Social identity and athlete identity among CrossFit members: an exploratory study on the CrossFit Open

Woolf, Jules; Lawrence, Heather J.

doi:10.1080/23750472.2017.1415770

Cited by 17 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In the case of CrossFit, relatedness is clearly fostered by the sense of community promoted by CrossFit, as this sense of belonging to group favours participation [23,36,45,55]. In this regard, one of the characteristics of the modality is group training, so everyone can perform the exercises independently of their physical fitness level-scalability.…”

Section: Motivation For Participationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this regard, one of the characteristics of the modality is group training, so everyone can perform the exercises independently of their physical fitness level-scalability. For this, there are categories, called Scale (exercises performed with the least intensity of adapted form, usually destined to beginners) [55] and RX (exercises with a higher level of difficulty, usually destined to experienced participants). The social characteristics of CrossFit, which refer to affiliation and relatedness which arguably have contributed to its growth in popularity [7].…”

Section: Motivation For Participationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Strong sense of community indicates a motivational factor to adherence of CrossFit regionally CrossFit's organizational culture and sense of community can be explored as motivational factors and for greater adherence of participants to training Pickett et al [26] CrossFit group showed a higher sense of community Woolf and Lawrence [55] Strong identification of participants as part of CrossFit…”

Section: Motivation For Participationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychological variables of CrossFit participants: a systematic review

et al. 2020

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Objective This study aimed to review the existing literature concerning the psychological variables of CrossFit participants. Methodology This review followed the PRISMA guidelines and was documented in the PROSPERO registry (CRD42018091177). Six electronic databases (SCOPUS, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Cochrane) were searched from their inception through July 2020. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed. Results Thirty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. We observed an increase in satisfaction, clinical addiction, and enjoyment among participants related to exercise, social improvement, and high intrinsic motivation to participate for the purpose of enjoyment, challenge, and affiliation. Perceptions of effort were high among CrossFit participants. Some studies found that the reaction time was impaired after the CrossFit session, whereas others found no changes in mental health, self-esteem, and well-being after training. Conclusion Adherence and maintenance of the practice of CrossFit are related to psychological variables such as motivation and satisfaction of basic psychological needs. CrossFit participants demonstrated high perception of effort, intrinsic motivation, and reasons for practice such as enjoyment, challenge, and affiliation. The quality assessment demonstrated the need for more detail in the methods section of future investigations. Additional high-quality studies are needed to investigate the effects of CrossFit training on the mental health of participants.

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Section: Motivation For Participationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Motivation For Participationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Motivation For Participationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychological variables of CrossFit participants: a systematic review

et al. 2020

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“…In describing the subject’s successful transition into CrossFit membership, the testimony of the CrossFit community and the subject’s friends and family rarely focuses on physical changes, as much as on changed behaviour and attitude. In their sociological examination of CrossFit communities, Woolf and Lawrence (2017) argued that social identity within a group is not just based on “shared beliefs, values and attitudes,” but conforming to the expectations and behaviours of that group (p. 169). This, too, is a played out in reality makeover narratives where “self-realization and conformity to cultural ideals are twin virtues founded on one’s unrealized desires for belonging” (Heller, 2006, p. 1).…”

Section: Analysis and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3). All participants, competitive or not, are described as “athletes,” inviting them to engage in a certain shared set of behaviours and competencies consistent with that identity (Woolf & Lawrence, 2017). Meanwhile, CrossFit promotes programs specifically designed to help adults fight lifestyle-related diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes and also sponsors programs such as CrossFit Moms and CrossFit Kids.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reinvention Through CrossFit: Branded Transformation Documentaries

McCarthy

2019

Communication & Sport

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This article analyses a set of branded promotional documentaries from the CrossFit YouTube channel, which depict new participants as they transition into a CrossFit lifestyle. These documentaries share narrative elements of reality makeover television’s hybrid entertainment/educational format, deploying popular tropes of reinvention and personal empowerment through guided consumption. In focusing largely on participants dealing with chronic health issues, the documentaries reproduce dominant neoliberal ideologies about personal responsibility for health through fitness and construct CrossFit as a socially engaged brand with an inclusive fitness mission. These documentaries may also mitigate dominant, intimidating media images of high-performing CrossFit competitors who embody the brand image, as well as CrossFit’s reputation as an extreme fitness practice. This article takes Dawson’s (2017) position that CrossFit is a contemporary reinventive institution, which makes omnivorous demands of its adherents’ lives in exchange for personal transformation. In these documentaries, participants’ successful transition into exemplary CrossFit membership hinges not only on capitulation to these demands but recognition of them as desirable steps toward self-making and health. Reinvention is depicted as willing conformity to CrossFit values and behaviours, rather than simply the achievement of physical fitness, and those who successfully transform are constructed as aspirational embodiments of the brand.

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