Amazing True Story Of Cookeville, CrossFit’s Training Mecca

A small US town is now the most important place in the world for CrossFit

Tommy Messano
By
Tommy Messano
Writer with bylines at @cagesideseats @sherdogdotcom & @MiddleEasy
3 Min Read
Cookeville Crossfit Training Mecca
Source: instagram.com/haleyadamssss

Only in CrossFit could this story happen. Cookeville, Tennessee is a very CrossFit story. 

In other words, one of the best things about CrossFit is the community. Similarly, it makes that the sport’s most talented town has a population of only 30,000 people.

CNN Sports with the story about CrossFit’s biggest little city.

“The reason for this mass migration to Cookeville, is Rich Froning. The 32-year-old Cookeville native dominated the sport from 2011 to 2014 — winning four straight individual CrossFit Games titles. Before making the switch to the team format, and subsequently going on to dominate that too.

Get Fitter, Faster

Level Up Your Fitness: Join our 💪 strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!

Froning opened his gym — CrossFit Mayhem — in 2009, primarily for himself to train in, but soon the best in the world flocked to work out alongside him.

CrossFit stars such as Josh Bridges (fourth at the 2014 CrossFit Games), Dan Bailey (fourth at the 2015 Games), and Sara Sigmundsdottir (third at the 2016 and 2017 Games) have all made Cookeville their home at various times.”

The Cookeville saga continues.

“Froning’s team, CrossFit Mayhem Freedom who have won four of the last five CrossFit Games, also trains in Cookeville, as well as aspiring individual competitors such as Haley Adams — her sixth placed finish at the 2019 Games earned her the “Rookie of the Year” award — creating a unique competitive training environment.

Get Fitter, Faster

Level Up Your Fitness: Join our 💪 strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!

“It’s just a constant competition in here,” Froning told CNN Sport ahead of his eighth CrossFit Games title (four individual and four team) earlier in 2019.

“When we push ourselves and we push each other, it just kind of elevates the whole group. And so it’s been fun to get those like-minded individuals together and to really push and see what we’re made of. It’s fun.”

What’s next for the CrossFit training world headquarters? Probably more titles. Also, more championships. Finally, more podiums occupied by CrossFit athletes with Cookeville connections.

Want more? Check out WATCH: Stefanie Cohen Interviews CrossFit Champion Mat Fraser here. Or read about Rich Froning Officially Announces Scott Panchik Addition To Team Mayhem here.

Stay on top of the latest fitness news and updates by adding Fitness Volt to your Google News feed: Follow us on Google News You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for even more content.

If you have any questions or need further clarification about this news, please leave a comment below, and Tommy will get back to you as soon as possible.

Stay Updated with FitnessVolt Get the latest fitness news, workouts & nutrition tips delivered to your feed
Follow on Google News
Share This Article
Writer with bylines at @cagesideseats @sherdogdotcom & @MiddleEasy
Leave a Comment