About Us
The coaches at CrossFit Aestus truly love what they do. They’re men and women who have spent years studying, training, and perfecting their craft. They’ve dedicated their lives to fitness and helping others be their personal best. No matter your goal. No matter your limitations. Our staff can get you to where you want to be.
Head Coach
Sam is an alumnus of Central Michigan University, where he played football and was a member the 1994 MAC (Mid-American Conference) championship team. He’s the epitome of go big or go home. It’s one of the many reasons CrossFit appealed to him.
“I had been CrossFitting in my basement with what equipment I had for a few years. I formally joined a box in 2013 and the experience was life changing. I loved my first workout and by the second, I wanted to know how to become a coach.” Sam earned his Level 1 certification in 2014 and was a full-time coach by the fall. He specializes in General Physical Preparedness (GPP) programming and strategic goal setting.
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Coach
Brett has always been a fitness enthusiast. He’s participated in multiple obstacle courses and tested his endurance by rucking a marathon with 60-pounds strapped to his back. His discipline and desire to excel is rooted in his military background. It’s something that heavily influences his coaching style. Brett focuses on corrective exercise drills as well as training prep. He’s all about setting goals and actually accomplishing them.
Certifications:
Boot Camp Coach
Angela has always been athletic. As a kid, she grew up playing softball and taking dance and was even a cheerleader in college. Later, she was introduced to Pole Fitness and became an Aradia Fitness instructor. But that wasn’t the end of her journey. A friend recommended CrossFit, and although initially reluctant, she decided to give it a shot. She’d never lifted a barbell before, yet after one class, Angela was addicted! These days, she spends her time teaching total body conditioning, core strength building, while improving stamina and flexibility.
Certifications:
Olympic Weightlifting Coach
As a youth, Doug was a multi-sport athlete competing in basketball, volleyball, soccer, and lacrosse. He was even voted into his high school’s athletic Hall of Fame. During college, he participated in intramural sports and eventually made the leap to coaching. He loves teaching and mentoring up-and-coming athletes. It’s one of the main reasons he joined the CrossFit community.
CrossFit has changed Doug’s life. It’s made a significant impact on his health and taken his love of fitness to another level. He believes, “The sport is always evolving which forces us as athletes and coaches to continue to learn and teach new skills.” That’s what makes CrossFit both challenging and fun!
Certifications:
WODBody Sports Massage
Rob is a licensed massage and bodywork therapist who specializes in postural, repetitive motion, and pain management issues. Over the years, he’s worked with his fair share of runners and triathletes. But as a part of WODBody Sports Massage, he’s in a unique position to help rehabilitate CrossFitters.
He uses neuromuscular massage, cupping, and IASTM (tool work) to break apart and relax muscle fibers and facsia. He loves doing soft tissue work because it’s a fairly new method that gets results. “It’s great when someone comes to me with an issue and starts seeing improvement after only a few sessions.”
Check him out here for more info!
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Coach
Coach Josh Beck is passionate about guiding people through a learning/growth process, which often challenges preconceived ideas. “As both a physics and anatomy teacher, I have the opportunity to teach how the human body functions efficiently on its own, and also how we physically interact with other objects within our world,” he says. “Maintaining a healthy body and using it effectively to interact with our environment are both major contributors to our success as athletes. So that passion for teaching translates to coaching when I can help people better understand what makes their body ‘go’ from a physiological perspective and how to use their body, from a physical perspective, to maximize mechanical advantage and power output.”
Josh enjoys the fact that our members have a wide range of diverse interests, talents, goals and personalities that all contribute to making the CFA community unique and enjoyable to coach. “They make me laugh, they make me think, and they challenge me with insightful questions,” he says. “Each member has their own reasons for working out, and everyone is working hard to get better in some capacity. I enjoy being part of that growth process, and seeing our members celebrating each other’s successes just as much as their own.”
As an athlete, Josh has competed in half-marathons, obstacle course races, and as an age-group triathlete. His path to coaching started from a desire to learn as much as possible about a sport that was new to him. “CrossFit provided exactly what I was looking for, and the more I learned in classes, the more I wanted to know,” he says.
His favorite motivational saying: “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.” ~Jim Valvano
Certifications:
Coach
Coach Heather’s first love of fitness came by way of karate, soccer, and a variety of other sports. After an injury that ended her collegiate soccer career, she fell into a wavering fitness routine which lasted until the birth of her second child.
After that, she began running as her primary source of exercise and fell in love with fitness all over again. “In 2010, I ran my first half-marathon at the Outer Banks and met some folks from a program called Girls on the Run. I was intrigued and ended up becoming a volunteer coach at one of our local chapters. I think working with those kids is what really spurred my desire to coach and help others.”
Today she’s one of our most passionate coaches and enjoys connecting with our athletes to ensure their specific fitness goals are inched closer to every day. She truly loves spreading the knowledge of functional fitness to help her community become a healthier and happier place. This spreads to all aspects of her life as she is primarily committed to raising her 3 boys to be strong and loving human beings. We’re proud to have Coach Heather on our team.
Certifications:
Coach
Coach Jen Craver comes to CrossFit Aestus with an athletic background in soccer, crew, collegiate rugby and marathon running. She’s no stranger to sport and fitness which makes her an amazing walk-the-talk coach for our athletes at CrossFit Aestus. She’s passionate about being a better athlete every day and helping her members strive for growth not perfecting during every class. “I love watching our members try something completely new and discover what they’re capable of. Celebrating their accomplishments together is one of the most fulfilling aspects of being a CrossFit coach.”
As the story goes with so many people who’ve discovered CrossFit, the sport changed Coach Jen in a number of big ways. She fell in love with the daily challenge of strategy, growth, failures, and successes. “It was the perfect outlet for a recovering perfectionist like me. You’re never perfect in CrossFit. There’s always a way to be better, faster, and stronger.” It was a short leap from her realization of the immense impact CrossFit had on her life to becoming a coach. Her only regret is that she didn’t make the decision sooner.
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