Nestled in the bustling Union Square intersection of Manhattan is CrossFit Union Square. The gym has a history of producing competitive athletes in the city, and next month, it’s sending a staggering six teams to TYR Wodapalooza in Miami.
- The gym, known as “CFUS,” opened in 2014 and has since gone through several iterations and owners.
Daniel Lynne and Ross Twanmoh, both coaches, came on as owners in 2021 alongside Quinn MacNulty. Like many, the gym closed during COVID-19 and re-opened in September 2020.
- “We tried to hit the ground running with what limited membership base was left and then also kind of mold the gym, take the best aspects of the previous iterations and kind of intertwine them with some of the things that we thought were very important,” Lynne tells Morning Chalk Up in an interview.
- Disclosure: The author of this piece is a coach at CFUS and is one of the athletes competing at TYR Wodapalooza.
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The Story of Crossfit Union Square
The gym relocated out of the Union Square area for three years but is back in its original home at the west corner of Union Square in a basement space of 4,500 square feet and 11-foot ceilings.
However, parameters such as those have not slowed down athletes in any sense.
The gym’s membership ranges from 375 to 425 at one time, and it has become known for its competitive nature and programming.
Jay Adams is the head coach and head of programming at CFUS. He is also a coach for The Training Plan and was on a CrossFit Games team in 2023.
- “My general approach to programming in a group setting is to try to make things as robust as possible so every athlete has the opportunity for regular exposure to things I consider to be part of a fitness MVP,” Adams told Morning Chalk Up in an interview.
What this looks like on paper is a general structure to the training schedule so athletes can progressively overload but have flexibility in the prescriptions to accommodate all athlete abilities.
Adams also acknowledges that CFUS has a very unique community where the average athlete is not the average athlete.
- “I like the idea of tough workouts being written with the best athletes in mind, so at CFUS, this means some very hard workouts,” Adams said. “The community pushes each other to progress, and I think it’s safe to say what results is one of the fittest gyms in the world.”
CFUS at 2025 TYR Wodapalooza Miami Beach
TYR Wodapalooza has become one of the pinnacle events for athletes, and the first stage is a tough set of qualifier workouts with a competitive field of athletes.
The divisions for 2025 include individual athletes and same-sex teams of three men or three women.
Six CrossFit Union Square teams did the qualifier workouts, and all of them qualified. It’s an impressive feat for such a competitive event.
- “Jay [Adams] has been around since the gym’s inception and has had a heavy hand in the programming, which has kind of formed its own identity,” Lynne said. “We owe a lot of what I’d say is the backbone of the competitiveness to him and his programming.”
Adams also works with several individual CFUS athletes who want to train for sport versus general fitness.
- “Each athlete at CFUS is different in what they need to focus on, but all get to train together and progress and build as athletes together,” Adams said.
CFUS has worked hard to become a place where athletes want to come and want to train each and every day.
While the average New Yorker is typically a very motivated professional and may be drawn to a CrossFit gym, it takes a lot to build a culture where those types of individuals want to keep coming back.
- “We have for a long time been able to refine, cultivate the atmosphere and the culture that we feel is emblematic of that New York City vibe, and make sure that’s something that we stand on,” Lynne said.
Lynne also adds that many of the athletes who qualified for TYR Wodapalooza attend class workouts, and some even do extra work outside of classes to address weaknesses.
- “We’ve been able to make our classes extremely efficient in terms of getting the most while still not programming too much and making people too tired, too fatigued,” he said.
The Bottom Line
While the more seasoned athletes are important to the gym, CrossFit Union Square is a place for all levels of fitness, from beginner to elite. Lynne expects the seasoned athletes to take the initiative and help new members feel comfortable.
- “We love bringing people in, and honestly, what gives us the most joy is taking someone from a position of learning the basics to a place where they feel competent enough to compete either recreationally or more seriously,” Lynne added.
One last thing: TYR Wodapalooza starts on January 23, 2025, in its new location in Miami Beach. Tickets are available for those wanting to watch athletes throw down under the sun and neon lights.
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Featured image: Emeric Harney, @emericharney / Instagram
