Programming: In-House or Outsource?

Affiliate owners sound off on the best way to program a CrossFit affiliate.

Raul Alonso Valenzuela is passionate about coaching, but he’s even more passionate about designing workout plans for his athletes.

“Programming is one of the most satisfying parts of my job,” said Valenzuela, owner of CrossFit Down Under in Adelaide, Australia.

He isn’t alone: Thousands of affiliate owners share Valenzuela’s love for designing and implementing workouts and fitness plans for their athletes. But for every Valenzuela, there’s also a Jan Clingston. The owner of CrossFit Kungsbacka in Sweden bowed out of doing his affiliate’s programming when he started outsourcing the task in October 2015, and he’s very satisfied with his choice.

Some affiliate owners vow they’ll always program for their gyms, while others are happy to give the role to a staff person, use the high-quality free programming on CrossFit.com and other websites, or pay an outside vendor to program. We talk to members of both camps to find out why they do what they do.