Our Instructors
Jeff Binek
Jeff Binek is a US Army Veteran, Tomb Sentinel (#563), Ohio State Alum, Founder of Friendship Fitness & Parisi Columbus and a proud husband and father of 2. Jeff’s leadership style was forged at one of the most elite and disciplined units in the military; the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Sergeant Binek was the Commander of 2nd Relief, in charge of all training for incoming soldiers where only 2% of trainees pass.
Upon being honorably discharged from the Army, Jeff finished his degree at Ohio State and simultaneously opened his business, Friendship Fitness in 2011. Jeff has trained thousands of athletes of all ages, including National level weightlifters and CrossFit Games athletes.
Jeff also has coached Lacrosse, Basketball and Football at the Middle School and High School levels. He speaks on leadership throughout Olentangy and Dublin school districts and takes pride in giving back to his community whenever possible.
USAW L1, L2, Club President, National Level Coach
CF L1, L2, Olympic Weightlifting, Gymnastics
Parisi Certified
Liz Van Winkle
Coach Liz is originally from Amherst Ohio, where she played varsity basketball and volleyball. After high school, she played club volleyball at Ohio State and majored in English Education. She then went on to teach in Hilliard and Upper Arlington for 6 years. Hungry for a challenge and a way to channel her athletic roots, Liz walked through the doors of Friendship Fitness in 2011 as a client and transitioned into a full time coaching role in 2016.
At Friendship, she works with athletes ranging in age from 5 to 75. In her role as General Manager, she manages the schedule, coaching development, and client experience. She is currently the JV Girls Basketball Coach at Hilliard Davidson High School and is in charge of the strength and conditioning program. She loves building relationships with athletes and challenging them to do their best and push past what they thought was possible.
Liz has two daughters, Addie (10) and Tess (8) and is married to Jim, who is a teacher and basketball coach in Hilliard. She enjoys coaching her daughters' basketball teams and watching them compete in soccer, gymnastics, and flag football as well! Liz believes in athletics and fitness as vehicles for character development, mindset training, and skills to use in all areas of life.
CFL1, CFL2, CrossFit Kids
Parisi Certified
Logan Penix
Originally from Mogadore, Ohio, Logan's journey into the world of fitness was shaped by his love for sports. From a young age, he was a multi-sport athlete, excelling in baseball, football, and wrestling. Most recently, he has graduated from Walsh University with a degree in Exercise Science. He fell in love with coaching after his internship at Archbishop Hoban High School, where he had the opportunity to coach many high level high school athletes.
Outside of the gym, Logan likes to be outdoors and go hunting or fishing. When back home he loves to spend time with his family and friends.
CF L1
Parisi
Maria Dyas Binek
Maria was a Division 1 soccer player at Indiana State University out of Hilliard Darby and Ohio Premier. She still enjoys playing on her Co-Ed team to this day. Her tenacious style of play, paired with her bubbly personality is notorious to all who face her. This fun-loving, but hard working attitude is something she brings to coaching as well!
After soccer, Maria was a top level CrossFit athlete, competing in multiple regionals and finishing in the top 1% in the CF Open individually in 2016 and 2017.
Maria began coaching youth athletes in 2013 at Goal to Gold, where she coached Youth Soccer and ran the Strength & Conditioning program. Next, she was the founding Coach and owner of the Friendship Kids program. She coached national level CrossFit athletes and Youth Weightlifters, many of whom still compete at a high level to this day.
Maria is the proud mother of daughter Stevie, and is due in January 2024 with her second baby, a boy. She is a major dog lover to her Boston Terrier and Frenchie/Pug mix puppies.
CF L1, Kids
Little Kickers Certified
Parisi Certified
Andy Arra
Coach Andy was a lineman & threw discus for Olentangy Liberty. He is rumored to be the fastest pulling guard Olentangy has ever seen! It’s here where he found his own passion for strength, performance & nutrition — seeing how these components affected him on & off the field. He went on to graduate from THE Ohio State University where he studied human nutrition specializing in dietetics.
He started his coaching career as a dry-land swim instructor and has since transitioned his expertise to helping athletes from all walks of life. Now, he works with athletes using his CSSD specialty (Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics) to integrate nutrition & performance. He has over 20 years of experience working in the strength & conditioning world. His approach is results-driven, infused with energy, and backed by a wealth of expertise.
Coach Andy is married and has two sons - Aidan who plays HS lacrosse & Teddy who is an aspiring tennis, golf & soccer player.
CF-L2
RD, LD, CSSD
Parisi Certified