BRANDON ARMSTRONG
I am 38 years old and have been living in the Grand Rapids area my whole life. As a child I took karate, played baseball, and football. In high school I continued to play baseball and football. I also enjoyed lifting weights. After high school I went to Grand Valley State University where I majored in Criminal Justice. Grand Valley had one humble scholarship for baseball which I was fortunate enough to receive although I never did play much due to season ending injuries both my freshman and sophomore years. By the time my junior year came around I was so far removed from the baseball scene that I just stopped playing because my interests had fallen elsewhere. While at Grand Valley I started boxing at Pride Boxing Gym in Grand Rapids. I never fought in an official boxing match, but I got some ring time and truly loved it, both the fighting part and the conditioning part. While I liked the contact, I could tell that it probably wasn’t doing my brain much good! In 1995 I became a Grand Rapids area police officer.
When I was about 23 years old I started taking Hapkido under Juan Rangel. This is when I got my first taste of Brazilian Jujitsu and MMA. We went to several Brazilian Jujitsu tournaments. Like boxing, I fell in love with Brazilian Jujitsu. Unlike boxing, we could actually go all-out against each other and not hurt each other. On top of that we learned some devastating submissions. It was at about this time I became a defensive tactics instructor for our police department. Shortly thereafter, I became a member of the SWAT team. My responsibilities on the SWAT team included teaching close quarters combat and physical conditioning.
After a couple years, Mr. Rangel closed his school. I soon found Rob Masko who owns West Michigan Mixed Martial Arts Academy. Mr. Masko is very humble and nice while at the same time very physically capable. I liked him immediately. I started training in Brazilian Jujitsu under him which evolved into mixed martial arts. In 2001 I fought in in my only MMA tournament, “Insane in Ft. Wayne,” at the Memorial Coliseum. I won three fights that night to win the championship. I truly loved the training and fighting, but by this time my wife, Patti, and I were having children and the training time was becoming a stress on the home-front. I’m sad to say that I never fought in an organized fight again, although maybe when my kids head off to college they will have an old man fighting league!!
While running a small private fighting school for police officers, one of my students, Dave Siver, mentioned CrossFit training to me. I more or less ignored him for two or three months. Then one night I finally clicked onto www.crossfit.com and checked it out. I got so excited I felt like a little kid…I never looked back.
In 2008 I opened CrossFit Grand Rapids and then got my level 1 CrossFit trainer certification. I plan on continuing my training in the various areas of physical performance and health for the rest of my live. Currently there are three other trainers at CrossFit GR. I feel fortunate to have them…top quality, humble, and capable. Quality first…always.
Over the years as an athlete, fighter, police officer, SWAT team member, etc. I have developed some strong opinions about training. In a nut shell…to be good you need to push the envelope at times…to be exceptional you need to push the envelope often.
Phill Armstrong
I’m 60 years old and grew up in the Grand Rapids area. In high school I played baseball, football, and basketball. After high school I started working at Michigan Bell. Soon thereafter, I enlisted in the Marine Corp. After serving a tour in Vietnam I returned home and went back to work at Michigan Bell. As I got older I coached my son, Brandon, played softball, and took karate. I’ve always enjoyed playing sports and working out.
I’ve always enjoyed meeting Brandon at the typical gym to work out. To me working out meant lifting some weights, then doing some cardio, and then calling it a day. A couple years ago Brandon started talking about CrossFit training and how it is becoming popular with SWAT teams, police, and military personnel. I listened, but didn’t really appreciate what it was all about or what it could do for you. Then last year Brandon opened up CrossFit Grand Rapids and we started training CrossFit style. Wow, did my eyes open! Long story short…I’ve lost 25 pounds and feel as good as I felt when I was 35. I also get a sense that this is just the start. I can’t wait to see what more CrossFit does for me.
I have learned much about CrossFit, training, coaching, and diet. I look forward to getting various certifications in the future. I truly love what CrossFit has done for me and I can’t wait to help guide others down the same path. I plan on continuing to teach CrossFit to the general members. I also plan on establishing a CrossFit program specifically for seniors. See you in the gym!
Dave Siver
I grew up in the Flint area. After high school I went into the Marine Corps for five years. When I got out of the military I became a police officer in Saginaw for a year and then moved to Grand Rapids. When our country became involved in iraq, I re-enlisted into the Michigan National Guard and served a tour in Iraq (where I never let the meager equipment available slow down my training!)
I have a B.A. in business administration and hope to start my master’s degree soon. I have been CrossFitting for several years and will be attending a CrossFit Level 1 certification soon.
John Devries
After graduating from college in 2008, I spent countless hours searching for a career that would combine both my abilities and my passions. Two jobs, twenty five self-improvent books, and three standardized career tests later I discovered personal training, and then CrossFit. Shortly after completing my first workout (Angie) I knew I had found a training method that was truly capable of transforming people. To me, training and CrossFit are about a lot more tha just “working out.” When I hit the WOD, I’m sweating out my demons. I’m facing my fears I’m pushing myself to new limits and I’m creating qualities and character traits that I know will carry over into other parts of my life.
That’s why I wanted to be a trainer. I want to empower other people to do the same; to build discipline, mental toughness, and to let go of all the silly junk that may have been dragging them down during the day. During round three of “Fight Gone Bad,” there is nothing but your heart pounding out of your chest and sweat filling your eyes; the office, the nine to five grind, and your finances are long gone. Consequently, to say I’m enthusiastic about being a trainer at CrossFit Grand Rapids would be a massive understatement. I can’t wait to share with people what I’ve found here. I’m a certified CrossFit Level 1 trainer.
