Athlete Testimonials

I have been working with Coach Ben for the last 1.5 years and I’ve seen great improvement in all the movements we do in CrossFit. His program is well balanced and tailored to my needs.

What I appreciate is that he will adjust your program to the everyday demands of life.  If you are traveling- he will make sure you get a decent training session whether that is accessory work if you do a drop-in at a local box or a session for a hotel gym.

Another thing I really appreciate is that you will see your full week program a few days before the new week starts. I would highly recommend coach Ben – he is a great coach with tons of knowledge and is always there for his athletes.

I first heard about ZOAR and Ben Wise through stumbling upon Ben’s podcast “The Fitness Movement”. I listened to all episodes on repeat because it was full of good info and knowledge. It was clear that Ben knows what he’s talking about and has a passion, so I reached out to him to ask about coaching.

I was looking for a one-on-one coach who would create individualized plans tailored to my shift from powerlifting/hypertrophy to CrossFit. Ben was the perfect fit. He takes time to get the know the client, he is extremely smart, and he is super involved.

He takes time for his clients and takes time to break things down. Because of him, I am able to progress in my training exponentially faster than I would have on my own or with a cookie-cutter plan. 

Ben is by far the best coach I’ve worked with from any sport, and I will continue to stick with him.

This past year, I decided that I wanted to pursue CrossFit competitively and needed help getting started and staying on track. I joined Lumber Capital Athletics and have been working with Ben since October 2022 and my progress so far has been astronomical.

Ben’s individual programming is tailored specifically to my abilities and goals, and you can really see that he takes the time to prioritize my needs and desired outcomes in his programming. I am a firm believer that you get what you put in, and Ben is always giving 100% so -in turn- I try and strive to reciprocate that because he knows what he is doing.

I’ve PR’ed in nearly all my lifts and have been able to withstand more physically demanding workouts since I began working with Ben and it is all a testament to his experience and knowledge in health, fitness, and the sport of CrossFit. I look forward to working and growing with Ben in my corner.

Ben has a great feel for what I need as an athlete and that has led to significant progress across the board. Beyond the programming, I’ve learned so much from Ben’s video/written resources which have made me a mentally sharper athlete. Everything he does is well thought out and you can feel how invested he is in your success!

I had reached a stagnant point in my Functional Fitness training and lost motivation…then COVID hit. One can imagine my willingness to do anything functional at that time. With gyms closed, I decided to take a new approach and try individualized programming. After much research, I found ZOAR Fitness. The amount of information Ben has painstakingly synthesized and made available is insane! It’s been almost half a year later and honestly I doubt I could ever go back to group training again. The level of detail given to weekly programming, attention to technique and quick feedback one gets really makes all the difference in your training. I can definitely say ZOAR has helped me break through my plateau, and motivates me to become a better athlete! Do yourself a favor and break through your training plateau with Ben.

Since hiring Ben to coach my son Brennan, we have seen an increase in strength, technique, and overall work capacity. Not only has he helped in these areas, but he also laid out warmups, cooldowns, and strategies for competitions for us. All while taking Brennan’s goals outside of CrossFit into consideration and helping set him up for success in all areas!

I initially found Ben and ZOAR fitness from doing research online about Ring Muscle Up skill development, and was immediately blown away by the quality and depth of content and information on Ben’s blog and the ZOAR site. It was clear from that first minute, how deep and intelligently laid out Ben’s programming was, and every week had a purpose and built on the previous work. I finally committed to going all in, and knew Ben was the person I wanted to reach out to. 
From our first call I could tell Ben’s approach to coaching and training was exactly what I needed. His analytical approach, and the way everything would be laid out, appealed to the finance nerd in me. Right away working with him lifted a weight off my shoulders, not having  to worry about what pieces to mix and match from different programs, and having a custom designed program that was targeting my needs and specific weaknesses and goals, while establishing a proper base and foundation to build off of.  
After 9 months of working with Ben, and can I confidently say I have never felt as good about my training and progress as I do now. The improvements I have noticed in the areas I specifically highlighted as weak points, and he identified after rigorous and detailed testing, have improved dramatically. From increased and improved gymnastics volume, to advanced skill movements and Olympic weightlifting totals and strength/body composition, every area of myself as an athlete physically and mentally has improved since working with Ben, and I am extremely confident we are on the right path towards achieving the goals we set out together on that first call. 
Additionally, Ben provides incredible flexibility to athletes who have unique lives outside of the gym, always willing to adjust and adapt based on what is needed. Ben always delivers programming on time, and is quick to respond with any questions or concerns I may have, and always reaches out to check in with you as a person too, not just an athlete!

As an Age Division athlete who decided to try and make a run for the Games, I knew I needed help improving my weaknesses, mobility, and movements patterns.

Since hiring Ben as my coach, I’ve PR’d almost all of my Olympic lifts and his video & coaching analysis have helped me make some serious gains in movement efficiency.

Ben is a student of the sport. He understands training methodology. He understands the science behind improving. His workouts are fun and definitely targeted for systematic growth. And he communicates often and well with me as one of his athletes.

If you are looking for a coach that will give you an edge to help you improve as an athlete, I would highly recommend Ben Wise and ZOAR Fitness. Enjoy the journey… and get the most out of it with a top shelf coach!

Results matter.  My experience as a client of Ben’s has helped make me a stronger, fitter, more mobile and durable athlete.  He is highly attuned to the individual needs and desires of those he coaches.  As a competitor, my goals have been to move the needle without breaking the body, and as a coach myself to benefit my classes and personal clients through the experience of being coached by another.  Through Ben’s training, both are being realized. As a bonus I gained a friend with a mutual passion to pursue excellence in the field of fitness for the sake of benefitting other people. 

I was introduced to Ben through his articles and podcast “The Fitness Movement”, which I commend for its focused, sensible discussions addressing practical needs of the everyday CrossFit athlete and competitor alike. 

We began with a thorough movement screen, discussion of personal fitness history and current desires.  Testing for strengths and weaknesses is an ongoing process that informs weekly programming.  Being accountable to high standards, stretching beyond your comfort zone, and personalized programming that capitalizes on strengths while leveling up weaknesses are all part of the experience.  Ben is determined to honor the trust an athlete places in him to train his people wisely and effectively.  

I came to Ben desiring an honest voice, accountability, eyes to evaluate my movement,  performance and then to help organize programming that prioritized tackling my most obvious needs as a competitor.

Without reservation, I highly endorse Ben Wise and ZOAR Fitness for his programming and personal training.

When I reached out to Ben I was already CrossFitting for several years and felt like I was at a standstill, not really progressing. I was familiar with his performance as an athlete himself, and respected his knowledge in the CF space already so it was really a no brainer. 

As a Masters athlete, I don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon, and Ben is in tune to what I need to effectively train to keep going! Aging doesn’t mean standing still for me, in fact since working with him for less than a year I’ve gained strength and have improved my skill level across the board in the sport of CF, including both efficiency and volume. 

The feedback, individualized programming, and professionalism is top notch. I’ll continue to work with him on a one-on-one basis, and am confident I’ll only keep getting better.

I found Ben through his YouTube library and was drawn to his scientific and meticulous approach to the sport of CrossFit.  I had aspirations to compete beyond the quarterfinals level, and needed more custom tailored guidance than a class or blog program could provide.

Ben’s coaching has been excellent and I would recommend him to anyone who is dedicated to and thoughtful about their fitness aspirations. His programming is carefully structured and appropriately responsive to my feedback and performance. Since working with Ben for about a year, I have seen significant gains in benchmark testing and turned several of my “weak” movements into relative strengths.

The sport of fitness is complex, challenging, and always-changing. Ben has proven an excellent coach and thought-partner on my journey to reach new heights in the sport.

I love working with Ben. My technique has improved so much due to his programming and advice from the films of my lifts. It has allowed to me to set new Personal Bests in all my major lifts. His coaching has paid for itself multiple times over.

I’ve been working with Coach Ben for a little over 2 years now, and the whole time he has been fantastic. I have an extensive history in sports/fitness and fitness education, so I wasn’t too sure about paying for someone to write workouts for me. However, I wish I would have started with Ben sooner than I did. He has been extremely helpful in guiding me on my fitness journey.
When we first started working together, the goal was progressing as a competitive Crossfit athlete. Since I had an athletic/sports background, I had some major strengths but also some major weaknesses. Ben finely tuned our training program while making changes on the fly to keep my strengths strong and bring up my weaknesses quickly.
About a year into us working together, I became ultra involved in coaching youth sports (I have 2 children) and began devoting a lot of time to that. I wanted to switch to a more general fitness plan while still working on specific weaknesses, and Ben did a great job working with me to figure out the perfect program.
I have recommended Ben to anyone who asks me for individualized CrossFit and general fitness programming. His coaching is top-notch and he’s an awesome person.

What I like is that everything is personalized to each individual; it’s not a cookie cutter program. Ben puts a lot of work into the programming to help ensure you’re prepared for whatever you have planned, whether it be the Open, a local comp, or an online qualifier.

As a tall athlete, I have unique needs.  I chose Ben as my coach because he understands how my needs differ from a “normal” athlete. His programming has led to big improvements in my gymnastics, my main weakness.  I have gotten my first ring muscle-up and strict Chest-to-Bar, and went from being unable to Handstand Walk to doing 21m unbroken in less than a year.  I also have improved my Assault Bike time trial and Double Unders.  Remote coaching has been well worth the money.