Mesa Elite Fitness Brings CrossFit to Los Alamos

Fitness experts John and Suzanne Wilcox own Mesa Elite Fitness and CrossFit Los Alamos in Central Park Square and are opening an auxiliary fitness facility on DP Road later this month to accommodate their growing roster of clients. Photo by Salvador Zapien/ladailypost.com

Suzanne Wilcox is an award winning bodybuilder and figure competitor. Photo by Salvador Zapien/ladailypost.com

By Carol A. Clark

John and Suzanne Wilcox are in the true sense a Los Alamos power couple. She is an award winning bodybuilder and figure competitor and he is a group fitness coordinator and a CrossFit Level 1 trainer. He also played football for the Texas Longhorns in college. 

“Fitness has been a part of my lifestyle since I was 12. When I asked Suzanne to marry me 21 years ago, I told her there was only one condition … physical fitness had to be part of our lifestyle,” John said laughing. “She calls the shots on everything else but our physical fitness is nonnegotiable.”

The couple moved to Los Alamos from Steamboat Springs, Colo., 15 years ago because John accepted a position at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Suzanne now has 21 years of experience with fitness as a lifestyle, receiving her first certification in 1997. She has worked as a fitness trainer since that time.

She also has worked in the movie business. In November she flew to Kentucky to shoot her role as Jill Baffert in 50 to 1 and has been in movies such as Georgia O’Keeffe starring Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons in which she worked as Joan Allen’s stand in and body double. Suzanne also worked all of season 4 of the popular television drama Breaking Bad as Anna Gunn‘s (Skylar) stand in and body double and body doubled for Anna on season 5 as well as in the current filming of season 6.

Suzanne started her first fitness business as NewForm Fitness in March of 2009 in Los Alamos. Mesa Elite Fitness at 181 Central Park Square was born from NewForm in March of 2012. 

Mesa Elite Fitness caters to the discerning client interested in overall fitness and wellness. There is a waiting list of people wanting to get in on Suzanne’s unique brand of private, one-on-one training, which is available by appointment only.

John’s classes are sought after as well. He conducts boot camps and strength and conditioning classes. He has 33 years of experience as an athlete and coach and has been conducting classes for NewForm and Mesa Elite since November of 2011.

John also has coached youth soccer for 15 years and prides himself on using a fitness-based approach to coaching both kids and adults to reach their goals in fitness and in life.

“I don’t see us as being in competition with the big gyms,” Suzanne said. “In a gym you are usually on your own … it’s a hands-off kind of thing and that’s fine for a lot of people. But this is a niche for those people looking for privacy and one-on-one training.”

The couple recently transformed Mesa Elite Fitness to include CrossFit Los Alamos. CrossFit workouts are limited to no more than 12 clients and based on functional movement that provides a wide variance of approach. The workouts are typically performed at high intensity with training and instruction by John and fellow CrossFit Level 1 trainer Nick Soapes.

“We really hit a homerun with Nick … he is an incredible trainer and I cannot say enough good things about him,” John said.

Suzanne and John are expanding their booming business to include a large training facility on DP Road where on-ramp classes for CrossFit will be offered.

“We have had huge interest from the community, and we are very excited to bring this fitness option to Los Alamos,” Suzanne said, adding that she is going to become certified in CrossFit training for kids as well.

Their new facility also will offer Krav Maga self-defense fitness by instructors Kevin Miller and Crystal Miller as well as Tae Kwando training by Lisa-Jo Dunham. Local fitness guru Leona Wedgeworth has started a Friday morning fitness class, with more on the way. Sean Leffler is a certified Kettlebell Instructor and Z-Health consultant who runs sessions each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

“There are scaled workouts for all fitness levels and abilities,” Suzanne said. “We can make it work for you, and help you achieve fitness that some may never dream of.”

From kettlebells to olympic lifts, Mesa Elite incorporates a vast array of fitness approaches including plyometrics, weight training, aerobic machines, core training and balance training.

“Possibly the coolest thing about CrossFit is the sense of community that springs up in the box gym (CrossFit gyms are frequently referred to as ‘boxes’),” John said. “When a small group of people work hard together, and know each other’s names, and cheer each other on, a sense of camaraderie develops like you find in few other places.”

To learn more about CrossFit and its “constantly varied high intensity functional movement” click here: http://community.crossfit.com/what-is-crossfit.

For information about Mesa Elite Fitness, visit www.mesaelitefitness.com or call (505) 412-2027 or for CrossFit information, call (505) 412-5774.

John Wilcox doing pushups with kettlebells is a group fitness coordinator and a CrossFit Level 1 trainer. Photo by Salvador Zapien/ladailypost.com

John Wilcox spots his wife Suzanne as she lifts weights in their fitness center in Central Park Square Friday. Photo by Salvador Zapien/ladailypost.com

John Wilcox with his wife Suzanne offer a full range of fitness equipment to their private clients at Mesa Elite Fitness, 181 Central Park Square. Photo by Salvador Zapien/ladailypost.com

Full of energy and ready to take on the next phase of their growing business, John Wilcox bench presses his wife Suzanne. Photo by Salvador Zapien/ladailypost.com

 

 

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