C.J. Martin is a Level 2 CrossFit instructor and former member of the CrossFit HQ training team. C.J. began coaching because he passionately believes in the life-changing benefits of functional fitness.His goal as a fitness coach is to inspire individuals to make long-term lifestyle changes, and he has found that CrossFit’s scalable intensity and commitment to functional movement makes it the perfect program for individuals of all ages and abilities.
C.J. believes that the psychology of sport and fitness training plays a vital role in the success of any program. He fosters a positive training environment to help clients overcome self-doubt or perceived limitations to achieve their full potential.
C.J. also specializes in helping athletes prepare for the CrossFit Games, coaching both teams and individuals at Invictus as well as athletes across the United States and United Kingdom through online coaching and program design.
C.J. enjoyed five years as a successful litigator at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP before dedicating his full attention to helping others achieve their fitness goals. His practice focused on securities fraud and complex commercial litigation.
He is also co-founder of Kids Helping Kids, a non-profit organization that has raised nearly $4 million for neo-natal intensive care and pediatric units throughout Oregon, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors of San Diego Youth Services.
Michele holds a number of CrossFit Certifications and is working on her OPT Coaching Certification Program. She has also traveled with the CrossFit Olympic Lifting Certification team teaching other coaches and athletes the Olympic Lifts.Michele earned a B.A. in Sociology from California State University, San Marcos, and spent much of her time there focusing on the study of youth gangs and foodways. The combination of her formal education in the cultural, social, and economic practices relating to the production and consumption of food and her experience as the owner of M Good Meals, a Paleo-friendly catering service, has helped her emphasize the importance of nutrition with her clients and work with them on healthy and creative meal planning and preparation ideas.
Michele is a lifelong athlete who played soccer at the collegiate level, was a competitive swimmer, and has competed a number of times as both an individual and on the Invictus team at the CrossFit Games. She recognizes the benefits a varied strength and conditioning program provides to both competitive athletes as well as everyday people looking to improve overall health and mental toughness. Her goal is to connect with each person she trains in a way that motivates and excites them to perform at their highest level.
Before pursuing a career in health and fitness, Michele spent five years as a Marketing & Development Officer for a non-profit agency.
Calvin holds a Level 2 CrossFit Certification and several specialty certifications from CrossFit. He also holds certifications through the American College of Sports Medicine, International Sports Sciences Association, and is currently completing his OPT Coaching Certification Program and his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in pre-physical therapy at San Diego State University.Calvin has helped hundreds of clients succeed in achieving their health and fitness goals. He has coached athletes of all abilities to peak levels of performance in a variety of professional settings including fitness clubs, CrossFit affiliates, and the military.
Calvin has a diverse skill set that allows him to work with a wide variety of client populations. Injury prevention and optimized function of the body are a priority for athletes of all ages and abilities. As a coach, Calvin has produced a broad spectrum of successful athletes. His powerlifting team has earned nine podium finishes as well as three national titles. And his Performance Development Clinic–four week sessions focused on improving movement quality and functional performance–has become one of the most popular classes at Invictus as participating athletes continue to see enormous gains in both form and strength.
In addition to his extensive coaching experience, Calvin is also a talented athlete. In addition to competing in CrossFit, he is a national champion powerlifter as well as a national record holder. Calvin has also served in the United States Army for over six years.
George is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, CrossFit Level 1 certified coach, and is working on his OPT Coaching Certificate Program.George has a passion for helping others develop and achieve their goals and believes the most rewarding avenue to make this happen is through health and fitness.
As a strength and conditioning professional, George has a diverse background. He has worked with youth athletes, developed high school physical education programs, coached individuals and small groups, and trained Marines for combat–an arduous task requiring not only physical but mental preparedness as well. Working with clients ranging from housewives to Navy SEALs, he has created and implemented strategies yielding RESULTS.
Whether you are looking for improved athletic ability, enhanced fitness, or to change your body composition, George will get you there.
George earned a Bachelors of Science in Political Science from the United States Naval Academy. He proudly served seven years as a Marine Intelligence Officer before dedicating his attention to helping people improve their lives through health and fitness.
Nichole holds a number of CrossFit coaching certifications and is working on her OPT Coaching Certification Program. She has been a part of the CrossFit community since it’s beginning and was one of the original CrossFit Kids. After earning her Bachelors of Science in Health Studies: Physical Activity & Exercise at Portland State University, she returned to the San Diego area and became an integral part of the CrossFit Kids program as the School Liaison Director and member of the CrossFit Kids Certification team.Nichole is an accomplished fitness professional with experience in managing and leading group, individual, and youth fitness programs. She has the uncanny ability to motivate diverse groups and to implement healthy and productive changes.
Nichole won 3rd place in the inaugural CrossFit Games in 2007, helped lead Team Invictus to a 4th place finish in 2010, and is currently a member of the 2011 Team Invictus that took first place in the region and is heading to the CrossFit Games for the third straight year.
Nuno holds several CrossFit Certifications and is currently working toward his OPT Coaching Certification. He is a head coach for CrossFit Endurance, travelling the world to train other coaches proper running and endurance technique, nutrition, injury prevention, and programming so that they may pass it on to their own athletes.Nuno played competitive soccer and volleyball growing up and was a NCAA Division I Track and Field athlete at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, competing in the 200M and 400M sprints. He began competing in triathlons in 2006, completing a 1/2 Ironman, numerous sprint distance races, and a few Olympic distance triathlons. He found CrossFit in the summer of 2008, and integrated it with his training regimen, helping him improve his performance by making him a more well-rounded athlete.
Nuno was a member of the Invictus CrossFit Games team that took 4th place in 2010 and is currently training for this year’s Games. Even though he is training for the CrossFit Games, he simultaniously competes in triathlons and running events and has had many recent PR’s.
Nuno began training clients in running and CrossFit full time at the beginning of 2008, and helped launch San Diego Anaerobic Endurance which is now Invictus Endurance. He has dedicated himself to sharing the knowledge and passion he has for running and fitness to anyone interested in living a healthier life.
Shane is a CrossFit Level 1 certified trainer and a rowing coach/specialist. He grew up in Minnesota, has been an athlete his whole life, and was competitive in a number of sports including track, skiing, football, and baseball.Shane moved to San Diego to attend University of San Diego where he earned his bachelors degree in Business Administration and spent four years on the university’s rowing team. His love for the sport is evident in his passionate coaching of it. This led him to start the Invictus Rowing Club so that he may spread the knowledge he has gained on rowing technique and strategy through years of experience in the training room and competition.
Shane started CrossFitting in 2006 and competed on the 4th place Invictus team in the 2010 CrossFit Games and is training for this year’s Games.
Outside of the gym, Shane is the Co-Founder of Crossfit Story and People In Motion, two creative projects that examine athleticism, competition, and human success from a multitude of angles.
Shane loves competition, working with motivated individuals, and helping people achieve their health and fitness goals. His goal is to wake within people a passionate desire to achieve new heights every day. He lives by his personal mission statement: &quo;My life will be an experiment in growth guided by an unending belief in the power of accountability, love, respect, education, and elbow grease in an effort to inspire others to find their life’s potential.&quo;
Cody Burgener
Cody Burgener is a CrossFit Level 1 certified trainer and head coach of the Invictus Olympic Weightlifting program.
Born into a family of outstanding Olympic weightlifters and coaches, Cody has been competing in Olympic weightlifting since the age of five, and has been instructing the lifts since he was 15 years old. In addition to coaching at Invictus, Cody now travels the world instructing athletes and certifying coaches through the CrossFit Olympic Weightlifting Certification course.
Cody earned his Bachelors in Exercise Science from the University of Sioux Falls, where he was a four-year starter for the USF baseball program. Cody attributes his athletic success to years of smart training in the Olympic lifts and CrossFit strength and conditioning. As a coach, Cody is determined to help athletes learn from his experience and give them a similar upper-hand over their competition.
Cody is passionate about helping and motivating people to be the best they can be. He finds nothing more rewarding than helping others reach their goals, achieve new personal records and successfully overcome obstacles that once appeared insurmountable.
Katie holds a CrossFit Level 1 Certification and previously held the position of Women’s Assistant Varsity Coach for her high school alma mater in her hometown of Boise, Idaho.While in high school, Katie learned the importance of becoming faster and stronger and soon began spending time in the weight room. Her time spent training paid off and she earned herself a NCAA Division I scholarship. She was, and still is, the only player in Boise State soccer history to start and play in every minute of every game during an entire season. She credits that accomplishment to her focus in the weight room and her constant ability to maintain “game” fitness.
Katie competed for Invictus in the 2009 CrossFit Games and helped the team take 5th place in the worldwide event. She was forced to take a year off in 2010 to give birth to her daughter but continued to train throughout her pregnancy–often outperforming most other athletes in the gym–and is preparing to compete for the team again this year. During the time she was pregnant, she had the opportunity to train a dozen other pregnant women and successfully led the group as they prepared their bodies and their babies to be strong and healthy.
Using what she learned during her high school and college careers, Katie’s interest and focus is now on helping young athletes achieve their dreams of playing both collegiately and professionally. It is her goal to help her athletes become faster, stronger, and more mobile. But she also recognizes the importance of helping them to achieve the confidence and mentality that they can do anything both in their sport and in all other facets of their lives.
David Lipson
David Lipson is known both as one of the world strongest CrossFit athletes, and as a top coach in the CrossFit community. While he lived in New York City, he was named by NBC as New York’s leading trainer and was awarded a regular segment on NBC’s LX New York daily program. A celebrity trainer in Manhattan, Dave has coached professional athletes such as American Gladiators, tennis and baseball players, radio and TV personalities, musicians and actors from stage and Hollywood major motion pictures. He has trained people with diverse backgrounds ranging from “The World’s Biggest Loser” to Wall Street moguls to the Chief Justice of the United States.
David has been a competitive athlete his entire life. While still in high school Baseball America named him among the top 100 Major League Baseball prospects. He chose to pursue his education, ultimately graduating Phi Eta Sigma, national honor society, from the University of Rhode Island where he set team records for pitching and physical fitness.
As a 96-mile per hour pitcher, David played professional baseball for four seasons. Following rehabilitation from major arm surgery, David discovered his passion for exercise science. He earned his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), and has endlessly continued his education, receiving certifications in Olympic Lifting, Kettlebells, and Nutrition. David also travels around the country coaching other coaches as Certification Staff for CrossFit Headquarters.
Relentless in his desire to push his athletic limits, David found success winning NAS Strongman, Powerlifting, and CrossFit competitions. David enjoys pushing his self-imposed physical challenges, taking on such feats as deadlifting triple his bodyweight, running up the Empire State Building and doing a 500 lb. back squat every day for one year to raise awareness of skin cancer.
A high energy and passionate coach, David gives all of himself and his knowledge to clients in a tireless pursuit of their fitness goals.
Jim “Pops” brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to his position as Chief Operating Officer of Invictus. He spent fifteen years in the Transportation Industry managing five different facilities in California; twenty-five years in the Luxury Motorhome Industry, including retail and wholesale sales, heading a field office, and as VP of Sales. Most of his time in his previous jobs was spent working with people and numbers–understanding forecasting, budgeting, pricing, marketing, and sales. He now puts this knowledge to use at Invictus, doing all of those things, and more.Pops retired and took a fun job to pass the time in the Education Department at SeaWorld, using his sales and communication skills in teaching adults and children how they can impact our planet and protect the oceans and it’s creatures. Not only is he a wealth of knowledge on operations, but also on sea life–he is especially fond of sharks.
Pops was drafted by CJ (his son) to help at Invictus with some administrative tasks that he couldn’t do between the 25th an 28th hour of his day. This quickly became a bigger job than just part-time help and he resigned from SeaWorld to formally retire and play at Invictus.
Pops’ goal is to support the Invictus dream by building and maintaining an administrative support system for the business, allowing the staff to focus on the mission of delivering excellence in fitness coaching. Pops is the go-to man and can answer any of your questions on available programs, billing, and more
Jen is the Director of Marketing and Member Services at Invictus. She can be found in the office at various times of the day and night visiting with potential members as well providing services to new and current members to make sure their experience is the best ever! She is also in charge of creating and organizing community events, merchandise, and many other administrative tasks too numerous to list.Jen’s previous position of Marketing Manager at Costco helped prepare her to ensure Invictus is well represented in the community and well stocked in green gear and community spirit.
Sage Burgener has a passion for Olympic-style weightlifting that began in her two car garage at the age of four and has continued for fourteen years. Recently deciding to take some time off from competing, Sage hopes that she can spend her time giving back to those striving to lift at a competitive level, or simply looking to improve overall as an Olympic weightlifter or CrossFitter.Growing up in a family with a strong athletic background; one brother holding many American records in the sport of weightlifting, one brother actively serving in the military, and one brother playing baseball at the University of Sioux Falls, Sage is determined to add to the success of her family by using her keen eye for technique to help improve the Olympic weightlifting side of CrossFit.
Through her twelve years of competing in the sport, Sage has experienced the mental rigors of sport and feels that CrossFit is a great way to gain mental toughness. She loves pushing people to their physical limits to help them discover what they’re capable of, and feels that CrossFit’s wide range of functional training is the best way to do so.
Sage has traveled the nation shadowing her father, Mike Burgener, at CrossFit Certifications, and is currently on leave from Invictus living in Italy.
Dani is a Level 2 CrossFit instructor and formerly coached with the CrossFit HQ Team for Level 1 certifications. She has completed CrossFit’s Olympic Lifting and Gymnastic certifications.Dani has always been active and held a passion for fitness. She spent most of her childhood and adolescence in dance. As a young woman she took up running and competed in half and full marathons.
Devoted to CrossFit for more than five years, she is convinced of not only the physical adaptations, but also the mental benefits that CrossFit produces.
Dani believes that individuals of all ages and athletic abilities can benefit greatly from CrossFit. She is passionate about helping others achieve results and accomplish feats far beyond what they thought possible.
Dani has a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Oregon. She enjoyed a successful career as an account executive at an interactive agency before taking her current full time position as a marketing manager for a software development company.
Dani is currently on leave from Invictus living in the Cayman Islands and coaching at CrossFit Cayman.
