CrossFit Coach Insurance Cost and types of policies

CrossFit coaching is a high-risk activity that can lead to injuries and accidents, which is why it’s vital for CrossFit coaches to have CrossFit coaching insurance. 

CrossFit stipulates that its American affiliates must carry suitable insurance, and to name them as additional insured. The parent company recognizes that high-intensity, high-impact workouts makes injuries unavoidable, which means the potential for lawsuits could be high.

Suppose you are working as a CrossFit coach, or are the owner of a gym, even requiring your customers to sign on to their training programs with detailed waivers and rigorous health screening questionnaires. In that case, you are still not completely protected or immune from litigation.

CrossFit Gym insurance package offered by a secure and experienced insurance company is an essential part of your risk management plan. Only in this way can you achieve your business targets and avoid damaging claims against your fitness facilities.

What are the main risks for CrossFit sessions?

Accidents can happen at any time, to anyone, in or around the CrossFit training arena. Some may not even be related to the training itself, and some can result in serious injuries. 

Falls by trainees are by far the most common CrossFit injury. Holes in the work mats, slippery or wet surfaces, obstacles in or around the training area, or improperly located equipment cause people to fall. Even spectators, visitors and family members could suffer an injury.

Suppose you have set up some benches for viewers, or playground equipment for their kids to play on while mom or dad is busy in their CrossFit session. Imagine what could happen if a bench collapses and someone sitting breaks a leg, or worse still, the playground breaks and a few of the children are thrown off.

Broken, sprained or twisted limbs can result in extensive damages leading up to expensive medical bills and even time off work. Falls can even result in death.

The general term for insurance that protects you in case of such events is General Liability insurance.

General liability insurance

Every commercial enterprise faces the chance of injury or damage to third parties who can then sue for damages.

General liability insurance covers you against any claims made in case of damage or loss to their property, bodily injuries and even death. It’s more usually called “trips and falls” insurance, because those are the most common kinds of claim.

Suppose a third party (a visitor but not a trainee or member of your staff) trips over some obstruction left in the entrance to the training area or slips from a wet spot on the floor. Suppose they suffer injury to themselves or damage to their property. In that case, they can sue you to recover the costs, for damage, pain and suffering and any associated losses. 

General liability claims can be very big, from just a few thousand coming from minor property damage to millions for serious injury or death.

General liability insurance covers potential medical expenses in the event of physical harm to a third party. As well, all legal costs for defending you in fighting the claim are borne by the insurance company, 

Professional liability Insurance

Acting as a CrossFit trainer means you have a legal ‘duty of care the services that you provide are proper, correct and match what you advertised or promised. 

Suppose a trainee claims that you acted in some manner without the necessary care, skill level or due diligence, or that the training you delivered was not what you were engaged to do.

In that case, this may result in a claim for damages that can end up in court. In such cases, the cost of defense can be extremely high. You may end up having to foot the bill for the whole defense yourself, even if you do not lose in the end. 

Professional liability insurance (also known as E&O insurance) covers your training in case a claim is made by a customer that you made some mistakes, errors or omissions when you were conducting a training session.

A business like yours, that is performing hands-on interactions with an implicit guarantee of care, such as Swimming teachers, Dance Instructors, Estheticians, Body Sugaring, Permanent makeup, and Tattoo Parlors 

needs to protect itself from the potential lawsuits that can come up as a result of their coaching practices. Professional liability insurance will protect them from any potential legal issues that may arise from their coaching practices. There are many ways that a trainee can get injured. However, most injuries start with a simple pull or strain.

Working out is not considered strenuous work, and therefore it does not typically put people at risk for injury like other sports and activities do. However, there are still some risks to being a CrossFit fitness trainer and coach. One risk is that when someone’s workout goes wrong or becomes too serious for them, lawsuits may arise from the injury as well as from the insurance company of the client.

Commercial Property Insurance

The investment in equipment and fitting and facilities is the most important component and asset of any CrossFit gym, whether the premises are owned or rented. Even when you are just operating your gym in a part of your home, you should take out separate commercial property insurance.

Business Owners Policy (BOP) insurance

Some insurance companies offer a combination of commercial property and general liability insurance in a single package. This is known as a Business Owners policy – BOP.

You can also take extra coverage for some of the other risks that come along with CrossFit training. These are outlined below, under

• Business continuity insurance
• Cyber insurance against data loss or theft

Office contents insurance

Your office equipment, furniture, computers, desks and filing cabinets etc.may already be covered if you have commercial insurance. Most insurance companies include these items in a standard policy. If not, you should take out separate cover or get a policy endorsement or extension.

Equipment insurance

Equipment insurance may be necessary, with the levels set by the amount you have invested in all the gym facilities.You should be taking out insurance that provides protection in case of vandalism, deliberate breakage or theft.

You should also take out cover protecting you against storm damage, floods, fire and the other sorts of risks that equipment stored in a gym can face. 

Business Insurance

Business continuity insurance 

Interruption to daily activities due to circumstances outside of your control may force you to shut doors. Suppose this halts the flow of income from your scheduled activity and leaves you short of money to meet your commitments, like rent, wages, mortgages and loan repayments. In that case, business interruption insurance can keep you afloat so that you can stay in business.

Cyber security insurance

The information you hold about your trainees, workers, and finances has to be held securely away from prying eyes. You must ensure that these vital parts of your business are sorted safely and protected against theft, malware or phishing attacks. For this you need cyber insurance.

In case of an attack, you can be sued for breach of privacy. Cyber insurance is the only way to cover the possibility of a claim.

How much is insurance for a CrossFit gym

Crossfit gym insurance costs vary a lot, depending on the size of the business, the location, the number of employees you have, and a myriad of other specifics. You can get a more specific quote by engaging with an experienced insurance broker or agent, with an insurance company representative. Another way is to let the Internet do the work for you, by searching for CrossFit insurance on Google or your favorite search engine.

The estimates in the table below come from our experience with other businesses involved in the hands-on treatment of customers, for example, Health Coaches, Dance Instructors, Teeth Whitening, Aestheticians, Permanent Makeup and Body Sugaring.

What are the most important CrossFit Gym insurance coverages

There are 3 types of CrossFit trainer insurance policies that you should choose:

• General Liability Insurance: This will cover the coach for any damages they may cause while coaching and is the most common way of protecting coaches.
• Professional Liability Insurance: This will cover the coach for any damages they may cause while coaching but also protects them when the athlete is not present, such as when the coach is giving a seminar or workshop.
• Personal Injury Protection: This will cover the coach for any health care costs incurred due to an accident or injury that happened during coaching and will also provide some compensation for lost wages if necessary.

FAQ

Why CrossFit coaches need Professional Liability Insurance

Your customers need to be confident that their trainer is there to protect them. If you can show them that you have insurance, there is less risk for a trivial lawsuit.

For example, suppose someone goes to see a personal trainer at their gym after not exercising regularly for years. In that case, they may be afraid that they are going to injure themselves as well as mess up their health.

However, if they have chosen someone with experience who is also good at what they do and has good insurance backing them up they may gain confidence in their abilities and feel more capable of handling exercises, as well as knowing that they are taken care of while they are in the gym.

How to find the right CrossFit Coach Insurance Policy

If you are a CrossFit coach, you need to find the right CrossFit coach insurance policy for your needs. 

CrossFit coaches need to be aware that they are not just coaches – they are also business owners. They need to protect themselves from liability and medical costs if someone is injured while training with them. 

What is unique about CrossFit

CrossFit is an advanced style of cross-discipline fitness training that was developed by Greg Glassman and Lauren Jenai, when they opened the first gym in California in 2001. The merit of these workouts was quickly recognized by the police, military and firefighting services.

The number of CrossFit-affiliated gyms grew rapidly, from 13 in 2005, 8000 in 2013, and now standing at 12500 gyms in more than 150 countries with an estimated membership worldwide of over two million by early 2022.

CrossFit gyms use a wide range of equipment such as dumbbells, barbells, gymnastics rings, climbing ropes, pull-up bars, jumping ropes, medicine balls, rowing machines and various mats. CrossFit training focuses on high-intensity movement, such as calisthenics, weightlifting and powerlifting, plyometrics, indoor rowing, aerobic exercises, running and swimming.