By Mike Steely

steelym@knoxfocus.com

“After my first day of CrossFit I knew I wanted to be a coach,” said Laurie Hensley.

The owner of Red Devil CrossFit says that for several years her husband encouraged her to open her own “box.”

In September she found the ideal place for a CrossFit gym and opened Red Devil CrossFit at 6970 Maynardville Pike in Halls. Her husband James Hensley owns Cars Etc.

“I wanted to make a difference and be here in Halls,” she explained. The Halls High Red Devil alumna said her name ties her into her community.

“CrossFit is a constantly varied functional fitness workout program done in a class setting for one hour a day with certified CrossFit coaches.  All movements are scalable to anyone’s fitness level from teens to grandparents,” Hensley said. Classes are held Monday to Friday from 6-9 a.m. in the mornings and 4-7 p.m. in the afternoons and a free class for the community is held every Saturday at 9 a.m. They offer a free week trial and all memberships are month to month with no contracts!

Each CrossFit gym is independently owned and operated. You will see Laurie coaching during the mornings and in afternoons she is joined by Coach Tristan Smith.

“It’s the only workout you can do and say, ‘That was terrible, I can’t wait to come back tomorrow!’” she said. “CrossFitters are super excited and its a great community to be a part of!”

“You don’t need a lot of equipment. You’d be surprised how much you can do with what’s available,” she said.

Nutrition help is also available and a strong, supportive community effort is the goal.

Red Devil CrossFit information is available by calling (865-)603-3223. It’s located near ACE Hardware on Maynardville Pike in Halls. You can also get information on their Facebook page.