Not In My Box | The Fitness and Coaching Podcast · Caffeine and Kilos | Fitness and Coaching Culture w/ Danny Lehr

Is Professional CrossFit dead?! Ep. 169

·52 min·3 clips

The West Coast Classic looked “like it was 2020” because the stadium was nearly empty.

1. Not In My Box | The Fitness and Coaching Podcast episode 169 centers on CrossFit intensity, semifinals, and the West Coast Classic in Carson. 2. The hosts are the podcast’s regular duo, with Kaelin joining the discussion as the co-host who helps frame the CrossFit and coaching complaints. 3. The episode asks whether “professional CrossFit” still makes sense when qualification formats, event layouts, and spectator turnout keep changing. 4. The opening debate separates “high intensity” from maximum intensity and attacks the idea of “gaming” a workout for a whiteboard score. 5. One host says he likes “hitting the wall early and hard” and argues that slowing down early can hide what an athlete is actually capable of. 6. They use class coaching examples to explain when an athlete should push and when a tired body should stay at 70% to 80% effort. 7. A recent three-round workout becomes the concrete example, with one host describing “Fran lungs” and coughing hard enough to “taste like blood.” 8. They also mention a 20-minute “grindhouse workout” and contrast it with shorter sprint-style efforts under 10 minutes. 9. The discussion turns to the old “three days on, one day off” CrossFit format and the idea that the fourth straight day is where energy drops. 10. They describe a “Chelsea” variation done EMOM style for 30 minutes as an example of a long, steady benchmark. 11. The episode then shifts to the CrossFit Games qualification process, which the hosts say has changed three years in a row. 12. They discuss semifinals, sanctionals, regionals, quarterfinals, and the way the sport’s path keeps getting renamed. 13. The West Coast Classic in Carson becomes the main case study because the stadium was described as empty, with no people on the concourse. 14. The venue is identified as a tennis stadium that holds 7,500 people, yet the crowd is described as concentrated mostly near the finish line. 15. The hosts list athletes they saw there, including Jeff Adler, Cole Sager, Patrick Vellner, Brett Fikowski, Danny Spiegel, and Rebecca Fuseli. 16. Vendor details matter too: RPM, Rx Smart Gear, ToPood, GoRuck, and Northern Spirit are named as the brands in the room. 17. The tone is conversational and argumentative, with interruptions, side jokes, and repeated profanity used to underline frustration. 18. The format feels like an off-the-cuff two-host analysis, moving from coaching philosophy to business complaints to event logistics. 19. Listeners who follow CrossFit, coaching, and competition structure will get the most out of it. 20. Listeners who want a calm, apolitical fitness interview may want to skip it.

As heard by us

A blunt, funny check on whether CrossFit's pro tier still has a pulse.

The episode frames professional CrossFit as a business, a spectacle, and a running joke, then keeps asking whether the pro side still earns the ceremony wrapped around it.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want the boys' unfiltered take on whether professional CrossFit has a real audience at all.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Not In My Box | The Fitness and Coaching Podcast