Crunch Gyms Lean Into Hybrid Competitions

Major franchisee CR Fitness Holdings is launching another competitive challenge, encouraging teamwork and engagement amid growing demand for social fitness

Social fitness is proving to be one of the most effective strategies to boost engagement, cultivating in-person experiences that attach positive memories to certain brands. For Crunch, it’s all about tapping into people’s competitive spirit, as the gym operator unveils another challenge to push people’s limits.

CR Fitness Holdings, one of the brand’s biggest and fastest-growing franchisees, is tapping into high-intensity cardio in its latest group fitness competition, “Battle HIIT Out.”

The team-based challenge focuses on strength, endurance and collaboration, with most participating clubs hosting the event on April 25, and the rest on May 9.

Teams of four will tackle a combo of workout stations and intense cardio intervals, with the objective of completing the course in the fastest time.

“At Crunch Fitness, we’re always looking for innovative ways to bring our community together through fitness,” said CR Fitness CEO Tony Scrimale. “Battle HIIT Out is more than just a workout; it’s a chance for members to push themselves, build camaraderie, and experience the energy that makes Crunch unique — all in a team environment.”

The challenge builds upon CR Fitness’s latest endeavor into the fitness competition world, recently unveiling the Conquer Challenge, which invites participants across all 95 CR Fitness-owned gyms to “Conquer their Limits” for the chance to win $17,000 in cash prizes.

Winners of the Battle HIIT Out challenge will earn free entry into the Conquer Challenge competition in June, in addition to limited-edition shirts. All participants will receive medals as well.

The franchisee’s move is just the latest in an ongoing boom of hybrid fitness competitions, which have attracted brands including F45 Training and Fitstop.