we’d talk about life, ambitious plans, and of course business. Over many conversation we realized an undeniable correlation between business and fitness.
As we began to train together, our businesses boomed.
So I put together 101 reasons why every entrepreneur should do Crossfit.
1. Push yourself beyond your imagination – Before I joined Crossfit I thought I knew what it meant to push yourself. I had already experienced all nighters and 100+ hour work weeks getting my business setup. In reality, I’ve never really pushed myself until my first WOD. I’ve learned that I have a whole other gear in the gym and in business.
2. Crossfit teaches you to anticipate – We can’t predict the future, we can only prepare for it. You never know what the Workout of the Day (WOD) is going to be tomorrow but you do your best to prepare for it and perform at your peak. The same is true in business. You never know what lies ahead but you do your best to prepare for it anyway.
3. Data-Driven – Entrepreneurs are often very data driven people. We like to make decisions based on data we’ve collected. Crossfit involves quite a bit of data as well. Keep track of your Fran, Grace and other benchmark workout times to track improvement over time.
4. Community – Your box cultivates and insanely supportive community that will have your back. Your newest hire could be the person training next to you.
5. Family – Crossfit is an emotional journey. You can’t help to build life long bonds with the people you train with.
6. Meet incredibly interesting people – Crossfit seems to attract people who are doing interesting things with their lives.
7. Epic for networking – I’ve met some amazing people through Crossfit. Make sure you drop into as many boxes as you can when you travel.
8. Meet inspiring people – Don’t judge people too quickly. Some of the best Crossfitters I’ve met have incredible transformation stories. The owner of my box has incredible Before and After photos. I can hardly recognize him!
9. Interactive – CrossFit is interactive. You have to get your hands dirty. Partner stretching, encouragement, and lots of yelling and cheering helps get you into the zone.
10. Fun and spontaneous – I love what I do but there’s nothing wrong with throwing a fun and spontaneous workout into the mix.
11. Adventurous - You never know where Crossfit will take you. Before I knew it I found myself working out in a Box on top of a building in downtown Bangkok! I also somehow got signed up for a Spartan Race! Hoorah!
12. Adrenaline rush – Most of us entrepreneurs are adrenaline junkies! Nothing will get your adrenaline pumping quite like hitting an intense workout you previously thought you could never complete.
13. Rewarding – I can’t begin to describe how rewarding it is to hit new PRs in the gym. I’m on a high for a solid week after throwing up some new numbers! I find that I’m now striving to hit even more ambitious PRs in business as well.
14. Crossfit is physically challenging – Pushing yourself in the box will help you push yourself in business. Sitting at a desk for 8+ hours a day isn’t ideal. As an entrepreneur you need to challenge yourself physically to perform at your peak in business.
15. Challenging Mentally – Crossfit requires mental strength. This same mental strength will help you push through the tough times in business.
16. Get with the times – As an entrepreneur you’re probably an early adopter to new technology. News flash, its 2015 and dumbbell curls are so last decade. – its 2015 and all the cool kids are doing it.
17. It’s the same no matter where you go – As an entrepreneur you’re constantly travelling to meetings and conferences. The good news is that there’s always a box where you can drop-in close by and the training will be very similar to what you’re used to.
18. It might get you laid – enough said.
19. Be better than you were yesterday – As entrepreneurs we’re constantly striving to be better and grow faster. CrossFit teaches you to focus on simply being better than you were yesterday. This is a great lesson that every business owner should learn.
20. Builds confidence – There’s nothing that boosts your confidence quite like hitting that new back squat PR. That confidence will definitely carry over into your business
21. Look awesome – As an entrepreneur you represent your business. You might as well look awesome while you do it.
22. Feel awesome – You’re not helping your business if you’re constantly burnt out and unhealthy. Crossfit will help you perform at your peak.
23. Look awesome naked – enough said.
24. Efficient way to spend an hour – As entrepreneurs our time is precious. We can’t simply be gym rats. Crossfit is hands down the most efficient way to spend your time in the gym.
25. 1 hour workout is only 4% of your day – Time is precious and a 1 hour workout only takes up 4% of your day. No excuse for not getting to the gym.
26. Get compliments – you’re going to be getting a lot of compliments on how good you look. That’s gotta have you smiling all day 
27. Become passionate about something new – As entrepreneurs we’re often so focused on our businesses that it’s good to take some time off to focus our attention elsewhere.
28. Change your life starting with your body – any lasting life change should start with a solid physical transformation!
29. Its not easy – Like entrepreneurship, Crossfit is also not easy. But If it was easy everyone would be doing.
30. It’s contagious – Soon you’ll have your employees, friends, and family joining you at the box.
31. Entertaining – Sometimes you need a little entertaining break from you fast paced entrepreneurial lifestyle. A hard WOD is just what you need 
32. Will teach you discipline – As entrepreneurs we already know the value of discipline but Crossfit takes it to a new level. Refine your discpline with a consistent CrossFit routine
33. Will help you grow your pain threshold – Let’s be honest, you need a hire tolerance for pain to go into business. What can go wrong will go wrong and you have to be ready to deal with it. CrossFit will help you build your pain threshold and help you keep your cool when shit hits the fan.
34. Requires dedication – Similar to your dedication to your entrepreneurial ventures, Crossfit requires strong dedication to perform successfully
35. You will learn more about yourself – Effective goal setting goes hand in hand with knowing what you want and where you want to go. CrossFit will give you the opportunity to find out on a daily basis, who you are and lets you redefine it. Anybody should be hungry to learn more about themselves and how they are reacting under extreme conditions.
36. Will push you to a new breaking point – Are you thinking you have it all figured out and that nothing can scare you? One of my old business school professors once said that if you are driving in the Formula 1 and think you got it all under control, you are probably not going fast enough. CrossFit will help you as an entrepreneur to find out where you are currently and how to push past that point i.e. how to go faster.
37. Find comfort in getting uncomfortable -Life can be a bitch for anybody. However, like my mum used to say there can’t be always sunny days and sometimes you just got to grind. During a CrossFit workout when you are already in agonizing pain and there is still 10 minutes to go, the only option left is to either quit (which is not a real option) or suck it up and keep going.
38. Calm under pressure – 3, 2, 1 go. Boom in that second you are out of your comfort zone. Various stimuli are racing at you in that split second. Other people going faster on those dreaded box jumps and the music and your coach are telling you to go faster yet you have to learn how to keep your head in the game, how to stay level-headed and soak up the energy and turn into something productive. There will always be stress and anxiety in your life and you can learn how to let that work to your advantage.
39. Has the potential to break you, if you let it – It is you against you, or is it? Yet, there will always be competitors (or the WOD) that will try to force you to give up. Learn to life with them and welcome them as a motivation to push hard. Crossfit is simply great people making each other even better.
40. Stick to the basics and keep learning – Crossfit is all about progressions. Identifying A and defining B. Once you mastered a skill there will be one that builds on the newly acquired skill yet more difficult and complex requiring a higher degree of virtuosity. Think Pull Up -> Chest-to-Bar Pull Up -> Bar Muscle Up. What do you want to build your business on a solid or a shaky foundation? Your choice.
41. Self Discovery and New Perspectives – With your heart rate at 180 bpm you might think differently about yourself. Either you think you are a complete idiot or a Greek god. I prefer the latter.
42. Build Mental Fortitude – Mental strength requires effort and it won’t come over night but by continuous practice you will eventually acquire it. Make Crossfit your daily exercise of mental fortitude and you will find power to handle any situation in business and in life.
43. The indomitable spirit – Because nobody will let you and will feel personally insulted if you did. Crossfit shows you on the micro level how people share into your story and want to see you succeed. So don’t give up.
44. Minimize your weaknesses - Everybody loves doing the stuff that they are already good at as it is comfortable and requires the least amount of effort. But is this really what you should be doing? Maybe Adam Smith was wrong and specialization is not the key to highest output. Especially us as entrepreneurs have to be well-rounded and understand all sides of our business just like it pays in CrossFit to have no weaknesses. Are you an absolute Pull Up ninja but cannot lift any barbell heavier than 75lbs, well congrats you just came in last.
45. Discover your inner competitor – Compete against yourself, your friends or the world. The Crossfit Open will show you how you rank compared to a large portion of the worldwide CrossFit population. How cool is that? Want to know if you are fitter than that one dude somewhere in Tibet that is your chance. A competition will force you to do stuff you normally wouldn’t and helps you grow. Do the same for your business and you will reach new heights!
46. Become the best version of you – We all have wondered what are true potential might be. Let’s find it out!
47. Be humbled – There is many fire breathing, badass Crossfit athletes out there but there are also the individual box heroes. The ones that work nine to five or longer and still come in at 7 pm and kick ass. It will remind you that there is many out there hustling and that you are not the only one striving for peak performance.
48. Learn patience – Ronnie Colemann once said “EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE A “POWERBUILDER”, BUT DON’T NOBODY WANT TO LIFT NO HEAVY-ASS WEIGHTS.” Well, although certainly true but that requires time and continuous effort. Small goals equal big goals in fitness just as in business.
49. Create a success story – Take pride in what you do and talk about it. Of course there are people or companies that are better, faster or fitter than you but that doesn’t take away from your achievement. Be proud!
50. Think long-term – Set your goals. Where do you want to be in a year, in five or even in ten? Although many things might happen in the meantime, it will keep you focused and provide you with a sense of direction. Fitness should be a marathon and not a sprint.
51. Make lifelong friends – During a long and grueling Crossfit workout the participants form an invisible bond and it really forges the community that CrossFit is so known for. Trust me, you will connect faster with those people than you would during any other networking event.
52. Learn progression – Of course it is easy to think about what you do if but the sad truth is that this is not going be today. So take your big goal and break it up into small steps (progressions) so that it becomes more manageable and leads you where you want to be.
54. Think strategically – Mind your resources, you only got so much, so much gas in the tank or money in the bank. Think ahead and form your strategy in business just like before a WOD.
55. Sometimes all it takes is a change of direction – In the midst of a horrible chipper you will be forced to make decisions. Take a break, smaller sets, water or chalk? Don’t be afraid to change your plan halfway through the WOD, it might help to save some precious seconds or minutes. The same holds true for business, remember Albert Einstein “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Go the other way, there might be new opportunities to seize.
56. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable – Anybody can do that. Crossfit in the end of the day rewards hard work. It’s not about how heavy you lift or whatever else you do but about your effort. That will inspire people as they share in your struggle and I believe that is true for everything in life. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable, there will be more helping hands than you need. Start somewhere, but start.
57. Meet likeminded people when you travel – Whenever you travel and I hope you do a lot. Check out the affiliate map on maps.crossfit.com and find the closest box to your location and trust me they will be more than happy to compare their Fran times with you.
58. Shared values – As Crossfit is still a relatively new sport and they are no professional athletes, everybody remembers how it felt when they got their first pull up, double under and especially muscle up.
59. No boundaries – The Crossfit community is more welcoming than you could ever imagine. They will let you crush on their couch, drink their protein and borrow their knee sleeves all you have to do is ask.
60. Transformative – And I don’t just mean physical but especially psychological. I am convinced you will come out a different person once you stuck with it for a while. It helped me a lot to be who I am today.
61. Challenge those around you – Hey bro, you want to do Grace? I literally said that already a dozen times in the box and was never forced to do it alone. Everybody loves a challenge and doing something that doesn’t make particularly sense, so why not live life and business like that and challenge the ones around you to be better.
62. Variation – Crossfit, like business, is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.
63. Gets you out of bed in the morning – As entrepreneurs we need to get a good start to our day. Pushing yourself in the gym first thing in the morning is a great way to start the business day.
64. Get the best night of sleep you ever had – If you’re like me it can be tough to “turn off” the computer in get to bed. However, after an intense workout, I have no trouble falling to sleep and I sleep better than I ever have before.
65. Prioritize your health – What good is a healthy business if you’re not healthy yourself?
66. Shifts your focus – We focus on our businesses all day, it’s great to focus on something else for an hour.
67. Zone out – In a traditional gym you have to think about what you’re going to do. In a Crossfit box, the workout is on the whiteboard and you simply do what your coaches ask of you.
68. Attention to detail – Strength training can help you improve your concentration and attention to detail.
69. Get into the zone – Sometimes you just need to stop thinking about the pain and push it. Getting into the zone is not just valuable during a Crossfit workout but it can be valuable during an intense work session when you’re under deadline.
70. Learn to be effective and efficient – The work capacity required of you during a Crossfit workout will require you to do each rep effectively and while exerting as little energy as possible. You don’t want to burn out in business or in Crossfit.
71. Honesty – You’re the only one counting your reps. You are accountable to yourself.
72. Accountability – As an entrepreneur, people depend on you. During your Crossfit workout, you get to decide who you want to be. Do you want to be someone who holds yourself accountable knowing no one is watching, or do you want to give up knowing you could have finished a few extra.
73. Reliability – In a buddy workout, do you carry your own weight, or are you going to let your partner pickup the slack?
74. Compassion – Crossfit can be an extremely emotional journey. Personally I’ve transformed during my Crossfit journey but what is most emotional is to witness others go through their transformations. I’ve become incredibly compassionate to the incredible people I workout with.
75. Selflessness – Crossfit isn’t about the people finishing first. The loudest cheers are for the people finishing last.
76. Love – Your box becomes your family.
77. Make yourself proud – In Crossfit, it’s you against you. You’re going to want to quit, A LOT. But you’re going to keep pushing for some reason. Why? Because you don’t want to let yourself down. Don’t give up on your business and don’t give up on yourself during a workout.
78. Gratitude – “When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears.” – Anthony Robbins. You’re not going to be Rich Froning after your first workout and you’re not going be Steve Jobs after your first year in business. Learn to be grateful for what you have. You’re able to workout and you’re able to operate your own business! That’s something to be grateful for!
79. Satisfaction – Hitting your quarterly targets would make you feel really satisfied. But hitting your quarterly targets AND hitting a new snatch PR would have you feeling on top of the world!!
80. Support System – Everyone needs support, even us entrepreneurs. There’s nothing quite like a group of loud and sweaty people cheering you on during a workout.
81. The best hobby outside of your business – okay, I admit it. I’m pretty obsessed about my business. CrossFit gives me something to obsess over outside of normal business hours! Regain your sanity
82. Stand out. Be different – Yes, Crossfit is widely talked about but still only a small fraction of the population actually does it on a consistent basis. Be different.
83. Become Elite – CrossFit build elite athletes. It’s as simple as that. Not only will you be in the best shape of your life, you’ll be in better shape than most everyone around you.
84. Influence those around – People will have a lot of respect for your ability to succeed as an entrepreneur while also staying in great shape!
85. Lead by example – You want your team to be healthy don’t you? After all, a healthy team is good for business. Why not lead by example?
86. Practice what you preach – You probably encourage your team to push themselves to deliver great results. Make sure you’re practicing what you preach!
87. Therapeutic – For me, the box is like a personal therapy session. Life can get so busy and chaotic sometimes but the box is a place where I can go to blow off some steam.
88. Stress Relief – Entrepreneurship can be stressful. Crossfit is such a great way to relive all that stress.
89. Constructive Criticism – As entrepreneurs and athletes we need constructive criticism to improve. Crossfit certified coaches are awesome at helping you make the needed adjustments.
90. Track Your Personal Progress – Crossfit helps to gamify fitness so it’s easy to track your personal progress. It’s super encouraging to take entire minutes off your Grace and Fran time when you’re first starting.
91. Immediate feedback – Apply Lean Startup principles to your health. Get immediate feedback from your performance in the gym and make adjustments where needed.
92. Make more money – Studies have shown that people who are physically fit earn more money than those that are out of shape.
93. Encouraging
94. Be Fearless – sometimes the weight on the barbell will terrify. Nothing will help you overcome your fears than blocking out the thought and successfully completing the lift. Trust in your coaches and preparation.
95. See your hard work pay off – What’s better than seeing the fruits of your labor?!
96. Get High – Yes you can get high from Crossfit. The chemical composition of your brain changes while you train. This leaves you feeling amazing!
97. Get noticed – CrossFitters stand out. They keep their chests out and walk with confidence.
98. Go against the flow – It’s pretty popular to hate on Crossfit. Maybe you should walk away from the haters and join the darkside?
99. Start a revolution – Not enough of us entrepreneurs are Crossfitters. Be part of the revolution.
100. Be Badass – what’s more badass than being insanely ripped and having a padded bank account?
101. Life Changing – I thought I’d save the best for last. Crossfit has changed my life more than I could ever imagine. I’m fitter, healthier, happier, more patient, and more successful as a result. I’ve found a direct correctly between my success in the gym and my success in business. I strongly encourage every entrepreneur to get involved in their local CrossFit community and to join a box near them. It will have drastic, rippling effects across all areas of your life.
So, what are you going to do?! #brodoyouevenlift
Jordan Fried is a self employed internet Entrepreneur living in Budapest, Hungary. Soeren Salomo is the co-owner of Reebok CrossFit Duna in Budapest, Hungary.
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