Presenters
Abstract
CrossFit is a fairly recent, unconventional strength and conditioning model, incorporating a variety of movements from gymnastics to weightlifting. The rise of the method’s and brand’s popularity, however, has emerged from a networked discourse model. What began as essentially a blog that posted a daily workout has grown into a multi-million dollar business with over 4,000 affiliate gyms worldwide. The success of CrossFit has been largely attributed to its initial ability to develop and sustain a community online; ongoing success of the affiliate gyms is often predicated on their ability to have their members forge community connections among one another in online spaces. Such community development can be seen in social media groups on Facebook and in blogs, as each affiliate is required to keep a current website. Using rhetorical analysis and grounded theory, this presentation will demonstrate the methods by which CrossFit community members appropriate and sustain the rhetoric of this very particular discourse. Implications of this project’s findings include the use of member- and client-driven social media for professional promotion and cultural production, and the importance of the ability for members to construct an identity as both distinct from and similar to others in such communities.