Specialty classes: essential, overrated, or just passion projects disguised as business strategy? Danny and Wes dive into CrossFit Silver, Parkinson’s training, kids programs, weightlifting cycles, six-week courses, and why most gyms accidentally create their own demand. From real success stories to gym-floor chaos, this episode breaks down what’s actually worth running — and what’s just adding hours of cleaning chalk.
Front squat or back squat first? Hang clean or power clean? Strict press or bench? Danny sits down with Olympian Wes Kitts, S&C Coach of the Year Ryan Metzger, and world-record powerlifter Tom Kallas to break down real coaching progressions with zero filter. If you coach (or argue about the clean), this episode is for you.
Gym culture isn’t the warm-fuzzy extra, it is the product. Danny Lehr, Blair Morrison, and Wes Piatt dig into rep shavers, CrossFit Open drama, AM vs PM class wars, firing toxic members, coaching honesty, and why gyms always end up looking like their owners. This is a must-listen for coaches, gym owners, and anyone who’s survived a Friday Night Lights meltdown.
Is HYROX the new CrossFit — or just CrossFit with fewer chalk clouds and more running?
In this episode, Danny Lehr, Wes Kitts, Wes Piatt, Kenny Santucci, and Alen Kunica debate the future of functional fitness: Is HYROX a rival, an ally, or just CrossFit’s younger, shinier cousin? From programming and community to business models and branding, they unpack whether gyms should embrace both — or pick a lane.
Featuring:
Danny Lehr — Caffeine & Kilos founder, gym owner, and your friendly moderator who’s gonna ask your opinion… then tell you why you’re wrong.
Wes Kitts — 2x Olympian, gym owner, and the strongest guy you know who still hates running.
Wes Piatt — CrossFit red shirt, longtime coach’s coach, affiliate owner, and voice of reason when things get spicy.
Kenny Santucci — HYROX athlete, CrossFitter, and host of Strong AF Podcast who made the jump from MTV reality TV to functional-fitness authority.
Alen Kunica — Owner of CrossFit The Den in Oregon, where CrossFit and HYROX coexist without a turf war.
Topics include:
Should CrossFit embrace HYROX — or defend its turf?
Why “predictable” HYROX races are thriving while CrossFit doubles down on chaos
How hybrid fitness could reshape programming, competition, and coaching
What gym owners risk (and gain) by flying both flags
The real question: are we watching history repeat itself?
If you’ve ever debated HYROX vs CrossFit, this one’s for you — whether you’re a coach, competitor, or someone who just loves a good sled push.
Are local CrossFit comps building your athletes and community, or breaking your programming?
In this episode, Danny Lehr, Blair Morrison, and Seth Page debate whether local throwdowns are actually good for your members or just glorified chaos. From overtraining and “competition programming” to judging horror stories and why most gyms do it wrong — this one’s for every coach who’s ever taped a floor lane at 5 a.m.
Featuring:
Danny Lehr — Caffeine & Kilos
Blair Morrison — CrossFit OG, tie-dye–wearing affiliate owner, and the only 3x Games athlete to play wide receiver at Princeton University
Seth Page — Jump Ship Training founder, programming purist, and the internet’s favorite CrossFit contrarian
Topics include:
When (and why) people start training like Games athletes for parking-lot events
The truth about “competition programming”
How to coach members through comp season without losing your mind
Olympian Wes Kitts and collegiate strength coach Ryan Metzger join Danny Lehr to ask the big question — where do Olympic lifts actually belong?
From CrossFit classes to college weight rooms, the crew debates snatches, cleans, and back squats: who really needs them, who doesn’t, and how coaches can stop turning good training into organized chaos.
Funny, blunt, and unapologetically real — it’s Not In My Box.
Should a CrossFit class hit one workout, or two? Coaches Danny Lehr, Wes Piatt, and Seth Page throw down on one of the most argued topics in coaching: when intensity meets volume.
From programming philosophy to member experience and coach burnout, this debate hits every angle. Expect strong opinions, some laughs, and zero cool-downs.
Welcome to Not In My Box—where the intended result is always questionable.
Buy Your New Favorite Coffee Here: Caffeineandkilos.com
Learn To Coach Here: https://coastrangecrossfit.com/blog/coaches-corner/Your New Workout Program: https://www.jumpshiptraining.com/#programs
Same caffeine — new chaos.
Gas Station Cappuccino has officially evolved into Not In My Box, a podcast where real coaches talk about fitness, CrossFit, weightlifting, and the culture of coaching.
Hosted by Danny Lehr, with friends and fellow coaches like Wes Piatt, Seth Page, Wes Kitts, and more, each week brings unfiltered conversations, debates, and laughs about what really happens inside (and outside) the box.
Welcome to the next chapter.