Joe Martin
Coach
Clean & Jerk: 280lbs
5k: 26 minutes
Grace: 2:05
Crossfit Total: 1,115lbs
2x Ironman Full Finisher
Qualifications
Crossfit Level 1
Personal Training Certification
About Joe
I have had to teach myself a lot in life. Nobody is here to just spoon feed you. I have always believed you have to keep your head up, push through, and work hard for yourself. Working hard for your family, sometimes takes a loss. As a divorced father of 3, I had to go through the loss of my family unit to find the true love for my children. Nothing is more important than them. I will work hard, and make decisions with them at the highlight of them driving that decision. When they think of their father, I want them to think he is a hard working, strong, leader of their heart, whom will always be there for them.
In grade school I was a Wrestler, Lacrosse, and Football player. I hit hard and had lots of energy. Wrestling was by far my favorite of the 3. My junior year of high school brought on a huge change where I suffered a life changing knee injury, and after surgery the doctor said I would never be the same again. I accepted this for many years and the drive to be better at sports or physically went away. Obviously, and thank god it didn't stay this way!
I have competed in 16 CrossFit Competitions. Solo, Team, etc. A few of them I placed as well. I learned how to move my body and push myself. Furthermore, I have completed two full distance Ironman races, and several 70.3 triathlon races. I found myself further through triathlon as a way to prove that even someone that isn't the typical triathlete can still make it happen. I enjoy the training involved with both sports. CrossFit enables me to be a better triathlete.
Turning Point
My story comes from a big physical change. In 2012 I was nearly 350lbs. I did not work out and I didn't care much for my physical appearance. I got my yearly physical, and the numbers were OK. Despite doctors telling me to lose weight, easily getting out of breath, and obviously not actually healthy it didn't bother me much. At the time I had one child and she had just started walking and as her dad I couldn't always keep up. This was a shame. I started developing kidney stones and my cholesterol was near 200 so I was due for a change. Fast forward a year later I had lost nearly 100lbs and learned to understand the caloric intake of food. Furthermore, I began to like working out. Running on a treadmill was great but now I found it time to maybe start shaping myself a bit and landed into Crossfit. I would have always considered myself strong, but Crossfit allowed me to find something I never had. The athletic intensity and feel goods from Crossfit were amazing. I would go so far to say it has saved my life and invented much of the person I am today. This is why I chose to give back with my Personal Trainer certification and started coaching people moving and how to do it better. A few years later I went after my Crossfit Level 1 to celebrate my success with Crossfit. I want people to love this sport like I do, and nothing better than leading a class to push themselves to limits they never knew were possible.
Motivation & Passion
My motivation is to make everyone move better and have a better quality of life. I am walking proof that if I can make such a massive transformation that I truly believe anyone can. I will work hard and do my personal best as a coach to make class fun, safe, and challenging. I also really support Spartan Crossfit, I believe in the programming, love the people, and the facility. I also believe I am never "good enough", meaning my job to learn, research, or gain new knowledge is never complete. I will work for my athletes and I am interested in providing additional training if they want to improve further without the pressure of the class.
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