Welcome Our New Coach Brad Russell To Starke!

Hey Everyone, 

If you have been signing up for classes on-line hint hint. You may have noticed a new name added to the roster of coaches. Starke would like to welcome Brad Russell to our coaching staff and community.

I am excited to have Brad with us as a new coach. He has been training with us for over a month now and has shown a lot of dedication to his own training and performance by coming early before class or staying late after to work on his Olympic lifts or even just working on technique and mobility to help with better movement patterns. 

Brad has several years of experience training in CrossFit and has a great knowledge base as a CrossFit level 1 trainer and being a Physed grad who teaches Physed full time for the Seven Oaks School Division. 

Here is more info on our new coach

Name: Brad Russell

Nicknames: Russell, Russ, Hustle Russell

Age: 28

 

I have been crossfitting for 2 years, In those 2 years, along with countless other smaller learning experience, I can point out 3 things that I have learned. Crossfit has taught me how to learn physically. I never imagined myself learning and becoming competent in some of the more refined skills presented to me (Hand stand walking, Muscle Ups, Double Unders), but in order to do that I had to learn how my body learns and how my brain breaks down physical components before I was able to achieve these skills. Secondly, Crossfit has taught me to how to push myself to fitness I never thought possible. When I first started and a workout said "100 pullups", I thought that was unachievable and insane, now its the norm. Thirdly, and most importantly, I learnt how to take care of my body. I have always been strong and always been athletic, but I never thought about much more outside the gym or the hockey rink. Crossfit has taught me how to eat right, train right, and rest right, and now more than ever in my life, I know when I'm healthy. I've learnt what it feels like when I haven't eaten right, or when I haven't given myself enough rest, or mobilized and stretched properly. I've learnt what being fit and healthy means to me.

 

Favorite Workout: Any of the "girls"- I love the challenge of beating myself

 

Least Favorite Workout: Any of the "girls"- I hate knowing exactly how its going to feel 2, 5, 10 minutes after GO.

 

Training Goals: Snatch 245# (Christmas) C&J 315# (Spring break) 20 Muscle Ups Unbroken (Summer)

 

My background as a teacher and experience as a coach I think will bring a new perspective to the gym. Everybody learns differently and my hope is to use my personal experience, successes and failures, to help people look at movements and skills in a new light, to help an athlete move through those sticking points in their fitness and reach new plateaus. At the same time I hope to show the beginners what they are capable of, push the strong athletes to be a little stronger, and motivate the faster athletes to keep up ;)