CrossFit Chicago

This was my first time traveling to another box outside of my home box in Portland. The whole class, coaches included, were extremely welcoming and kind. Generous with their time and knowledge, they made me feel right at home. If I lived in Chicago, id undoubtedly join membership. When I travel here, I’ll definitely be back to this box. Great space and nice equipment.

As an experienced Crossfitter, I shopped around a bunch before landing on Crossfit Chicago. The coaches here are very experienced, handsome, and have helped me make some sweet gains with no injuries.
The community is great, there are a ton of legit athletes for me to look up to and many new athletes that are too legit 2 quit. The facility is top notch and the business is well run. There is always toilet paper, there are showers, and classes start and end on time.
Overall this is a magical place where awesome people hang out and do awesome things together.

I have never been to a CF gym with such top notch equipment. You get what you pay for and CFC does an excellent job of investing into their gym so that members have enough equipment for their needs. CFC has men’s and women’s bars which is a rare find!

The boyfriend and I dropped in on a Saturday morning. Parking is free nearby. We were greeted by the desk girl and were given a tour.
When the warm up was starting, the coach ensured he knew our names and each person in class introduced themselves to us. Very welcoming!
The workout was really fun, nothing too difficult. Got a good sweat on and would come back in a heartbeat!!!

Was told to avoid this gym by crossfit gym owner in Philadelphia I had been working with for months because of inattentive trainers. Went in for a paid* test-​out session and after failing to verbally describe their 5 tenants of a squat, I was told that «the trainers aren’t able to monitor all the students in our classes so we expect them to be essentially perfect».
Personally, I can’t get behind a gym with such a philosophy that takes a back seat to active class coaching. I also get the impression that this tactic is used to reap profits both on the test-​out and on getting students in the more lucrative fundamentals classes.

I dropped in while in Chicago and the hospitality was great. This is a very big box with plenty of quality equipment and facilities. Everyone was very friendly and very professional. Matt was the coach for my class and he was friendly and knowledgable. I have yet to visit a box that doesn’t have the Crossfit friendly atmosphere and CrossFit Chicago didn’t fail. Whether dropping in or making it your home, I feel like the owners/​coaches/​employees are doing a great job here. Thanks for letting me experience what you have created.

Nice space. Great equipment. Friendly people, seems like there is a real solid community at Crossfit Chicago.
They let me drop in for no-​charge. Good parking in an indoor lot. Outdoor parking is a little tough, but if you don’t live to far you can run there or bike there and avoid the hassle altogether.
My one gripe was maybe that the coaches, or one specific coach who I won’t name, was a little intense. I mean we are talking military intense. I enjoy a strenuous workout, but I don’t need to be barked at while I’m doing it.
Thanks guys.

Got great workouts at first, but classes were big and didn’t give enough individualized form instruction. There was no on ramp class either. Classmates were supportive, but it didn’t make up for getting injured and not getting enough help with healing and modifying workouts. Once I couldn’t keep up with what others were doing, I had to wait for the others to start, then pester the coaches (often waiting til they were done talking to someone else) for modifications. After a few weeks of frustration, I met with the owner and told him I needed more help. He said I should keep pestering the coaches because my health was worth waiting to talk to them. He didn’t take any responsibility for the large class sizes or lack of teaching basic moves earlier on for newbies, or the lack of checking individual form during workouts. Often coaches would only get to check a couple people per move. He asked what I was eating and suggested my breakfast was too sugary, which was why I wasn’t healing faster. He didn’t give me any alternative breakfast ideas though. He also suggested laying off working out for a while.

I’ve been coming to Crossfit Chicago for about 2 years and I love it. And this is coming from someone that barely worked out before :) The community is top notch and I’ve learned a ton about exercise, lifting weights and nutrition. Don’t be intimidated by negative things you’ve heard about crossfit, like it is too intense, too expensive, etc. All the workouts having scaling options and this is a great facility where classes come with a lot of coach interaction and supervision, so you definitely get what you pay for. There are also class times to meet any schedule and heated garage parking in the winter which is nice.

I dropped in to Crossfit Chicago for an early morning class on a weekday in my quest for a CF box in Chicago. I’ve done CF before but have been out for months due to injury. Very eager to get back to it but need to take it slow so I don’t hurt myself again. I told the coach in the class of my injury and she immediately told me to go LIGHT since the WOD involved lots of thrusters (5 rounds of 15). What I truly appreciate is that the coach and the assistant coach came to me couple times during the WOD and asked how I felt. They also checked with me again after the WOD. Members are super friendly. They know each other very well– but quite a few of them came and introduced themselves to me.
CFC has a huge facility –and plenty of parking (always important). They also have more «nice» perks that you don’t find at most CF box. For example they have a nice lounge area, very clean bathrooms, Wi-​Fi, and the box is really clean (could be because I went to the first class in the day-don’t know, don’t care). The only drawback is the price. CF is expensive, and I am very used to paying more than a regular gym. Comparing with other box in the city, CFC is still pricey. Also I believe they only have group WOD and endurance WOD (no weightlifting, and yoga is extra $$). Having said that CFC is truly an awesome box –the coach’s top notch and community is great.

I’ve been crossfitting for over 2 years and every time I travel out I make sure I check out the local crossfit well on my trip to Chicago I visited crossfit chicago, from the moment I arrived bryce (I hope I spelled it right) was super nice and welcoming allowing to drop in on the next class. He was very helpful and friendly
After the WOD I met the owner who was also very nice and was able to see their new location when I proceeded to pay the drop in fee bryce nicely stated that it was complimentary but as I have also like to collect a shirt from every crossfit I visit I bought my chicago crossfit t-​shirt
Needless to say chicago crossfit is awesome and I like to follow them on FB

We love the hospitality of the Crossfit Community!
Mrs. F attended a gymnastics workshop here hosted by CrossFit Chicago where the coach was none-​other than Mr. Carl Paoli. The workshop was well thought out and truly helped Mrs. F with her muscle-​up progressions and handstand push up progressions.
While Mrs. F soaked up all the Gymnastic info she could. I sat and people watched as Crossfitters ran by during their WOD. Excellent facility, excellent coaching, excellent location.
I would love to come visit again and be able to drop-​in and get me some swag!
Keep it up Crossfit Chicago thank you for all contributions to the community!

WOW!
Despite Crossfit Chicago being way overpriced (even for a crossfit box), this place is awesome! Fortunately, we were in town for the holidays and they let people drop in for free as long as they are already part of the crossfit community. Everything about this box was fantastic, I emailed them to let them know we were coming from out of town and asking about their drop in policy. They responded within a day and gave detailed instructions on how to find their location.
The space is used incredibly well and there are several different areas for separate classes. This is great because when there are multiple classes in the same room it can be difficult to hear instructions or music will cut out so the other class can receive instructions. This is also nice for oly classes so you aren’t distracted by beginners and nice for the beginners to not get intimidated by some «hot dogs and cupcakes.» The lounge area with the foosball table was a nice touch, though wouldn’t sway my decision to be a member.
Our wod was coached by Bryce and he was excellent. We started with a warm up, a little mobility, a technique session and then the actual wod. The programming was great and Bryce helped with one of my areas of weakness, plus introduced us to a new movement. When the wod was over we were encouraged to stay and use the rollers or any of the other mobility equipment to cool down.
I’m currently a member at one of the top crossfit boxes in the country, that means I have super high standards. Crossfit Chicago hit every item on my checklist and then some. Out of all the boxes I’ve been to, this is the only one (other than my normal box) that we immediately felt like home. We were welcomed with open arms and coached like we were already part of their family. We were so impressed that we bought a couple shirts and a sticker and rock them proudly. Anytime we will be in Chicago we look forward to coming back.

I love being part of the Crossfit family.
Me stopping by to visit is a big example of that. I am from Atlanta and I attend Crossfit ATC. Whenever I’m visiting another city, I want to visit the local Crossfit gyms and see how they run it and see their facilities. Today was Crossfit Chicago.
I thought only the South was known for their hospitality but I was clearly wrong. Everybody at the gym was warm and hospitable. They allow out-​of-​towners join the first WOD free which is awesome! The facilities there is nice and spacious.
The WOD was led by Bryce and Kelly. They are awesome and warm. From their instruction and teaching you can tell they are experts. They closely watched everybody at the gym and were correcting everybodys form. I even got corrected and I loved it. It means they are paying attention to everybody and no one is left out. My fellow crossfitters in that class were awesome. They were helping one another out and cheering for one another. I even had a Crossfitter from Toronto cheering me on.
If I was living in Chicago… I would join this gym. They are warm, hospitable like a family and they clearly know what they are doing.
Good job Crossfit Chicago! And gooo Crossfit Universe!!!

Let me start by saying that you should not be intimidated to come give Crossfit Chicago a try. I have been a member of their program for a year, and the community welcomes just about every form of diversity possible (i.e. age, shape/​size), and the coaches will work to challenge you based on your fitness level. The coaches and members will cheer you on from day 1, trying to help you get better at everything, and making it a «fun» experience while you sweat your butt off. The workouts change each day, so you will not get bored coming here.
They are currently running a pretty large operation and expanding; however, the atmosphere is very personal, where class members are encouraged to meet and greet any new folks. I also like how the larger program size means a wider range of class days/​times, giving the 6am’ers, nooner’s, 8pm’ers and everyone in between the opportunity to get their workout in. While this may seem like a big gym on the surface, you will find out that it is anything but that! The owner (Rudy) is a friendly guy, and his wife, toddler, and dog are often on premise and interact with members all the time.
The first few months are the hardest, as you build your foundation of movements and skills, but if you stick with it, you will be glad that you did. I’m a 5’2″, 36 year old female, whose worst class in school was gym, and I love it!

Just an update to the below review… I received a very nice email from Kelly regarding the below review. She emphatically states that they are open to new members no matter their skill set. Unfortunately, this was how I felt & I gave Crossfit Chicago the benefit of the doubt on several occaisions and do feel that perhaps a bit more effort could have been made on their end during the process. I mean I was willing to spend at the minimum $ 140 monthly for 4 months (i.e.; $ 560 min). Needless to say, I think everyone needs to approach any situation with an open mind, so I hope my experience is not the norm.
I wish I could post a glowing review of CrossFit Chicago! When I emailed there for an initial appointment, after having read Rudy’s credentials I was all set to join. Unfortunately, from setting up an initial appointment to post initial workout follow up, my experience has been not good. I think CrossFit Chicago is really geared to people who are already athletes and not for a person, who is in the process of becoming an athlete.
I recently relocated from Santa Fe, NM, where I had an extremely positive experience with DKB Fitness. Having never been a fan of the treadmill and needing to lose a lot of weight, I was fortunate enough to find kettlebells & a great gym in Santa Fe that encouraged me to push myself. When I relocated to Chicago I had heard a lot about crossfit & thought it might offer a similar experience. I know my criteria may be high, as I want a great workout, where I can push myself to the limits, as well as a supportive community of trainers and other members, who are constantly striving to see where they can go in terms of physical fitness and personal «inner» strength.
When I attempted to set up an initial appointment, I was told one time (6:15 PM) and then returned with a confirmation of 6:00 PM sharp for the day of the intro session. While this is no big deal, I was disappointed that the emphasis I had made upon my commute from Lake Forest had been overlooked. From my initial email, I had made it clear that my work week schedule was tough in terms of getting to the gym before 6:15. Fortunately I did receive an email from Kelly that 6:15 was fine, but she had to leave at 7:00 PM sharp.
During my intro session, one of the things that turned me off was that there was a lot of side talk about members, who were trying to get out of their contracts, as well as someone using their 2-​week free pass after the 2-​weeks had expired. Clearly not appropriate discussions, when someone is visiting & considering joining your gym. Nonetheless, I left my intro session wishing I had had more of a positive experience, but not completely disinterested in joining.
Following my initial session, I visited another crossfit gym in the city. The reception to my interest was amazing right from my initial inquiry to post-​intro session (whereby I received a very genuine «thank you» email from the trainer). Well, I live closer to CrossFit Chicago & I was jazzed after my experience at the other gym, so I emailed Kelly at CrossFit Chicago to say I wanted to join (i.e.; pay for a membership), but was still concerned about being a crossfit novice & inquired as to how a novice can integrate into the classes. (I know, I know, I just spent several paragraphs talking about my less than impressive experience, but when I decided to join I was really trying to overlook the initial impression take away my negativity to see through to the positive [like the majority of the comments here].) Without really answering my question/​concern she merely stated that I should consider private training. I followed up with asking how much it would cost. Whereby, Kelly inquired as to how often I wanted to workout,. I had already stated in my initial email re joining that I wanted to workout 2x per week, but I followed up with the same information.
As of this time, Kelly has never answered me. Clearly, I am not a candidate for their gym. I just wish Kelly or whomever makes this decision would have taken the professional approach of just stating this, instead of just blowing me off. I could never recommend CrossFit Chicago, and am very disappointed by stating this.

I’m a little sore as I’m writing this review from an earlier workout… But that’s how you know it works. I’ve done boot camps, group fitness classes, play sports and none have given me this level of results. Although I’m fairly new, the Crossfit workouts have never been the same. Don’t get me wrong, the workouts are tough but seeing the results motivates me to work through them. Since my schedule changes weekly, Crossfit Chicago has plenty of class times to choose from which is great for me. I can’t make excuses for not going…
My introduction was with Alison, who’s attention to detail in explaining the program was beyond what I expected. It looks intimidating so I had plenty of questions and she was wonderful in giving me full explanations of the workouts. I would suggest doing a one-​on-​one with her or one of the coaches before diving in to learn the proper movements and lifts. If you want to jump in cold, the coaches are awesome… They spend the time to make sure your form is correct to prevent injury. It’s refreshing since I’m used to the «do a million squat jumps and see ya tomorrow».
Everyone, I mean EVERYONE, is super nice from the members to the coaches… Since I’m fairly new to Crossfit, I’ve been learning to push myself physically as well as mentally and I feel like everyone here has been in my shoes once before. It’s nice to get the motivation from everyone involved and it’s a pleasure for me to be a part of it.

As far as exercising goes, you can’t beat crossfit. The workouts are always different, the competitive yet supportive environment keeps you honest, and, best of all, the workouts are designed so that people of all skill levels can do them and get stronger. You will work every part of your body and see fast results.
My only complaint is the price. For the women’s only class, normal membership for two times a week is $ 140/​month and unlimited for $ 230/​month. That may be reasonable for a working professional, but not for students! I asked the people here to please consider offering a student discount, but I’ve had no luck yet. So sadly, I won’t be returning after my Groupon runs out.

My boyfriend and I found out about CrossFit at a seminar last year and like how practical and straightforward the program is. We’d experienced injuries from inefficient over-​training, weren’t improving our performance, and are training for a big expedition. So we visited the website, tried it out for a week, and were blown away.
But I wanted more (and wanted to learn more about the movements). So I met with Coach Bryce, figured out what I needed to work on, and got myself signed up.
All I can say is that it was the best training investment I’ve made thus far. The other reviews are spot on. CrossFit, and this gym, is addictive in such a funny way. I love and hate the coaches … they REALLY know what they’re doing, they hold me accountable, they push me, they expose my weaknesses, and they show me how to improve. Some coaches specialise in diet, some in olympic movements, some in gymnastics, some in metabolic conditioning … you’ll find everything functional and worthwhile.
The training is proportionate to your fitness level and is ever-​changing so that everyone is works towards the same high capacity — your strengths and weaknesses will always be exposed … 5 rounds at 85% of your 1 rep max means different things to different people for different exercises so it doesn’t matter if you are a novice or a pro because we will suffer and succeed the same. The movements are functional and transferrable to sport-​specfic movements — we’re mountaineers, but we train side-​by-​side by runners, volleyballers, footballers, gymnasts, nursing moms, students, regular joes, and first timers… I love how the classes are non-​discriminating and relentless.

If you haven’t heard of CROSSFIT than you are missing out. This is not your run of the mill «globo» gym it is quite the opposite in almost every aspect.(no mirrors, no smith machines, treadmills etc.) This gym and their coaches (Alex, Bryce, Rudy and everyone that cheers count as coaches too.) But everyday is different so you don’t have to worry about a plateau effect, it is fun, functional, intense and best of all short, which work for people like me with short attention spans lol. And if there is something you cannot handle they will make modifications.
This place is absolutely for EVERYBODY including:
runners
pregnant
power lifters
bodybuilders
couch potatoes
or any random athlete
older
short (me)
tall
the list can go on forever here.
WARNING! THIS CAN BE ADDICTIVE AND WAY TOO MUCH FUN. AND MAY CAUSE YOU TOO CANCEL THAT MEMBERSHIP TO THAT GYM YOU NEVER GO TOO ANWAY.