The words "box", "power clean" or "snatch" resonate more and more among sports lovers in Lanzarote, since for several years CrossFit has strongly taken root in Lanzarote. A space for disconnection for many, it is also a place to test physical limits.
CrossFit has always been associated with military training and police forces, but today anyone can do it, regardless of age or physical condition, since all WODs (workout of the day) are adaptable. This training technique combines strength and physical conditioning with exercises from different disciplines, such as weightlifting, metabolic activities and gymnastics, among others.
On the island of Lanzarote, in just three years, the number of "boxes" that have opened on the island has grown exponentially due to high demand, so centers like CrossFit Lanzarote and Mad Barbells are looking for ways to stay afloat in such a crowded market.
Carmen and Omar, two stories of entrepreneurship
Carmen opened her first box, CrossFit Lanzarote, of 60 square meters in 2012, together with her partner Oliver, a time when this sport was still far from being popular.
"At first nobody knew what CrossFit was, not even us," confesses Carmen Vicente, founder of CrossFit Lanzarote. After training in Italy and bringing her knowledge to the island, Carmen began teaching this sport, although she never thought it would be such a success.
After competing in the European Regionals of the CrossFit Games in 2013, Carmen became the first Spanish woman to participate in this competition, encouraging her to continue promoting this practice. "I wanted people to know what CrossFit was, not to be carried away by what they saw on the internet or TV, it's much more than throwing tires in a garage," she adds.
"However, in terms of infrastructure, we had a place that did not meet the conditions to practice it, so in 2017 we opened the new box in Argana, a 1,000 square meter warehouse," she explains. "Right now it is the largest box on the island, we have an average of about 280 monthly subscribers."
In addition, since 2015 Carmen has also owned CrossFit Canarias, the first box in Spain, located in Gran Canaria. "It was opened by an American and he transferred it to us seven years ago, so I'm always going from one place to another teaching," explains the crossfitter.
On the other side of the spectrum is Mad Barbells CrossFit, a smaller and completely new box that opened its doors last October.
"I couldn't conceive of working for someone else my whole life or not taking the opportunity to live from what I'm passionate about, which in this case is sports," explains Omar González, founder of Mad Barbells. The young man was already immersed in the world of teaching for years, as he worked as a coach in another box, but after seeing the possibility of opening his own, he didn't think twice.
"It's true that it wasn't an easy task, due to the difficulty in finding an optimal location, the lack of help and the fear of entering a market with so much competition."
After a somewhat slow start, in 2022 they have managed to reach 80 monthly users, who pay fees ranging from 40 euros for two days of class, to 60 euros for unlimited access. "We have noticed a good increase that is remaining more or less stable."
How much does it cost to open and maintain a box
With the rise of this sport, many people wonder if starting a business in this world is something relatively economical, but the reality is that it not only involves a high initial investment, but also the annual maintenance costs are far from being cheap.
In addition, it is important to mention that it is not the same to open a small box like Mad Barbells than one like CrossFit Lanzarote, with a 1,000 square meter warehouse.
"If you set up a business under regulations, that is, with all the permits in order, you spend at least 80,000 euros, although in our case the figure amounted to approximately 100,000 euros," explains the founder of CrossFit Lanzarote. "Just in the more than 20 cardio machines that we have, we already spend almost 20,000 euros, in the floor about 20,000 and in conditioning the lights another 9,000 euros."
To these expenses we must add the cost of the warehouse renovations, which include putting a fireproof ceiling, painting, making emergency exits, putting a grass area, among others.
"People think that it's just putting the material in and that's it, but there are many things that add up to a lot of money and if you add the constant rise in the price of electricity, even more," adds Carmen. "We still haven't finished paying the loan we asked for this warehouse, although we have managed to reach profitability."
However, if it is a smaller business, as is the case of Mad Barbells, the costs are reduced by half. "In my case, opening the box cost me about 50,000 euros," says Omar. "The biggest expense is the rent of the warehouse, which takes half of our income, at least today."
Its founder plans to reach profitability in "a year and a half more or less", although he points out that "it may vary depending on many factors".
Another issue that is added is the renewal of materials, since these end up breaking from constant daily use. "Every year we spend between 10,000 and 20,000 euros just on renewing material, since they break easily, especially the discs," says Carmen.
High competition drives the sport
In recent years, the number of boxes that perform crosstraining workouts on the island has increased, so it would be reasonable to think that staying afloat has become a complicated task. However, the coaches insist that competition is a positive thing.
"We maintain the same number of users as before the pandemic and boxes have continued to open," says the owner of CrossFit Lanzarote. "There is room for everyone on this island and I think that the more centers there are, the more people are encouraged to practice CrossFit."
Carmen believes that users continue to come to her box because of her long experience in the sector, as well as her great infrastructure, but also because of the treatment they receive. "I try to make everyone who comes feel like it's their home, that people don't just come to train, but come to socialize," she adds.
For his part, the founder of Mad Barbells believes that the key is to differentiate yourself from the rest, so he focuses on offering a more personalized service, with reduced classes of less than 10 people.
"This boom in boxes is a constant challenge, but I think we have a very marked unique style in terms of our service," says Omar. "We seek to demonstrate that less is better, we prioritize quality over quantity, so each user has unique feedback so that they never stop growing."
Boxes no longer only offer CrossFit
With the increase in competition, many boxes have chosen to differentiate themselves from the rest by offering a more varied range of exercises and services. From training in the pool, to preparation for competitions and even physiotherapy sessions.
"It's not just CrossFit anymore, we also offer functional training, weightlifting classes, GAP, surfing preparation, exercises for the elderly and we even prepare competitions for the police," explains the owner of CrossFit Lanzarote.
"The boxes are adapting to the needs of the public, so we have decided to expand the range," she adds.
To pay or not to pay the CrossFit brand, that is the question
However, being part of the CrossFit community has a price, specifically, the boxes have to pay between 3,100 and 3,200 euros per year if they want to add the word "CrossFit" to the name of the establishment.
"The profitability that it gives you economically speaking is simply the name and being part of a community at an international level," explains Carmen.
Omar also decided to pay for the brand for visibility reasons. "It seemed like a smart move to me, especially when starting out, since it gives us visibility to the rest of the world, the brand moves a lot of people," he adds.
Future plans
For its part, CrossFit Lanzarote hopes to celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2022, as well as focus on new projects.
"We have new projects in hand that are on the path of growth, we want to expand a little, although I can't say anything else yet," says Carmen.
Meanwhile, Mad Barbells is committed to focusing on creating a solid working group, and does not rule out holding an event on the island.
"80% of our users have discovered CrossFit with us, so more than focusing on competition events we seek to create activities that help them reach an optimal level for the future," explains Omar. "However, we may do some event, but already for the following year."
A fad with an expiration date?
Many catalog this practice as a fad and, like all trends, they tend to "go out of style" over the years. However, Carmen and Omar remain optimistic and believe that there is still a lot of CrossFit for a while.
"I think the CrossFit fad can evolve, but not pass, because it is being discovered now, it is a new sport and it has so many branches that the possibilities are endless," says the founder of CrossFit Lanzarote.
Omar agrees that the format will be transformed, although the "boom will not last forever". "This practice will become normalized and I think we are already starting to see it, it is neither bad nor good, it is just the next step."
"At first all the boxes worked on the island due to the user's ignorance, but every day this becomes more demanding, so the boxes that know how to offer an optimal service and that meet the quality demands that arise will end up standing out," adds the founder of Mad Barbells CrossFit.
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