The brief descriptions below are designed to familiarize you with our staff’s training, professional credentials and work experience.
Matt Lohmann
Contact: 815-519-1106 or matt@crossfitamrap.com
- • CrossFit Level I Certified
• CrossFit Rowing Foundations Certified
• CrossFit Olympic Lifting Certified
• CrossFit Movement & Mobility Certified
• CrossFit Endurance Certified
• American Heart Association CPR/AED Certified
Personal Testimony: You know that guy who goes to the gym 5-6 days a week, runs several miles on the treadmill, works some upper body and does a few abdominal workouts. He spends almost two hours at the gym each day, and looks fit, but really hasn’t seen much progress since college. Well, that guy was me.
I spent around ten hours each week working out, but never received the results I wanted, until one day. While living in Arlington, VA, my old roommate persuaded me into attending a free Saturday class at Potomac CrossFit [PCF]. After a lot of squats, push-ups, and assisted pull-ups, I was hooked. I had just completed one of the longest and most difficult CrossFit workouts (Murph) and was sore from head to toe for almost a week, yet I found myself right back at PCF the following week.
After a few months at PCF, my job transferred me back home to Crystal Lake, where I immediately joined CrossFit Fire to continue my training. After only three months of workouts and some great nutritional advice, I had uncovered something I didn’t think I would ever see again, and that was my abdominals. I was the leanest I had ever been in my life, was full of energy throughout the day, slept soundly each night, and most importantly, I looked and felt great and accomplished goals I had never imagined were attainable at my age. Frankly, I surprised myself.
In my opinion, CrossFit is the future of fitness in America and all over the world; come see what everyone has been talking about and experience a better quality of life for many years to come.
Brittany Lohmann
Contact: 815-685-7717 or brittany@crossfitamrap.com
• CrossFit Level I Certified
• CrossFit Kids Certified
• CrossFit Rowing Foundations Certified
• CrossFit Gymnastics Certified
• CrossFit Endurance Certified
• CrossFit Olympic Lifting Certified
• CrossFit Movement & Mobility Certified
• American Heart Association CPR/AED Certified
Personal Testimony: After playing basketball and volleyball through high school and two years in college, I was stuck: I no longer had team sports to keep me active. As a result, I started doing yoga, pilates, and aerobics; I also began running long distances, much to my knees’ dismay. Despite all of this, I never felt “fit” and my knees hurt. Yes, I was in decent shape, but I never realized what true “fitness” looked and felt like – Until I found CrossFit.
I’ve been CrossFitting for about four years now, and I am continually thankful that my friend (Thanks, Chris!) drug my butt out of bed at 5:30 a.m. one September morning so that I could participate in Cindy at CrossFit Fire. It was the first of many tough (but great) workouts that I have experienced throughout the past years, and I continue to follow such programming in order to achieve fitness and wellness. (I must say, I never in a million years would have thought that I would enjoy lifting weights.)
On the whole though, CrossFit has changed my life for the better, and I hope that it can do the same for you.
Jim Lohmann
Contact: 815-382-2743 or jlohmann02@gmail.com
• CrossFit Level I Certified
Personal Testimony: I used to sit and listen to Matt and Brit talk about their “Fran” times, 
new one-rep maxes, and grain-free Paleo lifestyles and roll my eyes. What was so great about CrossFit that they could not go ten minutes without mentioning it? Well, I learned “what” when Matt finally coaxed me into trying CrossFit.
As a lifelong athlete and member of the Augustana College baseball team, I love the competitive nature of sports and the team atmosphere they provide. I had been missing that camaraderie in my day-to-day workouts and was getting bored with the same old routine. CrossFit changed that.
In late 2009 I started doing WODs from the mainsite at my globo gym; the changes in my body and endurance were unavoidable. When Matt came to me and told me he was starting CrossFit AMRAP, I was thrilled to finally get to WOD in a group setting with other CrossFitters. The competition and camaraderie I found at Crossfit AMRAP was like no other workout regimen I have ever seen.
I began at AMRAP last May and have officially turned into one of “them”: dare me to go ten minutes without talking about CrossFit! Not only have I seen tremendous results and consistently set new PR’s, I feel I have helped others do the same by pushing them in WODs right next to me. The feeling of accomplishment I get after a WOD is unparalleled.
Stacey Carlson
Contact: 707-396-8500 or staceyeddillon@yahoo.com
• CrossFit Level I Certified
• CrossFit Olympic Lifting Certified
• CrossFit Endurance Certified
Personal Testimony: As a mother of four it’s hard to breathe let alone work out five days a week. Then about two years ago my friend Alex introduced me to CrossFit. She is also a busy mom and a very fit one at that. After hearing her story it didn’t take much convincing to get my butt in for my first WOD. That day I walked away feeling a bit queasy, but I loved the workout and wanted more. It was amazing; it was a fabulous workout and I was in and out in only one hour. I knew I could work this into my busy schedule.
I immediately became hooked. I started to see my strength develop. I was seeing results and they have continued throughout the last two years. I NEVER thought I would be able to do a pull up or lift weights. No way! But now I feel stronger, healthier, and I have enough energy to run around with all four of my kids. I have never felt better and I owe it all to CrossFit.
CrossFit has impacted not only me but also my whole family. My husband and I really enjoy working out together. It is something we look forward to everyday. My children also enjoy CrossFit Kids program. They enjoy working out like mom and dad. I’m glad that everyone in my family can benefit from participating in CrossFit.
I would recommend giving it a shot. There’s nothing to lose, except body fat :)
Rachel Anderson
Contact: 815-690-8962 or rachel.l.anderson@gmail.com
- CrossFit Level I Certified
- Emergency First Aid Responder
- First Aid Instructor
Personal Testimony: Growing up, I was very active but not extremely athletic. After years of cheerleading, working out took a back seat to a long list of things, and so did my healthy eating habits. In college, my roommates used to invite me to the gym to spite me, knowing fully well that I wasn’t interested in going. My post-college routine consisted of the occasional jog or bike ride and sporadic use of the machines at the gym that didn’t look too intimidating. I had no clue what I was doing, but at least I felt good knowing I was doing something!
I had heard Matt and Brit talk about CrossFit and their great results, but honestly, I was intimidated. I had never lifted a barbell in my life and didn’t think I had the muscle capacity to do so. Matt put me through a very modified “Kelly” in early 2011 and I surprised myself: I did better than I thought I would and actually enjoyed it! I enrolled in the first Foundations class once AMRAP opened and have been WODing 5 to 6 days a week ever since. Never in a million years did I (or my friends or family) think I would love lifting weights and getting my butt kicked daily, but it’s true! I have seen tremendous results in my strength, endurance, and mobility and my body has changed as a result. Who says women can’t be strong and lift heavy weight?!
My focus has shifted to maintaining my overall fitness, and I am happier and healthier than I have ever been. On top of all that, I have made some great friends in the gym that foster a competitive environment and continue to push me to be better on a daily basis. CrossFit has made me a better person, and I look forward to helping people find their path to fitness and a healthier lifestyle!
Gregory Agnes
Contact: 815-236-3242 or gregory.j.agnes@gmail.com
- Crossfit Level 1 Certified
- American Heart Association CPR/AED Certified
Personal Testimony : Every new year it seemed like I was on a schedule of trying to get fit. I would get back into going to the gym for 2 hours at a time until around March when I would think to myself “This is boring and I’m not connected to anyone here.” After college, I moved back to Crystal Lake and heard a lot about this “Crossfit” routine and looked for different gyms in my area.
On January 10th, 2011 I walked into Crossfit AMRAP and Brittany Lohmann took me through my first Crossfit style workout of pull-ups, push-ups, and air squats. I remember that date because I had never been through such a tough but simple workout.
The workout was hard but it was the enthusiasm, community, competition, and team work that made me come back for more. Logging my results has shown I’m in the best shape of my life. I keep meeting new people and making new friends. I find new mountains to climb and goals to meet.
I’ve always enjoyed helping others and look forward to teaching and motivating our current and future members at CrossFit AMRAP.
David Marshall
Contact: 847-833-3307 or dmarsh1616@yahoo.com
- CrossFit Level 1 Certified
- ISSA Certified Personal Trainer
- AHA CPR/AED Certified
- State Certified EMT
“You should try CrossFit, it’s pretty intense……”
I was training for the Firefighter Combat Challenge almost 3 years ago when someone said this very sentence to me. This Challenge consists of many tasks that need to be completed as fast as possible with little to no mistakes. In full firefighter gear, the competitor races against others as well as against the clock. At the time I thought I was in decent shape: my times were consistently falling and I felt like I was advancing towards becoming a strong competitor. However, as I continued on in my training, I eventually began to plateau because it was the same type of training over and over again, and after about a year of “consistent” times (i.e. no more decreasing my times) I decided to try CrossFit along with my wife.
Before we talk about that experience, let me fill you in with my background. For as long as I can remember I have always been a very active person. I was never home, much to my parents’ dismay, because I was always out playing baseball or football somewhere in the neighborhood. This transitioned smoothly into high school where I played three sports for four years. Again, after graduating high school I ended up playing multiple sports in college for a couple of years until that ended – abruptly, I might add. It was nothing out of the ordinary; there was no tragic injury. My sports years simply came to an end.
After I was done playing competitive sports, I continued to stay active. I played in the occasional rec league basketball game at night or the every Tuesday night softball team full of ringers. The whole experience was fun, but it just wasn’t enough. And I hate using this word, but it fits accordingly, I fell into a rut. Even though I was participating in rec leagues and I was still “working out” at the gym, there was still something missing. I needed something more – something to help keep me motivated other than the rec leagues and the previously mentioned Firefighter Challenge. Enter CrossFit.
Once we stepped into our first gym, I was blown away. There were all of these people working out at the same time, moving a bunch of weight, and doing it almost effortlessly. And they didn’t have to wear their shirts at this gym. (Sold!) But seriously, I instantly said to my wife that I was sold on this first impression alone. Of course, I had to learn the movements, but I didn’t care. I wanted to do what they were doing, and I wanted it to look as effortless as they made it look.
Since my first CrossFit experience, I have been hooked. It is sometimes very hard to leave the gym after only an hour of training. There are just so many things that you can actively train yourself on that it can be overwhelming. However, over the past two years I have really tried to dig into the foundation of all that comes with my new sport. But the great thing about CrossFit is that once you think you have a firm grasp on something, the entire format changes. There is no way to get stuck in the rut: It’s constantly evolving, and that is what I love about it.
