We have a wide range of age with multiple years of experience. We have over 50 years of collective CrossFit coaching experience within our team with over half of our coaches having more than 5 years of coaching experience each.
All our coaches are certified in CPR-AED/First Aid. We believe in ongoing learning from multiple sources both within and outside the CrossFit community. We preach form and technique over weight and speed.
Ask yourself What is your Why/Value? Mine is "To inspire others to believe in themselves, so that they can live their best life." How do you get there? "Building strong cores in mind and body." What helps me to reach my Value - Moving properly, picking things up & putting them down.
CrossFit kicks my butt in a totally different way than I ever physically experienced before, it taught me to appreciate every muscle in my body and how important building from the core means in overall life. I thought a triathlon was a multi-event but I was so wrong, CrossFit is total body. CrossFit is not about being an expert in one area but being a master of many, which is how I believe is the best way to live.
I have been athletic all my life in various avenues from group to individual sport activities. I live to learn, experience new things and grow as a human being. After many years of endurance racing which included 6 marathons, 3 Ironman distance triathlons, a one day 200 mile organized bike ride plus numerous running races, century bike rides, and shorter distance triathlons my mind and body burned out and I was looking for something that would challenge me physically and mentally, CrossFit is the answer. I started CrossFit in my mid 40's and knew that this was my forever sport, now in my 60's
"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." - George Bernard Shaw
I have been involved in sports since I was 5 years old. 17 of those years were focused primarily on competitive soccer which later on evolved into college soccer. I was a three sport athlete in high school and played basketball and swam before that. I have always been infected with a competitive spirit.
When I graduated college, I worked to lose the weight I had gained from a poor lifestyle of eating junk food and partying. I changed my diet and started doing 30 minute cardio sessions followed by an hour of lifting, focused on one particular muscle group. Eventually I lost all of my excess weight, but after a while of this same routine, I felt stuck, bored even.
I stepped in to my first CrossFit gym in January of 2015 and I haven’t looked back since. I love so many different things about the sport. The community aspect is one of the best things about CrossFit. I have made lifelong friends of people I never would have interacted with elsewhere. Also, in CrossFit, you get out of it what you put in. You can see the results of your hard work on paper, in numbers. There is data to support whether you have become fitter than the last time you did a certain workout. My only regret so far is that I did not start sooner.
I’ve always been someone whose worked out by myself so it’s nice to do workouts with other fit people. So after having my first workout at PUSH I was hooked! My first big impression was during the yearly Memorial Day WOD named “Murph” where I seen all these different types of athletes tackling this crazy workout. That’s when I told myself “this place was definitely the place where I need to be”. The community here is the best! Everybody celebrates accomplishments in and outside the gym. We all want to see each other getting better. It's something about going through the same workout that brings us all together.
I come from a Wrestling background where we’re constantly working to get better at different positions. The same goes for a CrossFit workout where each workout is varied with different set of movements patterns and intensity. What kept me wanting to come back was the fact that I wasn’t good at everything so I wanted to keep working to get better at these ‘positions’ I wasn’t good in. I’ve always wanted to be someone who was good at many different forms of fitness so it’s exciting to come in everyday to do a different workout that tests that. Same goes for a Wrestling match where you’ll always be faced with different styled matchups.
It’s awesome to put your body through something you didn’t know it could do. I’ve learned to do things I didn’t know I was capable of. So being a Coach here I want to be able to PUSH, teach, and lead athletes to feel the same.
I was a pole vaulter in high school and college. After my collegiate career ended, I began running marathons because I loved having a clear training schedule to follow. However, by 2013, I had spent 8 years doing nothing but long distance running - I was no longer muscular, I was constantly fighting through nagging injuries and after finishing my third marathon in the year - I realized what I was doing wasn't sustainable.
In CrossFit, I found challenging workouts with enough variety to avoid burning out physically or mentally. I love being surrounded by strong, competitive, talented people, who push me to be better. CrossFit has given me a healthier body, a happier mind and a more-balanced life.
My love of sport and competition led me to my first profession in the US Army, which in turn brought me to CrossFit. During my first deployment to Iraq in 2009 I was introduced to a CrossFit workout called ‘Fran’ and I was instantly hooked. The constantly varied workouts and friendly competition is what initially drew me to CrossFit, but over the years my passion for the methodology has also grown. I found a second home at PUSH511 after leaving the military and moving to Baltimore in 2016. With an excellent group of coaches, an amazing community, and lots of dog friends, I continue to grow as a coach and athlete, and hope to spread the love to those around me.
Come join one of my classes and be prepared to move and jam out to one of my notoriously awesome playlists!
Jill was the General Manager at BTB CrossFit in Atlanta for nearly two years before moving to Baltimore in late 2008. Although she is back in the corporate world, her heart remains with coaching CrossFit classes.
"If you tell me I can't, I will" has never been my official adopted motto, but it has always been my way of life. At the age of 19, I ruptured a disk in my lower back while in dance practice and underwent surgery. I was devastated when my doctor told me I would never dance, cheer, swim or do any type of aerobic activity again... deep down I knew my only choice was to try anyway.
Three years later, a friend told me she was running a 5k and would be faster than any of our friends. To heck with the doctor's wisdom - my competitive spirit took over and I took up running. I beat her by a minute and a half and hated every minute of that race. Over the next year, I ran, danced and played volleyball - I realized the more active I was, the better my back felt!
In October 2006 some fellow fitness boot camp instructors and I attended our first CrossFit class at CrossFit Atlanta. Not only did it kick our butts, but every class gave me a sense of true camaraderie, accomplishment, friendly competition and quickly set the stage for short term and long term fitness goals. I envied photos and videos of super-fit yet feminine women doing pull-ups, lifting heavy weights and running fast. Could I do that? Could women really be strong without looking like body-builders? What about the age-old theory that lifting weights makes women bulk up? Could this be safe for men and women with knee problems, shoulder issues & back injuries? In-between CrossFit classes, I started researching functional movements, nutrition, running and the importance of varying both movement and intensity in workouts... and it changed my life.
CrossFit is about finding your inner best, pushing your limitations and becoming as fit as you can be. My true passion is helping others do things they never thought possible, whether it be lose weight, gain strength, eat healthier, run faster or simply have more energy to play with their kids. I love the challenge of helping others reach their goals!
Growing up I was always active in sports: soccer, lacrosse, martial arts, track, and surfing—you name it! I was a three-season high school athlete then would immediately go to martial arts in the evenings. Being active has always been a part of who I am from an early age.
After college I began to do the traditional running and ‘the gym’. However, I began to develop issues running long distances. So, I asked myself: what can I do that would give me strength and cardio, you know, overall fitness? And this began my journey at PUSH511 back in 2015. Since then I’ve gone from learning simple movements to competing in multiple competitions. My latest accomplishment is coaching and giving back to a community which gave so much to me.
The benefits of functional fitness are real folks—give it a try and see for yourself. I’ve never felt stronger or healthier and plan to continue this indefinitely. Whether you prefer to work out then head home or be a social butterfly, there’s a spot for you in this family.
I walked into my first CrossFit gym in 2018. I failed a box jump on day one and had blood dripping down my calf, and from that moment on I was hooked. My CrossFit experience has been nothing short of life changing. I discovered CrossFit in the midst of earning my masters degree in Florida; I was living off of cheap pizza, little sleep, and plenty of coffee. CrossFit was everything I needed. I moved to Baltimore in 2019 and immediately joined PUSH511. The sport gave me a community full of fitness, friends, and fun. I find that being a speech pathologist is similar to being a coach- both require knowledge, technique and patience. Most importantly, both are rooted in a trust and mutual respect between myself and my client. The same determination I use with my speech clients I bring to PUSH511. I strive to help people improve their physical and mental well-being in an accepting and encouraging environment. Through extremely varied and challenging workouts, my goal is to help you build a body that is capable of practically anything and everything! I am always down to do a long, gritty and intense workout.
Dylan is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS), Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Champion Performance Specialist (C-PS) and a Strong First Gyra Level 1 (SFG-1). Dylan is also a Fellow-In-Training with the American Academy of Manipulative Therapy.
He is a lifelong athlete and has suffered several injuries, the care he received ultimately led him to pursue a career in physical therapy. He loves eradicating or controlling pain that has been limiting people from doing the activities they love, and he loves helping people achieve goals they once thought were out of reach. To Dylan, fitness is being able to move in your body, the way you want, pain-free. The kettlebell swing is his favorite movement because of its challenge, reward, and adaptability to various fitness levels. Outside of work you can catch Dylan watching a Baltimore or University of Maryland sports game, or smoking meat.
My life has been a journey of movement and the discovery of all the ways fitness can challenge me physically and mentally. I grew up competing in a wide variety of sports and dance, which led me to an amazing college basketball career. After some intense athletic years, I decided to take some time off after college to just enjoy life and start my professional career while dabbling in basketball coaching. However, during this time I realized how much of my overall well-being was suffering from my lack of movement and fitness. So after moving to Baltimore and leaving basketball coaching behind, I joined some gyms to get into a routine and found that functional fitness that combined a variety of different movement dimensions kept me excited and coming back for more. It wasn't until after I joined Push511 that I realized how much I mentally benefited from a close and supportive gym community that shared the same love of fitness. I am physically and mentally stronger than I've ever been and I now have the pleasure of helping our members reap the same benefits a well thought out fitness program and strong community can have in one's life!
I found my passion for fitness early in life. I grew up playing soccer, ran track in college, and even got a degree in Human Physiology because I wanted to understand how to make my body work even better. After college, I tried CrossFit on a whim after burning myself out training for my first half marathon and swearing off running forever (that lasted a few weeks) and since then CrossFit has been a steady part of my life wherever I’ve ended up, including California, Namibia, Uganda, and Baltimore.
CrossFit initially drew me in by feeding my competitive spirit, but over the years it has taught me to set reasonable expectations and that it’s ok when fitness isn’t my top priority, as long as I keep showing up. I’ve learned to let go of the pressure I put on myself, to not be embarrassed when my score isn’t as good as I’ve hoped, to shift my focus from what my body looks like to what it can do, and to approach my fitness as a (hopefully long) lifelong journey. I’ve also learned to think about my health in the big picture, including nutrition, sleep, and physical recovery as well as mental well-being.
As a coach, I try to help everyone challenge their perception of their mental and physical limits - from former competitive athletes to people who’ve never stepped foot in a gym (especially those who may feel excluded from mainstream fitness, including women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people of color). If you’re ever having a rough time, I’m happy to comfort you with tales of crying over double unders, being defeated by barbells, and tearing my hands on the second to last rep of a workout. It won’t be pretty every day, but you’ll be glad you showed up.
For a few years I struggled with a shoulder injury, but in 2018 my yoga guru encouraged me to train to become a yoga instructor, while simultaneously my friends convinced me to try CrossFit. I was instantly hooked on both, and credit training in both the yoga studio and in the CrossFit gym with curing my shoulder injury. Since then, I have been able to function better in the gym and in life. I completed my RYT200 in 2018 and have worked with multiple types of yoga communities since then, including youth and collegiate athletes, college students, adults ages 65+, people with injuries, those who are pregnant, and more.
While my day work is in public health research and science, fitness has always been a critical part of my lifestyle. After moving to Baltimore in 2022, I finally decided to jump back into the CrossFit world and joined PUSH511 in the summer of 2023. As a member of the gym, I thought teaching yoga would be a great way to get more involved in the PUSH community and as someone who participates in the workouts, I thought it would also help with programming yoga classes tailored to more specific athlete needs. My yoga instruction style incorporates both fun and a judgement-free space, while also creating a safe and effective environment. In my opinion, after a tough week of CrossFit workouts, movement is the best medicine!
If it's not fun, I'm not wasting my time with it. That's as simple as it gets for me with everything. Repetitive run of the mill routines at the gym became uninteresting and I wanted something else to do daily. Anyone who knows me knows that I get bored easily, am rather hyper, can be a bit obsessive, and love playing any game or sport. Enter CrossFit. It kicks my ass, it’s fun as hell, and once the clock starts, I don’t think about anything else going on in the world. Plus, like any game or sport, there’s a competitive nature and I love the friendly rivalries.The best workout is the one you wake up excited to do every day. It doesn't matter if that's hiking the trail with your dog, spinning, or throwing around heavy weights. Overall health and wellness is what's most important and that's all I care about. I don't want anyone to half ass anything they do, but I definitely don't take life too seriously. I'm always looking for a good, usually perverse and incredibly sadistic, laugh. Come join the cult, drink the juice, it won't kill you. See what I did there?