Chuck Carswell has been part of CrossFit for nearly two decades, making an impact as a coach, mentor, and longtime member of CrossFit’s Seminar Staff. He’s one of the most experienced trainers in the world, having taught thousands of athletes and coaches through the CrossFit Level 1 and Level 2 Certificate Courses.

In this episode, Chuck sits down with Denise Thomas to share his journey — from playing in the NFL to discovering CrossFit and dedicating his career to coaching and education. He reflects on the evolution of CrossFit’s training methodology, the lessons he’s learned from coaching at every level, and his philosophy of “Big Team, Little Me.”

Topics Covered:

Chuck’s early athletic career and time with the Miami Dolphins
His introduction to CrossFit and first experience with the workout Helen
The evolution of CrossFit’s trainer seminars and credentialing 
The impact CrossFit has had on the fitness industry 

Media & Resources Mentioned:

CrossFit Training and Certifications – Learn more about the Level 1 and Level 2 Courses: CrossFit Training
CrossFit Open Registration – Sign up and test your fitness: games.crossfit.com
What Is Fitness? (2002) – The foundational CrossFit Journal article defining CrossFit’s approach to fitness.
Chuck as a Dawg – Watch the play Denise references

Community Spotlight:

This week, we’re highlighting the team at RISE, a platform dedicated to supporting women in the CrossFit community. RISE provides mentorship, resources, and opportunities for female athletes, coaches, and gym owners, helping them thrive in both fitness and leadership roles.
Learn more about RISE and how to get involved at riseathletes.org or follow them on social @rise_athletes_org.

Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here!

In this episode of The CrossFit Podcast, Nicole Carroll sits down with Denise Thomas to reflect on her 20-year journey — from how she discovered CrossFit in 2004 and the lessons she’s learned over two decades, to why she believes CrossFit is more relevant now than ever.

Topics Covered:
Nicole’s fitness journey and introduction to CrossFit
The evolution of her role within CrossFit
The importance of preserving CrossFit’s foundational principles
The relevance of CrossFit today

Resources and Media Mentioned:
CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course
CrossFit for Health Summit – Own Your Health
Nicole’s Jedi Knight Speech
Magic of CrossFit – Content and Resources for Affiliates

Community Highlight:
This week, we recognize Keefa Hawkins of CrossFit Iconz in Lilburn, Georgia, for her work with Next Steps Fitness and Rehabilitation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting disabled veterans. Next Steps provides free CrossFit classes, nutrition guidance, and social support to help veterans rediscover their strength, resilience, and sense of community.

To learn more and support Next Steps, visit vetsteps.org

Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here!

Welcome to the CrossFit Podcast, hosted by CrossFit Seminar Staff veteran Denise Thomas.

Each episode features a conversation with a leader or legend within the CrossFit community sharing their experiences as practitioners of the CrossFit methodology, and first-hand witnesses to the power of CrossFit to create health and change lives in lasting and profound ways.

We’ll also sit down with guests from outside the community whose work in the academic or clinical space adds a valuable perspective to our discussions and collective understanding.

Along the way, we’ll unpack core elements of CrossFit’s identity that set us apart in our industry.

The CrossFit Podcast offers you the opportunity to listen to conversations between subject matter experts, long-standing affiliate owners, coaches and athletes, and pioneers in the charitable space. We’ll cover a variety of topics, including:

Subscribe to gain regular insights from the most thoughtful and experienced voices on health and fitness in the CrossFit community and beyond.

A good coach takes the time to learn about their athletes. While the principles of scaling and movement quality always apply, knowing more about an athlete and their condition can help to develop better coach/athlete relationships, and in turn, better results. Mike Giardina (CF-L4) sat down with Melani Dizon, CF-L1 and Director of Education & Content at the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s, to talk about the disease and provide insight for coaching athletes with Parkinson’s.

Originally published in April 2007, Foundations:

The CrossFit prescription is “constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement.” No aspect of functional movements is more important than their capacity to move large loads over long distances, and to do so quickly.

The methodology that drives CrossFit is entirely empirical. We believe that meaningful statements about safety, efficacy, and efficiency, the three most important and interdependent facets of any fitness program, can be supported only by measurable, observable, repeatable facts; i.e., data. We call this approach “evidence-based fitness.” The CrossFit methodology depends on full disclosure of methods, results, and criticisms, and we’ve employed the Internet (and various intranets) to support these values. Our charter is open source, making co-developers out of participating coaches, athletes, and trainers through a spontaneous and collaborative online community. CrossFit is empirically driven, clinically tested, and community developed.

Listen to the article on the CrossFit Podcast.

Daniel Chaffey, International Director for CrossFit, LLC sits down with Stephane Rochet (CF-L3) to discuss the development and growth of affiliates around the world. Daniel also discusses the roles of CrossFit’s Country Managers in the community and how they support CrossFit Affiliates.

Originally published in April 2002, Foundations is one of those articles that CrossFit coaches should read and reread frequently. In many ways, it’s the original “beginner’s guide” to CrossFit, and the nuggets contained within it will help every CrossFit coach articulate the finer points of our program to any athlete. Listen to the article on the CrossFit Podcast.

Dive into the analytical mind of affiliate owner and coach Rubio Graciano (CF-L2) as he describes the level system he created to develop and motivate well-rounded CrossFitters at his gym.

Overlaid with the sickness, wellness, and fitness continuum, this protocol helps athletes to identify weaknesses, stay focused on what matters, and objectively measure and improve their fitness for a lifetime.

Watch Rubio’s 225-lb Grace.

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