CrossFit South Brooklyn — Local services in New York

Women, please read before joining!

I have been a member at this gym for 6.5 years, and even encouraged my mother to join. At $250+/month, that’s $20k+. A male coach in his 40s/50s started engaging in inappropriate and uncomfortable interactions when I was 26. During this time, I volunteered at a high school, where I was often mistaken for someone much younger. He made repeated, unwelcome advances, followed me around the gym, and when I showed no interest, he started bullying me—initially subtle, but escalating over time. Several other staff members seemed to support his actions, and even encouraged his behavior.

He involved other coaches and women in the gym, fostering an environment where I was isolated and treated poorly for not reciprocating his attention. I observed other women, ages 25-32, experience similar actions over the years—most of them quietly left the gym. I saw him follow a woman out of the gym, acting inappropriately, as well as staring at female clients in a way that made them visibly uncomfortable. He also looked at me in a way that made me feel deeply disrespected. After getting involved with various female members and coaches, those women became hostile and aggressive toward me. One of them physically confronted me with a shoulder check.

I made a formal, written report to the owner, documenting his actions over the past 3 years. I even witnessed the owner observing the coach's behavior and issuing a mild warning. Despite this, no meaningful actions were taken.

After raising my concerns, I faced retaliation, passive-aggressive behavior from staff, and attempts to discredit my experience. The owner wrote to me, saying, "As you requested previously, I did not speak with [the male coach or another female coach] about what you said, and given the lack of clear evidence, I felt it was appropriate to respect that boundary." This response seems to dismiss the fact that such behavior often lacks visible evidence, as it is usually covert or private in nature.

Long story short: The owner continues to support someone engaging in inappropriate and predatory conduct over a long-term, loyal member. The gym culture allows staff to intimidate and treat clients poorly. This isn’t about drama—this is about the owner's choice to turn a blind eye to bullying and harassment while neglecting the safety of female members. If you are a woman under 35, be prepared to either accept unwanted attention from this older male coach or face mistreatment and eventually being driven...

Since my very first time at CrossFit South Brooklyn — back in June 2014, I've been grateful to find this place. The experience as a whole and the small details that make this place one of the greatest gyms in the world.

My first classes were with Mr. and Mrs. Fox and David Osorio. The question of the day, the order, the great programming, the neat execution of the class are some of the aspects I really enjoyed. However it falls short next to the location, culture and community that CFSBK has.

It has been developed for years. They have answers for pretty much everything. I remember one morning I was lifting next to one of the coaches — super nice dude – and I mentioned I enjoy a good craft beer and he pointed me to a place in the neighbourhood, so yeah, they have answers for everything.

The Skull [Jolly Roger], Yoda, the 2013 Open memorabilia and all the flags. Everyone is welcome at CFSBK. I met some great New Yorkers while training there every chance I’ve had while traveling. From photographers to chefs. The most awesome part is — the staff remains [almost] the same, and onm every trip i’ve seen David there.

CFSBK is and will always be one of my favourite spots to train, they inspired me to open my own box.

If you like to train, if you like great culture, a good time and nice people, this is your place. Regardless of your level. You can be starting your lifting / Crossfit era, or you can be elite athlete, this is a place where we all can thrive and i believe that's actually what they strive for. For you to thrive regardless of your level.

Go, fall in love, train hard, make friends, buy merch and then tell the story. Come back as much as you like, their doors are always open. Literally — they hardly ever close.

To the front desk lady back in 2014 that waited for me to get ready after a quick sesh because I was coming from a redeye flight and on my way to Vermont for an ultra-marathon: Thank you! You were the nicest — even took my picture outside the box. This memory sits on top of all the others at CFSBK.

Hope I get to come back...

I've been going to CFSBK for over a year.

It's really really safe. The trainers and environment is awesome. People rarely get hurt. In my experience, people get injured more often at bigger gyms just doing crazy things on their own. When you sign up you'll go through a series of introduction/fundamental classes and then join the group classes after.

Everyone isn't insanely fit/ripped. Some are but a lot are working hard to get there, but everyone is very respectful of each other. In fact, the community aspect of CFSBK is what makes working out and eating a little cleaner fun.

The trainers are awesome because they are smart and really care about each member.

It's not expensive. I have heard a lot of people tell me that going to a CrossFit gym is expensive but they are comparing it against a globo gym membership they never use. It's like saying a $5 dollar plate of empty food is cheaper than a $15 meal that's delicious.

You will most likely be in the best shape of your life if you show up 3-5 times a week for 3 months and make the nutrition changes the trainers recommend. All you have to do is show up, everything else is taken care of. You'll get a great warm up that leads into solid strength and conditioning/

You're going to have fun and make some...