There is nothing new under the sun. And if CrossFit had existed in the 18th century, it might easily have stolen the nickname ‘Methodism’ before the Wesleyans came to own the nomenclature. My claim is perfectly reasonable. Early Methodists encouraged personal piety which included ‘Holiness Clubs’ that engaged in, amongst other activities, the mutual monitoring of thrift and intentionally setting money aside for higher social purposes, developing an ethic and practice of good works, personally abstaining from alcohol, building up local communities and also ensuring that this transparency, integrity and accountability lay at the heart of each group. The Holiness Clubs read and studied the bible together and encouraged one another. They were methodical in their methods. ‘Methodists’ became their nickname. CrossFit is essentially a 21st-century form of Methodism. But CrossFit's concerns are with fitness programmes, personal well-being, target-based goals for individuals to aspire to and achieve and collective mutual support. This being a postmodern and post-ecclesial century, there is no appetite in CrossFit for becoming an adjunct or rival to any denomination or church. CrossFit focuses on the potential of the individual and provides pathways to achieving personal goals. This focus is a distinctly American form of spirituality. It combines physical intensity with patriarchal militarism, places an emphasis on (white) muscular salvation and harbours soft forms of adoration for the heroic vigilante (i.e., heroes and sheroes). The spirituality on offer is an American apotheosis—the fit (mostly male), body is sacralised—and within the context of an individualistic, therapeutically attuned programme delivers what one might expect: a better self. Charles Atlas followers meeting for some bible study, perhaps? Katie Rose Hejtmanek is well qualified to deconstruct the movement. She is professor of Anthropology and Children and Youth Studies at Brooklyn College, City University of New York. She is the author of Friendship, Love, and Hip Hop: An Ethnography of African American Men in Psychiatric Custody and co-editor of Gender and Power in Strength Sports: Strong as Feminist. She is also a world and national champion in masters weightlifting. In the United States, CrossFit has gained significant popularity, leading to the development of a fascinating culture that influences the daily lives of its devoted participants. Like Hillsong, the culture has become all-consuming for the followers. Branding and marketing are key. This emphasis results in a wholly pro-capitalist, success-oriented and growth-focussed spirituality. Thus, CrossFit presents itself as a business, a brand, an intensely challenging fitness regime, a community and a means of achieving personal salvation. There is even a strategy for surviving a potential apocalypse. Katie Rose Hejtmanek's The Cult of CrossFit explores how this exercise programme is influenced by American Christian values and practices, drawing connections between American religious ideologies and secular institutions in contemporary culture. Drawing upon years of immersing herself in CrossFit gyms in the United States and across six continents, this book illustrates how CrossFit operates in the United States. Despite CrossFit presenting itself as a secular space, Hejtmanek argues that CrossFit is both heavily influenced by and deeply intertwined with American Christian values. She makes the case that the Christianity that shapes CrossFit is the Christianity that shapes much of (White) America, usually in ways we do not even notice. Offering a new cross-cultural perspective for understanding a popular workout, Katie Rose Hejtmanek's book provides a window into a particularly American rendition of a Christian plotline, lived out one workout at a time. The Cult of Crossfit is a fascinating and timely book that also offers a masterclass in immersive anthropological studies of Christian groups. I commend it very warmly and without reserve.
Martyn Percy (Fri,) studied this question.