Chelsey Quirk (Owner)
My fitness journey wasn’t always easy. Let me take you back to where it began. I was out of shape, I had bad eating habits, and I would try any kind of fad diet you can think of. I hated my body, and I had no idea what I was doing. All I knew was I needed to just show up and do something.
I started at the NOAC, but I heard of this women’s only bootcamp in my area and decided to give it a try. I LOVED IT. I finally felt comfortable! It really taught me how I was capable of doing a lot more than I believed I could, which helped to build my confidence. Later down the line, I heard a friend talk about “Crossfit,” which intrigued me. So of course, I gave it a try and fell in love. I loved that style of working out and what it did to me mentally and physically. This led me to my next adventure, weightlifting. This love of fitness and my journey changed me so much that I wanted to coach and to help teach people what I have learned. I decided to drop my Communications Major and started studying Exercise Science and graduated from UNO in 2015.
​ I coach because I want to help guide others to a healthier lifestyle. I know what it’s like to not believe in yourself. I want to encourage others to believe in themselves, show them "I can do this", and help them to change their lives too. Honestly, I never, in a million years, thought I’d have my own place. I wrote my graduate essay on this idea of a women’s only gym, and I didn’t even have a name for it yet! But one day I looked at my husband Shane and said, "Let’s start a Women’s Bootcamp for a 5-week challenge", it will be called “Girls Gone Buff!” I created the ONLY Women's Gym in this area. I wanted this gym to be inclusive for all fitness levels, a safe haven for women to work out and feel comfortable.
Fun facts:
​-​I am currently ranked 25th in the Nation as a 76k Weightlifter.
​-​I’m a huge fan of murder Podcasts
​-​I love all animals, although I do have a cat fetish
​-​I too suffer from anxiety and have panic attacks quite regularly (so I know all that pretty well)
​-​I have what they call RBF (resting bitch face)​, but I am not one at all​.
FYI: Lifting 25# dumbbells won’t make you look like a man.
Shane Quirk (Owner)
CFL1 Certified
Endurance Certified
Certified RN for Ochsner
​
Buff Coach
Courtney
Why I Joined: I literally found a passion with GGB that I NEVER knew existed; I danced from 5yrs old- 18years old but always wanted to play sports. I was the girl who was extremely spastic when it came to anything athletic but great with flexibility & dance. So, naturally I hated working out & never really found a healthy routine until 2017. I smoked cigarettes from 14yrs old until about 26 years old & drank throughout college. I was the epitome of the “American” lifestyle; fast food, smoked, drank 4 days a week and binge watch tv while binge eating. I had self esteem issues that led to unhealthy thoughts and actions in college. I met the love of my life and after several years together we decided to get healthy. In 2016 I put down the cigarettes, dropped 20lbs on Keto. I FINALLY loved exercise and found myself working out 3 times a day! I was obsessed with feeling light on my feet, but more so feeling empowered. I felt like I was a new woman, someone I had no idea existed. I fell in love with interval workouts, with running, but especially lifting a barbell (that’s where my CrossFit background grew).
Why I coach: I’m a former teachers assistant with an Associates Degree in Teaching. When Chelsey & Shane asked me to coach classes (2017) I was extremely nervous. I thought “why me?” And couldn’t figure out why I had been lead to switch from Childhood Education to Fitness. Recently I think it’s clicked for me; I literally change women’s lives every.single.day. The passion that I have for fitness and empowering women is the reason why I love my job so much. I know once our women leave the gym they’re leaving better, PHYSICALLY & EMOTIONALLY. Over the years the community of Girls Gone Buff has helped build my passion for helping women. We have changed the mindset of so many women who in turn change their children’s mindset about fitness. It’s absolutely incredible to me to be able to teach women who then teach their children. Now I hold a CF Level 1 cert & hope to gain more certifications in the future.
Buff Coach
Caitlyn
Why I Joined: I did pole fitness for a number of years. It kept me active and very happy. One day my favorite instructor got laid off and I stopped taking classes altogether. I was fairly sedentary for a few months and it was causing me to be extremely anxious and very depressed. I had a friend who was lifting at PBC and on her recommendation, I decided to go and join. I was terrified! I had never set foot in a gym or touched a barbell and I had no earthly idea what I was doing. I was immediately embraced and encouraged by everyone there and it's really become my second home!
Why I Coach: If you had told me 5 years ago that I would be coaching fitness classes I would have laughed in your face. No way! But here I am and I love it. I was NEVER into any kind of fitness before I joined PBC/GGB (save for pole fitness classes) and my lifestyle was far from active. I have never played any sports growing up, never did gymnastics, etc. so this lifestyle has been very new to me these past few years. Turns out I love it and I love getting other people excited about it too! I love to encourage women who are normally very apprehensive about a gym setting, who may think they need to look or already be at a certain fitness level to even join. I want to teach them that they can build an ideal version of themselves physically and especially mentally through hard work, time, and consistency. I want people to know that gyms don't have to be scary! They can foster confidence and support through the community. This is why I love coaching at GGB!
Buff Coach
Jamie
Why I joined: I joined GGB back in 2018 and I have not looked back! I needed a change, at that time my life was very stressful in both my personal and work worlds...I needed my own "outlet". I needed something that was mine, and only for me. I started out in our Beginner's Program with Courtney as my coach, my goal was to get 3 days a week of "selfish time". It took me a year or so to take it seriously, but once I did
IT CHANGED MY LIFE.
Why I Coach: I started coaching at GGB right before COVID. This step helped me push further in bettering my health and fitness. I was now in the forefront of this gym, and it was up to me to motivate and help these amazing ladies reach their personal goals. This was great for me, as I suffer from social anxiety and just being "exposed". This whole experience has created major growth for me, a growth I didn't know I needed. One thing I like to express to all of my ladies in my class - I have been there, I was a beginner, I feel the pain and I know what it is like. I try to be realistic with all of my ladies and work on attainable goals and accountability. Each person is different, has different needs, and a different way they need to be coached. I think it is my personal responsibility to know this about you, so I can be there for you. I will always be there for you, gym related or personal. I look forward to meeting you and building an amazing new life for you!
Buff Coach
Mandy
Why I joined: I joined GGB because I really missed being active, but I hated going to the gym and doing regular boring workouts on machines. I hated being bored at home, and I wasn’t happy with feeling out of shape. I decided to challenge myself and join GGB with the hopes that a group would help keep me accountable and push me to keep coming.
Why I coach: I started coaching because I wanted to be the person that my coaches were to me. Coaching surprisingly came to me naturally. My anxiety always goes away as soon as I start a class. I found myself constantly encouraging people and wanting to push them further than they believe they could go.
“Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.”- Michael Scott
Buff Coach
Kayla
Why I joined:
I moved to Louisiana 2 years ago and was looking for a place to train in my sport of Weightlifting. After a long search for gyms in my area, I was introduced to Chelsey and her Barbell Club and instantly felt at home. I was welcomed by all of her members with kindness and enthusiasm. Soon I found myself walking through the doors almost daily. There were so many knowledgeable and capable coaches there to guide me and motivate me to my goals. I look back at some of my old PR videos and can hear the voices of the GGB and PBC coaches and members cheering me on in the background. The environment is joyful and personal, and familial. I can’t help but feel so lucky to have found a place where I can not only get stronger and more knowledgeable in my sport but a place where I can grow as a person and be surrounded so many hard-working and inspirational people.
Why I coach:
I have been an athlete my entire life. From as early as Elementary School sports and physical activity have always been instinctual and second nature. Continuing through High School and College I focused my interests on Rugby and played for several teams in different age categories and divisions. After joining the military I found High Intensity Interval Training and fell in love with pushing myself to new limits. My next challenge in my athletic career was the discovery of Weightlifting; and I have not looked back since. I enjoy the challenge and new skill set and once again pushing my body to the limit and being proud of myself through all of the small and big victories this sport has to offer. Now that I am coaching at GGB I am motivated by my love for fitness and the countless benefits it can bring to a person’s life. I am also an EMT and have personally seen the negative effects of lack of movement, immobility, and lack of strength in adults. We live in a world where we are glued to our seats and hunched over our phones. So my coaching goals are to educate and inspire. If I can improve the daily functionality of our members and motivate them to stay active year after year I will be the happiest weightlifter in the region! Let’s keep moving and build some muscle!