Three years ago, Chad Timm was running a lot and doing P90X.

“I thought I was pretty darn fit,” he says.

Then a friend told him about CrossFit.

“(She) went to a free workout, got her butt kicked, told me in how much pain she was in, so I was like, ‘I gotta try that,’” says Timm, who owns CrossFit Ocean Beach outside San Diego. “I really realized that that broad, general, inclusive definition of fitness was not what I was pursuing.”

It’s a definition Timm frequently talks about with members at his affiliate, where 100 athletes train.

“People come in; not very many of them go out,” he says.

His advice to potential affiliate owners: pay attention.

“If you can build up a strong community and keep your budget in check and you’ve got some decent coaches on hand,” Timm says, “the sky’s the limit.”

Video by Mike Koslap.

6min 47sec

HD file size: 259 MB
SD wmv file size: 88 MB
SD mov file size: 98 MB

Please note: For smoother viewing of HD videos, please download the entire file to your hard drive before watching it (right-click and choose Save Link As...).

Additional reading: My Tribe by Jeremy Striffler, published Feb. 16, 2012.

Three years ago, Chad Timm was running a lot and doing P90X.

“I thought I was pretty darn fit,” he says.

Then a friend told him about CrossFit.

“(She) went to a free workout, got her butt kicked, told me in how much pain she was in, so I was like, ‘I gotta try that,’” says Timm, who owns CrossFit Ocean Beach outside San Diego. “I really realized that that broad, general, inclusive definition of fitness was not what I was pursuing.”

It’s a definition Timm frequently talks about with members at his affiliate, where 100 athletes train.

“People come in; not very many of them go out,” he says.

His advice to potential affiliate owners: pay attention.

“If you can build up a strong community and keep your budget in check and you’ve got some decent coaches on hand,” Timm says, “the sky’s the limit.”

Video by Mike Koslap.

6min 47sec

HD file size: 259 MB
SD wmv file size: 88 MB
SD mov file size: 98 MB

Please note: For smoother viewing of HD videos, please download the entire file to your hard drive before watching it (right-click and choose Save Link As...).

Additional reading: My Tribe by Jeremy Striffler, published Feb. 16, 2012.