About Josh

Josh is a facilitator, his curiosity has taken him across a diverse range of disciplines; he has learned under multiple mentors who are the best in their respective fields without succumbing to the ideas of a single source being his only source. He’s the guy that takes things, experiments, changes and evolves his practice into something both nuanced and pragmatic.

His foray into movement began with the simplest of things: attempting to perfect a baseball swing and to throw a banger curveball - it has evolved across time into learning to skateboard, sport climb / boulder, he has most recently engaged in contact sport such as boxing and jiu jitsu as well as Olympic lifting and Hyrox.

Josh has studied health and fitness since the age of 16, and has allowed his curiosity regarding movement theory, psychology, philosophy, strength and conditioning to shape a unique, informative, anti-dogmatic, no b.s. coaching style and It wasn't long until his curiosity warped from himself to others.

Now his goal is to facilitate sessions and experiences that are highly collaborative, unique, dynamic and creative on many levels - not just physical.

His approach is impactful in various ways — regarding human health, performance, lifestyle and philosophy - he works with clients in order to improve important biomarkers of both health and performance, movement variability, joint integrity, mobility, nervous system regulation - having a knack for providing both the common and uncommon in health and fitness. It is a massively attuned, calculated and refined version of coaching.

He has taken courses from: NASM, Chek Institute, FRC (functional range conditioning), MoveMed, Dr. Pat Davidson, Dr. Michelle Boland, Dr. Ben House, Alex Effer, Connor Harris, Training Think Tank, Ian Markow, David Grey and many more.

He has worked with a wide range of individuals including: pain rehabilitation, professional mma and high level bjj practitioners, youth athletes in baseball and basketball, ski / snowboard enthusiasts, military personnel, professional dancers and everyone in between.

    • NASM - CPT and Corrective Exercise Specialist

    • Chek Institute - HHP and many biomechanical courses

    • Brookbush Institute

    • David O’Sullivan Mentorship

    • Connor Harris Biomechanics courses

    • Alex Effer (Resilient Training) Mentorship

    • Dr. Michelle Boland Mentorship

    • Dr. Pat Davidson (RTBP) Certified

    • Opex - CCP

    • TTT Coaching Movement

    • TTT Coaching Strength

    • Emergence Performance—Performance Physiology

    • Dr. Ben House—Beginners Mind Mentorship

    • Alex Nichols—The Art of Strong

    • IKN Neurology Online Course

    • Resilient Training and Rehab Foundations course

    • David Grey—Upper / Lower Body, Foot and Ankle Course

    • Bill Hartman—his expansion / compression model is something that changed my outlook on the human body.

    • Andrew Triana—a Strongman coach, but a scientist as well. In-depth, practical applications of sport performance, I’ve been coached by him and learned how much of a difference a good coach can make.

    • Grant Fowler—Instagram buds, I’ve learned more from Grant Fowler in the past 2 years just skimming his ideas than I would have going to college. Super nuanced, detailed stuff.

    • Austin Einhorn—his thoughts on movement evolved my concepts and allowed me to have confidence in working with highly dynamic athletes, such as jiu jitsu and climbing athletes.

    • Artur Paulins—my go to for anything breath work related. He’s a bad-ass and happens to be a great teacher.

    • Alex Viada—I’ve taken his cohort, super knowledgeable about anything sports related. Literally coined the term “hybrid” athlete.

    • Michael Blevins—a far away source of always continuing to push my own ideals. I’ve learned my most powerful lesson from Michael, which is just to keep going.

    • My wife (Mars)—sticking around to have me figure things out shows the most amount of grit and trust I’ll probably ever witness - thank you.

The fitness industry sells shortcuts & trends ° Raon Training offers depth & transformation °

Words from clients

  • Pegah

    “Back when I first started training with Josh, I was very hesitant to begin training again. My social skills were rusty due to the pandemic and even worse, I had an unhealthy relationship with my body. Specifically, I practiced martial arts seriously for around 6 years at the time, and I put my body through hell; dislocated shoulders, sprained ankles, etc. you name it. I ended up fearing exercising at some point because I felt like I had no control over my body. I felt all I did was harm myself, so my inner distrust grew steadily. Even then, I knew that this was toxic and that it needed to change.That is when I ended up finding Affekt Training. I discussed my past history with Josh and he seemed genuinely interested in helping me. Although I was still fearful, he reassured me from the start and saw something in me that I couldn’t even see. Through his encouragement, I learned that it is not too late to heal. For some background, our training consisted of strengthening the weakest parts of my body and indirectly my self-image. Now, I can say that I don’t feel pain where I was injured thanks to everything Josh taught me. Most importantly though, I feel like I am an active participant in my life. Life is not just passing me by. I can make a difference every day, even when I feel like it is all pointless.This is what training with Affekt Training is like. It is more than a gym where you go to get fit or achieve some kind of look. Affekt Training is where you go to improve your mind, body, and soul. No toxicity or negativity, no judgement, just pure compassion and dedication.”

  • Dre

    “I was skeptical when looking for a personal trainer. In the past, I have experienced trainers who did not have the correct education of the human anatomy or the care to prevent injury. As a structural steel worker, I was looking for a professional who could not only strengthen my body, but also help me heal it from the demanding physical work load of my day job. I hit the jackpot with Josh. He has taught me methods and breathing techniques that prevent injuries and stress to the spine. He has taught me about joint movement and rotation that has helped me move more freely and improved my posture. My favorite thing about my training sessions with Josh is that I have learned a lot about myself in his gym. He has built a space where one can challenge themselves and has brought to the forefront the subjects of intent and consciousness. One of the best things about his style is that he doesn’t cater to the superficial layer of the fitness industry. Instead, he builds on the foundation of personal accountability, mindfulness, and psychological control of one’s self. No matter how tough my day at work has been, when I train with him I always leave feeling more confident and energized mentally. I truly appreciate the mindset that he keeps in his gym and the values that he holds himself to with his business. ”

  • Justus

    “I can't recommend Josh enough! I'll get to the training specifically later, but first I want to mention what a great guy he is. Josh was there for me during the hardest time of my life, and then again during the most chaotic time of my life. Always willing to do his best to work with me, my financial situation when I was struggling, and my hectic, up and down, off and on, schedule when things were crazy. When I was going through not only the death of my athletic career and dreams, but also the passing of my mom, intense neurological damage and navigating the pandemic and heavy debt all at the same time; Josh would not only build my body up, but build my soul up as well. He is an expert listener and wise sage, and he is slow to speak. But when he would speak into my life and give his thoughts, his words were always fruitful. Now to the training part... He is so knowledgeable and able to adapt to my changing needs as a former professional fighter. I was introduced to him from by a former strength and conditioning coach of mine and started seeing him to stay in shape after I was done fighting. Within just a few weeks I became stronger, more flexible, more explosive and more pain free than ever! So much so that if it wasn't for the neurological damage I was still healing from, I would've signed more fight contracts... And probably would've practiced and fought LEVELS better than ever before!”

  • Emma

    “It is not just training and exercise of the body. It is practice, continuous effort, and alteration of spirit. There is nothing but genuine intent and unfeigned loyalty that Josh has for his clients. We are all striving to find that one person, place or thing that we can bond to, that can rebuild us, or continue to give us that perseverance to propel us in that direction. I believe Affekt is that person, place, and thing. This space strips away what you think is wanted and transforms it into what is needed.”

  • Riley

    “Josh has been a true gift in my life. He has been my scaffolding system during a period of intense transformation in the space of my physical existence. It’s been fun here. It’s been joyful. I’ve grown by massive scales. It’s been the truest gift and I’ll be forever grateful for the contribution this place has had. It’s been a playground where I can explore and talk things through and feel heard and considered and supported. Where I have a safe place to grow in an area of my life that I’d always been somewhat terrified to really engage. It’s special. It is often my favorite part of the day.”