The Manhattan staple continues to supply spectacular athletes.
Final up to date on December seventeenth, 2024
Nestled within the bustling Union Sq. intersection of Manhattan is CrossFit Union Sq.. The fitness center has a historical past of manufacturing aggressive athletes within the metropolis, and subsequent month, it’s sending a staggering six groups to TYR Wodapalooza in Miami.
- The fitness center, often known as “CFUS,” opened in 2014 and has since gone via a number of iterations and house owners.
Daniel Lynne and Ross Twanmoh, each coaches, got here on as house owners in 2021 alongside Quinn MacNulty. Like many, the fitness center closed throughout COVID-19 and re-opened in September 2020.
- “We tried to hit the bottom working with what restricted membership base was left after which additionally type of mould the fitness center, take the very best features of the earlier iterations and type of intertwine them with among the issues that we thought have been essential,” Lynne tells Morning Chalk Up in an interview.
- Disclosure: The writer of this piece is a coach at CFUS and is among the athletes competing at TYR Wodapalooza.
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The Story of Crossfit Union Sq.
The fitness center relocated out of the Union Sq. space for 3 years however is again in its unique dwelling on the west nook of Union Sq. in a basement house of 4,500 sq. ft and 11-foot ceilings.
Nonetheless, parameters corresponding to these haven’t slowed down athletes in any sense.
The fitness center’s membership ranges from 375 to 425 at one time, and it has grow to be identified for its aggressive nature and programming.
Jay Adams is the top coach and head of programming at CFUS. He’s additionally a coach for The Coaching Plan and was on a CrossFit Video games group in 2023.
- “My normal method to programming in a gaggle setting is to attempt to make issues as strong as potential so each athlete has the chance for normal publicity to issues I take into account to be a part of a health MVP,” Adams advised Morning Chalk Up in an interview.
What this appears like on paper is a normal construction to the coaching schedule so athletes can progressively overload however have flexibility within the prescriptions to accommodate all athlete talents.
Adams additionally acknowledges that CFUS has a really distinctive neighborhood the place the typical athlete is just not the typical athlete.
- “I like the thought of powerful exercises being written with the very best athletes in thoughts, so at CFUS, this implies some very exhausting exercises,” Adams stated. “The neighborhood pushes one another to progress, and I feel it’s secure to say what outcomes is among the fittest gyms on the planet.”
CFUS at 2025 TYR Wodapalooza Miami Seaside
TYR Wodapalooza has grow to be one of many pinnacle occasions for athletes, and the primary stage is a troublesome set of qualifier exercises with a aggressive discipline of athletes.
The divisions for 2025 embrace particular person athletes and same-sex groups of three males or three girls.
Six CrossFit Union Sq. groups did the qualifier exercises, and all of them certified. It’s a powerful feat for such a aggressive occasion.
- “Jay [Adams] has been round because the fitness center’s inception and has had a heavy hand within the programming, which has type of shaped its personal id,” Lynne stated. “We owe a variety of what I’d say is the spine of the competitiveness to him and his programming.”
Adams additionally works with a number of particular person CFUS athletes who wish to prepare for sport versus normal health.
- “Every athlete at CFUS is totally different in what they should give attention to, however all get to coach collectively and progress and construct as athletes collectively,” Adams stated.
CFUS has labored exhausting to grow to be a spot the place athletes wish to come and wish to prepare every day.
Whereas the typical New Yorker is often a really motivated skilled and could also be drawn to a CrossFit fitness center, it takes quite a bit to construct a tradition the place these forms of people wish to hold coming again.
- “We now have for a very long time been capable of refine, domesticate the environment and the tradition that we really feel is emblematic of that New York Metropolis vibe, and guarantee that’s one thing that we stand on,” Lynne stated.
Lynne additionally provides that lots of the athletes who certified for TYR Wodapalooza attend class exercises, and a few even do further work exterior of lessons to handle weaknesses.
- “We’ve been capable of make our lessons extraordinarily environment friendly by way of getting essentially the most whereas nonetheless not programming an excessive amount of and making folks too drained, too fatigued,” he stated.
The Backside Line
Whereas the extra seasoned athletes are necessary to the fitness center, CrossFit Union Sq. is a spot for all ranges of health, from newbie to elite. Lynne expects the seasoned athletes to take the initiative and assist new members really feel snug.
- “We love bringing folks in, and actually, what offers us essentially the most pleasure is taking somebody from a place of studying the fundamentals to a spot the place they really feel competent sufficient to compete both recreationally or extra severely,” Lynne added.
One final thing: TYR Wodapalooza begins on January 23, 2025, in its new location in Miami Seaside. Tickets are available for these wanting to observe athletes throw down underneath the solar and neon lights.
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Featured picture: Emeric Harney, @emericharney / Instagram