Hosted by Jason Ackerman, Best Hour of Their Day is a show dedicated to helping the CrossFit community. We cover all aspects of fitness including coaching, training, competing, starting and growing a business, and everything in between. Regular guests include world-class athletes, some of the best c…
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The Best Hour of Their Day podcast is an invaluable resource for gym owners and coaches in the CrossFit community. The hosts, Jason Ackerman and Jason Fern, provide a wealth of information and insight on a variety of topics related to fitness training and running a successful gym business. This podcast has personally helped me grow as a coach more than any other resource I've come across.
One of the best aspects of this podcast is the banter between Ackerman and Fern. Their playful back-and-forth adds a fun and entertaining element to each episode. Moreover, their advice is consistently spot on. They offer practical tips and strategies that can be immediately implemented to improve coaching techniques and enhance the overall experience for members.
While there are numerous positive aspects to this podcast, one potential downside is the frequent use of curse words. Some listeners may find this excessive or off-putting, especially if they prefer more family-friendly content. However, it's worth noting that Ackerman acknowledges this criticism and has expressed a willingness to reduce the amount of profanity in future episodes.
In conclusion, The Best Hour of Their Day podcast is an exceptional resource for gym owners and coaches in the CrossFit community. It offers valuable insights, actionable advice, and entertaining discussions that keep listeners engaged. Despite some minor drawbacks like occasional strong language, the overall quality of the content makes this podcast well worth listening to for anyone looking to improve their coaching skills or run a more successful gym business.
David Newman is the founder of RXSG and an expert jump rope coach. He will be at AffiliateCon teaching you how to unlock your next skill with the jump rope.--Join us at AffiliateCon 2026 | Dallas, TX | Oct 16-18 https://www.affiliatecon.co/---Check out RXSG jump ropes and gear:https://rxsmartgear.com/---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Henrik and Heather Almers built Coaches Congress from a small Stockholm gathering into one of the largest independent education events for gym owners and coaches, now running across five countries. In this conversation, they talk about running a global business as husband and wife, from dividing roles by strength to giving each other space, plus how personality assessments like Working Genius changed the way they work together. --- Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
AffiliateCon 2026 is bigger and better. We're breaking down everything you can expect, from Greg Glassman to hands-on workshops to a Hall of Fame and more.If you haven't gotten your ticket yet, don't miss out. Click below to make sure you're part of the movement.--Join us at AffiliateCon 2026 | Dallas, TX | Oct 16-18 https://www.affiliatecon.co/---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Monique Waters of Pace Fitness sits down to talk candidly about what it actually takes to build and rebuild a CrossFit affiliate. She digs into the facility mistakes that cost her thousands, why she stopped offering open gym, and how coaching her coaches became more important than coaching classes. Her conversation with Fern offers an honest look at what ownership really teaches you when you stick with it long enough to learn.--- Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Alec Zirkenbach, Founder & Director of Adaptive Training Academy, will be at AffiliateCon 2026 teaching how to train adaptive athletes in your CrossFit class.---Join us at AffiliateCon 2026 | Dallas, TX | Oct 16-18 https://www.affiliatecon.co/---Check out the Adaptive Training Academy online cohort:https://ata.learnworlds.com/course/ait-cohort-oct-nov-2026---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
After 20 years of helping thousands of people, including himself, return to full participation in the lives they want to live, Dr. Sean Pastuch (Active Life) has turned his process into a simple guide to help you overcome pain so you get back to training and living your best life.Grab "Live More. Hurt Less." Book:https://www.amazon.com/Live-More-Hurt-Less-Overcoming/dp/B0H6T4RPYJ/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0 ---Join us at AffiliateCon 2026 | Dallas, TX | Oct 16-18 https://www.affiliatecon.co/---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Cody Looney (CF-L3) is a Lead Coach and Team Development member at Burgener Strength who specializes in teaching Olympic weightlifting techniques for CrossFit. ---Join us at AffiliateCon 2026 | Dallas, TX | Oct 16-18 https://www.affiliatecon.co/---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
CrossFit Level 4 coaches Fran Panero and Jason Ackerman sit down to co-create the "Ten Commandments of Connection," a practical, on-the-spot framework for coaches who want to hold a high standard without losing the fun. Together, they unpack real strategies like reading the room, never correcting before connecting, and praising effort over perfection, drawing on Fran's own journey from Brazil to Australia and her Level 4 certification process. --- Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Dr. Mike Israetel is a sports scientist, competitive bodybuilder, co-founder of Renaissance Periodization (RP Strength), and a fitness educator best known for his evidence-based approach to muscle hypertrophy and nutrition.---Join us at AffiliateCon 2026 | Dallas, TX | Oct 16-18 https://www.affiliatecon.co/---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Todd Occhiuto and Kristin Bowen break down the deadlift, the sumo deadlift high pull, and the medicine-ball clean, and how this progression teaches the core-to-extremity mechanics that unlock the Olympic lifts.--▶️ Watch the full series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJlFCSlzXko
AI isn't coming for the fitness industry. It's already here, and CrossFit Affiliate Owners using it are saving hours every week. In this episode, we sit down with Eamon Anderson, former Army Green Beret and founder of Outside the Box (08 Solutions), to break down exactly which AI tools actually move the needle for CrossFit gym owners.
Adam Carroll is the founder of the Shred Method. The Shred Method helps you eliminate debt faster, reduce interest, and optimize cash flow using a proven financial strategy designed for long-term wealth.Learn more from Adam Carroll at AffiliateCon 2026.Join the free webinar with Adam:http://www.theshredmethod.com/besthour-webinar ---Join us at AffiliateCon 2026 | Dallas, TX | Oct 16-18 https://www.affiliatecon.co/---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Todd Occhiuto and Kristin Bowen break down the press series from the 9 foundational movements with the shoulder press, push press, and push jerk.--▶️ Watch the full series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJlFCSlzXko
Todd Occhiuto and Kristin Bowen work through the squat series (air, front, back, and overhead), the points of performance that make it sound, and the most common faults coaches need to catch and fix.--▶️ Watch the full series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJlFCSlzXko
Most affiliate owners think they're bad at sales, when the real issue is they're treating it as something separate from the thing they're already good at: coaching. Lindsay Andrew breaks down how to run an enrollment conversation like a coaching session, why asking better questions beats pitching, and how caring about the outcome more than the close is what actually gets people to say yes.--- Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Many CrossFit Coaches and Owners struggle to program and coach high-skill gymnastics that actually help their athletes unlock new skills. Justin Adams from RxGymnastics and Rapid Rings joins us to share how he helps athletes break through instead of staying at the same scale forever.--Learn more from Justin:RXGymnastics.comRapidRings.com---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Todd Occhiuto and Kristin Bowen work through the squat series (air, front, back, and overhead), the points of performance that make it sound, and the most common faults coaches need to catch and fix.--▶️ Watch the full series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJlFCSlzXko
Catch Fern next month at the CrossFit Benelux Affiliate Summit in the Netherlands.---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
After coaching over 1,500 CrossFit Affiliates, we discovered exactly what Owners need. We looked at Affiliate University and threw out anything getting in the way. Then we rebuilt the entire program around the ONE THING CrossFit Affiliate Owners need to succeed. In this episode, Fern and Markus share what we built and what it means for the future.--- Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
There's a method behind the madness of CrossFit programming, and this article lays out the theoretical template that shows how CrossFit gets from philosophy to the actual workout. Todd Occhiuto and Kristin Bowen break down the rotation of the three modalities (metabolic conditioning, gymnastics, and weightlifting), the training cycles behind it, and why this template is a tool for applying variance rather than a rigid prescription to follow.--▶️ Watch the full series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJlFCSlzXko--
Comedian and CrossFitter Eddie Ifft has built a 28-year career selling out shows worldwide, and he is headlining the comedy night at AffiliateCon with Jason Ackerman opening. We get into the reps behind the craft, why staying good is harder than getting good, and what performing for a living has in common with coaching one. ---Join us at AffiliateCon 2026 | Dallas, TX | Oct 16-18 https://www.affiliatecon.co/---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Scaling isn't about making a workout easier, it's about preserving the intended stimulus for the athlete in front of you. Kristin Bowen is joined by Arianna Sisto (CF-L3, CrossFit Seminar Staff, CrossFit Trastevere) to break down what to scale first, why load comes before movement substitutions, and why coaches should err on the side of scaling too much rather than too little.--▶️ Watch the full series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJlFCSlzXko
CrossFit CEO Bruce Edwards joins Jason Fernandez at the 2026 Owners and Coaches Conference. They discussed what HQ got wrong over the last five or six years and how the partnership between HQ and affiliates gets rebuilt. They cover brand, coaching standards, IP protection, HYROX and GLP-1s as growth portals, the board relationship, and where the community goes over the next 12 to 18 months.--- Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Dr. Sean Pastuch joins the show to explain what it actually feels like to train in pain every day, scale every workout, and still walk out of the gym hurting. He breaks down why that experience quietly drives members away and what coaches can do to serve the person in front of them instead of just modifying the movement.---Pre-order Live More. Hurt Less. by Dr. SeanPastuchhttps://a.co/d/0gL59JqO--Learn more about Active Life:https://activelifeprofessional.com/--- Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
The CrossFit take on nutrition is contrarian by design: what most people think is healthy eating is exactly what's making them sick. Todd Occhiuto is joined by Brentie Kincaid (CF-L4, Seminar Staff Flowmaster, and owner of CrossFit Mafia) to break down hyperinsulinism, the "deadly quartet," and the simple prescription the whole lecture builds to: meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar.--▶️ Watch the full series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJlFCSlzXko
Joel Cochran has spent 17 years in the fitness industry, grew a CrossFit gym from 50 to 200 members, and has coached hundreds of Affiliate Owners through burnout, imposter syndrome, and the patterns quietly running their business from the background. In this episode, he breaks down the exact cost of survival mode and the framework he uses to get owners out of it.---Learn more about Proclivity:https://www.proclivity.co/---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
This is where Coach Glassman defines technique and shows why it's the heart of everything: safety, efficacy, and efficiency all trace back to how well you move. Todd Occhiuto and Kristin Bowen break down mechanics vs. technique vs. form vs. style, and why strength doesn't count for anything you can't turn into work.--▶️ Watch the full series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJlFCSlzXko
Fern is joined by Ed Morrison, the CrossFit Pacific Regional Manager, Seminar Staff Flowmaster, and Owner of Charge CrossFit. Join Fern, Ed, and other industry leaders at the Oceania Affiliate Summit August 21–23, 2026, at the Sea World Resort on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
In What is Fitness Part 2, we turn the fitness models into a real, measurable definition, and land on the idea that fitness and health aren't two separate things at all. Todd Occhiuto and Kristin Bowen are joined by Denise Thomas to get into work capacity, general physical preparedness, and why the healthiest thing you can do is get fit.--▶️ Watch the full series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJlFCSlzXko
Ted Mulhern was grinding to grow his CrossFit gym, then two changes turned his pipeline into 28 membership sales in a single month. We get into what he actually changed and the new problem that comes with growing this fast.---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
In 1997, a magazine crowned a triathlete "the fittest man on Earth." This article argues he wasn't even close.What Is Fitness? (Part 1) is where CrossFit builds its actual definition of fitness using four different models, from the 10 physical skills to the sickness-wellness-fitness continuum.We're going live to break it down with CrossFit Level 4 (CF-L4) coaches Todd Occhiuto and Kristin Bowen.This series is for aspiring coaches getting ready for their CrossFit Level 1, and for current coaches who want to get better at what they already do.In this episode we unpack the four models CrossFit uses to measure fitness, the three metabolic pathways, and why "fit" and "healthy" are the same thing on one continuum.--▶️ Watch the full series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJlFCSlzXko
Here's the part of building a business nobody warns you about: it can leave you successful and completely disconnected. Dave Colina from O2 Hydration opens up about trading his relationships for his company over 12 years, why builders end up lonely, and the simple 30-day experiment he ran to fix it.No complicated system, no supplement stack. Just four basic habits and a group of strangers who turned into a community.---Join Capacity Clubhttps://www.joincapacityclub.com/---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
In Foundations, the oldest article in the CrossFit Level 1 Training Guide, Coach Glassman lays out the case for what fitness actually is and why the marathoner, the powerlifter, and the bodybuilder are all missing it.We're going live to break it down with CrossFit Level 4 (CF-L4) coaches Todd Occhiuto and Kristin Bowen.This series is for aspiring coaches getting ready for their CrossFit Level 1, and for current coaches who want to get better at what they already do.In this episode we unpack the 10 fitness domains, why your grandmother and an Olympic athlete need the same training (differing by degree, not kind), and the "fringe athlete" argument that still starts fights in comment sections today.--
Nikki Sharp built a growing CrossFit gym while keeping her 20-year career as a therapist, and she did it with less time than most owners think they need. We get into how a time constraint forced her to build the team and systems most owners avoid, and why the hours you have matter less than what you do with them.---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
How to become a better CrossFit coach starts with one resource: the CrossFit Level 1 Training Guide.We're going live to break it down with CrossFit Level 4 (CF-L4) coaches Todd Occhiuto and Kristin Bowen.This series is for aspiring coaches getting ready for their CrossFit Level 1, and for current coaches who want to get better at what they already do.In this first episode, we go back to the start of the guide and unpack what most people skim past: the actual aim of CrossFit, the prescription, and the methodology behind it.---
Hyrox North American Champion and Hyrox Global Head of Training David Magida joins us to break down how to integrate Hyrox into your CrossFit gym without overhauling your schedule or losing your identity. We cover whether you actually need separate Hyrox classes, how to program it into the classes your members already attend, and how to capture the demand without burning out your coaches.---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Your programmer can hand you the warm-up, the teaching points, and the timeline, and you still don't have a lesson plan. Todd and Kristin break down what every coach has to add before they walk on the floor, and why no programming subscription will ever do it for you.---Develop your coaching! Try The Knowledge Pro FREE for 14 days:https://www.besthouroftheirday.com/theknowledge---AffiliateCon 2026 | Dallas, TX | Oct 16-18https://www.affiliatecon.co/
Most gym owners are either scared of AI or ignoring it. Both are the wrong move.You got into this because you care about people. Turns out that's exactly why your gym has something AI will never replace.We're sitting down with Eamon Anderson, who built AI tools specifically for Affiliate Owners, to talk about what AI is already taking over, what it can't touch, and what that means for your business right now.---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Todd Occhiuto recently completed the Burgener Strength Course — one of the most respected weightlifting education programs available to CrossFit coaches — and he's here to break down exactly what he learned. In this episode of Coach Development Live, Todd shares his honest takeaway and how he's already applying it inside his gym.---Develop your coaching! Try The Knowledge Pro FREE for 14 days:https://www.besthouroftheirday.com/theknowledge---AffiliateCon 2026 | Dallas, TX | Oct 16-18https://www.affiliatecon.co/
CrossFit has a new CEO in Bruce Edwards, the former COO and Affiliate Owner. Fern and Christian break down what this moment means, address the community frustration head-on, and talk about what actually moves the needle for affiliate owners.---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Murph is one of the most meaningful workouts of the year. In this episode, Kristin Bowen and Katie Hayes break down what it actually means to coach Murph on Memorial Day and how to lead your athletes through an experience they'll remember long after the workout is over.---Develop your coaching! Try The Knowledge Pro FREE for 14 days:https://www.besthouroftheirday.com/theknowledge---AffiliateCon 2026 | Dallas, TX | Oct 16-18https://www.affiliatecon.co/
Keith Barlow joins Jason Ackerman and Fern to talk about Xenom, the first globalized, standardized test of fitness, and what a universal fitness benchmark could mean for your gym, your members, and the future of the industry.---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
A clip featuring CF-L4 Kristin Bowen sparked a public debate about CrossFit coaching standards when Gymnastics Course coach Barney Linssen posted a critique that divided the community. We invited him on to hash out the conversation and lay out what is practical in a real CrossFit class.---Develop your coaching! Try The Knowledge Pro FREE for 14 days:https://www.besthouroftheirday.com/th...---AffiliateCon 2026 | Dallas, TX | Oct 16-18https://www.affiliatecon.co/--Learn more about Coach Barney Linssen@coach.barneyon IGwww.linssenperformance.com
Matt Torres, founder of Brute Strength and one of the most respected coaches in competitive CrossFit, joins Jay and Fern live to break down Xenom, the newly announced Decathlon of Fitness, and what it means for the sport.They'll dig into where Xenom fits alongside the CrossFit Games and what this new competition signals for athletes, coaches, and affiliate owners. Join us live and bring your questions.---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Kyle Pinkham from MisFit Gym Portland recently passed his CrossFit Level 4. He joins Todd Occhiuto and Kristen Bowen to discuss what he did to prep leading up to the evaluation.This is Part 4 of a 4-part series on coach development from the brand new intern all the way to the Professional Coach.---Develop your coaching! Try The Knowledge Pro FREE for 14 days:https://www.besthouroftheirday.com/th...---AffiliateCon 2026 | Dallas, TX | Oct 16-18https://www.affiliatecon.co/
HYROX is one of the fastest-growing fitness formats in the world, and CrossFit gym owners are paying attention.In this episode, Jay and Fern sit down with Wodify CEO Brendan Rice to look at what the data actually shows when gyms add HYROX, why it's appealing, and when it becomes a distraction from your core business.If you're an affiliate owner trying to decide whether HYROX is a smart move or just noise, this episode is for you.---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Cody Anderson (CrossFit Magnify) recently passed his Level 3! He's joining Todd Occhiuto and Kristin Bown to share his journey to get here as a coach and Affiliate Owner.This is Part 3 of a 4-part series on coach development from the brand new intern all the way to the Professional Coach.---Develop your coaching! Try The Knowledge Pro FREE for 14 days:https://www.besthouroftheirday.com/theknowledge---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Fern went to Harvard! He's sharing why he did it, what he learned, and what it means for every CrossFit Affiliate Owner who is serious about investing in themselves.---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
Most Coaches show up to the CrossFit Level 2 unprepared and leave without actually improving their coaching. Todd Occhiuto and Kristin Bowen break down how to prepare so you can get the most out of the course, develop real coaching skills, and bring back something that actually impacts your classes.This is Part 2 of a 3-part series on coach development from the brand new intern all the way to the Professional Coach.---Develop your coaching! Try The Knowledge Pro FREE for 14 days:https://www.besthouroftheirday.com/theknowledge---AffiliateCon 2026 | Dallas, TX | Oct 16-18https://www.affiliatecon.co/
If you leave your job and go all in on the gym, what happens to your retirement plan? Josh Plosker and Ben Beck of Forging Elite Finance join Jay and Fern to answer the question most gym owners never ask until it's too late.---Take the free Affiliate Blueprint Assessment
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