CrossFit Cordis – A box with heart

The unofficial motto of CrossFit Cordis, a brand new 5000+ square foot facility located in Oakville, Ontario, is “Puitas Cordis,” a Latin phrase meaning “purity from the heart.” According to Andy O’Rourke who opened the box with business partner and co-trainer Andrew Schizas in February 2012, heart is what this box is all about.

“CrossFit is a methodology that strengthens the heart – literally and physically, emotionally and spiritually,” says O’Rourke, a former middle distance runner who discovered CrossFit while rehabbing a chronic knee injury in 2007, “We are about purity of movement, purity of effort and purity of purpose.” With extensive backgrounds in training and coaching, O’Rourke and Schizas are passionate about developing the performance and potential of their diverse CrossFit community.

“I think this speaks to the inclusive nature of CrossFit,” O’Rourke says, “We have clients in their sixties, EMS personnel, teenagers, mothers and elite athletes. It is a beautiful thing to see this diverse group of people interact and develop relationships. It is a special bond, one forged through mutual physical effort.” This special bond, along with the dedication and enthusiasm of the trainers, has grown CrossFit Cordis’ membership to 130 in only four months.
The facility itself doesn’t hurt, either.  “Our facility is spectacular,” O’Rourke comments, “It is the culmination of five years of travelling to locations across North America, and trying to pull together all the key features I loved in the CrossFit gyms that I visited.” From Olympic bars, pull up bars and rings to rowers, sleds and twenty-foot ropes, CrossFit Cordis has all the equipment necessary for any WOD and then some.

The gym just acquired a coveted Schwinn Airdyne bike. “It is a diabolical piece of machinery designed to elicit a profound metabolic effect,” says O’Rourke of the equipment that, allegedly, enables the user to burn 300 calories in a mere ten minutes. “[It] takes the phrase ‘mess you up’ to a whole new level,” he concludes excitedly.
It’s this drive to push oneself to the limit that attracts many people, both trainers and participants, to CrossFit. It’s satisfying and empowering to achieve what you previously thought was impossible and O’Rourke is proud of connecting his members with this powerful experience.

“I think I speak for both Andrew and myself when I say that the thing that is most rewarding as a CrossFit instructor is to see a room full of people on the floor after a WOD,” he says. “It’s in that rather quiet moment, right after the mayhem, when all you can hear is the heaving of chests as people suck for air and slowly regain their composure.”
CrossFit Cordis is always accepting new community members. Located at 790 Redwood Square, Unit 3, in Oakville, they offer classes seven days a week, a variety of introductory packages and discounts for fire and EMS personnel, police and nurses. Check out the box, schedule and rates at www.crossfitcordis.com.