Jeff Giosi and his wife, Sarah, are the owners of CrossFit Morgantown, located in Morgantown, West Virginia. Their mission is using fitness as a catalyst to support their community, not only in Morgantown but North Central West Virginia, and help others recognize their full potential through friendship, love and loyalty.
Giosi is highly regarded as an expert in fitness. He was an athlete at West Virginia University in track and field and has vast experience in division one athletic training.
Giosi talked with Jim Matuga, host of The Positively West Virginia Podcast, about what CrossFit is, why people would want to workout at CrossFit Morgantown, what has been his worst business moment and his advice to young entrepreneurs.
What is CrossFit?
“Essentially, the textbook definition is functional movement executed at high intensities that are constantly varying,” Giosi said. “What does that mean? It means that
we do movements that are seen in everyday life. We apply the term ‘high intensity’ because that is what will actually make the difference in training. Whether it is losing weight or gaining muscle, high intensity is what will do it.”
“A lot of people go to these global gyms, and they get bored doing international chest day on Monday, and they do the same machines and they don’t know what they are doing; the constantly varying part of CrossFit is every single day a workout is programmed, a coach takes you through it in group training. All of your movements are witnessed by a coach so that they can make sure you are safe. The great thing about training functional movements at a high intensity is all of those movements apply to what you do outside of the gym.”
we do movements that are seen in everyday life. We apply the term ‘high intensity’ because that is what will actually make the difference in training. Whether it is losing weight or gaining muscle, high intensity is what will do it.”Why would someone want to workout at CrossFit Morgantown?
“If I had you write down something that you wanted to be better at, whether it is being a better husband, being a better father, being a better coach, etc., do CrossFit at CrossFit Morgantown for six-months. Whatever is on that piece of paper, I guarantee you will have achieved it in those six months.”
What has been your worst business moment so far?
“One thing that I learned working for WVU in the early 2000s was how to meet adversity and how to overcome it. Not only to overcome it but how to be successful and build to be in a better place.”
“Even though I had the dream laid out in my heart in 2004, I didn’t prepare while I was waiting. When I took over as one-third of the ownership in 2013, I would say that initially, that was the hardest because I went from being just a coach to being the janitor, the account and wearing all of these different hats. Because I didn’t prepare as I was waiting those ten years for my vision to come full force, a lot was thrown on my plate and I honestly don’t think I appreciated what I was getting into and I was in over my head.”
“One of our long-term members, when she found out that I was going to be one of the owners, she didn’t have much belief that the gym would make it much longer.”
“What I can tell you is that a lot of time people feel overwhelmed and they get in a really bad place because they think ‘how am I going to learn to be an accountant and coach six or seven classes a day,’” Giosi said. “You can’t do everything. The quality of what you’re doing is going to go down because you’re spreading yourself too thin.”
What is one piece of advice you would give a young entrepreneur?
“I am currently reading a book called Chase the Lion: If Your Dream Doesn’t Scare You, It’s Too Small and I read something really profound,” Giosi said. “Not everyone was born to be a dreamer and I think that in the time that we live in, a lot of people think they are supposed to be the guy, the boss. Everyone wants to own or start something.”
“I think the advice I would give is plan and make sure it’s your purpose, not just your passion. The thing about passion is that it is a feeling. It comes and goes. If you start something because you’re passionate about it, are you going to be passionate about it when your back is up against the wall and you’re trying to make rent?”
“If it’s your purpose, you’re going to figure it out.”
Giosi was a guest on The Positively West Virginia Podcast. Listen to his full podcast here.
PWV QUICK BITS | CROSSFIT MORGANTOWN
- RECOMMENDED BOOK: Chase the Lion: If Your Dream Doesn’t Scare You, It’s Too Small by Mark Batterson
- RECOMMENDED RESOURCE: The CrossFit Journal
- PERSON GIOSI WOULD LIKE TO MEET: Myself in five years