Meet the CORTEX Coaches
MK
CORTEX Owner
CROSSFIT LEVEL 2 TRAINER
CROSSFIT KIDS CERTIFIED TRAINER
CrosSFit Gymnastics
British Weight Lifting Level 2
How long have you been coaching/doing CrossFit.
I started CrossFit in 2017 and immediately fell in love with both the challenges the training program presented and the massive health benefits it provided. My CrossFit coaching career began in 2019 when CORTEX opened.
Why Do you coach?
I started coaching in 2019 out of necessity to support the affiliate I co-owned/opened. Soon after my coaching journey began, I discovered that the ability to help others and share my passion for the sport of CrossFit as a coach brought me enjoyment and satisfaction. Opening CORTEX has been one of the best decisions of my life!
Favourite Movement to Coach:
All gymnastics from beginner to advanced. The amount of hard work and consistency required to master a gymnastic movement is phenomenal. The look of surprise and pure joy on an athlete’s face when the desired skill is achieved is priceless.
Favourite Work Out:
This is difficult….. Hero wod would have to vote, Glen. Love the C&J, rope climbs, and pure heart needed to get out those last 100 burpees. Girl workouts, definitely Amanda. The combination of high skill gymnastics followed by the most technically demanding oly lift, the snatch, is the kind of workout that makes my heart race. Love the triplet of a physical, technical and mental challenge!
Fun Fact:
I am a practicing small animal veterinary surgeon, mainly treating dogs and cats. I have lived and worked in the USA, UK, and Australia as a vet and have treated many interesting and cool animals, some were even celebrities.
Jordan Gatehouse
CORTEX Coach
CROSSFIT LEVEL 2 TRAINER
How long have you been coaching/doing CrossFit?
I was first introduced to CF around 2014/15 but didn’t join a box until 2016/17. I ended up coaching part-time at that same box, which made me realise I wanted to coach full-time, so I went on to do exactly that in London from Sep 2018, joining the CTC coaching team in Apr 2019.
Why do you coach?
As cliché as it definitely sounds, I genuinely love seeing people make progress. I never thought I would/could be a coach, until I was forced into the situation on an occasion and someone commented on my ability. I believe my own personal experiences make me the coach I am today, and so I simply want to keep learning and pass on as much as I possibly can!
Favourite movement to Coach?
Any olympic lift or variation. If I HAVE to pick, then the power clean – not biased, promise! Favourite workout? Anything that replicates the demands of rugby. Start-stop like an EMOM, throw a heavy barbell movement in there too – again, totally not biased!
Fun Fact?
I’m part of a book club, and my favourite book to date is ‘The Alchemist’.
Lottie Burton
CORTEX COACh
CROSSFIT LEVEL 1 TRAINER
How long have you been coaching / doing CrossFit?
I started CF as an athlete at CTC back in April 2019. I became a coach in October 2020.
How long have you been coaching / doing CrossFit?
I started CF as an athlete at CTC back in April 2019. I became a coach in October 2020.
Why do you coach?
I never set out to coach CF, but I love the sport and after being approached about
coaching just before the lockdown, I had some time to think about it. I’m a Sports
Therapist by trade, helping people move and feel better is my thing! And applying that to our sport, I loved the idea of helping and influencing others to move and feel better, both inside and outside of the box.
Favourite movement to coach
It may seem simple to some, but coaching someone into a full depth, correct position air squat is a thing of beauty!
Favourite workout
DT – a heavy barbell complex = a happy Lottie!
Fun fact
I’m learning to be fluent in sign language. Ask me to sign your name when I next see you
Sarah Lea
CORTEX Coach
CROSSFIT LEVEL 1 TRAINER
ADDITIONAL TRAINING: CF GYMNASTICS
How long have you been coaching / doing CrossFit?
After a two years of a friend telling me how much I’d love it, I eventually gave CrossFit a go in 2015 and fell in love with it! I joined a box and started by going a couple of times a week, which over time built to being at the gym basically every morning! I did my L1 training in October 2018 alongside a coaching internship, and then coached for 6 months at a local box. When my husband and I moved to Bedfordshire I was lucky enough to find CTC CrossFit and have been a member since April 2019. I started coaching at CTC CrossFit in July 2021 and feel privileged to now be both an athlete and a coach there.
Why do you coach?
Everything about coaching lights a spark in me. I love seeing wins every day, I thrive on
watching people improve themselves, and I am inspired by the amount of hard work our athletes put in at the gym. Coaching is a passion for me – plain and simply, I love helping others improve.
Favourite movement to coach:
Rope climbs. Watching the elation on an athlete’s face when they get up the rope for the first time is awesome!
Favourite workout:
That’s a tough one! I like a longer style chipper WOD, something you have to pace. ‘Triple 3’ and ‘Filthy fifty’ are two great ones.
Fun fact:
I love to push my limits with long distance endurance events! In 2013 I completed and
Ironman Triathlon and am currently training for a 54 mile ultra marathon
Jacqui Reidel
CORTEX COACh
CROSSFIT LEVEL 1 TRAINER
How long have you been coaching/doing CrossFit?
I started CrossFit on 1st January 2016….it was the only New Years Resolution I’ve ever
stuck to! I finished my CrossFit coaching course in January 2022, but have been a rowing coach for 12 years.
Why do you coach?
I love telling people what to do, I joke, seeing someone improve something they
have been working on for ages makes me feel warm inside and that I’ve made a
difference.
Favourite movement to coach
Rowing!! Because rowing is the best sport on the planet and I know rowing more than I
know myself!
Favourite workout
Murph because it’s everything I hate but when I finish it I feel like a hero! Also….it brings the whole community together and we get to wod as a big team
Fun fact
I am an MK Dons season ticket holder because I love feeling stressed on a Saturday
afternoon!
Isobel Frost
CORTEX Coach
CROSSFIT LEVEL 1 TRAINER
How long have you been doing CrossFit/coaching?
I have been doing CrossFit for 3 and a half years and just started coaching in the last
couple of months.
Why do you coach?
My coaches gave me the tools to become the best version of myself and turn my life
around for the better, and I wanted to be able to help other people become the happiest and healthiest they could be!
What’s your favourite movement to coach?
The Olympic lifts are my favourite movements to coach! The technical demands of the
lifts means there’s always something to work on.
Favourite workout?
My favourite workout has to be DT. Nothing but a heavy barbell in sight!
Fun fact?
My Great Grandfather invented Fruit Pastels and KitKats! Unfortunately I have no lifetime supply of them though.