Josh Courage

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I am a certified personal trainer, sports conditioning specialist, CrossFit level 1 coach, CrossFit Kids coach, and TRX instructor.  I have been personal training now for 10 years and it all started when I began finding ways to improve my baseball game.  As a division 1 baseball player, I was always researching training methods and how the body worked, and when I found a way that worked for me, and ultimately helped me sign a professional contract (played 3 years of independent minor league ball), I found a connection to training and helping others become fitter.  I have become a bit of a multi-sport geek and CrossFitter, here are some of my accomplishments since baseball:
  • 3rd place NAGA Jiu Jitsu compeition
  • 3 sprint triathlon podium finishes
  • 12 marathon finishes (top time of 3:50)
  • 1 50-mile ultra marathon finish
  • 8th place 2010 CrossFit Games Sectionals
  • 2nd place DC's Most Primal 2010, 2011
  • 1st Place 2012 Superfit
  • 2nd Place 2012 Mid Atlantic Hopper Challenge
  • 3rd Place 2012 Team Superfit
  • 4th Place 2012 CrossFit Game Regionals Team
  • 3rd Place 2012 Bayside Beatdown
  • 5th Place 2013 Vindication In The Valley 

I am passionately active in charity and promoting health and fitness in children; I designed a charity marathon and attempted to ride my bicycle across the country for the Children's Miracle Network (crashed a little over half way and was forced to cancel the rest of the journey), and am now running my own athletic training program out of my unique gym in San Mateo, California.  I also program the workouts for Courage Performance East, many individuals including professional athletes, CrossFit San Mateo, and an advanced group of athletes training out of my San Mateo gym.  I have completely dedicated my life to helping people get fit, and, in my spare time, challenging my own physical and mental limits through sport, hoping to share and inspire along the way.
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Courage Performance is an award-winning Athletic training company located in San Mateo, CA.  Owned and operated by Josh Courage, Courage Performance is dedicated to supplying world class fitness, nutrition and general health coaching to any person who wishes to dedicate themselves to leading a better life.

Using unique, highly effective methods, Courage offers attention and personalization rarely seen in the fitness industry anymore.  Each athlete receives a full fitness consultation, including a movement screen, strength and power testing, and measurements, as well as a nutrition consultation.   From there it's all about getting fit!

It's a carefully selected combination of just about anything the human body can do.  From Olympic and Power lifting, to gymnastics, speed and agility, climbing, pushing, pulling, flipping, throwing, slamming and more.  Each athlete will become proficient in such technical moves as the clean and jerk and the snatch, along with learning proper running, sprinting and jumping form.  You will use barbells, kettlebells, ropes, sandbags, rings, tractor tires, sledge hammers, medicine balls and so much more.  The idea is to make the body as athletic as possible.  The more athletic the body is, the better it will be at adapting to any and every stress introduced to it.  So, if you are a baseball player, football player, triathlete, marathon runner, or just a person looking to drop a few extra pounds and live a bit longer, this is for you!

True Fitness:
If one can create a balance of all physical skills, that person will be more athletic overall. The more athletic one is, the better, healthier, and happier one will be.  Decreased body fat, increased lean muscle, decreased risk of injury and disease, and an overall healthier outlook on life.  The added benefit of training with this goal in mind is that if you do specialize in a sport (triathlon, running, golf, baseball, football, ultimate frisbee etc.), becoming more athletic will inevitably result in an increased ability to perform the skills required for your particular sport. To truly achieve overall athleticism, one must practice a combination of everything functionally physical. What this means is that all people should:
  • Use their bodies in the all ways: stabilized (isometrically), eccentrically, concentrically, always with the greatest ranges of motion the movements call for, and in control (this is "functionality")
  • Always do different things, be outside, inside, use barbells, dumbbells, sandbags, cinder blocks, trees, climb, crawl, throw, run, swim etc (this is "constantly varied") 
  • Always put forth 100% effort (this is "high intensity")
It is the last point that gets confused a lot.  High intensity does not always mean passed out in the corner in a pool of sweat and vomit.  While sometimes it can mean that, it really just means the amount of effort you put forth based on the demand of the work you are doing.  A 1RM (one repetition max) deadlift, for example will be a very, very slow movement.  But to lift the weight, one must put forth absolute maximal effort.  The same holds true for holding your body in the plank position for an extended period of time.  Simply put, whatever the demands of the movement, put all your energy in to doing it! A main goal of Courage Performance is to be able to see measurable results.  What this means is that we must work hard to not only feel like we are getting better, but so that we can actually prove we are getting better at everything we do.  If you run a mile, training your entire body and mind to understand movement and strength would help to speed up your mile time, while also helping you use your body more efficiently.  If you ran an 8 minute mile on day one, then trained intelligently for a month, it is safe to assume your mile time will be much faster, and you will feel more in control as you do it (I trained someone who increased his mile by 1 minute and 30 seconds in just two weeks with these methods, not bad). The final aspect of Courage Performance is that it is more than just a way to work out, it is a lifestyle.  After you begin to work in this manner, with other people, you begin to get a sense of belonging to a greater entity, of being part of a big family that likes to sweat, eat healthy and laugh together.  This is my favorite part -- you will never be unsupported. As you can see, the concepts are pretty basic, keep the base concepts of max effort, many different movements, and sweating with other people, you'll be able to grasp what it really means to be fit and healthy.

Courage Performance Dedication
I am dedicated to:
  • Giving each athlete the attention they deserve, and more
  • Supplying each athlete with the means to become healthier and fitter
  • Supplying constant motivation
  • Practicing what I preach
  • Keeping things fun
  • Supporting a healthy, fit-minded community
  • Always giving back
I expect all athletes to:
  • Give 100% effort
  • Embrace fitness in some way into their lives
  • Help others 
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