[Staff Pick] You Need To Hear Their Story About CrossFit in Prisons

Congrats on making it to the end of the 2026 CrossFit Open, presented by Air National Guard! 

Stay tuned for an update on the CrossFit Podcast over the coming weeks. Until then, enjoy this episode with of our community favorites, Nick Wells and Gino Aviles. 

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Redemption Road CrossFit started inside Colorado’s prison system, where a small group of men turned CrossFit workouts into the first affiliate behind bars. Today, it’s a nonprofit changing prison culture through mentorship, accountability, and community — cutting recidivism to just 1.6% compared to the national average of 80%.

This week, we welcome Redemption Road CrossFit’s founder Nick Wells and founding member Gino Aviles to the show. Nick and Gino share their journey, from addiction and life sentences to freedom, sobriety, and leadership, and show how CrossFit’s methodology can transform not just fitness, but lives.

Topics Covered

• Personal journeys from addiction, incarceration, and transformation
• The origins of CrossFit in Colorado prisons
• Building Redemption Road: the first affiliate inside a correctional facility
• Overcoming stigma, violence, and systemic barriers through community fitness
• Partnerships with CrossFit HQ and the broader community
• Redemption Road’s measurable impact on recidivism and prison culture

Resources Mentioned

• Redemption Road CrossFit – RF2.org
• CrossFit Journal coverage of Redemption Road: Community Behind Bars and CrossFit in Prison
• Morning Chalk Up articles on Redemption Road: Nick Wells and Mat Fraser
• Books used in coach candidate curriculum: Overcoming Gravity,” “Becoming a Supple Leopard, “100 Days of Technique