Aloha, and welcome to the CrossFit Scottsdale Community.

A lot of people have been asking me lately. Whats my story? How did I get here? When did I start training? Where is my bio? Well it did not happen over night. It did not happen over the weekend or at a course online. It began 30 years ago in Los Angeles where I was born. Growing up fast as an only child in Hawaii by my single mother, my grandmother and my great aunt. How I learned to hit a curve ball is unexplainable. So I will try…

Living in Hawaii taught me how to surf and swim both highly active individual sports involving the ocean. The one place that an only child could entertain himself all day long without a single thing except the board shorts on his ‘Okole. I learned to eat tofu and cook seafood from growing up with Filipino’s, Chinese and the large Japanese population that the islands hold.

I was taught to respect and love the land, people and all living things from a 6′3 Hapa Haole or half white/half Hawaiian man who took care of me when my mom was in a coma from having spinal-meningitis. I attended Punahou the same preparatory school on Oahu as our president Barack Obama. That’s where I learned to scrap, play tennis and ride public transit. I got beat up on my 1st, 2nd and 4th days of school. I stayed home on the 3rd.

These are all the things that have shaped who I am and how I Coach. I am a natural teacher that is passionate about health and wellness, fitness and life. I watched my mom get progressively worse from prescription drugs and addictive behavior. I have seen friends lose everything from drugs and alcohol and that is why I choose to live a clean lifestyle and set a higher standard for my family and friends to follow.

I quit drinking May 12, 2008. Not because I was told to or that I had to. I quit because I wanted to and if I want to do something, anything… I DO IT. CrossFit has insured that dedication. It is mentally challenging and physically rewarding. It has given me universal strength that I practice daily in my training, for my students, family and for myself. It has taught me patience and perseverance, commitment, discipline and honor. It has given me the tools to not only be a present father but a great one. Try Tabata hugs with your kids 8X20 seconds just don’t let go in between sets.

When I first started as a Personal Trainer in 2000 showing members of a “Globo Gym” the new Nautilus line. I never imagined I would be writing a Blog about my life and how I “Changed” from a Punk to a Professional. How CrossFit has given me the confidence to speak in public to hundreds of kids and seniors. To connect with a networking group and promote other local small businesses, to associate myself with professional athletes and former major league baseball players and be asked to join the Arizona Baseball charities board of directors. I have become a part of all of this because of one common thread ~ CrossFit and for the first time I would like to thank my close friend and colleague Chris LaLanne of LaLanne Fitness in San Francisco for showing me the light and giving me this amazing program. When my wife and I moved to Scottsdale from Los Angeles in October 2007 with a one year old I was fresh off of the mortgage train and hating life wearing a shirt and tie and driving an hour and a half to get to the station every day. I wanted a “Change” CrossFit showed me the way.

This is not a testimonial! This is my life and you either DO or you DONT! I DO!!!

Thank you to all of you in advance for helping us build our dream. We love what we do and hope that each and everyone of you see that passion on our faces every time we smile. So forward this link, tell a friend, text, write, blog and invite your family and co-workers down to CrossFit Scottsdale to see what all the hype is about.

Respectfully Coach Luke Kayyem

“Anything in life is possible, make it happen” Jack LaLanne

A little more about us:

Najla and Luke are not your average 30 year old married couple. We are a team that has been together for more than half of our lives. We started dating as sophomores in high school and believed in a dream that most kids our age never thought of and our parents never wished for. We met and grew up in our hometown of Palm Springs, California. 16 years later we are living proof that dreams come true and that anything in life is possible if you make it happen. We are big believers in the saying “you get out what you put in”. This quote applies to our personal and professional lives as well as to philanthropic commitments.

With two beautiful children Kanon 3 and Camille 1 both Najla and Luke have started their own set of family values and traditions and have planted roots in Scottsdale, Arizona. We have had the great fortune of being able to grow up together while living in some of the nation’s greatest places (Palm Springs, San Diego, Maui, San Francisco and Los Angeles). We are each other’s best friend, business partners, biggest advocates and soul mates.

Because we were raised with single parents we decided to commit not only to each other but to our children and to show them how important is to have both parents in the home, happy, healthy and present.

Najla is the Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations for Related Urban, a mixed-use property development and management firm. She has spent the last 12 years in the mixed use development marketing arena working for notable developers and landmark projects creating and marketing distinct, experiential lifestyle centers. Her recent projects underway or complete include CityNorth in Phoenix, The Grand, The Grove, The Americana at Brand and Westfield Century City, in Los Angeles and Westfield San Francisco Centre in the heart of downtown San Francisco. Najla is also consulting for CrossFit affiliates nationally helping them achieve their business goals and create lasting marketing and branding platforms and programs that help promote their business, increase student retention, enhance coaching practices and establish them as a leader in their market.

When Luke first started in the fitness industry he was 19 years old and bodybuilding was “all the rage”. Luke went from running a 45,000 sq.ft. “globo gym” to opening his own 150 sq.ft personal training studio. He began to change his programming and noticed greater client results when he was forced to incorporate functional movements, due to the size of his facility. Squatting, jumping, pushing, and pulling became the focal point of his workouts. This training method eventually became known and recognized globally as “CrossFit.”

Not only have we excelled in our professional lives as individuals, we recently have gone into business together to build one of the country’s finest schools of elite fitness. We have combined world class coaching and training with cutting edge marketing, community based partnership programs and business practices. CrossFit Scottsdale Powered by Kayyem Fitness is a place where you check your egos at the door and work hard to get results. We teach our students how to use their bodies as a machine by performing functional movements that are constantly varied at high intensity. We embraced the community of Scottsdale as our home and we are developing our own fitness community through the integration of special events, charitable contributions, philanthropic programming and social networking. Najla and Luke were recently honored by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation as one of “AZ’s Finest Couples”, and were recently honored with the award of “2009 CrossFit Business of the Year”.

We believe we can make a difference in someone’s life through teaching, coaching, mentoring and giving back. We pride ourselves on helping people and have been able to integrate community based events and non-profit support into the CrossFit Scottsdale network.

Above is our family and why we are working so hard on building a family through exercise, health and wellness. We invite you to join us. We promise to give 100% to each and everyone of you as long as you give it back. “Don’t take plays off” work hard each and every minute that you step foot into CrossFit Scottsdale and you will see positive changes in your entire life. “Excitement creates excitement” so lets get excited about your school of elite fitness.

Please join us on our journey-

Luke & Najla Kayyem