Our Trainers - Las Vegas -

Zach Forrest – Co-owner/Head Coach

Zach grew up with a love of sports playing baseball, basketball, lacrosse, football, soccer, and downhill skiing. He found CrossFit during his time in the Navy as a SEAL operator and, since getting out of the military in 2008, has trained athletes of all capacities. He focuses on leading by example and believes the mental/emotional aspect of CrossFit is what has the most impact on his athletes. He has competed individually in the 2009, 2011, and 2013 CrossFit Games.

CrossFit HQ Staff Seminar Trainer
CrossFit Level 2 Coach
CrossFit Mobility Course
CrossFit Football Course
CrossFit Olympic Lifting Course
CrossFit Nutrition Course
CrossFit Gymnastics Course

Lindsay Forrest – Co-owner/ CrossFit Coach

lindsay@crossfitmaxeffort.com

Lindsay grew up in a suburb of Kansas City where, at a very young age, she fell in love with the water. She competed on a swim team through her freshman year of high school. After living in Hawaii for a short time, Lindsay ended up settling down in Las Vegas in 2004. She maintained an active life which included everything from rock climbing to kayaking, but was never on a consistent exercise program.

In 2008, after a difficult year personally, she found CrossFit and has never looked back. Her love for the sport and methodology has grown to a vibrant passion she wants to share with everyone! She takes pride in her athletes’ success and continues to help grow the community. While having a full-time coaching schedule in her gym, she is also a member of the CrossFit HQ Level 1 Seminar staff.

Lindsay knows the value in competition: the camaraderie, the dedication, and the excitement are all things she looks forward to with each new season. She competed in the 2010 CrossFit Games Regionals, 2011 CrossFit Games Regionals on the team (placing 11th), and 2012 CrossFit Games Regionals also on the team (placing 9th). She is always striving to become a better athlete because she knows it will make her a better coach.

CrossFit HQ Staff Seminar Trainer
CrossFit Coach’s Prep Course Attendee
CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Mobility Course
CrossFit Football Course
CrossFit Olympic Lifting Course

Isaac Toomer - Gym Manager/CrossFit Coach

isaac@crossfitmaxeffort.com

Isaac enjoys long walks on the beach, the beautiful mountains of Colorado (where he was raised) and CrossFit. After two tours to Iraq (2003 & 2005) with the Army as a Cav Scout he found CrossFit by accident in a “Globo-gym”. After dabbling in it on his own for a while, he realized that training at an official affiliate would be crucial for his growth as an athlete. He found CrossFit Agoge in his home town and discovered what it truly meant to CrossFit – he became hooked. Now, Isaac’s attention to detail and pursuit of excellence in the military has carried over as a CrossFit coach and competitor. The 2011 Southwest Regional marked the first official CrossFit competition for him, placing 13th overall as an individual. In 2012, he competed on the CFME team with an overall finish in 9th place. Next year he hopes to up the ante and make it to California for the world “Games”.

CrossFit Coach’s Prep Course Attendee
CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Nutrition Course
CrossFit Football Course
CrossFit Gymnastics Course
USAW Certification

Billy Bybee – Olympic Lifting/CrossFit Coach

billy@crossfitmaxeffort.com

Billy has been immersed in the field of health and fitness for 10 years. Having been a competitive athlete since the age of 7 in sports ranging from weightlifting, track and field, and martial arts. After 5 years of being a personal trainer Billy stumbled upon CrossFit in 2008. He was destroyed by a familiar vixen named “Fran” and was promptly hooked. Since then Billy has Coached at 4 different Affiliates and has been exposed to a wide range of athletes – from folks looking to lose weight and get healthy all the way to multi-time Olympians. Billy’s desire to explore the Olympic lifts has led him to a successful career in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting (he placed 4th in 2011 and 5th in 2012 in the National Championships). Because of his desire to continue to offer the highest level coaching, he developed Strength Specific Seminars, a training company offering top tier instruction on the Olympic lifts to the CrossFit community. Since that time Billy has been fortunate enough to train athletes of all levels, including top level Games competitors such as Jason Khalipa, Annie Sakamoto and Kristan Clever. At CFME, he now coaches CrossFit classes and offers an Olympic Weightlifting class 2 times a week that has resulted in countless increases in poundage for our athletes! Billy’s belief in the value of CrossFit and strength training for individuals of all ages and backgrounds remains as strong as ever.

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Football Course
CrossFit Nutrition Course
RKC Kettlebell Certification

Nicole Austin – CrossFit Coach

Nicole grew up in Denver, CO. From a young age she fell in love with the outdoors and physical activity. In high school, she was a 4-year varsity track and field athlete and also played volleyball. After high school she took up marathon running while attending the University of Colorado at Boulder and completed 4 different races around the country. After college, she began personal training and also became a coach of a competitive girls volleyball team. It was at this point she realized her absolute love of teaching others. Nursing school brought Nicole, and her husband Adam, to Las Vegas; she is a full time Registered Nurse in a Trauma ICU. Nicole has been involved in CrossFit since August 2008. She competed in 2009 as an individual and competed in 2010, 2011, and 2012 on a team (finishing in 9th overall in the 2012 season). Her favorite thing about CrossFit is seeing others achieve things they never thought they were capable of doing. Coaching people is an honor and a privledge and she is always available to answer any questions or to encourage you when you need it.

CrossFit Coach’s Prep Course Attendee
CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Football Course
B.S. Kinesiology

Lauren Scholl – CrossFit Coach

Born and raised in Las Vegas, Lauren did ballet, jazz and modern dance in high school. After her son was born in 2003, she found a love of Muay Thai kickboxing and enjoyed not only the physical aspect of it but also the mental aspect of the sport. In 2008, a friend told her about this new workout program called Crossfit, and invited her to a park for a workout. After doing Tabata squats and Sit Ups, she couldn’t walk properly the next day and instantly wanted to do it again! She has been Crossfitting ever since, and enjoys the challenge each and every WOD brings. One of her favorite things about Crossfit besides the community, is the look on people’s faces when they realize they are capable of so much more than they knew!

CrossFit Coach’s Prep Course Attendee
CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Kids Course
CrossFit Football Course
CrossFit Mobility Course

Matt Pettit - CrossFit Coach

Matt’s kinesthetic awareness began at a young age when he honed his athletic skills in both baseball and football. His talents in football landed him a spot at the University of Arizona but unfortunately had to retire because of injury. Down but not out, Matt satisfied his love of competition and athletic development when he found Crossfit in 2009. He has coupled his knowledge of strength and performance enhancement with his love of teaching and is thrilled to share his passion for sport and forward-thinking athletic development with all who are looking to evolve. Matt has experience training all types of people from the Average Joe looking to get back into shape, to nationally ranked swimmers. Matt has aspirations of becoming a strength and conditioning coach at the collegiate or pro level and is excited to share his knowledge with you!

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Football Course
CrossFit Mobility Course
B.S. Kinesiology

Ray Gorman- CrossFit Coach

Born and raised in Las Vegas, Ray grew up playing various sports such as baseball, swimming, and hockey. In 2009, Ray was introduced to CrossFit at the University of Nevada and became a Level 1 Trainer shortly thereafter. He graduated from UNR with a B.S. in Community Health Science in 2010 and began coaching full-time in Reno. He has since relocated back to Vegas to begin Physical Therapy School which he will complete in May 2014. Ray’s education specializes in the human body and joint movement, and loves to share his knowledge with anyone seeking advice (or anyone who is willing to listen). One of Ray’s favorite things about Crossfit is being witness to athletes’ continued progress along the spectrum of fitness and their mastering of more technical movements. Ray’s favorite movements include deadlifts, muscle-ups, and handstand pushups.