Modern WisdomThe Downfall Of CrossFit & The Future Of Fitness - Will Ahmed
At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
CrossFit’s Collapse, Fitness Trends, and Building a Life That Works
- Will Ahmed, founder of WHOOP, discusses CrossFit’s dramatic fall from grace, arguing that mismanagement, internal dysfunction, and a high-injury, intimidating training model created a vacuum now filled by Hyrox, boutique studios, and social fitness communities.
- He shares WHOOP’s unique data on global fitness and lifestyle trends—from the rise of pickleball and padel to poor global sleep habits, social jet lag, and country-level quirks in alcohol, sex, sauna, and cold plunge use.
- The conversation then turns deeply personal: how being an only child shaped his entrepreneurial mindset, how he separated his own identity from WHOOP’s fate, and how he navigated grief, self-doubt, and the psychological cost of high achievement.
- Ahmed and Williamson explore the difference between knowing what you want and getting it, the limits of “failure porn,” the hidden prices paid by elite performers, and practical routines, mindsets, and tools to pursue ambition without destroying your health or happiness.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasCrossFit squandered a massive first-mover advantage through dysfunction and poor leadership.
Ahmed calls CrossFit the most dysfunctional partner WHOOP has worked with, arguing that internal chaos, PR disasters, and a high-injury, intimidating training style turned a once-evangelical community into a “missed opportunity” and left space for new fitness formats.
Hybrid and community-based fitness formats are thriving by being more accessible and social.
Hyrox, run clubs, F45, Barry’s, Orangetheory, and boutique Pilates thrive not just because CrossFit declined but because they’re lower impact, less intimidating, and solve for loneliness by creating micro-communities around shared activities.
Most people drastically overestimate their sleep; consistency matters more than they realize.
WHOOP data shows only ~22% of users get over seven hours of sleep, and many confuse time-in-bed with time-asleep. Updated metrics now emphasize sleep consistency, efficiency, and stress, with research showing regular bed/wake times often trump raw duration for health and performance.
You must look inward to know what you want, and outward to get it.
Ahmed argues most people think they’re stuck on ‘how to get what they want’ but are actually unclear on ‘what they want’ because they outsource it to others. True clarity comes from introspection (solitude, meditation, paying attention to recurring “fleeting thoughts”) and then extroversion—stating your goals and tolerating rejection.
Separating your self-worth from your company or outcomes is critical for longevity.
Ahmed describes how he once tied his mood entirely to WHOOP’s daily performance, creating a chaotic-founder/chaotic-company loop. Learning to decouple his identity from the business—and to view hard periods as growth opportunities—prevented him from becoming his own company’s bottleneck.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesI’ve never seen anybody fumble the bag so hard in fitness.
— Will Ahmed (on CrossFit)
Most people think they’re stuck on how to get what they want, but they’re actually stuck on what they want.
— Will Ahmed
You wanna be introspective about what you want and then you wanna be extroverted about getting what you want.
— Will Ahmed
If you desire the life but not the lifestyle, you guarantee disappointment.
— Chris Williamson (citing James Clear)
You don’t learn the lesson while it’s happening. It’s either a blessing or a curse that has delayed onset to become a lesson in future.
— Chris Williamson
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