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How would you like to be able to do that at 60 years old? Meet Greg W., father of CrossFit Northwest Tucson co-owner Jennifer Walker Lawrence.

Many CrossFit affiliate owners pride themselves on not being conventional business owners, and shun words found in traditional business circles: demographics, marketing, targeting, etc. In doing so, are we shorting ourselves of certain skills and opportunities? Or is the secret of our success contained in being what others might consider "non-traditional"?

More advice for affiliates from Robert Bixby, who works out at CrossFit Santa Cruz Central and CrossFit North Santa Cruz . . .

OK, I know you're thinking: "I hate that word. What are demographics anyway?" So most gyms I've been to have a demographic profile and the predominant age groups are the 20's and 30's. Some gyms have strong showings with the 40's, but clearly things taper off after that. CrossFit focuses on elite fitness and gains a lot of prestige and buzz training SpecOps and other military organizations. But I think most people have realized the CrossFit program has legs. In other words, it potentially has much broader appeal. How do you capitalize on these opportunities?

By the way, there are a lot of ideas in this article. Some may work for you and some may not. But if you don't approach the success of your business like you approach your workouts, your business may not be around long term. CrossFit is a work of passion, but the passionate have every right to succeed. A successful gym is filled with satisfied clients who are excited about working out at a successful gym.

You may be thinking, why do I want to appeal to different groups? Because,
1. There are very few people, no matter what their age, who would not benefit from CrossFit.
2. Targeting new groups outside your existing clientele will build your business.
3. Bringing in new groups will expand the attendance in your normal classes and increase your personal sessions, one of the most important revenue sources for the trainers.

What other groups could I work with?
1. Youth
2. Teens
3. Masters
4. Women

How do I find out if there is interest in my community? This is a great question. Don't waste your important time and effort if there is no demand. OK, I'm going to turn you into an Expert market researcher right now. Where does the best small business market research come from? Asking questions. Ask every client, friend, and relative what they think about the idea and who they would talk to. Take notes. Here's an easy, non-confrontational way to talk to a perspective client: "If we were to offer this type of class, would you be interested?" If the response is positive, ask if you can let them know when you schedule the class.

1. Youth. Youth programs can be quite a bit of work to establish and build up. You need to really have a passion for this type of class. For both youth and teens, you need to run background checks on the trainer running classes, even if you're doing them yourself. Many youth sports leagues require this of their coaches and it is always required at schools. Ask your local school who does this check for them. Why do it? Get out ahead of the curve. When you promote the program, let parents know you've done this and that their children are safe in your hands. This is just sound marketing. While you're investigating how this is done at the school/your sports teams/police station, ask what if they know about your program and tell them about the free class on Saturdays.

2. Teens. Teens can really excel in CrossFit. Teen athletes tend to see large improvements in their performance in high school sports and this is a good way to attract them. Talk to some high school coaches about your program and the benefits to their athletes. Offer to run a class for their school, or just for high school students. If you can get a high school coach doing classes, it will help enormously. You should be able to get parents of teens psyched about CrossFit. Run a free class for underprivileged teens. Let the local paper, radio station, or TV station know you are doing it. Wow, that's tacky. Not at all! Are you running the class to benefit the kids? Of course.

3. Masters. I personally think this is an underserved group at CrossFit. There are gyms with some representation from the 50's to 80's, but mostly the numbers are small. The boomers are a huge segment of the overall population and they are all worried about the quality of life they can expect as they age. Health-wise, there is no better assurance of a high quality of life than CrossFit. There is a sentiment among some trainers that people of any age can do regular classes and, to a large extent, this is true. But this one-size-fits-all approach locks out people who are just too intimidated by the program, or people who just have physical limitations. For instance, I played soccer for 25 years as an adult and my knees are never going be perfect. They get plenty tired after lots of squats.

Trainers I've talked to who train Masters age (50 and over) clients really like this group. They are reliable (show up for sessions), do not have as many money issues and do more personal sessions. They do in fact get more small injuries. This week a tweaked ankle, another week a back pain. They don't instantly recover like people in their 20's. But they can add a lot to your gym. At the CrossFit gym I go to, we have classes and personal training aimed at these people as well as many of them who attend regular classes.

Doing a program for any specific group is only worth doing if you do it well. CrossFit style. How do you develop a program for people over 50 and not say it's for old people? The CrossFit MASTERS program. Swimming is a great example. There are Master swim meets all over the world. People travel thousands of miles and pay big money to participate in these. So carefully designing the program before you start is critical. Ask yourself:
a. What age group am I targeting
b. How will I modify the ramp-up program?
c. How will I sort out different peoples ability levels?

4. Women. Classes with men and women are the norm and work well. At the same time, there are women who prefer to work out with other women for a number of reasons, and a significant number feel strongly about it. The point is not really why; the point is, if there is a demand in your area for this you should be fulfilling that need. Ask around (market research). Ask your clients if they have women friends who would come if this was available. Once you've established there is interest, schedule the class and promote it. This is key. Ask the women in the class if they have friends. Put up some fliers at the market. Is there a local women's health clinic? Ask if you can post a flyer.

Okay, I always joke about the toaster. I brought in some friends to a free class and they signed up. I asked the trainer about getting my free toaster. Joke. Tongue in cheek. But seriously, especially right now when every penny counts, what about offering clients a free personal session if they bring a friend to your weekly free workout?

Not every trainer likes working with every group. You're not going to succeed with a particular group if you don't have passion for doing it. You will need to increase the number of trainers in your gym. Encourage your better clients to get certified. See if you can get specialized certifications at your gym--Olympic lifting, Pose running, etc. They don't have to be able to train full time, but if you identify someone who you think can coach, has the skills and interest to work with a particular group, and, most importantly you think you could spend five hours in a car with them (this is the ultimate Bixby Hiring Test) then you have a better chance of success.

Here is another way to promote CrossFit in your area or region: The CrossFit Games and Qualifiers are open. This means the absolutely best athletes will be at the Games and it will be an incredible demonstration of what CrossFit can accomplish. At the same time, it leaves out large numbers of dedicated CrossFitters. Here is an easy and inexpensive way to promote your gym that requires more footwork than money: Regional theme games. Start small, do it in your gym! Invite a group of the closest CrossFit gyms to a regional event. It could be open, Masters division, women only, kids, teens. This could be done several times a year and could move from gym to gym. Promotion is pretty simple. Usually local newspaper or television stations will announce local events like this. Rev up the copier, flyers again!

Another way to create interest and increase revenue is to hold specialized classes. Olympic lifting classes are a good example. Advanced training is required to lead it, but you can charge separately for this class. In other words, if you clients are on monthly programs, the lifting and other specialized classes are charged separately. The Pose running program is an excellent program that is shown to improve runners' performance. One trainer at our gym has run three or four sets of classes lasting a number of weeks and has filled all of them.

Remember, treat your marketing program just as you do your workouts. It requires focus and regular attention. Focus on one or two items to work on and build on them until they are a success.