• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workout
      • Best BCAAs
      • Best Testosterone Boosters
      • Best Bodybuilding Supplements
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Supplements for Weight Loss
      • Best Multivitamins
      • Best Collagen Supplement
      • Best Probiotic
      • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workout
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Magnesium Supplements
    • Protein
      • Best Protein Powder
      • Best Whey Protein
      • Best Protein Powders for Muscle Gain
      • Best Tasting Protein Powder
      • Best Vegan Protein
      • Best Mass Gainer
      • Best Protein Shakes
      • Best Organic Protein Powder
      • Best Pea Protein Powder
      • Best Protein Bars
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Equipment
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Weightlifting Belts
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Functional Trainers
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Trap Bars
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Cardio Machines
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Weighted Vests
      • Concept2 RowErg Review
      • Hydrow Wave Review
      • Best Jump Ropes
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Fitness

CrossFit and the Real Meaning of “No Excuses”

When my 4:45 alarm goes off and I want to throw it at the wall, I think of Joe Fonseca.

Written by Cara Kobernik Last updated on Nov 22, 2021

Sometimes it’s hard to go to the gym. Work stress creeps in. Obligations begin to take over. Maybe a nagging injury flares. I know I have my excuses.

After I met Joe Fonseca I started to suck it up a bit more. Joe is a father, coach, adaptive athlete, and gym owner. Arguably, he faces more challenges on a daily basis than many of us can fathom. That is why, when my 4:45am alarm goes off and I want to turn it off (or throw it, take your pick), I have begun to think, “Nope. Joe is up. I’d better be up, too.”

Joe Fonseca makes no excuses.

An Outlet for Competition

Joe loves physical competition and says there is something unique and special about pushing yourself to that degree. CrossFit has given him an outlet for the competitive nature he says he has.

“There are definitely no excuses allowed at his gym and he says one of the most valuable things is the family-style dynamic that he and his members have come to enjoy and depend on.”

Sometimes the competitions don’t always go as Joe plans, but the crowds watching and the cheering when he is doing his lifts gives him his drive and focus. Joe explained that as with any competition he enters, “Regardless of how I physically did, I just love it.” It’s his hope that people watching him compete will be inspired to get off the couch and get active – maybe try exercise themselves, instead of “offering up justifications on why they don’t do things.”

How Does He Do It?

Joe has to do his lifts with straps and other materials he employs to help him lift and have a “grip,” so to speak. Due to his ingenuity, he has been able to participate in many of the athletic activities that he hadn’t been able to in the past. But even though the straps help him, they are still limiting because of the shoulder engagement that occurs when he lifts with them.

Joe believes his anatomy doesn’t always allow for the best show of efficiency and strength that he possesses, but that doesn’t mean he stops cultivating ways he can make his gains. Any workout that challenges him and makes him strive to figure out best way to complete the tasks is his favorite workout. “That’s the thing I love about CrossFit,” Joe emphasized, “I can never get comfortable.”

Joe at a local competition. CrossFit has given him an outlet for his competitive nature.

How Joe Found CrossFit

Joe owns and operates Triumph Fitness/CrossFit Redmond in Redmond, Oregon. While he had previously worked a variety of assorted jobs, none of them allowed him to focus on one of the most important things in life: being healthy. Then, he noticed CrossFit gyms popping up, took interest in the challenge presented, and the rest is history.

“It’s his hope that people watching him compete will be inspired to get off the couch and get active – maybe try exercise themselves, instead of ‘offering up justifications on why they don’t do things.'”

Joe began by doing all his own coaching but now has a staff of coaches at his side. His membership continues to increase and many of the members have become like a family to each other and to him. A lot of his business success is attributed to Joe’s overall attitude with his members and the encouragement he provides as he coaches and demonstrates the workouts. There are definitely no excuses allowed at his gym and he says one of the most valuable things is the family-style dynamic that he and his members have come to enjoy and depend on. For Joe, the family element is a powerful component and most days his three-year-old daughter, Claire – aka “Happy,” is hanging out down at the gym with him.

Triumph Fitness Wod sept 20

Just as much as Joe inspires his members, his members inspire him when they get past their hang-ups or injuries, safely make their gains, and get moving however they can. The improvement in quality of life that comes with being a bit physical, whether it is through CrossFit or some other physical endeavor cannot be measured.

I asked Joe about what he does to motivate potential new members who inquire about his gym. His response will resonate with me forever and I hope it will with you, too.

I normally don’t tell anybody that I don’t have hands when they call to inquire about my gym. I don’t pre-warn them because I’ve discovered over time that’s the selling point, honestly. I like to have them participate and I generally work out with some of my classes to some degree and the moment the person comes in the door and they see me do that, they really realize that they can’t have an excuse.

Joe continues his mission to inspire through other endeavors and is a sponsored coach and athlete for Team Some Assembly Required. It is a newer company that is just getting started but its mission is to support adaptive athletes and get them going with competitions through sponsorship. Check out their website to learn more.

More Like This:

  • Corey Reed: Blind Amputee, Adaptive Athlete, CrossFitter
  • The Paralympic Games: Changing Perceptions, Popularity Still Challenged
  • Para-Athlete Cleuton Nunes Attacks CrossFit Workout 13.2
  • New on Breaking Muscle Today

Photo 1 courtesy of I Am Adaptive and Marilyn & Ellyse Zosia.

Photo 2 courtesy of Ryan Cornutt.

About Cara Kobernik

View All Articles

Related Posts

Female competitors headline a graphic for the 2024 CrossFit Games season.
2024 CrossFit Games Season Schedule: Division-by-Division Breakdown
2023 Rogue CrossFit Invitational winners Pat Vellner and Laura Horvath holding their championship titles.
2023 Rogue CrossFit Invitational Results — Laura Horvath and Patrick Vellner Become Two-Time Champions
Female competitors performing medicine ball sit-ups at the 2022 Rogue Invitational.
2023 Rogue Invitational Events Revealed
CrossFit athlete Josh Bridges performs a barbell back squat in his home gym.
CrossFit Legend Josh Bridges Crushes Full-Body Workout Two Weeks Out From 2023 Rogue Invitational

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

New Year’s Fitness Sales (2025)

XWERKS Motion BCAA Review (2025): A Registered Dietitian’s Honest Thoughts

Assault Fitness AssaultBike Pro X Review (2025): Assault’s Best Bike Yet?

13 Best Exercise Bikes for Home Gyms (2025)

Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine Review (2025): The Key to Post-Workout Recovery?

Latest Reviews

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt Review (2025)

Omre NMN + Resveratrol, Lifeforce Peak NMN, and partiQlar NMN on a red background

Best NMN Supplement: Fountain of Youth in a Bottle? (2025)

The Titan Series Adjustable Bench on a red background

Titan Series Adjustable Bench Review (2025)

A photo of the NordicTrack Select-a-Weight Dumbbells on a red background

NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbell Review (2025): Are These Value Dumbbells Worth It?

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2025 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About