Full Time Coach & Head of Facilities

Born and raised in Halifax, I grew up playing most sports. Most of my time was spent playing baseball, hockey, football and basketball, which gave me an appreciation for strength, conditioning and fitness in general. I got into CrossFit in 2015 and never looked back. Outside the gym I value my family time and sleep.

Go to Music Genre: Musical tastes range from punk rock, to old school rap to country and anything in between.

Favorite movement: Loves the classic strength lifts especially some bench press

Least Favorite Movement: not a fan of sumo deadlift high pulls or crossover double unders.

Favorite Food: A never ending sweet tooth and loves a good burger, a nice pasta or anything Mexican.

Full Time Coach & Head of Hospitality

Cooper discovered CrossFit in 2016 while living in Vancouver. After years of going through the motions with other traditional fitness programs; the aspects of accountability, competition and true functional movement grabbed Cooper’s attention and he’s never looked back. Since his family’s move back to Halifax in 2018, he has wanted to be more involved in the Ironstone community; and that desire has led him to coaching. As a former junior high basketball coach, Cooper enjoys effectively communicating skill development and thrives off getting his athletes to believe in their abilities and give 100% effort.

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Coach & Social Media Manager

Lisa is one of the best Registered Massage Therapists in Halifax with specialty certifications in sports massage, cupping massage, and Graston. Lisa has a long athletic history in track, volleyball, equestrian and Rugby, now playing for Halifax Rugby Football Club in Div 1 Senior Women and the Nova Scotia Keltics. Lisa found CrossFit through Rugby off-season training and quickly realized huge improvements in her speed, power and endurance on the field. Lisa is our resident mobility expert and certified through Rocktape to do fascial movement taping for performance and injury. She is also a Paramedic!

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Full Time Coach & Head of Sales

I have always believed that the best communities are found at the gym. I finished my Bachelors and Masters in Kinesiology and continued to share my passion throughout the health and fitness industry. During this time I played football university; fitness allowed me to regain that competitive edge during the times I needed a push.  Outside of being competitive the gym is a community that cheers on each other allowing you to better yourself and others. Outside of the gym I continue to stay active by going for walks and bike rides by water or on a new trail and play video games with friends from university.

Go to Music Genre: If I am in the gym I’ll be playing anything from EDM to hard rock.

Favourite Movement: Cleans or Burpees

Least Favourite Movement: Step-ups

Favourite Food: Cookies

Least Favourite food: Peanuts (I’m Allergic!)

Coach

Outside the gym, Emma is a teacher, hockey development coach, part time runner, and food lover. She enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, whether it’s exploring the city or just relaxing. Originally from PEI, Emma embraced the Ironstone community here in Halifax over the past two years, and thinks it’s the people that have truly made this city feel like home.

Go to Music Genre: Folk/country music lover, but you’ll catch me playing another coaches playlist during your sweat session!

Favourite movement: Double Unders

Least favourite movement: Handstand Push-ups

Favourite food: Breakfast sandwich

Least favourite food: mushrooms

Coach & Athletic Therapist

Eric has a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Dalhousie University and is a Certified Athletic Therapist. Over the years he has worked countless hours with athletes and patients of many different sports and backgrounds, including football, soccer, volleyball, hockey, basketball, cross country, track and field, wrestling, CrossFit and even Rodeo. Eric practices athletic therapy out of Ironstone through Young Kempt Physiotherapy, with a focus on CrossFit athletes. Eric started doing CrossFit in 2015 after finishing his hockey playing years. In 2016 he became a Trainer at Ironstone and has been coaching classes and doing personal training ever since. Eric uses his knowledge of exercise and rehabilitation combined with CrossFit training to help athletes achieve their best both inside and outside the gym.

As a Certified Athletic Therapist Eric has completed First Responder & CPR/AED Level HCP as well as FMT Basic & Advanced Kinesiology taping.

Coach

Outside the gym, I value taking in all of the little moments life has to offer! I keep very busy and love to hustle! I am a psych major at dal with the end goal of becoming a sports psychologist. Out side of studying and working my other jobs, I enjoy exploring Halifax, going on long walks, trying new restaurants and cafes and spending time with my friends and family! I love fitness because it has taught me that I can do anything I set my mind to. I love being pushed past my limits and proving myself and that’s exactly what fitness does for me. Bonus side of it all is that it has made me incredibly strong and fit and I love being able to apply that in my day to day life!

Go to Music Genre: In my class you will listen to anything from EDM to nickel back, I like to switch it up and see what energy the class brings!

Favourite Movement: Clean & Jerks, Bar Muscle Ups, Handstand Walks

Least Favourite Movement: wall balls (checkout my Spotify for a we hate wall balls playlist)

Favourite Food: Seafood

Coach

When not at the gym, you can usually find Emily on the soccer pitch! She also loves spending time with family, friends and her cat. Emily is always up for new adventures, most recently taking up paddle boarding and surfing. Emily worked in tech for several years, but is now going back to school for American Sign Language Studies to embrace her love of learning languages. Through coaching Emily discovered the joy of interacting with people and doing something different everyday, so she is really looking forward to this change.

For Emily, fitness has become such an important and ingrained part of her life. She truly believes that movement is medicine and that fitness is for everyone. Her objective is to not only keep strong and fit now, but also work towards longevity by keeping herself as fit, strong, and independent as possible for the rest of her life.

Go to Music Genre: 2000s pop hits and have been known to put on a Ru Paul playlist on Tuesday nights.

Favourite movements: power cleans, box jumps

Least favourite movements: wall balls, thrusters

Favourite food: pasta, chips

Weightlifting Coach

Rebecca joined Ironstone in 2015, and the constant challenge, feeling of accomplishment after a hard workout, and supportive environment had her hooked from day one. Rebecca’s fitness goals have varied over the years, and she loves that she can use her fitness in so many different ways as life, interests, and priorities change. Outside the gym, Rebecca enjoys hiking with her dog, paddleboarding, and has recently taken up running. She also works full-time as a Data Analyst.

As a coach, Rebecca enjoys fostering that same sense of accomplishment and community with the Ironstone members. After joining the Weightlifting team in 2018, she realized she had found her niche and decided to earn her NCCP Competition Introduction. In her classes you can expect to receive lots of encouragement and technical corrections (whole foot!).

Go to music genre: the Weightlifting team’s very own “Singlet Sunday” playlist or a special shout out to “Big Kate’s Aggression Tracks”.

Favourite Movements: Back Squats & Pull Ups

Least Favourite Movements: Front Squats & Double Unders

Favourite Food: Crispy Potatoes

Least Favourite Food: Butter

Weightlifting Coach

Jacob moved to Halifax over a decade ago and began weightlifting a few  years later. He has served on the Nova Scotia Weightlifting Association’s Board since 2015. He loves teaching people to lift heavier and heavier things safely and for a long time. Jacob spends his time outside of the gym thinking about creating more human-centered systems and more meaningful justice experiences. He has a truly perfect dog named Tova!

Go to Music Genre: Big Kate’s Aggression Tracks or Singlet Sunday Playlists

Favorite Movement: Snatches

Chief Operations Officer & Head of Programming

Patrick is a full time Staff Officer in the Canadian Army and part of the Ironstone Ownership team. Patrick is also an experienced athlete as a long-time competitive basketball player, swimmer, and runner. He loves putting his fitness to work outside the gym, adventuring, and trying new things. Patrick is also an avid golfer, backpacker hobby carpenter, and geek. Don’t get him started talking about science.

Go to Music Genres: Indie Rock, Pop, and golden age Alternative

Favorite movement: Deadlift

Least Favorite Movement: Anything upper body pressing

Favorite Food: Hamburgers