The first rule of CrossFit: Make sure you have a chiropractor

Every year, fitness enthusiasts seek to find new ways to build their strength and challenge their bodies to do things they’ve never done before.

For many, CrossFit has helped them achieve both of these goals, and more.

What is CrossFit?

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) defines CrossFit as “an intense exercise program featuring dynamic exercises like plyometric jumps, and Olympic lifts while using non-traditional weightlifting equipment such as kettlbells, sandbags, suspension systems or water-filled implements.”

The goal is to complete this workout as fast as possible or within a specified amount of time, which has made it somewhat controversial in nature.

For instance, in 2014, ESPN published a piece about whether or not this particular fitness regimen was safe, citing that even Rachel Crass, national coach for the U.S.A.’s Olympic weightlifting team, had concerns about CrossFit’s safety, such as participants sacrificing technique in the interest of speed.

This can increase injury risk, especially when compared to exercises conducted using focus on proper form.

Other fitness experts feel that this particular type of workout is just as safe as any other exercise program, as evidenced by CrossFit’s growth in gyms and rec centers across the nation. Regardless of which side you’re on, it doesn’t appear that this form of exercise is going away any time soon. So, what can you do to best market to this demographic of athlete?

Get to know CrossFitters better

Kenneth Burke, Marketing Director at Text Request, says that one of the first things you want to do is to “ask yourself a bunch of questions about CrossFit athletes. What does their average day look like? What do they care about? What kind of products are they interested in? Once you have answers, then you can find where you’re able to help these people, and market to them accordingly.”

Burke adds that some of the most important questions you can ask as a DC is, “What problems do CrossFit athletes experience? What pains do they deal with?” Identifying this information puts you in the perfect position to help this segment of athletes with the issues that tend to bother them most.

“For instance, let’s say CrossFit athletes typically experience lower back pain caused by poor form,” says Burke. “You can create blog posts or Facebook ads that address this problem and share how you can help. Your messaging could be something to the effect of ‘Hey, we know your problem, we can fix it, and we can even show you how to make sure it doesn’t come back.’”

If you’re unsure what the answers to these questions may be, what problems CrossFitters typically face, Burke suggests taking the time to talk to a few. “People want to feel understood, and they want fewer problems,” says Burke. “When you understand your target demographic, you can find ways to get rid of their problems.”

Another way to get to know CrossFit enthusiasts better so you know how to best market to them is to look at the data. For instance, Rally Fitness published research which indicated that most CrossFit participants are in the 25 to 44 year age range. Additionally, approximately 40 percent have post-graduate degrees and more than half earn $150,000 a year.

Gender is split 50/50, with half being male and half being female, and the five states with the most CrossFit athletes are Colorado, Hawaii, Texas, Utah and Washington. North and South Dakota have the least, and Alaska and Missouri are somewhere in the middle. Again, the more you know about the sport itself, and the people who are drawn to it, the easier it is to market to that demographic.

Market chiropractic as an injury preventative

Jake Lane, Growth Manager for Press, also points out that “CrossFit athletes are a passionate group that don’t want to be down for long.” So, focusing your marketing efforts on how chiropractic can help with injury prevention would appeal to them because it means less time spent out of the gym.

Lane points out that there have been studies in this area, such as one which was published in The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine in 2014. This piece of research involved a survey of 386 CrossFit participants in New York and Philadelphia and found that almost one in five (19.4 percent) experienced injuries, primarily to their shoulders, low back, and knees.

Sharing this type of information can help convince CrossFitters that you’re just as interested in their health as they are, while also informing them how chiropractic can help these particular areas. Plus, “scare tactics work extremely well in marketing,” says Lane, so there’s that too.