Greg Glassman and Lauren Jenai founded CrossFit, Inc. in 2000. The company was conceived a few years earlier, in 1996, as Cross-Fit. The original CrossFit gym is in Santa Cruz, and the first affiliated gym was CrossFit North in Seattle, Washinton; there were 13 by 2005, and today there are more than 13,000. Coaches associated with CrossFit include Louie Simmons, John Welbourn, Bob Harper, and Mike Burgener.
Glassman obtained complete control over the company after a divorce with Lauren. Upon the divorce settlement, Lauren attempted to sell her share in the company to an outside party, but Glassman obtained a $16 million loan from Summit Partners to buy it.
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CrossFit promotes as both a philosophy and also as a competitive fitness sport, CrossFit workouts incorporate elements from High-intensity Interval Training, Olympic Weightlifting, Plyometrics, Powerlifting, Gymnastics, Girevoy Sport, Calisthenics(body weight exercises), Strongman and other exercises. It is practiced by members of over 13,000 affiliated gyms, roughly half of which are located in the United States, and by individuals who complete daily workouts (otherwise known as "WODs" or "workouts of the day").CrossFit has come into some controversy for allegedly causing people to suffer from unnecessary injuries and Exertional Rhabdomyolysis, a condition in which muscle tissues die.