“I knew ladies that wouldn’t go to other CrossFit gyms because they were intimidated, because the guys were too big or they were self-conscious about their bodies. But the real problem was they wouldn't go anywhere else or train anywhere else, so I thought, ‘I don't care what people will say about me. I’m doing this for them.’”
CrossFit Foxes caused controversy last year when it became the first women-only affiliate in Australia.
Emma Teede, founder and head trainer of the Brisbane box, says it’s not about being sexist, but about giving women the chance to learn the sport without being overwhelmingly daunted.
“I knew ladies that wouldn’t go to other CrossFit gyms because they were intimidated, because the guys were too big or they were self-conscious about their bodies,” she says. “But the real problem was they wouldn't go anywhere else or train anywhere else, so I thought, ‘I don't care what people will say about me. I’m doing this for them.’”
Teede’s idea was to create a gym where women could learn CrossFit in a comfortable environment, without feeling shy, self-conscious or intimidated by the opposite sex. She says she’s confident she’s achieved that.
“When girls get together, they usually open up more and talk more about female things they wouldn't talk about in male company. We have a great bunch of girls and we have a great bond between us all,” Teede says of her membership, which ranges in age from 7 to 74.
“Train women and you’ll get them doing crazy things, they’ll be best friends on Facebook and start buying gifts for each other on birthdays, and all that sort of stuff.”
It’s not unusual, for example, for there to be chalk drawings in many places, Teede notes.
When it comes to discussing functional fitness at CrossFit Foxes, it’s common to hear references to pushing strollers, carrying babies and toting shopping bags, Teede says. And birthday workouts are a staple — one even Teede’s husband couldn’t escape.
“They dressed him in pink and made him a fairy,” she says.
In many ways, CrossFit Foxes is a typical box. Members try new things and celebrate PRs. On the other hand, “we gossip in stretches … and focus more on the fun” than competing, Teede notes.
Silliness aside, coaching women has always been a passion for her, she adds.
“I grew up doing women self-defense (courses) and nothing inspired me more than training women,” the wife and mother of two says. “Men are hunters — you give them something (to do) and they will do it. Whereas, women are more mentally challenging (to coach).”
CrossFit Foxes offers an environment where women can learn in their own way, Teede argues.
"The natural instinct of women (is to) learn together as a group,” she says. “As a gatherer, we share and support each other in an environment that is not threatening.”
Teede adds: “What might (members) be missing out on? Being around the opposite: the killer instinct of the hunting man."
CrossFit Foxes operates out of the Fernwood Fitness center — in the Queensland suburb of Darra — which also is for women only.
“When it first started, people were a bit scared of us and called us the ‘psycho group,’” Teede says. “People would come in and do their stretches and run on the treadmills, and they’d see us doing handstand push-ups and deadlifts and pull-ups and all kinds of crazy CrossFit stuff.”
Although things run smoothly now, that wasn’t always the case for CrossFit Foxes.
Shortly after Teede opened her box, she began receiving sharp criticism from other affiliate owners in Australia.
“They had this thought that I was doing it all wrong and I shouldn’t be focusing on females and I should open it up to men,” Teede says.
“Now people have realized we are not here just to make money, we are here to actually teach people the sport of CrossFit and all we want to do is improve ourselves. I’ve had people come up to me and shake my hand and say, ‘Good on you. I can see what you are doing and I think you are doing a great job.’”
During the first few months, most of her members were interested in weight loss and simply getting fitter, Teede says. That’s changed.
"The next lot of ladies coming through … want more results and challenges," she says.
And she’s seeing members who, after several months, now have the confidence to step foot in traditional, co-ed affiliates.
"They enter mixed (competitions and) train at other boxes when they are on holidays or if they move," she says.
Still, despite requests to allow men, CrossFit Foxes intends to remain female only for the foreseeable future, Teede says.
“A few of the girls’ husbands want to start working out with us,” she says, adding with a chuckle, “but I reckon they wouldn’t be strong enough and the husbands would just be embarrassed, so I won’t allow that.”
