What makes a great CrossFit gym?
Not lots of space or top-notch gear (although great CrossFit gyms can have those things, too).
“I believe what it takes to run an effective CrossFit affiliate is a solid handle on the CrossFit methodology, but an even greater passion for wanting to serve other people,” says Mee Lee, owner of CrossFit Makai in Ventura, California, and CrossFit Level 3 Trainer.
For Lee, that passion started at home, as she coached her mother through outdoor workouts designed to help her stay healthy and active in her final years of life.
After Lee’s mother died following her battle with liver and uterine cancer, Lee’s mission was clear.
“I want to open an affiliate and take this newfound reignited passion for CrossFit and bring that to as many people as possible,” Lee says.
Every day, often after a meditative morning mountain hike, Lee opens the back door of a small trailer in a single parking spot and pulls out her stockpile of fitness equipment. There, under the shade of a black pop-up canopy tent, she teaches her clients to move.
“This makes you feel good, makes you ready to get up the next day,” says Inge, one of Lee’s personal-training clients.
On the weekends, Lee hauls kettlebells and PVC pipes to the edge of the ocean behind the Zachari Dunes Hilton, where she coaches an outdoor CrossFit class for hotel guests and CrossFit Makai members — that is, when she’s not on the road as a CrossFit Seminar Staff Trainer, coaching aspiring CrossFit trainers and newcomers alike.
“One of the coolest things about being a CrossFit coach is having the opportunity to take somebody through their first CrossFit workout,” she says.
It’s a life Lee never imagined she’d lead — but one she says she’s blessed to live.
“They’re my community,” Lee says of the athletes she coaches. “They trust me, they believe in me, and I want to do whatever I can to be the best coach and the best friend that I can be.”
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The Simple Life at CrossFit Makai – An Incredible Gym Experience