We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Joe Gamez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Joe below.

Joe, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

I’ve spent a majority of my life as physical fitness enthusiast. Once college life came about, that all went out the window for quite some time. Long class hours, tedious work, desk jobs, and the general grind of life put my own health on the backburner. I gained over 50 lbs. since high school (probably closer to 70). Throughout that whole process, I became increasingly less happy with my own body image and capability. I wish I would have known how easily my health could fall apart and how hard it would be to rebuild who I once was.

I didn’t have any major health complications, but I did make a lot of mistakes along the way. I didn’t know how to identify a health fad versus sustainable change. I didn’t know how to get back into a routine or even where to find one. Every time I went back, I did the same 2-3 things, got so sore that I couldn’t function, took a week or two off, and kept cycling through this process of no change. No one taught me anything real about nutrition. The resources at that age were superficial products or targeted ads focusing on supplements or cleanses. I wasted so much time and money on junk instead of learning that the only thing I needed was hard work and consistency.

How do we take care of ourselves? We learn how our bodies work; we learn about nutritional needs; we learn about how fat or muscle develops. When we understand the basics of our bodily needs, we become better prepared to make decisions that promote healthier lifestyles. I can’t tell you how much better my life has been since I learned how to take care of myself.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

My name is Joe. I’m the owner of CrossFit Shokunin. We’re a new gym in central-ish Mesa and I’m all about helping people get their lives together. Working out is tough especially when you haven’t done it in 1 to 20 years. More than 50% of our gym is people who’ve never done CrossFit before and haven’t been to a gym successfully in a long time.

Most stories start the same. You want to feel better or you want to look better. Maybe the reality of your last doctor’s visit really kicked in. You walk into a gym, without a plan, stare at the few machines for a bit, pick out the one or two you’re familiar with. After a few lackluster sets of work the fatigue sets in. You go to a treadmill or bike because it’s familiar, put in about 5 minutes, and then it’s back home. The soreness is unbearable because you didn’t know how much weight to do and going back just sounds like a terrible time. I get that. I’ve been there and it sucks.

My job is to get you keep coming back into the gym. We provide the programming; you never have to wonder what you’re doing for the day. We assess your capability and adjust the work to your current level. Can’t do pull-ups? Don’t worry about it. I have a bunch of other movements that build strength to it but aren’t devastatingly difficult. Bad knees? Let’s find out why they are bad and start to make moves toward rebuilding that strength correctly. CrossFit is about adjusting the workouts to individuals and we’re phenomenal at it. The best part of my day is seeing people do things they never thought they’d be able to.

Shokunin (show-Q-nin) roughly translates to Artisan or Craftsman but the meaning is lost in translation. The word represents an individual who is wholly committed to their craft. It’s all they know, it’s all they do, they are wholly committed to that craft. That’s who we are.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients are existing clients. I’ve told plenty of people about the work we do here but watching your friends and family do it is the most assurance that you get can. There are so many people who think they “aren’t in shape enough to do CrossFit”. All they need to do is watch and see everyday people, just like them, doing the things they think they can’t.

People get excited when they change and grow. They share those successes with those around them and invite them to be a part of that success. That’s what brings people into the door.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

This entire endeavor has been a near-death experience. I work upwards of 100+ hours a week. I opened a gym at time when gyms were being forced to close and thought to be epicenters of disease. Funding delays due to covid restrictions, fear of being in public gatherings, equipment manufacturing delays, and sharp increases in gym equipment have been devastatingly difficult hurdles to overcome. I’m still in the first 2 years of ownership and the sheer number of unexpected expenses has been humbling to say the least. There’s no class on running your first business. My landlord abated rent for me for 4 months, I’ve shuffled around personal finances, and gambled on my intuition to keep things afloat at times.

I wish I could have better understood the costs prior to opening, but I wouldn’t change a thing. We’ve gone from 19 members (mostly friends and family) to nearly 10 times that many people in just under 2 years.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://crossfitshokunin.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfshokunin/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CFShokunin/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/crossfit-shokunin-mesa