Introducing the Xtra Mile Fitness team

General Manager

Before finding CrossFit, Christa coached gymnastics for 7 years. In 2015, Christa started CrossFit and immediately fell in love. The gymnastics components in CrossFit are some of her favorites, and she was thrilled to get the opportunity to continue coaching. In 2018, she graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Exercise Science and the determination to find her dream job at a CrossFit gym. When she moved to St. Louis, Xtra Mile was the first gym she stepped foot in. She fell in love with the community and knew right away she had found her gym home. Christa enjoys seeing people from all walks of life working out next to each other towards the same goal. She believes that having this fitness family keeps members motivated and makes Xtra Mile Fitness special. Christa is excited to help each person that walks through the door reach their fitness goals.

Head of Personal Training

Chelsey started her fitness journey at Lindenwood University, where she pursued a degree in Exercise Science. There, she found success as a member of the University Olympic Weightlifting team and Women’s Rugby team being a part of their national championship teams. After graduating, Chelsey delved into coaching CrossFit and running the Olympic Weightlifting program at a gym. She worked with the strength and conditioning staff at various universities, including Lindenwood, SLU, and UMSL.  Along the way she got her Masters degree in Human Performance at Liberty University. She then worked in private personal training for 3 years with people of all ages and abilities. Before finding a home at  Xtra Mile Fitness she had the incredible opportunity to serve as the head Athletic Performance coach for the Missouri Baptist University football team.

Outside of coaching Chelsey is an artist who specializes in blockprinting and making messes in my art studio. She loves nature, traveling and longboarding! 

Olympic Weightlifting Director and Head Coach

In 2012, Devin graduated high school and went on to Lindenwood University to study Exercise Science and pursue his passion in health and athletics. While at Lindenwood, he was recruited to the Olympic Weightlifting team where he found his love for competitive weightlifting. Devin began his journey towards coaching when he started shadowing the head coach of Lindenwood his freshman year. Shortly after, he became an assistant coach for Lindenwood’s weightlifting team. While at Lindenwood, Devin was a part of helping his team win four national championships, along with individually placing multiple times on a national stage.

Coach

From an early age, all things physical culture caught Jake’s eye. The catalyst for this interest was his father encouraging him to lift homemade concrete weights in their basement and showing him Arnold Schwarzenneger classics like Conan the Barbarian. He wrestled through high school but always enjoyed the strength and conditioning sessions more than the sport itself. He longed to take his training more seriously after reaching his first duty station in the United States Navy, Virginia Beach, VA. After visiting several gyms in the area, he happened upon Brute Strength Gym in Virginia Beach. There people took their training with veracity and the exchange of information and education flowed freely. Everyone there was eager to teach and learn. It wasn’t long before Jake began training for Strongman and competed in several local competitions.

Coach

Brad found CrossFit in 2010 after returning home from a trip to Hawaii. The surfing, and soreness that ensued, made him realize that he wasn’t quite as fit as he thought he was. He found CrossFit South City and was immediately obsessed. He would be a member and coach at the gym for nearly seven years. During this time, he found a renewed sense of competition and has competed in numerous regional events, including placing third at HOA in 2011. It was through CrossFit that Brad found his inspiration to become a firefighter and paramedic. He spent his first years in the fire service at The City of St. Charles Fire Department. He now proudly serves and protects the citizens of Xtra Mile’s community as a Firefighter/Paramedic for the Fenton Fire District.

Coach

It wasn’t until October of 2013 when Candace discovered and fell in love with Crossfit. Six months into her new found hobby, she competed in her first Individual competition and since has competed in a handful more of individual, couplet, and team competitions. As the years went by, Candace continued to enjoy the time she spent in the gym and started to get the idea of becoming a coach. It was then in March of 2019 when the opportunity came knocking on her door, and took part interning with Xtra Mile Fitness where she then studied and interned with some of the best Coaches in the St. Louis area. In May of 2019 she received her L1 and started solo coaching a few months later. She has enjoyed every minute of coaching new and veteran athletes, pushing them to their limits and seeing the excitement come across their face when they’ve hit a new lifting PR, or just got their first pull-up, or ran an entire 400m without stopping. Candace looks forward to the months and years to come, as she continues to grow personally as an athlete and as a coach here at Xtra Mile Fitness.

Coach

Abram was introduced to CrossFit in 2016. He often recounts walking through the doors with wide eyes and the intimidation of what he had heard about CrossFit. Like many, he was overweight, had poor mobility, limited skills and strength, and not the best self image. What he found was a coaching staff that was invested in his success and a community that was supportive, caring, and knowledgeable. It was everything he needed to call Xtra Mile home. Through his time at Xtra Mile, Abram has advanced every aspect of his fitness, competed in multiple events, and even became a USA Weightlifting Masters National Champion. Abram attained his CrossFit Level 1 certification so that he could bring his passion of life and fitness to others so that they might find their own personal growth. In this critical role of education, support, and encouragement, Abram always brings his unique blend of passion, performance ,and making fitness safe and fun!

Coach and Nutrition Coach

Marco was introduced to CrossFit in the summer of 2012 in preparation for his final year of collegiate baseball at St. Louis University. After completing his baseball career at SLU, his fitness journey began in competitive powerlifting, where he competed multiple times in the Midwest. Although lifting heavy was fun, he craved returning to training as a well-rounded athlete that could handle a variety of physical activities competently, which is what drew him back to training consistently in CrossFit at the end of 2017. He believes that physical fitness, in general, is a way to push yourself to places you didn’t think were possible before, and that will trickle out to have a positive effect on other aspects of your life outside of the gym. His draw to coaching is in finding the best methods possible to help athletes break through those new barriers and believe that they can continue on that path to achieve their goals.

Coach

In 2011, Brenden graduated college from Missouri State University with a BS in Kinesiology. During this time, he completed a 210-hour internship at Crossfit Springfield. It was during this experience that he realized his passion for helping improve the health, fitness, and wellness of others. Brenden believes the best investment you can ever make is in your own health. Crossfit provides a wonderful, unique experience and opportunity that allows individuals with all backgrounds the chance for their own personal investment in a fun, engaging way. Accumulating over a decade of hands-on experience and coaching hundreds of classes has allowed him to specialize in group fitness training, exercise prescription, fitness assessments, and weightlifting. As a coach, his goal is to ensure that members leave the gym feeling empowered and more knowledgeable than when they walked in. One of his favorite proverbs is – ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’ It is more worthwhile to teach someone to do something for themselves than to do it for them.

Coach and Nutrition Coach

Coach

Daniel started at CrossFit South City 9 years ago when a friend of his recommended he give it a try based on his fitness and health goals. Starting at a very young age, Daniel has been involved in some form of competition. Currently, he still competes in open-wheel dirt auto racing, which he finds CrossFit helps immensely from a conditioning standpoint. Beyond the competition aspect of CrossFit, Daniel believes the two major factors that have kept him involved for so long: functional fitness and community. He has seen how beneficial CrossFit has been in his life, along with so many others. CrossFit showed Daniel your fitness journey doesn’t have to be an individual one. He’s been motivated by coaches and other members throughout the years, which inspired him to to get his certification in 2019 when the opportunity became available. Daniel has enjoyed coaching new and veteran athletes ever since then, helping motivate and guide others to reach their own personal goals.

Coach

Coach