About Us
Shana Alverson :: Owner/Level I CrossFit Trainer/Certified Level II Running & Endurance/Certified CrossFit Olympic Lifting / Certified CrossFit Movement & Mobility / Certified CrossFit Kids Trainer
In junior high, I had 2 nicknames: Shamu and Sumo.(You can see my “before photos” if you go to the post for Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008) My parents encouraged me to lose weight and I got my first gym membership when I was 15 years old. I discovered that exercise made me feel great and it, along with nutrition, became a passion. My first job teaching exercise was in 1995 and in 2003 I became certified as a personal trainer.
All my experience was with the mainstream, body-building style workouts, kickboxing and martial arts. I was a diehard, 2-hours-a-day-5-days-a-week kind of workout girl; an hour of cardio and another hour of lifting weights. Once I was introduced to Crossfit, my whole philosophy, and physique, changed. I could see a huge difference in a short amount of time. I’m now leaner, faster, stronger, more agile, happier, more energetic and more excited about fitness than ever before.
I started coaching CrossFit in 2007 and am a Level 1 Certified CrossFit trainer as well as a Level I CrossFit Running & Endurance Certified. I have truly been excited and inspired by the transformations I am seeing in people. I am amazed at the huge impact Crossfit has on peoples’ lives and my life. My clients regularly express to me that the Crossfit mentality carries over into their home and work life as well. They are able to stare down adversity and dig their heels in, and when things get tough they take a deep breath and get back in the fight.
I’m 32 now and own my own gym. I love what I do and love getting to play a part in people changing their own lives! I’m regularly silly-actin’ and also laugh at my own jokes. Harassment is a specialty of mine… don’t even think about missing a workout!
Tommy Conroy :: Owner/CrossFit Level 1 Trainer/Certified CrossFit Olympic Lifting/Certified CrossFit Nutrition
I found CrossFit in 2007 after hearing about it from my sister who was introduced by a local affiliate. At the time I was getting bored with my typical routine; go to the gym, run on the treadmill, and then lift weights. I would spend almost two hours in the gym and feel like I wasn’t getting the results I wanted. As a former competitive athlete with experience in running, swimming, baseball, soccer, wrestling, and even ultimate frisbee (my wannabe hippie phase; it didn’t last long) I’ve always had something I was training for or competing in. After a few CrossFit workouts I realized I found a program that kept me motivated and pushed me to my threshold every day. As soon as I stopped focusing on the physical results and started focusing on pushing myself to my limits is when I started achieving a fitness level I had never had before.
Since starting CrossFit, I have become a Level 1 certified CrossFit trainer, attained the CrossFit Olympic Lifting certification and CrossFit Nutrition certification, trained multiple clients at local CrossFit affiliates, traveled to various cities meeting other CrossFit athletes, and competed in the CrossFit Games. As a trainer I strive to keep my clients motivated, pushing them to their physical and psychological limits while keeping them excited by the workouts. I love that CrossFit is a fitness program that is universally scalable allowing anyone from elite athlete to grandparent to enjoy the benefits of fitness.
Brooke Hembree: CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
I have always been athletic and interested in sports. I was a softball pitcher, both slow and fast pitch, through high school, and also played basketball. I went to the University of Georgia and while there started working out to take off the “Freshman 15” (or 20 in my case). Once I graduated and got out into “the real world” I used working out as my stress relief and it became a huge part of my life. I completed my certifications for Group Fitness, Cycling, Kickboxing, Les Mills’ BodyPump, and began teaching aerobics classes. I also competed in 2 Figure Competitions with the Supernatural Bodybuilding and Fitness organization and 3 with the National Physique Committee. While competing, I was doing traditional bodybuilding style workouts- 3 day body part split and 30-60 minutes of cardio a day. While I was in decent shape, I still didn’t look the way I wanted to look physically or feel as good as I wanted to. I was working out all the time and felt that I wasn’t getting the results that I wanted. I also missed the spirit of competition I felt while playing sports. Enter CrossFit. I went through a foundational class at CrossFit Emerald Coast in Florida and was totally hooked. I moved back to Atlanta in December 2008 and joined CrossFit East Decatur. I fell even more in love with CrossFit because of the fantastic community we have here- great members, great coaches, and a real sense of camaraderie. I have seen changes in my physique that I never saw with traditional gym workouts and I am in the best shape of my life. I love CrossFit because it is constantly varied and you get out of it what you put in. After 6 months of serious Crossfitting, I obtained my Level 1 certification in June 2009 became a coach at CFED.