Dave Myers

Fitness has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, but my path to becoming a coach developed gradually through my military career, my own training experiences, and a growing interest in understanding what people are capable of with the right guidance.

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I spent more than 20 years serving in the United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard. My military career taught me discipline, leadership, teamwork, and the importance of continuing to develop yourself rather than becoming comfortable with what you already know.

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While serving in the Coast Guard, fitness began to take on a larger role in my life. As a Health Promotion Coordinator, I helped coworkers develop fitness plans, stay motivated, and work toward maintaining the physical and body composition standards required for their careers. That experience introduced me to the idea that fitness could be more than something I pursued personally, it could be a way to help other people.

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My own training also changed after recovering from a knee injury. Physical therapy showed me how much the body could improve with proper training and progression, and shortly afterward I began CrossFit. I quickly became interested not only in pushing myself physically, but in understanding why certain training methods worked and how movements could be modified or progressed for different people.

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In 2014, I earned my CrossFit Level 1 and began coaching at CrossFit Inguz. Since then, coaching has become a major part of my life. I have continued pursuing education and certifications in exercise science, strength and conditioning, corrective exercise, movement, nutrition, and other areas of fitness while continually learning from the athletes and coaches around me.

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That pursuit eventually led me to earn a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and continue into a master’s degree in Exercise Science with a concentration in Fitness Leadership. Over time, my interests have expanded beyond simply understanding how the body responds to exercise to understanding how confidence, motivation, behavior, and individual experiences influence whether someone begins, and continues a fitness journey.

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Today, those experiences shape how I coach. I believe good coaching starts with understanding the person in front of you, meeting them where they are, and helping them progressively discover what they are capable of.

Discovering What I Was Capable Of

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Fitness and sports had always been part of my life, but one of the biggest turning points came after I injured my knee while serving in the Coast Guard. A meniscus tear was limiting my ability to squat properly and maintain the level of fitness I wanted, eventually leading me to surgery and physical therapy.

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During my recovery, I began to see training differently. Physical therapy did more than help me return to where I had been before the injury. With proper training and progression, I discovered that my body was capable of more than I realized. That experience made me want to understand why training worked and how much further I could push myself.

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Around the same time, my wife became interested in trying CrossFit, and I eventually joined her. I came in with a good fitness base, but CrossFit challenged me in ways I had not experienced before. I quickly learned that effort alone was not enough. I needed to improve my movement, develop consistency, and earn the ability to add intensity.

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The challenge became something I enjoyed. Instead of being discouraged by what I could not yet do, I became interested in learning how to get better at it.

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Within a few months, that curiosity had grown into something more. I wanted to understand training, movement, and the human body at a deeper level, and I began asking what it would take to become a coach.

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Looking back, the biggest obstacle was not the injury itself. It was the assumption that our current ability represents our potential. Recovery and CrossFit showed me that where we are today does not have to determine what we will be capable of tomorrow.

Why I Coach

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My purpose as a coach grew from my experiences serving in the Coast Guard. As a Health Promotion Coordinator, I had opportunities to help my wife, coworkers, and other service members improve their fitness, develop better habits, and work toward maintaining the physical fitness and body composition standards required for their careers. What started as helping people exercise quickly became something much more meaningful to me.

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I saw that people did not always struggle because they lacked effort or did not understand that exercise was important. Sometimes they lacked confidence, did not know where to start, or had difficulty believing they were capable of making lasting changes. Helping someone work through those challenges and begin recognizing their own ability became one of the most rewarding parts of fitness for me.

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That experience eventually led me into CrossFit coaching, where I found that same motivation applied to people from every background and ability level. I enjoy working with someone who is walking into a gym for the first time just as much as someone trying to improve a specific skill or performance goal. What matters to me is understanding where that person is starting, what they want to accomplish, and helping them find a realistic path forward.

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My interest in understanding that process also influenced my continued education, including earning my master’s degree in Exercise Science with a concentration in Fitness Leadership. I wanted to better understand not only how exercise affects the body, but also how confidence, motivation, behavior, and our individual experiences influence our ability to begin and remain physically active.

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That is what continues to motivate me as a coach. I want people to experience progress for themselves and begin recognizing abilities they may not have believed they had. My role is not to show someone what I can do. It is to help them discover what they are capable of.