Sam Smith

I craft personalized plans for my clients with unparalleled speed—giving them immediate direction. Then, we execute relentlessly, accelerating their progress and getting them to their performance goals as efficiently as possible.

For fitness athletes who want to learn how to greatly improve their performance, I craft personalized plans with unparalleled speed and direction, so that they begin to learn about their engines right away to speed up their  initial progress. Then, we execute relentlessly, accelerating their progress and getting them to their performance goals as efficiently as possible.

I am direct and pragmatic, with the ability to be empathic when needed. I don’t beat around the bush, I want each of my clients to know that I care and have their best interest at heart.

For over a decade, I've been solving performance problems for my clients while teaching them my methods so they can learn as well. During that time, I've worked with over a dozen CrossFit Games competitors, including podium finishers, more than a hundred CrossFit Semifinal/Regional level competitors, professional athletes in golf, triathlon, and cycling, as well as Secret Service agents and military special forces. Throughout this journey, I've also personally mentored hundreds of coaches, extending my impact across the broader fitness community.

My Mission

Physical activity draws us into the present moment. It compels us to connect with our bodies, recognize what we're feeling, and make deliberate decisions about how to proceed. As Socrates advised, 'Know thyself'—and fitness provides one of the most powerful paths to developing this self-knowledge.

My mission is simple, to help you learn how to optimize your fitness performance....and then get there. We don't have to make it complicated, but my clients come to me for BOTH the learning and the doing, I take it very much to heart, and I love working with clients that way.

Coaching is a lifelong pursuit for me, and its an honor to work with clients who do what it takes to get to the next level.

Client Success
Story
Austin Kapetanakis

The greatest coaches have an impact on us not only through our physical abilities and talents, but also through the development and nurturement of the entire person. I have been working with Sam for a little over 2 years as an athlete and as a mentee. Over these past two years, my life has dramatically improved in so many ways besides just my fitness, and Sam has developed into not only a trusted coach & mentor, but a dear friend. Sam has been a positive, grounding and nurturing force in my life and career and I am so grateful to have met and to continue to work with him.

As a Coach, Sam is one of the best in the business, and his devotion to his craft and his clients is evident in his commitment to deliver excellence in everything he does. From his thoughtful programming, to its meticulous presentation, and of course its ability to produce drastic results, Sam delivers. One of the reasons I admire Sam is that as a professional, he is continually learning and growing, and has a relentless desire to stay on the cutting edge of the industry.

As a Coaching & Business Mentor, Sam has helped me develop and exponentially grow my Coaching Business and hone my craft. When we first met, I looked to Sam for guidance and mentorship to help me develop. Over these 2 years, through meaningful conversations, messages, and time spent together, I have grown my clientele to 40 active clients, as well as increased my profile in the industry and have traveled to different countries and even hosted training camps with Sam

My Fitness & Wellness History

My fitness journey began with a practical purpose: maintaining health for competitive golf. As I delved deeper, my interest evolved into a passion for understanding the science behind physical performance. This growing obsession ultimately transformed into a career where I now help others enhance their physical capabilities to expand their life possibilities and experiences.

I have loved learning in a formal setting, too. I earned my bachelor’s degree from University of Southern California where I majored in Communications and minored in Sports Psychology. And, I have completed a large number of certifications:

OPEX Fitness:  OPEX CCP Level 1 Associate Coach (2016), Level 2 (2018), OPEX Education Instructor, and a Multi-year 1:1 mentorship with James FitzGerald (OPEX)

Precision Nutrition Level 1

CrossFit Level 1

Functional Movement Screen (FMS)

As an athlete, I worked my way all of the way to the professional tour for multiple years. That experience has been invaluable to me to work with my athletes. Now, I pursue fitness by running 3 days per week (working on improving my half marathon ability) and lifting weights 3 days per week. I still touch aspects of the CrossFit methodology in my training, but the majority of my training revolves around running and general strength and conditioning.

What My Clients Should Expect from Me As Their Coach:

I’m very consistent with my approach to communication; it flows on a weekly basis, allowing us to stay in touch and keep tabs on how things are changing. I also review your training video when it’s required. If it’s not needed, then we don’t use it. But when we need it, I will leverage it quite a bit. Loom is my go to source for sending video feedback and answering questions via video if that makes the most sense for the question.

On the nutrition side, I prescribe macros if they are needed. I use that tool on a case by case basis as not everyone needs rigid macros to move closer to their goals.  I’ll work with clients on helping them in this area if it’s something they are struggling with. But I won’t explicitly write out plans for them.

Similar to macro’s, I will use lifestyle prescriptions if warranted. And again, case by case basis. I try to always revert to the old adage: “if it’s not broken, don’t try to fix it.” 

My involvement as a coach is one of identifying what is the lowest hanging fruit for us right now. Let’s work on improving that before we move to the next lowest hanging fruit. Making lasting change and improvement is predicated on small, consistent change over a long period of time.

Client Success
Story

Why should you sign up with me?

The difference in my approach is simple: I teach you how to fish rather than just feeding you for a day. I'll help you reach your performance goals while ensuring you understand the process. If you value learning as much as improving and want a coach who communicates directly while genuinely caring about your development, we're already aligned on what matters most.