New CrossFit gym opens

CrossFit 347 is the vision of several Maricopa residents who own and operate the new fitness facility.

Located at 21576 N. John Wayne Parkway, the gym opened in April and a grand opening is planned for May 3.

“We’ll have a big celebration (at the grand opening) in the parking lot outside of the facility,” said co-owner Jon Guarnery. “It will give the community a chance to come and look around, watch some classes, grab a bite to eat and enjoy the festivities.”

On Saturday, Guarnery invites the public to support and cheer on members who will be pushing through a hard workout 6 and 7 a.m. in honor of Boston firefighter Michael Kennedy, who died with Lt. Edward J. Walsh Jr., in a nine-alarm blaze in the city’s Back Bay section in March, according to the Boston Globe.

The owners chose the name CrossFit 347 because “(State Route) 347 represents the road that connects those of us in Maricopa,” Guarnery said. “It symbolizes the road to fitness for the people in our community.”

Nathan Maxcy, another co-owner and captain in the Maricopa Fire Department, said CrossFit is a “certain kind of strength and conditioning community. We train in a group setting for camaraderie and focus on techniques within functional movements.”

Maxcy said he and his wife, Nicole, closed their CrossFit BattleFit, opened in 2009, in December “to spend more time on the family and with our four boys who have started being involved in more extracurricular activities.”

“We knew that if another CrossFit affiliate came into Maricopa and they held to the ideals that we believed CrossFit was founded on, that I would look at training for them and we would be a part of that community,” he said. “We were pleasantly surprised when we were approached by this new group of couples looking to start up a CrossFit affiliate in Maricopa.”

Guarnery said the goal of CrossFit is to “strengthen movements that pertain to everyday life.” The goal is to become “flexible, more agile and stronger.”

The facility is co-owned by Greg and Jennifer Faust, Guarnery and his wife Natalie, the Maxcys, and Mike and Monique Vigil.

“We started this as a way to have a positive impact on the residents of Maricopa and the surrounding communities,” Guarnery said. “There’s a real spirit of camaraderie that exists within a CrossFit box and it’s a great way to interact with other people who are also looking to improve their lives. We felt that Maricopa needed a facility that brought fellow residents together to inspire, encourage and motivate each other to be better.”

He said CrossFit 347 offers workouts for different fitness levels.

“I’m not saying CrossFit is for everybody, but it is certainly for those who are committed to changing their lifestyle and becoming committed to reaching a new level of fitness,” he said.

The facility offers a special rate for first responders as well as members of the military and border patrol, he said.

Crossfit training is used in the city’s fire station gyms and also is available at CrossFit Maricopa, 44480 W. Honeycutt Road, Suite 101.