Our Facility

Our Gym is made up of two parts; the main gym area provides 2,500 square feet for our group sessions allowing plenty of space for our members to train. The second area is 1,500 square feet of space for Elements Classes, Mobility Classes, Personal Training and an area to warm up before class or simply relax after your workout.

• We have male and female dressing rooms, both with showers
• Free parking available right at the door
• Fully equipped kitchen

The goal of CrossFit Return is focused on maximising the potential of all its members and on building a community where athletes can train in a friendly and competitive environment.

• For more photos and information check out our Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/CrossFitReturn

Lucy Kenefick – Gym Manager

Lucy’s sporting journey started in her early teens playing field hockey while a student at Mount Mercy College and later at UCC. She continued to “stay fit” while working in banking in Dublin and pursuing a Masters degree. She took off on a world tour in late 2008 and having landed in Melbourne some months later, she reassumed her career in banking and, more importantly, discovered the world of boot camp. She continued to maintain a satisfactory level of fitness but it was not until her brother Chris persuaded her to give CrossFit a go that she too became totally hooked! For her it became a lifestyle choice which addressed her need for personal challenges, nutrition guidelines and insight, friendships, banter and helping others. As part of her research before returning to Cork, she visited CrossFit gyms in Hong Kong, Copenhagen, Hawaii and Sydney and interned at CrossFit Vancouver, the first CrossFit gym to be opened in Canada. (www.crossfit.ca/coaches-cf-owners/testimonials/). Her goal in CrossFit Return is to create an energetic and encouraging community where athletes can achieve their goals, conquer the challenges and have fun!

Aoife Twohig – Coach

Aoife has been with CFR for over two years. She is a level 4 personal trainer and has been in the fitness industry for over 5 years. Aoife has a big interest in strength and conditioning and weightlifting. Her background was in horse riding which she was involved in for nearly 15 years and she competed nationally for her club. Aoife worked in gyms in Cork and always thought she was quite a fit and strong person. She was introduced to CrossFit and it completely opened her eyes to a whole new way of training and she was instantly hooked. Her goal is to help members reach their full potential in a fun environment.

Mike Russell – Coach

My background is in rugby. I played all the way up through secondary school as part of the 1^st team and enjoyed the competitive atmosphere. I have always had a big interest in strength and fitness and was training together for rugby and in the gym about 6 days each week. Unfortunately not long after I finished school and broke a bone in my shoulder and did lots of damage to my shoulder, neck and bake which forced me out of contact sport. I looked for something else to take up my time and strive towards and tried a variety of things which included rock climbing but anything I tried didn’t make me want to try again as much as CrossFit did. Although I have kept up these hobbies and try to get outdoors once or twice a week, my main focus is on CrossFit and improving my health and fitness. My aim at CFR is to both improve my knowledge and understanding about the human body and how each person moves differently and also to improve the lives and lifestyles of those who train at CFR.

Ryan O’Dowling – Coach

My love for sport was initially cultivated through swimming. I competed at provincial and national level while trying my hand at more sports than I could shake a stick at. My search for the right one ended in 2008 when in Australia I came across a gym called Southern Crossfit. Here I trained with two of my brothers, both avid crossfitters, and was drawn in by the die hard ethos that I found broke me down to build me back up better, fitter and stronger. I can back to Ireland with a renewed vigor and love for all things fitness. Back then Ireland was yet to be hit by the worldwide phenomenon that Crossfit has become so I bided my time until the gym I had been waiting for opened, CrossFit Return!  And the rest is history. My main goal at CFR is to foster an atmosphere of community and progress by showing all our members why I came to love this sport so much in the first place.

Ide Healy – Intern

Ide began gymnastics at the young age of 5 and competed in both Tumbling and Sports Acrobatics.  She represented Ireland in Sports Acrobatics on three occasions and traveled to the European Sports Acrobatics Championships in Portugal in 2009 as a coach.   After retiring from competitive acrobatics her CrossFit career began in November 2015 at CFR.  She signed up for the intro class, did her elements and was instantly hooked!  Since then she has moved onto CFR’s internship programme and is currently learning and refining her skills everyday.  Having coached gymnastics for years, she always got great enjoyment helping people learn new skills and improve their fitness.  Her aim at CFR is the same.

“I want to help members reach their goals and surpass their expectations, just like what CrossFit has done for me. I’ve lots to learn from the great coaches in CFR and I’m hoping to do my CrossFit Level 1 certificate in the next few months to improve my knowledge further in the hope that I’ll be as good a coach as them some day!”

Chris Kenefick – Coach

Chris comes from a rugby background. He was also involved in Munster and Ireland school boys, U19 and U21 setups. In late 2008 he moved to Brisbane, Australia to begin his career in engineering. It was there in September 2009 that he discovered CrossFit and his whole approach to fitness changed. His love for the sport of CrossFit was born and he has never looked back. Since then he has dedicated himself to expanding his knowledge of CrossFit, strength and conditioning. While in Australia he interned at CrossFit St Kilda and at CrossFit Noosa where he gained valuable experience in coaching and instructing. A big fan of CrossFit’s competitions, he also competed in numerous events during his time down under. In April 2012 he, along with his sister Lucy, packed in life in Oz and ventured back to Ireland to open CrossFit Return. His goal is to provide the best coaching to the members of CrossFit Return to maximise their potential as athletes.