There are only a few things I truly love in this world- my wife & children, my ginormous family, eating & drinking delicious things, and Loft. I seriously think I have the best job in the world on every front. Every day, I get to run a small business that creates a powerful and dynamic platform for individual change. I get to get up in the morning and facilitate a team that helps people PLAY (read: workouts). Fun!! I am privileged to be able to help people have fun and get in shape for a job.

I grew up living in many places in the US – mostly in California and at times in a converted school bus. I am the eldest of seven and will reliably give it to you straight when asked. I LOVE learning but passing on value by teaching is even more fulfilling for me. Whether I’m seeking out the humans that are the best fit for our gym, training our staff or working directly with our current members – it’s my job to help us/you/them create habits and choices that trickle into the rest of their lives. Eleven years into this functional fitness “stuff”, I am humbled daily by the opportunity to do what I do.

Certifications
CrossFit Level I
CrossFit Level 2
CrossFit Level 3 Trainer
CrossFit Gymnastics
CrossFit Powerlifting
CrossFit Mobility
CrossFit Endurance

I grew up participating in team sports but generally loathed physical activity. I took any opportunity to bury myself in a book instead. After having children, I realized that my sedentary lifestyle was going to have a negative long-term impact. I decided to get more active. The personal challenge of functional fitness coupled with the unbeatable community had me hooked.

Always wanting to know and understand more, I decided to get my coaching certification. After my family’s move to Seattle in 2014, I was fortunate enough to be able to make coaching my part-time career. I enjoy training and competing, but absolutely nothing beats the joy of helping people out-perform their own expectations for themselves.

Certifications
CrossFit Level 1
CrossFit Gymnastics
CrossFit Kids
USAW

Bio coming soon… one moment please.

Growing up a competitive swimmer, I discovered my passion for health and fitness at an early age. I began lifting weights and bodybuilding during college and then competing under the NPC in Figure and Bikini competitions in early 2010. While I enjoyed the training, the extreme restrictive diets, hours of endless cardio, and sole emphasis on aesthetics became emotionally and mentally draining.

Feeling lost with yo-yo diets and inconsistent results, I walked into my first Functional Fitness gym in 2014. I was hooked immediately. I remember thinking “OMG I WAS MADE FOR THIS!” It really was what I had been looking for in every aspect. The competition, the community, the training methodology; I loved it all. I was working in corporate fitness as a personal trainer, but it didn’t take long before I decided to pursue CrossFit full time as a coach and competitor. I dove in deep by learning as much as I could about the sport, movement, body mechanics, recovery, and fuelling my body through the proper nutrition.

CrossFit completely changed my outlook on fitness. It slowly taught me to appreciate my body for what it was capable of doing instead of what I thought it was supposed to look like. I learned how to work with my body and to accept myself for who and what I am and to my disbelief, the results I always wanted seemed to magically happen also!

My biggest pleasure now is helping other people achieve the same “ah-ha” moment that I had! No matter the goal, there is literally nothing I love more than helping someone learn what their body is capable of through proper nutrition and functional movement. The sky is the limit!

Certifications:
Master of Public Health (MPH)
B.S. Exercise Science and Health Promotion
CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
CrossFit Mobility
CrossFit Kids
Precision Nutrition L1 Coach

Athletic Resume:
CrossFit Games Team Athlete (2016)
2 x CrossFit Games Individual Athlete (2017/2018)
3 x CrossFit Regionals Team Athlete (2014/2015/2016)

Gym, Tan, Laundry. GTL baby!

GYM: From soccer to national level horseback riding to running marathons to Ironman triathlons to HIIT to CrossFit, my athletic resume is evolving. Life without sports is foreign as I’m passionate about making and tackling big athletic goals.

As I searched for ways to get stronger, I found myself spending a lot of time at the gym going and back and forth between a video on my phone and working out. My frustration lead me to trying out my first group fitness class. That’s when I fell in love with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). The fast paced workout has taken my endurance to a whole new level. Specifically improving my strength, cardio and marathon time by 31 minutes.

I quickly became a coach in hopes to inspire others to be the fittest version of themself. As a HIIT coach, I believe in every athlete, of all fitness levels from straight off the couch to pregnancy to professional and motivating them to move. Whether it’s taking it up a notch or customizing, I like to meet everyone where they’re at each and every day. Many clients have told me that I describe difficult workouts with a big smile and many jokes, making it all seem doable. It is, everything in HIIT is doable.

TAN: Born and raised in Orinda, CA 94563. I dream about sunshine, beach vacations, running with sunglasses and a solid base tan, regularly.

LAUNDRY: Through all of my goals, personal training clients and HIIT coaching, I’m a mom. What fills those “extra” hours are the loads and loads of laundry and meal planning for my active family. I would not be where I am today without the encouragement and support of my husband and Loft member, Joel, two beautiful girls and my french bulldog Taco. All of us can be found, at the Loft.

Certifications:
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Group Fitness Instructor

I have been taking part in fitness classes since my mom led a group of friends grapevining to the Miami Vice theme in the ‘80s. I started leading classes in 2002 and have coached in five states since then. I’ve coached and taken part in everything from step to water aerobics to CrossFit, and for me, HIIT training wins every time. There’s no better way to increase strength, endurance, agility and confidence, and I love the way it can challenge any athlete (even those who don’t consider themselves athletes.)

In addition to coaching at Loft, I am a writer and analyst for a boutique investment research firm based in New Jersey. I primarily work from my West Seattle home and am frequently still in my pajamas at 1 p.m.

Outside the gym, I can often be found hiking, drinking and learning about wine, and walking my amazing mutt Buddy.

Certifications
NASM CPT

I started Functional Fitness in 2004 after breaking my fibula playing rugby for UC Davis; I realized if I was to continue playing at a high level I needed to get bigger, faster and stronger. I began obsessively researching strength and conditioning programs and when I stumbled onto functional fitness (one of my team mates from Santa Cruz who was an All American mentioned it to me). It took the best ideas from everything else I had been researching and put them all together.

The perfectionist in me continues to research other strength and conditioning programs so I can keep stealing all of their best ideas and mold it into ours. I believe this is the true genius of Functional Fitness; it is all about pursuing functionality using whatever works and dropping what doesn’t. What that means is I am not limited to some trendy fitness fad. Functional Fitness not only allows but encourages change and adaptation to the program. We continually evolve and improve as we learn. This method has served me well over the years as I have now competed in the CrossFit Games 4 times, once as an individual and for several years as the Coach and Captain of the Jet City CrossFit and Loft Teams. Over the years I have coached around 20 athletes who have competed at the CrossFit Games.

My obsessive nature has given me an insatiable thirst for knowledge related to how the human body moves. As such, when I am not scheming up new workouts, I work as a Physical Therapist at Biojunction.

Certifications
CrossFit Level 1
CrossFit Level 2
CrossFit Mobility

I first tried Functional Fitness in 2007 in Atlanta. At the time I was on the crew team, and while I don’t remember my first workout, I do remember the workout being tough and exciting–much more exciting than most of the on-land rowing practices. After graduation and finishing crew, I joined a nearby gym and pursued my CF L1 to join the gym’s coaching staff.

Functional Fitness has traveled with me from Atlanta to Seattle, through various gyms, and around other hobbies (hiking, camping) and competitive goals (Olympic weightlifting). I’ve always loved solving and analyzing technical problems. It introduced me to the biomechanics and nuances of human movement which I find fascinating. Coaching gives me the opportunity to help people become safer and more efficient in fitness and in life. I look forward to being a positive force in your fitness journey.

Certifications
CrossFit Level 1
CrossFit Level 2
CrossFit Endurance
CrossFit Mobility
CrossFit Adaptive Training
AIARE Level 1

I grew up in Des Moines, WA by Sea-Tac airport and spent countless weekends and holidays in West Seattle with family. I moved the West Seattle while in school at the University of Washington and have been here for the last 17 years.

My athletic background includes playing all sorts sports growing up but baseball was my favorite. Unfortunately my sports career ended in high school after 4 years of varsity baseball.

After years of monotony working out on my own at home and in globo gyms, I was introduced to Functional Fitness in 2014 and I haven’t looked back. My interest in coaching grew from organizing long, disgusting metcons during open gym which quickly grew a following and here we are three years later with two Sunday Mash classes.

I’m excited to be part of the Loft community and coaching staff sharing health and fitness with others. I love the community Loft has built and truly think of everyone here as my extended family.

When I’m not at the gym you’ll finding me hanging out with my wife and son and our dog Ruby the Pitbull.

Certifications
CrossFit Level 1

Kettlebells, powerlifting, strongman.

Sports and exercise have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember but its purpose in my life is constantly rotating from fun, required (13+ years in military), physical health, increase quality of life and mental health. In 2018 I reluctantly got involved with Functional Fitness after I moved to West Seattle and was looking for a gym with a convenient location. Loft quickly became my second home and family. I have not looked back.

Over the past 20 years I have coached youth, middle school and high school football and wrestling, lead the physical fitness program for the UW NROTC and various small units in the Marine Corps. I made the decision to join the Loft coaching team in 2019 as way to give back to a great community! My goal as a coach is to safely push athletes beyond their natural comfort zones to exceed expectations of themselves and of course to have fun and ALWAYS have a good playlist!’

Certifications
CrossFit Level 1

Bio coming soon… one moment please.

I first fell in love with Functional Fitness as a member of Loft and moved on to become a coach to give back to the community here. I enjoy connecting with members on a personal level and helping each individual find how fitness can meet their current needs and goals. My favorite moments in the gym are helping athletes achieve those “A-ha!” breakthroughs in the snatch and clean and jerk.

I am an engineering services manager by day, Seattle American Pool Association League Champion by night, and carpenter on the weekends.

Certifications
CrossFit Level 1
USAW

Bio coming soon… one moment please.

Hi, I’m Gretchen Griffee. I have been working out at the Loft for five years and within the past year have been coaching, when I am not in school. I am pursuing a Doctorate in Physical Therapy at the University of Washington and have really enjoyed learning more about how physical fitness positively impacts and improves quality of life, both in the present and for the future. A desire share my current and always increasing knowledge and experience is why I coach at Loft.

I have a background as a personal trainer and as a young athlete competed in body building and power lifting. I currently enjoy running through Lincoln Park and on the UW campus with my friends at school, of course functional fitnessing with the early morning crew. I believe that functional fitness keeps me strong and able to achieve my long term goals of health and wide range of physical activity whether it is a challenging myself on a fast paced hike, pushing myself through a long run, and most importantly showing my kids how fitness is an integral part of a fulfilling life.

Certifications
CrossFit Level 1

Born and raised in West Seattle, after returning home from Montana with my newly acquired degree in accounting, I was inspired to counter all the fun I had at school (yeah, I’m a FUN accountant) by getting into a fitness routine. My cousin was really into this thing called CrossFit, so I fired up the Google machine and found CrossFit West Seattle in 2011.

After making some great friends through the gym, discovering my untapped competitive nature, and trying out some new styles of training (I spent 7 years swangin’ kettlebells at my old gym), I decided to check out Loft for my next challenge. I took my passion for fitnessing with friends to the next level with the opportunity to coach the HIIT program at Loft.

When I’m not cranking the jams and bringing the energy to the HIIT classes, I’m busy snuggling my Pitbull-Great Dane mix Mack, crunching numbers for an airline, dominating rec league kickball and organizing adventurous outings (Don’t forget- I’m a FUN ACCOUNTANT).

Bio coming soon…. one moment please.

I have been coaching the Olympic-style lifts for 16 years. I have held numerous certifications and taught other trainers and their clients at workshops and certification seminars all over the West Coast and Canada. I love to see people improve and how empowering that process is for individuals.

In addition to coaching, I enjoy competing and was a masters gold medalist at the 2014 National Masters Weightlifting Championships and medaled at the 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2008 National Masters Weightlifting championships. I was also fortunate enough to travel to Copenhagen for the 2014 World Masters Weightlifting Championships and finished fourth. I am an avid photographer and have had photos featured numerous times on the CrossFit.com website.

Certifications
USAW Advanced Coaching
USAW Referee
CrossFit Weightlifting Level 2
CrossFit Gymnastics
CrossFit Nutrition
CrossFit Rowing
CSCS
CrossFit Level 2

Bio coming soon… one moment please.

I have called West Seattle home since 1986. Husky Deli, Sunfish and Pegasus Pizza are among my family’s favorites, and I know that Alki is best on a cold windy day in the winter. My athletic background includes hiking and skiing since I could walk, a few first place finishes in the 25m butterfly (before I got old enough and they made me swim 50m – yuck), one winless season of softball, 10 years of rowing through high school and college, and Functional Fitness siince I walked into Jet City to see what it was all about in November 2011.

I started coaching by leading the occasional Sunday morning Mobility but quickly realized that it was super fun and started coaching other classes too. My strength is my, well, strength, but after several eye rolls from Bethany and sideways glances from Chelsea, I’ve learned that patience and technique work are extremely valuable and worth the effort. If I don’t show up at Loft, I am most likely in the mountains or working my firefighting job in Kirkland.

I thinks that a lot of people are stronger than they give themselves credit for, and my favorite coaching moments are when athletes surprise themselves.

Certifications
CrossFit Level 1
CrossFit Gymnastics
Firefighter/EMT

Wisconsin born, West Seattle has been home since 1971, currently with my daughter and Chessie/Plott Hound rescue pup. Lifelong competitive athlete, I have enjoyed soccer, skiing, track, softball, rowing, and kettlebell. About 9 years ago, I went to check out a CrossFit box with my little sister. We’ve both been hooked ever since. I have coached at the LOFT for about 4 years now but am also currently entering my 23rd year in Professional Athlete Management & Marketing (NBA, WNBA, Overseas). I could be the poster child for “fall 8 times, get up 9….” (the struggle is still real and ever present!) and also very much relate with those who struggle finding balance between work, family, gym, and self-care.

No matter where you find yourself, it is never too late to start again. Anyone who walks through the doors of the LOFT is immediately an athlete. And there is nothing more rewarding to me than to help that athlete push past what they thought they were capable of earlier that day – physically, emotionally, mentally. For me, it’s really about who you become along the journey towards your goals.

Certifications
CrossFit Level 1
CrossFit Adaptive
CrossFit Kettlebell
RKC Course Completion (Hard style)

Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, I tried many sports and activities that didn’t fit me. I ended up spending most of my time in dance classes and on the marching band field. I never considered myself an athlete until I began at Hoosier CrossFit in Bloomington, Indiana in 2014. It was a big wake-up call that I could feel healthy, happy and motivated to exercise.

I moved to West Seattle in 2015 and was thrilled to find the vibrant community at LOFT, where people love and support each other. I helped with our LOFT kids summer camps and then joined the staff as a Coach in 2018. I love hyping up members during workouts and helping them discover their potential to be better, stronger athletes.

Outside of LOFT, I teach middle school band, perform with bands and orchestras across Seattle, and love playing board games with my friends and family.

Certifications
CrossFit Level 1

Bio coming soon… one moment please.

A former collegiate track athlete, specializing in high jump, hurdles & javelin, after completing my Health Education & Human Nutrition degrees, I have been working in human performance for a decade.

After several years aimlessly training for random races, triathlons & challenging all my friends to push up contests, a friend urged me to look into Functional Fitness to satiate my competitive drive & athletic nature.

Introduced in 2012, I have since obtained a few certifications (see below). My love of teaching has touched every aspect of both my personal & professional life. A self-proclaimed fitness-nerd, I am deeply passionate about helping others obtain the highest quality of life for themselves & their families through movement & nutrition.

Certifications
CrossFit Level 1
CrossFit Level 2
CrossFit Level 3 Trainer
USAW Sport Performance Coach
Tactical Strength & Conditioning Specialist Certification
EXOS Performance Specialist Certification