I've trained with Jose for over 5+ years and I can easily say he's the best coach that I've ever encountered. I've trained at 5 different crossfit gyms over the years so I feel like I have a cross section of coaches, and approaches. Here are the things I prefer about Jose:
1. A real background in sports training. Jose studied (college) and trained to be a coach, he's not just some athlete that is good at crossfit or someone that went to a weekend Level1 training course. He has a deep understanding of movement, proper form, and how to get you to your fitness goals. He understands why and how each exercise effects your body at a deep level. He's a lifelong learner and is always posting and reading articles on fitness, sports training, and health. He really really loves coaching, and you can see this in the way he runs his programs and classes. It's a feeling that you can't really describe, but you know it when it's there -- someone doing the thing they love and doing it at a very high level. It's like watching a virtuoso play their instrument, or seeing an artist paint something amazing.
2. He writes his own programming. The guy spends hours carefully considering how to program each week. He's not copying from some other gym, or looking at some online forum. He's putting all his years of experience, and the insights he's getting from observing his students, into a comprehensive program to push you towards your goals. He's adjusting the programming in real time based on your progress. His combination of strength and conditioning is really ideal. Working his programming I saw huge increases in both strength (too many PR's to list) as well as huge gains in my cardio conditioning. It's a very well put together all around approach that makes you very well rounded.
3. His classes are fun. Although he tells the same corny jokes all the time, he makes working out less work. He has a warm personality and treats everyone in the class the same -- rookies to elite athletes, everyone gets a fair share of personalized coaching and instruction. Workouts are always varying and he brings in his background in sport specific speed and agility training, which most crossfit gyms don't offer.
4. It's a group setting, but it's actually personal training. Have you ever been to a gym where the coach can tell you your scaled weight before the workout begins? One where a coach remembers that you tore your shoulder a year ago and that you rolled your ankle last week? A coach that is keenly observing the class through the entire workout, actively pointing out form errors? Yeah, me neither. No other coach I know of knows his athletes as well as Jose. He knows my injuries, my PR's, my capacity, my movement weaknesses like they were his own. Not only for me, but for EVERYONE in his class. This just doesn't exist anywhere else, period. I could pay $150/hr for personal training, or I could pay $150/mo to work out with a coach that acts like a personal trainer. Really can't overstate this enough, it's absolutely personal training in a group setting.
5. It works, period. When I train with him, i see and feel the difference. I'm constantly seeing improvement across the board, be it strength, technique, or motor. I've trained at other gyms, and this is not always the case.
I recently moved from the area, and one of the things I miss most is Jose's training. If you're on the fence I'd suggest going to a class to experience his training in person, well worth it. read more
