Rob Orlando, Owner
Rob opened Hybrid Athletics in 2008 because he wanted to share his passion for exercise and strongman movements with the local population. Rob is a competitive strongman and Crossfit athlete. He’s won 6 consecutive strongman contests while placing 22nd and 15th at the 2009 and 2010 Crossfit Games respectively. Rob’s drive is to re-introduce natural movement patterns to the fitness community. Strongman implements represent the most basic, innate movements known to man including pushing, pulling, pressing, flipping, dragging, and carrying. Combining these ‘old-school’ movements with the ‘new-school’ programming has proven to Rob to be an effective way to dramatically increase a person’s fitness level. Most recently Rob has been sponsored by Rogue Fitness and Reebok. Sponsorship has enable him to travel and compete against the world’s fittest men. It has also given him a chance to build his own line of equipment including axles, farmer’s handles, yokes, logs, and atlas stone molds. He’s taken his years of experience as a trainer/athlete and applied it to equipment that is truly functional. His objective is to have a direct, measurable impact on the number of people lifting odd objects like stones. To make this dream a reality he engineered a series of Atlas Stone Molds that can be used by almost anyone. He will continue to build new, innovative equipment for the masses in the hopes that people see the value in lifting ‘real world’ items. Hybrid Athletics is a dream come true for Rob. He’s always wanted a place to share his passion for functional fitness and now, with almost 100 members, the community of believers is growing.
Tim Burke, Head Coach
Before finding Hybrid Athletics and Crossfit I was like every other body builder at the local gym. Once I started exclusively Crossfitting it opened up a whole new chapter of my athletic career. I became immediately excited about the challenge of performing new movements executed at the highest intensity possible. Hybrid presented even more of those challenges by implementing various strongman pieces of strongman equipment. Moving very heavy objects is an amazing way to stimulate muscle and work different systems. There is something about flipping an 800 lb tire and shouldering 200 lb atlas stones that gives me a whole new sense of accomplishment. Hitting a 300 lb bench press just didn’t seem like an athletic accomplishment anymore.
The first 6 months I spent at Hybrid was as a regular member. It took a couple months to become fluent with all of the new movements that I was introduced to. I paid close attention to Rob Orlando’s coaching and spent extra time at the gym to practice as much as possible. I soon received my CrossFit Level One Certification and began shadowing classes and private lessons. After months of practicing and learning, I began teaching.
Working with people and increasing fitness levels was something I enjoyed immediately. After almost a year working a part time schedule at Hybrid I decided to leave my full time job. (I was a culinary school trained chef for 12 years and left it behind to become a full time Hybrid Athletics Coach.)
Becoming a coach at Hybrid is one of the best life choices I have ever made. Seeing clients progress and become better athletes is so rewarding. I get a great sense of accomplishment when I coach a new member through their first pull-up or help a veteran achieve a new PR. The fitness gains are constant at Hybrid and members are always striving for that next level. We are always pushing people to work to their fullest potential. Nothing beats shaving a minute or even ten seconds off a previous WOD time. Any improvement is welcomed and celebrated.
“Hybrid’s constant strive for greatness is what makes this gym such a special place. I look forward to improving in both my coaching and performance skills. They will assist me in making our athletes some of the fittest competitors in the Crossfit community.”
Mike Burke, Coach
It was early November 2008 and I had just gotten back from my usual back and bi’s routine at NYSC. Shortly after that my brother Timmy who, is also a trainer at Hybrid, walked in the door with this look on his face that he had just found something he was looking for for the last few years. He had just come home from his first class at Hybrid. We sat and talked for a few minutes and he recommended I come with him the next time he went. So two days later, I stepped through the doors at Hybrid and did not realize that what I was stepping into would be a life changing experience.
I have always been involved in sports such as football, baseball and wrestling and have always liked the competitive nature that these sports bring. Although I grew up playing baseball, it was wrestling that I missed the most since my competitive days ended. This was because of its one on one style and the feeling that all eyes are on me, there is no one to hide behind and the work I put in was about to be on display for everyone to see. After my first WOD I realize just like my brother had, that Hybrid offered what I was missing. A motivating and competitive environment that drives a person to be the best they can be.
When I walked in into Hybrid I was overweight and out of shape. A far cry from my athletic days but knew that it was still there and just had to be brought out. Since joining Hybrid, I am in better shape than I have been in since my competitive days and feel stronger than I have ever felt. The constant variety of bodyweight movements combined with Olympic and Strong Man lifts have made my workouts much more enjoyable and challenging.
Along with my athletic background I was also a coach before I came to Hybrid. While in High School, I coached wrestling at a local community center and after college spent a few years coaching the Westhill Wrestling team. My brother became a trainer at the Hybrid and with his and Rob’s encouragement; I took the level one course and became certified exactly one year after I first walked into Hybrid. What I enjoy most about coaching is the look on a person’s face when they achieve something they have worked so hard for such as dropping the weight they wanted to drop or setting a new P.R. or beating the time they set on a previous workout. The accomplishments at Hybrid are endless and I feel very strongly that we have the coaching staff to get you to where you want to be.
“The only limits we have in life are the limits we put on ourselves”
Katie Burke, Coach
I walked into the doors of Hybrid Athletics 2 years ago and haven’t looked back. I remember my brother, Tim Burke who is now one of the head trainers at Hybrid, told me about it. All he said was “You have to try this type of workout. You are going to love it.” The next day I walked in and he was right…I LOVED IT.
Since joining Hybrid I have tested my physical and mental capabilities to a point I never even knew existed. The confidence I have built from setting goals and achieving them is very rewarding for me and it is mainly from the coaching staff and community of people at Hybrid. They are the ones who have guided me in believing if I set my mind to it, along with practice and determination I will get it. With that set in my mind, over the past 2 years I have competed in over 16 competitions all over the Northeast, become part of the Hybrid Strongman Team, Crossfit Level 1 Certified Trainer, and now, the first female trainer at Hybrid Athletics.
One of my main goals as a Hybrid trainer is to help our clients achieve their fitness goals for things such as power cleans, deadlifts, or even a squat, etc…This program is both mentally and physically rewarding and I try to emphasize that when meeting with new clients. ANYONE can do this: it’s definitely achievable. You will see results. I can promise you that!
Remember… “Strong is beautiful!”