“There’s No Going Back. Things are Only Moving Forward.” – James Hobart on the Future of CrossFit (EP. 025)
The CrossFit Podcast
CrossFit LLC
4.3 • 757 Ratings
🗓️ 29 July 2025
⏱️ 78 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
James Hobart has been part of CrossFit since the early days. He’s competed at the Games, demoed for CrossFit’s movement videos, worked on Seminar Staff, and spent nearly two decades watching the culture evolve. In this episode, he sits down with Denise Thomas to talk candidly about the state of CrossFit — and whether it’s lost its soul.
From what it felt like to walk away from competition, to the mindset shift required to keep training into middle age, James opens up about what keeps him coming back to the gym and why he still believes in the methodology. They discuss the difference between nostalgia and stagnation, why CrossFit’s messiness is part of the magic, and what it really means to “teach yourself out of a job.
TOPICS COVERED
- Has CrossFit lost its soul?
- The evolution of CrossFit.com and community norms
- Competing as a masters athlete
- The shift from performance to purpose
- Letting go of dogma and embracing change
- Making peace with “CrossFit Grumpy”
- Why small goals matter more than big ones
RESOURCES MENTIONED
- James Hobart’s podcast: Podcast of the Day
- CrossFit Mafia in Erie, Colorado
- CrossFit.com
- Ruck Race League
COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT
Mark and Dana Harris are the founders of Equip Products — a company based in rural Illinois that’s making CrossFit more accessible for adaptive and neuro athletes around the world.
It started with a conversation at the CrossFit Games. Kevin Ogar mentioned the need for better gear to train from his wheelchair, and that led to their first product: the lap mat.
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Today, Equip offers nearly 150 tools that help athletes train safely and independently, regardless of ability.
For Mark and Dana, this isn’t just business — it’s a way to make sure no one hears, “That’s it. You’re done.” Their message is simple: You’re not done. You’re just getting started.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I'm a little more weathered than the cutie in those demo videos. |
| 0:04.0 | I believe that you have one of the most unique perspectives on CrossFit. |
| 0:10.0 | CrossFit is, you know, meant to be empirical. |
| 0:12.0 | If what we are doing in terms of our nutrition regime, our exercise regime, |
| 0:17.0 | if all those other things that we're doing are not leading to this outcome, you know, |
| 0:20.0 | fitness and then long-term health, well, then we should tweak things. |
| 0:24.3 | There's no one coming to save you, but there are lots of people that will do with you. |
| 0:32.2 | Hey, everybody, Denise here from the CrossFit podcast. Now, here's the deal when we're not doing podcasts for CrossFit. |
| 0:40.1 | This thing back here is my basement. I just got done working out and I was thinking about |
| 0:44.6 | coaching and how I like to be coached and how that coaching feedback makes me better. So we're |
| 0:50.3 | several episodes in now to this thing and now it's time to remind ourselves that this is for you. So we would like for you guys to give us some feedback. Now, as long as it's respectful, we'll take it all, the good, the bad, the ugly, but we want to hear from you. What do you like? What don't you like? What would you like more of? And if you're interested, we're going to grab a couple of people, |
| 1:11.4 | put them in a group and have a conversation about the CrossFit podcast and how we can move |
| 1:16.3 | forward. So we just need a couple of you to reach out to podcasts at crossfit.com. You'll get in touch |
| 1:22.1 | with our team and then we'll talk about this thing. So if you like this podcast and you're |
| 1:26.8 | interested in helping it grow, please reach out. It means a lot to thing. So if you like this podcast and you're interested in helping |
| 1:28.0 | it grow, please reach out. It means a lot to us. We could not do this without you guys. It is for |
| 1:33.2 | you. So let us know what you think. All right, that's all I got. Love you guys. Be good people. |
| 1:37.9 | M-hm-h-h-h-h-h-h. |
| 1:50.6 | Hello everyone. Welcome to the CrossFit podcast. I'm here with James Hobart, who makes the world a healthier and fitter in place. He is a walking, talking, breathing expression of classic |
| 1:56.6 | CrossFit. It oozes from his inside to out. And whether it's competition, coaching, or just |
| 2:03.1 | through education, James isn't afraid to hold back. And in fact, his candid and unfiltered and no BS |
| 2:09.7 | perspective is what makes him so unique and very, very necessary for the future and success of |
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