Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely. CrossFit is beginner-friendly and no prior experience is required. Every workout we program is scalable — meaning our coaches adjust the weights, reps, and movements to match your current ability. You progress safely from day one, and the people training next to you might be on their first month or their tenth year.

Yes — your first drop-in at Kaos is free. Book directly through our intro class link, show up 10 minutes early, and a coach will walk you through what to expect. No payment required, no pressure, no sales pitch. Just try a class and see if Kaos is your fit.

Wear comfortable training shoes (anything athletic — flat-soled shoes like Nano or Metcon are ideal but not required), shorts or leggings, and a t-shirt. Bring a water bottle. We’ll handle everything else — equipment, programming, and coaching.

You don’t. The most common reason people delay starting is feeling like they should “get in shape first.” That’s exactly backwards — coached training is how you get in shape. Our coaches scale every workout, so your first month is about learning movements and building consistency, not crushing PRs.

Often yes, but it depends on the injury and stage of recovery. Our coaches scale around injuries every day, and we share a building with Pelvico Health Centre (pelvic floor physiotherapy) and have relationships with RMTs and physiotherapists across HRM. For complex return-to-sport cases, Jenn at GRND Athletics specializes in rehab-to-performance programming. Email us at info@kaoscrossfit.ca with your situation and we’ll point you in the right direction.

A regular gym sells you access to equipment and leaves you to figure it out. Kaos sells you coached programming — every class is led by a credentialed coach, every workout is part of a deliberate progression, and you don’t need to plan your own training. Most regular-gym memberships are cheaper; the value at Kaos is the coaching and community, not the floor space.

CrossFit memberships start at $70 bi-weekly (8 classes per month) or $86 bi-weekly (unlimited). Olympic Weightlifting starts at $40 bi-weekly. Teens (under 18) start at $50 bi-weekly. Full pricing details and sign-up links are on our pricing page.

You’re billed every 2 weeks (26 payments per year). For our Unlimited membership at $86 bi-weekly, that averages roughly $186/month ($86 × 26 ÷ 12). We use bi-weekly because it aligns with most pay cycles and avoids the surprise hit of full monthly charges. Billing runs through Chalk It Pro with your card on file.

No initiation fee. No contract. You can cancel with 14 days’ written notice anytime. We don’t believe in trapping members — if it’s not working for you, leave on good terms.

Yes. Membership holds are available for medical reasons, extended travel of 2+ weeks, and military deployments. Email info@kaoscrossfit.ca with your dates and situation — we handle holds case-by-case to keep things fair.

A membership is a recurring bi-weekly subscription with ongoing access. A Punch Pass is a one-time purchase of 10 sessions (HYROX $170, Olympic Weightlifting $120) with no expiry and no recurring billing. Best for athletes whose schedules don’t fit a regular cadence, or for testing a discipline before committing.

Yes. Many serious athletes hold both: CrossFit Unlimited ($86 bi-weekly) for CrossFit + HYROX classes, plus Weightlifting Unlimited ($50 bi-weekly) for platform access, Sunday class, and Friday Night at the Bar. Talk to us about a combined arrangement if you’re committing long-term.

Email info@kaoscrossfit.ca with “Cancellation Request” in the subject line. We require 14 days’ notice from the date of the email — that’s our only requirement. No exit fees, no exit interview, no friction.

We follow HWPO (Hard Work Pays Off) programming, the system built by Mat Fraser (5x CrossFit Games Champion) and his team. It’s designed for steady, measurable progress whether you’re a beginner or experienced lifter. Our coaches adapt HWPO to scale appropriately for everyone in class. Full CrossFit page →

CrossFit is constantly varied functional movements executed at high intensity across broad time and modal domains. In plain English: a different workout every day, using movements like squats, deadlifts, presses, running, rowing, and gymnastics, performed at a pace that produces real fitness adaptations. The goal is broad capability — being good at most things, not exceptional at one.

60 minutes. Warm-up (8–10 min), skill or strength work (15–20 min), the “WOD” or workout-of-the-day (10–20 min), and cool-down/stretch. Class size is capped to allow individual coaching attention. Every movement is demoed by the coach, scaled to your level, and corrected in real time.

For most people: 3–5 days per week. Two classes a week builds the habit and slow progress. Three to five hits the sweet spot where you see measurable changes in 8–12 weeks. Beyond five days/week works for experienced athletes with good recovery, but isn’t necessary for general fitness.

For most people, no. Building significant muscle mass requires deliberate hypertrophy programming, high caloric intake, and years of consistency. CrossFit builds strength and conditioning — you’ll get stronger and leaner before you ever look “bulky.” If lean strength is the goal, our coaches will program accordingly.

Three things: (1) HWPO programming (most gyms write their own — we run the same system as elite athletes worldwide), (2) Multi-discipline access — your CrossFit membership includes HYROX, and you can stack Olympic Weightlifting cheaply, (3) Multi-tenant ecosystem — Pelvico (pelvic health), Cardinal/Primo/GRND (personal training), all operating in the same building. You don’t get that anywhere else in HRM.

Yes. Three independent personal trainers operate at Kaos, each with their own company and specialty: Catherine (Cardinal Performance — injury management & general PT), JP (Primo Weightlifting — Olympic lifting), and Jenn (GRND Athletics & Performance — sport-specific athletic development). Full personal training page →

Each trainer invoices their clients directly, not through Kaos. Email the trainer whose specialty matches your goal and they’ll quote pricing based on session frequency and program length. None of them are Kaos employees — they’re independent specialists who lease coaching time at our facility.

It depends on the goal. Injury management, post-physio bridging, beginner-friendly inclusive coaching, or general personal training → Catherine. Olympic Weightlifting, strength sport, or competitive lifting → JP. Sport-specific performance, return-to-sport, or general athletic development → Jenn. There’s a Match Your Goal guide on the Personal Training page if you want help deciding.

No. PT clients don’t need a Kaos membership — they’re working directly with the independent trainer. Many PT-only clients eventually add a Kaos class membership once their movement competency is built, but that’s optional and never pressured.

Yes — and many members do. A common pattern: 1–2 PT sessions per week with one of our specialists (focused on your specific weak points or goals) plus 2–3 group CrossFit classes per week for conditioning and community. Talk to the trainer about how to structure the week.

The InBody 270 is a bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) device that measures your body composition by sending micro-currents through your body. In 60 seconds it gives you: total muscle mass, body fat percentage, segmental analysis (arms, legs, torso), visceral fat level, and intracellular vs. extracellular water. It’s the gold standard for non-clinical body composition tracking. Full InBody page →

$49.99 for a single scan (non-members) or $29.99 for active Kaos members. No appointment-only days — book online and come in.

Every 8–12 weeks for most goals. Body composition changes slowly — scanning weekly produces noise rather than signal. The 8–12 week interval captures real trends: muscle gain, fat loss, recovery from injury. Some athletes scan every 4 weeks during competition prep.

DEXA is the clinical reference standard (~1% margin). InBody 270 is typically within 2–4% of DEXA for body fat percentage, with very high consistency scan-to-scan. The key value is consistency — even if there’s a small absolute error, the trend over multiple scans is highly reliable.

For best accuracy: don’t eat or drink for 2–3 hours before, no exercise for 3+ hours before, empty your bladder, and remove jewelry and socks. Try to scan at the same time of day each visit (morning is best). If you can’t hit all of these, the scan is still useful — just be consistent across visits.

Teens pricing is available for athletes 18 years of age or younger. Younger kids (typically 13+) integrate well into the program with parental sign-off. For kids under 13, we work with families case-by-case — email info@kaoscrossfit.ca with your child’s age and we’ll find the right fit.

$50 bi-weekly for 8 classes per month, $70 bi-weekly for unlimited classes. Substantially discounted from adult rates because we believe physical literacy in adolescence pays dividends for the next 60 years.

Teens train alongside adults in our regular CrossFit and HYROX classes — coaches scale movements appropriately for the athlete in front of them, regardless of age. Many parents tell us the multi-generational class environment is one of their favorite parts of the program. We also run occasional teen-focused workshops during school breaks.

Yes. Teen memberships are independent — parents don’t need a Kaos membership for their child to train. Many of our teens come because their parents searched for “where can my kid learn to lift safely” and decided they’d rather have credentialed coaches than a YouTube routine.

Kaos CrossFit is in Bayers Lake Business Park at 114 Chain Lake Drive, Suite 5, Halifax NS B3S 1B1 — just minutes from downtown Halifax with easy highway access. We’re 15 minutes from downtown, 20 minutes from CFB Halifax / Stadacona, and 30 minutes from the Halifax Stanfield Airport.

The facility is open from 5:30 AM to 7:30 PM Monday–Friday with limited weekend hours. Classes run early morning, lunch, and evening Monday–Saturday, with Sunday programming for Olympic Weightlifting and Open Gym. Full live schedule: kaoscrossfit.ca/schedule.

Yes — ample free parking directly in front of the gym at 114 Chain Lake Drive. No parking meters, no garage fees, no time limits during gym hours. Bayers Lake is laid out for retail/commercial, so parking is generous.

Yes — full change rooms with showers for both men and women. Bring your own toiletries (we don’t stock soap/shampoo on-site) and a towel. Many members come straight from work, shower at the gym, and head out — it’s set up for that flow.

The main floor is single-level and accessible by wheelchair. Change rooms are accessible. If you have specific accessibility questions — equipment heights, programming scaling, or facility access — email info@kaoscrossfit.ca and we’ll talk through what your training would look like.

Four independent partner organizations: Pelvico Health Centre (pelvic floor physiotherapy, Suite 5), Cardinal Performance (Catherine — injury management & general personal training), Primo Weightlifting (JP — Olympic Weightlifting personal training), and GRND Athletics & Performance (Jenn — sport-specific athletic development).

Because the athletes training at Kaos need more than just classes — they need specialist coaching, pelvic health care, body composition tracking, and rehab support. Instead of building all of that in-house, we partnered with the best independent practitioners in each area and gave them space at 114 Chain Lake Drive. The result: under one roof, our community has access to expertise that would normally require visiting 4–5 different locations.

No — Pelvico is a separate company with its own ownership, licensing, and billing. They operate inside our building at Suite 5, but they’re independent. The relationship is partnership-based: we refer our community to them; they refer their patients to us. We share space and values, not ownership.