13 Years and Counting: How CrossFit Haymaker Built, Rebuilt, and Thrives

How it Started

Ryan Hill had a pro MMA career in California when he blew out his knee, forcing him to change career paths. He moved back to Indiana and ran a successful martial arts gym for a few years before his friend—UFC fighter Chris Lytle—suggested he try CrossFit. And the rest is history.

CrossFit Haymaker (the name is a nod to Hill’s fighting background) opened in 2013 in Warsaw, Indiana. The gym has been in the same 6,000 square-foot space since opening 13 years ago.

From the beginning, Hill wanted CrossFit Haymaker to be the kind of place that meets people where they actually are, instead of where the fitness culture says they should be.

Hill believes that fitness transcends ego and insecurities, and explained that people walk in for various reasons. One person might be chasing lost glory from their college athlete days. Another might never have liked the way they look, or they just want to feel better at age 60. No matter the reason, Hill is proud to say that his gym can help.

Like most affiliates, CrossFit Haymaker took a serious hit during COVID. Hill said that at its peak, the gym had 273 members, but that number dropped to 27 almost overnight during the shutdown. Despite loaning out equipment and moving classes online to Zoom, he was forced to start the grueling work of rebuilding once the restrictions were lifted. He described it as a slow climb, and noted that 2025 was the first profitable year since the start of COVID.

As he looks toward the future, Hill has started to think about training up coaches and eventually finding a new owner who can carry the community forward while he steps into a mentorship role.

The Win: Unshakeable Culture & Community

When asked about CrossFit Haymaker’s biggest win, Hill’s reply wasn’t about the typical KPIs like retention or revenue. Instead, he smiled and didn’t hesitate. His biggest win is the community.

“We had a YMCA with over 10,000 contracts come to us asking how we create community,” he said. He went on to explain that it wasn’t to brag, but simply to point out that he and his team have figured out something that bigger, more well-founded operations struggle with.

At CrossFit Haymaker, well-connected is an understatement. Members go to church together. They have dinner together. When someone loses a job, others show up to help. Hill said each class time has its own personality, but people don’t stay locked in one group or form cliques.

It’s obvious that Hill is proud of what he’s built, but he’s also confident that other gym owners can replicate it as well. He explained that it all starts from the top with your coaches, which will trickle down to your members and their experience. Here are his recommendations:

1. Prepare your coaches. Hill believes that there’s no room for coaches that just want to go through the motions. In the years he spent working for one of the largest MMA schools in the world, he said he was consistently thrown into uncomfortable scenarios. From learning how to sell to de-escalating, and connecting with strangers fast, he brought that same training to his CrossFit Haymaker team.
2. Find ways to draw out personality. Hill explained that just because someone is a good athlete or holds multiple certifications, that doesn’t necessarily mean they know how to coach well. During his coach prep, he’s intentional about finding ways to draw out each person’s unique personality and bring it forward on the coaching floor.
3. Make sure coaches set the energy. Hill said that coming in at 5am looking like you rolled out of bed and simply pointing to things on the whiteboard won’t cut it. Your members are choosing to be at your gym, making a sacrifice instead of sleeping, and the coach’s energy is what proves that it was worth it. “You gotta be awake and ready to go,” he insisted. 
4. Try Hill’s “Story Time” tactic. Hill puts every new coach through what he calls “Story Time.” Before someone ever leads a class, they have to be able to walk up to the whiteboard or screen and set the tone for a 60-minute session in a way that grabs people. He explained, “If you can’t captivate your class at the beginning, you’ve lost the whole class.”

When you get this right, a powerful thing happens. Your community starts to self-sustain because members become culture carriers. Hill said his community expects a high-level experience, and coaches are happy (and well-trained) to deliver.

After 13 years of gym ownership, Hill doesn’t coach classes anymore because he’s built a successful system that allows him to train and trust his team.

Switching from PushPress to Wodify

After five years of using PushPress gym software, CrossFit Haymaker switched to Wodify. Hill was candid about his experience with PushPress, and why he decided to make the switch.

He explained that the pitch from PushPress was strong: it was built by an affiliate owner and designed for affiliate owners. There were financial incentives for him to make the switch from Mindbody, which he was using at that time. But the difference between what was promised and what was delivered was significant.

Hill said that for every issue that came up—from the PushPress app crashing to the website not functioning or his members being unable to navigate the platform—the response from PushPress was consistent: “That’s your fault, not ours.” He recalls that it got so bad he started saving screenshots of his chats and emails with PushPress support agents.

He decided to check out Wodify gym software when a network of gym owners he trusted suggested it. He said it was a group he’d known for more than a decade, filled with gym owners he respected, all saying the same thing: make the switch.

When Hill looks back at his decision to switch from PushPress to Wodify, he wishes he would’ve done it sooner.

What he’s most excited about is the ability to build out specialty services through the platform. From new coaches to a nutritionist and a strength specialist, Wodify gives him a way to set up sessions that are easy for clients to book, and generate real revenue through the services. Hill said that matters, not just for CrossFit Haymaker’s bottom line, but also for building a team that strengthens the member experience and community he’s worked so hard to build.

He added that it’s also important for the transition that’s on the horizon. With the right system in place, he can hand the gym over to a future owner who can step in without starting from scratch. The right technology—paired with real human support and genuine conversations from a team that understands the fitness industry—can make that possible, and he’s excited for what the future holds.

If you’re not a Wodify customer yet, book a demo with our team today!

To learn more about CrossFit Haymaker, visit the website here.