COLLINSVILLE — When it comes to spreading the word about the benefits of CrossFit training, it’s hard to find a better spokesperson than Shane McBride.
A 2005 graduate of Triad High School, McBride is the owner of 557 CrossFit, located at 2537 Vandalia St. in Collinsville.
McBride opened CrossFit 557 on Jan. 4.
“CrissFit is for everyone and it’s all about improving your life,” McBride said. “The only times most people see CrossFit on TV are the CrossFit athletes and those are the 1 percent, and that’s not the community that’s represented here.
Every Saturday, Smart will tell a “Meet Your Neighbor” story about local residents who deserve to be recognized for their work in the community. To make a nomination, email Scott Marion at smarion@edwpub.net.
“Doctors, parents, college students, etc., are working hard to focus and prioritize a better and healthier lifestyle.
“We say we don’t ask them to be athletes; We ask that you be,” McBridge said. “If you want to lose some body fat or get stronger, our coaches are highly trained, and we can guide you safely and effectively through every workout.”
Fitness through football
At Triad, McBride also played basketball and baseball but was best known for his success on the football field.
“It was the best time of my life when I had the team and the camaraderie,” McBride said. “My ultimate goal then was to kick in the NFL.”
A running back and kicker, McBride played football for one season as the starting kicker at Missouri Southern State University and earned second-team all-conference honors.
“My coach at Missouri Southern had a heart attack and passed away during the season and we got a whole new coaching staff after the season,” McBride said. “I was getting ready to run the ball again, so I transferred to McKendree University.”
At McKendree, McBride was a running back on the football team and an outfielder on the baseball team. In May 2010, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health and health promotion.
McBride then began his professional career as a personal trainer for Dynamic Fitness Management (DFM), which is affiliated with Club Fitness. Prior to this, he did an internship at Troy Fitness America.
“DFM subcontracted personal development training for Club Fitness, which now has its own technicians,” McBride said.
McBride has worked for DFM for about three years but has already started to make the transition to CrossFit.
It is possible to stay otherwise
“I’ve always been an athlete, and played football, baseball, basketball and soccer as a youth,” McBride said. “I played football and baseball in college, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do after college. I saw that there was a fitness sport that ended up being called CrossFit and I ended up taking it to a competitive level.
“For seven or eight years, I’ve been competing through CrossFit, and outside of that, it’s a big issue in competitive sports. Around 2012, it was new and up and coming to the Midwest.
McBride’s clientele has continued to grow at CrossFit 557, which is now at 10.th* in the second year
“Commercial gyms are set up for you to use a bunch of machines, but here we don’t have any machines other than cardio machines; we prioritize the coach-led experience,” McBride said. “We want people to move their bodies in a way that remains functional.
“When you use machines, it’s a single joint and not a multi-joint movement. I usually move in a multi-team fashion and that’s why I wanted to get out of the commercial gyms and start my own business.
When dealing with new clients at CrossFit 557, part of the education process for McBride and his staff is teaching people how CrossFit is different from working out at a health club.
“Every CrossFit gym is different, and we try to educate them about what we’re trying to achieve here,” McBride said. “We’re not a quick program; we’re a longer-term program. That’s why the sign in front of us says, ‘Stand the process.’
“We have other taglines like ‘It’s never easy, it’s always worth it’ and ‘1 percent better every day.’ Everything we do in our program helps you later in life.”
The coaching staff at CrossFit 557 includes five additional coaches: Alan Knabe, McBride’s former high school teammate; Crystal Gedris; John Schaeffer; Gregg Flowers; and Nolan Middendorf.
“Alan has been with us all 10 years,” McBride said. “He was an outside linebacker and running back at Triad and he’s the one who got me into CrossFit. During my internship at American Fitness, he was discharged from the Air Force, and he came back here and gave military workouts, which are similar to what CrossFit does. We went to Troy Park and did some workouts, and from there I was hooked.
“Crystal has been here for four or five years, and she helps everyone. She is the admin and head coach and handles a lot of stuff on a daily basis. Around June 2021, full time comes on board and we all make a good team.”
‘Relative intensity;’
The workouts at CrossFit 557 are designed to be suitable for people of all ages, shapes and sizes.
“I’ve always wanted to provide an opportunity for a supportive community where you feel comfortable and not intimidated,” McBride said. “I want you to feel comfortable getting uncomfortable in that scenario.
“We have one client who is 66 years old and is in the same class as a 21-year-old. They can’t do exactly the same, and everything is called relative intensity. It’s also changed to your ability.”
To determine which modifications are best suited for a particular client, newcomers to CrossFit undergo a screening process before joining a class.
“Everyone goes through five personal training sessions and one is all in the beginning,” McBride said. “Each session is 45 minutes and it’s $275 for those five sessions. Once we see your strengths and weaknesses, we can tailor each move differently for you.
“Once you graduate from those sessions, we’ll move you into a group class and shadow you until you stay consistent with your moves. We don’t have anyone who comes in off the street and goes right into a group class.”
Community engagement is also a priority for McBride. One of the biggest moments as a business owner came a few weeks ago when he spoke to Triad students as part of the Career Fair.
“There were four notable speakers, and I was one of them,” McBride said. “The event was directed by Rob Werden, who is the regional superintendent of education for Madison County. He gave us 10 questions about things like how we became an entrepreneur and what it’s like.
“For me it came full circle because I never thought I would go back to my alma mater and talk not only about my passion, but also about business.
Like other businesses across the nation, CrossFit had to make numerous adjustments to reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these changes have been made to the ongoing operations of the gym.
“We have 20 spaces for each class and we made a class for COVID, but then we realized that everyone likes their space, so we kept it,” said McBride. “A lot of the cleanliness (of the pandemic) came out as well as the awareness of how healthy we should be as Americans.
“I feel that CrossFit is the best prescription for fighting obesity or any other chronic health condition.”
CrossFit 557 is open from 5 am to 7:30 pm Monday through Friday and 6:30 am to 9 pm on Saturday.
“We are open before and after your regular business hours and have classes at 5:00, 6:00, 9:30, 1:00, 4:30 and 5:30 Monday through Friday,” McBride said. “We open at 6:30 am early birds on Saturdays with classes at 6:30 and 8:00 and we are closed on Sunday.”
The gym also offers one-on-one personal training, youth training, pregnancy and postpartum programs, and nutrition education.
