Nikki and John – ICA Owners / Head Coaches
You deserve the best, and at ICA that’s what you’ll get! Our coaching staff is knowledgeable, welcoming, fun, and totally passionate about health and fitness! We take the time to get to know each and every client. We’ll learn your background, your goals, and your challenges, and we’ll deliver one of a kind results!
Meet the Coaches
Nikki Warnek – Head Coach & Owner
Nikki has been a sports and fitness fanatic for as long as she can remember. As a child she competed gymnastics, soccer, and lacrosse. After college she got into long-distance running and completed several half- and full marathons before growing bored and craving something new. In May 2009, Nikki attended her first CrossFit class. Within weeks she felt stronger and leaner, and she knew at once that CrossFit would change her life! Nikki obtained her Level 1 CrossFit Trainer certification in October 2009 and began coaching at a local affiliate. In July 2011, John and Nikki opened up Iron Cross Athletics, and the rest is history!
Nikki trained with CrossFit through 2 pregnancies and has coached many women through this exciting phase of their lives. In 2018, Nikki furthered her knowledge and education in this area by becoming a certified Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism Coach. Nikki is passionate about helping women navigate the journey of pregnancy and the demands of new motherhood with the rewards of consistent CrossFit training.
Although Nikki’s first few years of CrossFit were focused on the competitive side of the sport, today her goals are more simple: to live a balanced and fit life, valuing the long-term sustainability of fitness over any short-term goals. As a coach, Nikki aspires to help each member unlock their true physical potential and discover the JOY of working out!
Click HERE to see Nikki demo the CrossFit.com workout of the day on 9/11/12.;
Certifications and Degrees:
- CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
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NASM Certified Personal Trainer
- Pregnancy & Postpartum Athleticism Coach (Brianna Battles)
- CPR/AED and First Aid
- Master of Science in Environmental Engineering, Villanova University, December 2009
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Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, Villanova University, May 2004
Certificates of Attendance
- CrossFit Gymnastics Trainer, 2010
- CrossFit Kids Certificate Holder, 2019
- CrossFit Coaches’ Prep, 2010
- Concept 2 Rowing, 2011
- CrossFit Powerlifting Trainer, 2011
- Attitude Nation Olympic Lifting Seminar, 2012
- CrossFit Movement & Mobility Trainer, 2013
- StrongFirst Kettlebell Course, 2015
- Functional Movement Systems, Level 1 Seminar, 2016
Competition Highlights:
- 2012 Mid-Atlantic Regional, 18th place finish, Individual
- 2011 Mid-Atlantic Regional, 8th place finish, CFKoP team
- 2010 Central East Regional, 5th place finish, CFKoP team
- 2010 CrossFit Games, 58th place finish, CFKoP team
John Warnek – Gym Manager, Head Coach & Owner
John first heard about CrossFit in 2006 after a friend (a Navy SEAL) told him about CrossFit.com. At the time, John was a thrower at West Chester University, and he was always looking for new ways to increase his strength and fitness. John started following the CrossFit mainpage workouts, completing the WODs in his college gym. John loved the workouts and found they gave him great results without causing his joints to hurt the way his years of heavy lifting had done.
In March 2010 John became a CrossFit Level 1 trainer and started up a small garage gym with some of his coworkers. They did most of their workouts outdoors, even in 20 degree weather, multiple feet of snow, and pouring rain! 2010 was also the year John started competing in CrossFit. He joined the CrossFit KOP team, where his strength and leadership helped the team earn a spot in the 2010 CrossFit Games. In 2011 John qualified to compete individually at the Mid Atlantic Regionals, but gave up his individual spot to compete one last time with the team.
In August 2011 John joined up with Nikki to open Iron Cross Athletics, home of CrossFit Phoenixville. As a coach, John is known for his really tough warm ups, and for pushing his athletes to accomplish things they never thought possible.
Certifications, Experience and Degrees:
- CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
- CPR/AED and First Aid
- Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certificate in Exercise Nutrition
- Aerobic Capacity Course, Feb 2022
- StrongFirst Indian Club Course, June 2019
- StrongFirst Kettlebell Course, February 2015
- Attitude Nation Olympic Lifting Seminar, August 2012
- CrossFit Powerlifting Trainer course, July 2011
- Assistant Coach, Abington Senior High School Track and Field, Spring 2010 & 2011
- Assistant Coach, Lewistown High School Track and Field, Spring 2009
- CrossFit Alias: “The One-Arm Isabel Guy” (click HERE to see why)
- Bachelor Degree of Science in Physics Education, West Chester University
Ricky Lanzilotti – Coach, Personal Trainer, Nutrition Services
Ricky’s first CrossFit experience was at ICA’s 31 Heroes WOD in 2017. He left battered and bruised, and the rest, as they say, is history. He was instantly hooked! A background in soccer, basketball, and lacrosse, Ricky developed an affinity for sprints, endurance running, and calisthenics from an early age; however, it wasn’t until he stepped foot in ICA that he realized just how severely a workout could push him beyond his known capabilities.
Ricky’s favorite quote reads, “You can’t change the cards you’re dealt, just how you play the hand.” Whether you’re coming in armed with a lifetime of athletics under your belt or you have never trained a day in your life, Ricky’s passion for realizing the strongest, fittest, and healthiest version of you is evident from the minute you meet him.
Certifications and Experience:
- CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
- Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certificate in Exercise Nutrition
- USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coach
- CPR/AED and First Aid
- CrossFit Scaling course, June 2019
- CrossFit Gymnastics Course, December 2021
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), International Affairs (concentration – East Asian Economic Development), Chinese Minor
Celeste Viggiano – Coach, Personal Trainer
Celeste grew up playing team sports, her parents making sure she was active in every sports season. Her main focus was on field hockey, which she played through high school. A few years after college graduation, Celeste re-discovered her love of sports and fitness and started running, spinning, and doing yoga. For several years she thrived on 5 and 10k’s, half-marathons, and obstacle course mud runs.
In 2011, Celeste was convinced by a friend to try out CrossFit, and she has been hooked since. She fell in love with the process of learning, striving for constant improvement, and most of all the continuous setting and achieving of goals. Since growing her family, her greatest motivators have become to thrive in her later years and to set a positive example for her two children.
The concept of fitness as a necessity for physical health and as a tool to improve the quality of all aspects of life is a code that Celeste lives by. She believes that a healthy lifestyle is not limited to healthy food and exercise, but encompasses rest, recovery, mental health, and the quality of our relationships. Celeste aims to help people become inspired to use health and fitness to become stronger not only physically but mentally and emotionally because it is undoubtedly all connected.
Certifications, Experience and Degrees:
- CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
- USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coach
- B.A. in Sociology, West Chester University
- A.S. in Exercise Science and Wellness
- Adult/Child and Infant CPR/AED and First Aid
Karen Littlewood
Profile Coming Soon
Aileen Mooney
Profile Coming Soon
Dave Boelker – Coach
A life-long, multiple team-sport athlete, Dave has always loved competition, including playing collegiate football. When the sporting opportunities ended after college, he needed to find another outlet. Dave started running 5Ks that quickly turned to trail running and he has completed countless races of varied distances, even an annual 12 hour endurance race.
Tiring of the typical Mon-Fri, chest/back, tri’s/bi’s, treadmill routine between trail races is what lead Dave to CrossFit. He needed more; something that was invigorating yet sustainable. He and his wife, Erin, took their Intro Class with John, and still sweating from the Baseline, immediately signed up for Fundamentals and unlimited memberships. His competitive nature is still satisfied by the occasional trail race, but even more so by competing in the region’s Masters competitions as an individual, partnership or as part of a team.
Since starting CrossFit in July 2013, Dave’s entire outlook on health, nutrition and fitness have changed to reflect the well-rounded, up-for-anything approach CrossFit training takes.
Energized by the class dynamic, and of giving little pointers along the way, Dave earned his CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certificate in March 2014, recertifying November 2018. He joined the ICA coaching staff in May 2015.
Dave is passionate about assessing and helping newer athletes establish optimal movement patterns by drilling the finest details of a movement. He desires to expand his knowledge about practical ways to apply the CrossFit methodology to masters athletes that take into account how age, fitness, goals and injury state interact, creating different coaching challenges and scenarios.
Dave is also adamantly attentive to role of diet and nutrition as they relate to the general wellness and fitness of an individual. As part of that, he is cognizant of the balance between performance nutrition and living life, especially as a 40+ year-old competitive athlete himself. He is always eager to chat with members about any diet and nutrition questions they might have, pulling from his own nutrition journey.
Certifications, Experience and Degrees:
- CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
- CPR/AED and First Aid
- CrossFit Specialty Course: Masters – June 2019
- CrossFit Sport Specific Application Specialty Course – November 2016
- FuBarbell (Diane Fu) Olympic Weightlifting Seminar – June 2015
- Punk Rope Double Under Seminar – April 2014
- Bachelor of Arts in English – Muhlenberg College, 1999
Heather Stem – Coach
Heather will be the first to tell you that, growing up, she lived an unhealthy lifestyle. She wasn’t actively involved in sports, and nutrition was not a priority. Luckily, all that changed in college. While a student at Millersville University, Heather found herself called toward a healthier lifestyle. She began exercising, joined an intramural soccer team, and started running 5Ks. However, even with the new found “like” of exercise, Heather still struggled to find a balance in life with food, exercise, and confidence.
Heather was introduced CrossFit in April 2014, and she remembers her first class like it was yesterday. When her Coach asked her to do a pull-up, she couldn’t budge. She couldn’t pull-up… anything. Yet, the high-spirited atmosphere of the gym, loud heart-pounding music, and heavy weights had her going back each day. Over time Heather achieved her first pull-up, climbed a rope, and started to find the confidence in life she had been searching for.
In August 2016 Heather moved to Phoenixville and discovered ICA. From her first class, the ICA community welcomed her in and re-energized her spirit for fitness and a healthy-lifestyle. As Heather’s passion for fitness and nutrition blossomed, so did her curiosity to know more about CrossFit’s movements and techniques. In the Fall of 2018, Heather took the leap and completed her CrossFit Level 1 Trainer certification.
Heather currently resides with her husband and two stepsons in Royersford. She is thankful for the journey that led her to CrossFit, and honored to be coaching at ICA. Heather’s athletic background didn’t start at a young age, but that is exactly what fuels her fire now. Her passion is to find the best in every athlete and help them find the greatest version of themselves. With a smile on her face (and maybe a dance move or two in class), Heather hopes to bring out the inner athlete in each member.
Certifications and Degrees:
- Level 1 CrossFit Trainer
- CPR/AED and First Aid
- Bachelor of Science in Meteorology – Millersville University, 2010
- Masters of Science in Emergency Management – Millersville University, 2012
Kelsey grew up playing soccer and ski racing, loving the balance of team play and individual skill. Feeding off the competition and team community, Kelsey is an advocate of exercise and health and has always loved a little competition.
Kelsey first found CrossFit through a small box in Reno, Nevada. Her primary motivation was to stay in shape during the off season of her high school sports. Like any good romance novel, it was love at first barbell. After high school and to fill an “athletic void”, Kelsey threw herself into CrossFit and quickly developed a passion for the sport. CrossFit allowed Kelsey to push her boundaries and provided her with a supportive community that she grew to love. She loves walking into the box, hearing the music blaring, seeing sweat marks on the floor, and listening to the cheers of athletes encouraging each other to get in those last few reps.
In addition to CrossFit, Kelsey practiced Olympic lifting at a barbell club in Reno for a year before moving to Phoenixville. She is always looking for opportunity to grow, learn and expand her knowledge of the sport.
Kelsey has now been doing CrossFit for almost 5 years, joining ICA in January of 2020 when she moved from Reno to Phoenixville, and joined the coaching staff in February of 2021. Kelsey loves sharing her knowledge of CrossFit and has a passion for helping others grow in the sport. As a coach, Kelsey hopes to help members find the same sense of empowerment and confidence she has found with CrossFit.
Certifications, Experience and Degrees:
- CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
- Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Neuroscience
- CPR/AED and First Aid
Vicki Fillippo
Profile Coming Soon
Zach Phipp
Profile Coming Soon
Steve Marcucio
Profile Coming Soon
Becky Dobson
Profile Coming Soon
Phil Zhu (“Zoo”) – Coach
Phil was first introduced to CrossFit in late 2011 when a friend suggested he check it out when he was looking for a conditioning program to get him ready for a mud run. Prior to CrossFit Phil spent his time building his body up through strict bodybuilding routines in globo gyms focusing on anaerobic concentric movements (bro sessions). After being demolished by his first introductory workout ‘The Baseline,” he knew instantly this was what he needed. He saw results across the board immediately and his whole perspective on fitness and wellness changed dramatically. He was blown away by the raw intensity of the diverse workouts and even more so the fun and supportive atmosphere of the box/community. In the fall of the next year he completed his Level 1 Cert and a few months later he began to intern at ICA.
Phil’s passion in coaching lies in his overwhelming belief in this method of training and lifestyle and his desire to spread this knowledge. He is passionate about helping athletes improve physically as well as forging that mental strength to go beyond their limits and what they think they are capable of. He is excited to be on the coaching team and looks forward to helping you achieve your fitness goals!
Certifications, Experience and Degrees:
- CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
- Doctorate of Physical Therapy
- CPR/AED and First Aid
