CrossFit in Prince Albert, Melfort, and other cities appears to be growing in the wake of pandemic restrictions. (Submitted Photo/Whitney Kapacila)

By Rob Mahon

CrossFit Growing

Northern Saskatchewan CrossFit gyms seeing post-pandemic growth

Apr 21, 2023 | 4:00 PM

As pandemic restrictions lifted, a lot of people went back into gyms to try to get back into fitness routines. One particular type of workout has been growing in popularity ever since.

Whether because of the social aspect of the workouts or a desire to switch it up, CrossFit gyms are seeing more and more people turn to them for fitness.

“We did have a lot of members kind of take a little bit of a break during the pandemic, or people that took one even before the pandemic hit,” said Christina Schmalz, gym manager at Pure Athletics and X-Factory in Prince Albert. “We had a lot of people coming back to the gym, and I would say more so for the social and mental release as opposed to maybe even the physical.”

In Melfort, the same growth appears to have taken place. As gyms reopened in summer of 2020 and the restrictions on them slowly lifted over the next year, more and more people were drawn to CrossFit.

“It’s grown immensely since we reopened from COVID,” said Linda Madraga, owner of SpaFit by Linda in Melfort. “It’s very nice to see and I hope to keep growing it.”

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Because CrossFit workouts are often class or group based, there’s more of a social element to them than with a lot of other workouts. This may have been what drew more people back to them once pandemic restrictions began to lift.

“There’s a lot of time in our classes to actually be social with the people that are around you,” said Schmalz. “You get to hang out and be around people you wouldn’t generally maybe spend time with outside of the gym.”

“It’s not really a competition against one another, you work more together in it,” said Madraga. “It’s a personal best competition versus a competition within each other. I think they really like the aspect of what the sport is and it brings them together more.”

That element has been a draw of CrossFit workouts in the past, but Schmalz felt it was more pronounced once the pandemic began to wrap up. With people getting busier and even working more than one job in some cases, the gym became some of the only social time they had.

“That social aspect, a lot of people have cut that out of their live because they spend more time with their families or driving kids to and from activities,” Schmalz said. “So when they come to the gym, it’s time to socialize as well as also work out.”

“There’s such a close-knit group of people that join,” said Madraga. “They might not know one another walking in, but by the time they walk out after a few sessions, they’re like family. It’s a very close-knit sport.”

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP