A look at CrossFit TILT’s success in connecting with community members of all ages.
CrossFit TILT is a thriving affiliate that’s grown from one to four locations—in Waltham, Sudbury, Southborough, and Cambridge, Massachusetts—over the past ten years.
How did they manage such steady, sustainable growth?
Brian Sieber, the general manager of all four CrossFit TILT locations, said one of the keys to their success is a deliberate effort to connect with the community.
“This includes reaching out to fire departments, police departments, and working with different senior centers,” Brian said, adding that they’ve offered free classes to firefighters and police officers in town.
While CrossFit has a long history of connecting with first responders, CrossFit and senior centers might not seem like the most natural combination. However, the CrossFit TILT team has found that reaching out to people of all ages has deepened their ties to the community.
“A big thing for us is connecting in the community to get our name out there and provide value,” Brian said.
The primary way CrossFit TILT has grown over the years is by word of mouth and community outreach. After working with a local parent teacher organization, they had 80 kids come in for four different CrossFit Kids classes throughout the day.
“It was a great success,” Brian said, adding that this type of outreach is all about finding ways to get people in the door, in this case showcasing the kids’ classes they offer—which range from classes for first graders all the way up to eighth graders.
Brian loves the outreach they do with everyone in the community, but he said the classes that have a special place in his heart are for the oldest CrossFit athletes: the seniors.
Two days a week, a group of seniors from the Southborough Senior Center come to CrossFit TILT for a 45-minute class. The seniors are able to work out for free, because the Southboro Senior Center pays for the classes.
“It’s similar to our CrossFit class with the setup of what they're doing, but it's really about getting these people moving for 45 minutes,” Brian said.
At first only about five or 10 people showed up, but pretty soon the word spread. Now they typically get about 40 people in a class, with participants ranging in age from mid sixties to their early eighties.
Attending the classes are a mix of people who are new to fitness and those who are experienced exercisers. Some of the seniors who started off walking with a cane have found that after coming to CrossFit TILT regularly they are able to move more freely, even without the cane.
“It’s really cool to see that happen within the gym setting, especially for the people who have never been exposed to fitness,” Brian said.
The impact on the lives of these seniors has been remarkable. Recently, one of the coaches asked them to write down what the CrossFit classes mean to them.
Many of them mentioned that they appreciate the chance to strengthen their upper body, improve their balance, boost their energy, and increase their mobility and flexibility.
However, a few of them mentioned another important aspect of fitness: how it positively impacts mental health.
“I feel like my mental state has been improving along with my strength,” one of the seniors wrote.
“I love CrossFit,” another one wrote after class, “it will keep me independent.”
About Author, Hilary Achauer