CrossFit Pearl District

I have been going to CrosFit PD for close to two years. Even after moving out of the pearl district I continue to go to the gym because of the sense of community and support I find there. Being someone who is not the most athletic or flexible I find that I am always getting coached on appropriate technique to prevent injury and to improve. There are also always appropriate scaling options offered based on my skill level. And the best part of the gym is all the dogs that come in with their owners. Very happy I found crossfit and cfpd.

I've been going to this gym for five years for a reason. The owner and head coach, Jeff, has created a really positive and inclusive culture. The space itself is huge, clean, and filled with light. The workouts are well thought-out, and there's absolutely zero judgement when you need to scale down to fit your needs. I've formed some really great friendships with other members over the years, and Jeff really goes out of his way to make it feel like a community (the Christmas party itself makes it worth getting the annual membership!). As a side note, I'd like to add that as a member of the LGBTQ community, I've never felt more welcomed at any other gym than I am at Crossfit Pearl.

I did not get the sense of community here as I do at most Crossfit gyms. I came in for the 6:30 class early and I noticed most of the 5:30 class athletes were leaving before other athletes had finished the WOD. The same happened during my class. Although we did staggered starts, some people were still working and nobody seemed to cheer them on, but instead left. I appreciate that the coach offered me feedback- that I wasn't sitting low enough on my wallballs. I also noticed, however, that during the strength portion he called out an individual who was not breaking parallel on their squats (does not cause injury), but I was surprised that he did not offer critique to other individuals on their functional form (does cause injury). E.g. the guy with the narrow stance that was driving his knees in instead of out. I don't believe the coach noticed because he seemed to be more focused on his dog. The gym itself did not have a water fountain, and when I asked where the water fountain was the coach/ owner seemed annoyed by the question. You can fill up a water bottle in the sink, but the gym also does not sell water bottles or cold beverages like most other Crossfit gyms do. After I noticed every single cubby hole was occupied by water bottles and olypmic shoes, leaving no where to put my stuff except for on top of a bench, I was surprised to find that the gym does not have an olympic platform. It looks like members leave their stuff in the cubby holes.