Matt Torres, a one-on-one remote head coach has helped several athletes reach their goals of making it to the CrossFit Games (eight to be exact, and counting…). Amongst the list of his athletes that made it to the CF Games are Jason Carroll (12th in the 2019 CF Open), Dallin Pepper (2018 Fittest Teen 16-17), and Tudor Magda (2018 Fittest Teen 14-15). Matt played football at Central Michigan University from 2006-2011 and tied in his love of sports with a broadcasting degree, thinking he would be a reporter on ESPN. However, Matt decided to change his path and took his passion straight to CrossFit, and is now paving the road to success for teen athletes.

Outside of remote coaching, he is also the owner of North Naples CrossFit in Naples, Florida, established in 2013. Matt says it’s amazing to him to see ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Fun fact: Coach Torres was a wide receiver at CMU and played with some top-notch athletes, such as Antonio Brown (Steelers), Joe Staley (49er’s), Eric Fisher (Chiefs), Frank Zombo (Chiefs), Jahleel Addae (Chargers). He’s basically famous.

We hear you like to trade your barbells for hammers on the weekends?

Haha. Yes, when I’m not in the gym, you can find me updating my home. I’m not ashamed to say that I spend more time watching HGTV than ESPN. There, I said it.

What’s your “don’t eat like an asshole” nutrition plan?

I follow an 80/20 rule. I eat real foods 80% of the time, and 20% of the time I eat what I want. I don’t skip meals and I don’t eat like an asshole more than 20% of the time.

Why is enjoying the process of reaching a goal so important to you?

I grew up playing football at a young age and through college at the highest level. I’ve always heard “enjoy the process” but I never really understood it. It wasn’t until I found CrossFit that I really saw the “process” more clear. As athletes, we spend every living second of our day to be better. We want to make it to Regionals or the Games. But, here is the kicker, no matter how good you are, it’ll never be enough for you. As humans, we’ll always want more, it’s one of our biggest flaws. To combat that feeling try to enjoy every second of training and cherish the time spent with friends and loved ones. Those little moments, both bad and good, create the short stories that build your life.

What’s your favorite recommended online resource or book?

Mastery “The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard and The Champion’s Mind “How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive” by Jim Afremow.