On Tuesday, nearly two months after former CEO Don Faul resigned, CrossFit announced it had hired Bruce Edwards to lead the company. His first day will be May 4, 2026.

In a post on CrossFit’s website, Edwards said:

• “CrossFit changed my life three decades ago. It helped me get healthier and introduced me to a community that has played an important role in my life. I’m returning to CrossFit because I believe in where we can go next.”

Edwards’ experience in CrossFit dates back to the late 1990s when he was coached by Greg Glassman as he developed the CrossFit methodology. He went on to open CrossFit Aptos in California in 2015, which he co-owned for five years, and served as CrossFit’s COO from 2013 to 2019.

• “I’ve seen this community from every angle, and that perspective will guide how I lead. Together, we have the opportunity to build something even stronger and bring the benefits of CrossFit to more people around the world,” he said in the post.

It’s worth noting that during his tenure with CrossFit, Edwards was integral to implementing various changes, including staffing adjustments, e-commerce, and other operational improvements aimed at improving the company’s financial health. 

• It was also during this time that CrossFit experienced record growth across various areas, from total affiliate numbers to training and certifications to participation in the CrossFit Open.

After Edwards left CrossFit in 2019, he was hired as the Chief Growth Officer for In-shape Health Clubs, then as the COO and president of barre3, and, most recently, as the CEO of Core Development & Management, one of the largest franchisees in the Planet Fitness network.

In His Own Words

We had a chance to speak with Edwards this morning in an exclusive interview, and he shared his excitement and some of his ideas about his new role as CEO and vision for the brand moving forward.

When asked about stepping into this role now, Edwards said, “I think the world has changed since CrossFit came on the scene 20 plus years ago, and I also think there are things that are foundational that will never change. So it’s marrying the efficacy of what CrossFit (the methodology) is, with where the community is globally right now.”

• “Those are cliches, which I almost worry about saying, but I think that having a super commitment to what the community is fundamentally about is key,” he continued.

Asked about why he wants to take on this leadership position in a fractured and divided fitness community, he said, “My fundamental roots are in CrossFit, and I think that being a part of an affiliate, starting an affiliate with my partner… how could I not want to be a part of this?”

• “I think the enemy is chronic disease, and I think it is so incredibly prevalent in Western civilization, and I think anything that gets people moving and fights chronic disease is worthy. I obviously have a very strong preference for the efficacy of CrossFit, and when you look at how it’s changed fitness and wellness globally, there’s just no debating that,” he said.

On why he’s the right person for this job, Edwards added, “One thing that’s different about me is that I’m bringing both a deep understanding of the CrossFit community with a wider perspective on the broader fitness landscape. I think that diversity of perspective will help us make decisions about where CrossFit stands in the larger fitness ecosystem going forward.”

Remind Me

Edwards will be the fifth person to hold the CEO position at CrossFit since founder Greg Glassman stepped down in 2020.

• Dave Castro was the first until Eric Roza bought CrossFit and became CEO in 2020, a position he held until February 2022. After that, Alison Andreozzi was named interim leader, and Faul joined as CEO in the summer of 2022, serving until his resignation in early March.

The Big Picture

One year ago, CrossFit announced it was seeking new ownership. However, an important point that may have been missed in CrossFit’s CEO announcement today — the brand is no longer for sale.

• “With confidence in Bruce’s leadership and conviction in his vision for the brand and community, CrossFit is no longer seeking new ownership,” the post stated.

It continued, “The Board believes Bruce is uniquely suited to steward the continued growth of this ecosystem – investing in CrossFit’s affiliates, its community, and the continued growth of its methodology – and is excited for this new chapter.”

• We asked Edwards about the path forward: “I’m not gonna sit here and pretend I have all the answers. I don’t yet, but we will. I have a lot to get up to speed on, but I am also very, very clear on the foundational elements that make this modality and this community strong. So I don’t have to learn that.”

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Open Letter to the CrossFit Community from New CEO Bruce Edwards

CrossFit Changed the World. And We’re Not Done

By Bruce Edwards, incoming CEO of CrossFit

Today, I’m honored to step into the role of CrossFit’s CEO. My first official day will be May 4th. This isn’t just a professional milestone for me – it’s a return to something that has always felt like home.

For those who don’t know me, I’ve been part of this community since the very beginning. In the late 1990s, I was among a small group of people being coached by Greg Glassman on what would become the CrossFit methodology. He created the simple but powerful methodology: constantly varied, functional movements performed at high intensity. That was the formula. And it worked. It changed how we trained, and for many of us, how we lived.

For me, CrossFit wasn’t just a program. Like so many people today, I started doing CrossFit when I was struggling with my health – I had bad blood values and was overweight. It reshaped my understanding of health, capability, and community. It made me stronger, more resilient, and connected me to people who pushed me to be better. 

Since those early days, I’ve had the privilege of experiencing CrossFit from nearly every angle. From 2013 to 2019, I served as CrossFit’s COO, helping scale the methodology globally at a time when it was still widely misunderstood. During this time, we worked to expand education, strengthen the brand, and bring CrossFit to a broader audience.

But then I did something that changed how I understood CrossFit even more: I opened my own affiliate. Joined by partners, we launched CrossFit Aptos in our hometown of Aptos, California. For many years with my partners, I programmed workouts. I cleaned the floors. I coached the early morning classes. I managed payroll. And, I learned firsthand what it feels like when you open the door and there’s only one person standing there for class. As an affiliate owner, I learned more about the true impact of CrossFit. 

Since then, I’ve spent the last decade pursuing leadership roles in the broader fitness and wellness space. This experience has taught me how to galvanize a team and gain additional perspective on the state of the fitness industry. One reality? The CrossFit methodology didn’t just inspire the industry, it created it. The work ahead isn’t about catching up. It’s about making sure the world recognizes the original for what it is: not just another option, but the standard everything else gets measured against.

And that’s exactly why I’m back. I am not here to figure out what CrossFit is, but to get to work on what it can continue to be.

My experience as an early adopter, operator, affiliate owner, and peer isn’t just background, it’s the lens through which I’ll lead. I’ve seen this ecosystem from every side, and I believe that perspective matters right now. I’m not here to dwell on the past. I’m here because I think CrossFit’s best chapter is still ahead.

The strength of CrossFit isn’t any single gym or athlete. It’s the thousands of affiliates around the world who prove every day that what we do is important, that it works, and that it works better together. That collective power is what makes the CrossFit brand unmistakable. It’s what draws in partners, opens new markets, attracts new members, and tells the world that this is a movement worth joining. 

I’m coming back because I believe this community is the most capable, most passionate force in fitness. I know who we are, what we’ve built and what it has cost us to build. I can’t think of a better group of people to keep building alongside. 

— Bruce