Ep 18 – Justin Cotler – Competitive CrossFit Coach

Justin Cotler is a premier competitive CrossFit coach. He is also the most winning coach of the budding GRID league, a professional CrossFit spinoff sport. Justin owns and is head coach of CrossFit Dynamix, a CrossFit gym in Astoria Queens. There, he coaches both average joe’s and elite athletes to reach their best. In this episode, we discuss his start as an R&B singer, his transition to fitness coach, and his ascension to the top ranks of coaching in a sport he loves. Justin has a passion for making a difference in people’s lives and believes if you can change your fitness, you can change your life. He learned that the hard way in 2008, finding himself in a hospital bed weighing only 120 lbs, after the best and worst year of his professional singing career. It was at this crossroads, Justin knew he needed to become healthier, so he gravitated to his love of fitness and tapped into his competitive nature. In the past eight years, he has founded a CrossFit gym, assembled a team to compete and has placed at the top of national competitions. His success drew the interest of the GRID league, and he continued his coaching success, by coaching the DC Brawlers to two championships in the first and second year of the leagues existence. Episode Highlights: * Ups and downs during his singing career * How Ulcerative Colitis complications landed him in the hospital * His early success as a CrossFit coach * Starting up his own CrossFit “Box” * How he met his wife and business partner Ashley at his gym * His most treasured memories of his career to date * Common CrossFit injuries and how to avoid them * His thoughts on taking risks and leading a meaningful life Links: * CrossFit Dynamix  * DC Brawlers * Grid League You May Also Like: * Ep 11 – Erin Stutland – Mind-Body Fitness Expert & TV Host * Ep 12 – Kerin Rose Gold – Artist, Designer and Entrepreneur * Ep 15 – Adam Stieglitz – Community-Led Development in The Highlands of Peru