Richard Thompson Jr
Owner & head coach
Writes the weekly programming, coaches the 5am and handles every intro personally. Ten years with high-school athletes before opening the box.
- CF-L3
- Barbell cycling
- Youth athletics
Since 2015
Eleven years of 5am on Tiger Way
Crossfit PTC, Inc. is owned and coached by Richard Thompson Jr. It is one room, three coaches and a membership that mostly drives golf carts to get here.
How it started
A leaky roll-up door and twelve founding members
Richard coached high-school athletes across Fayette County for ten years before signing the lease on 251 Tiger Way. The first class had twelve people, four barbells and a heater that never quite worked. The lease got renewed anyway.
The gym grew the slow way — one member telling a neighbour, a nurse bringing her whole shift, a golf-cart parking problem that we now consider a compliment. We have never run a promotion with a countdown timer on it.
Today the room holds a twelve-station rig, ten platforms, rowers, bikes, skis and enough bumper plates that nobody waits. The whiteboard from the first year is still on the wall by the door.
House rules
What we actually believe about training
Intensity is earned
Mechanics, then consistency, then load. A coach will take weight off your bar in front of everyone and nobody in this room will think less of you for it.
Small caps, real coaching
Sixteen athletes per hour is the ceiling. If a class is full you take the next one — we would rather lose an hour than coach nobody properly.
Longevity beats leaderboards
Two members have competed regionally. Two hundred want to lift their grandkids at seventy. The programming is written for the second group and the first one still gets fitter.
Scaling is not a lesser workout
Every WOD is published with three levels. The stimulus stays the same whether you are on a 95 lb bar or a PVC pipe.
The last person finishing gets the loudest room
Nobody packs up while somebody is still working. It is the one rule we will actually say something about.
Talk to your coach about pain
Sore is training, sharp is a signal. We modify on the spot and, when it is warranted, we send you to a physio before you make it worse.
Staff
Three coaches, one whiteboard
Every class on the schedule is led by one of these three. No rotating contractors, no app running the hour.
Dana Whitfield
On-ramp lead
Owns the fundamentals block and the first eight weeks of every new member. Also the coach most likely to make you slow a rep down.
- CF-L2
- Gymnastics
- Pre/post-natal
Marcus Ellery
Strength & engine
Runs the twelve-week barbell cycles and the rowing and running work, and reviews lifting video between sessions for private clients.
- CF-L2
- USAW
- Endurance
The room
What is under the roof
4,800Square feet of floor
10Lifting platforms
16Athletes per class, max
2Showers, and yes they work
Walk in during any class and watch
You do not need an appointment to stand by the door for an hour. If you would rather move than watch, book the free intro instead.