New to obé: Meet Josh C., Your Strength + Power Trainer

He’s the son of a race car driver, a former college football + rugby player, and has coached everyone from collegiate-level athletes to those working out for the first time. Full of wisdom, technique, and infectious energy, Josh C. is ready to be your new Strength and Power trainer at obé. 

With 10+ years of coaching experience, Josh has a lot figured out. He stands out as someone who wants to empower you to be autonomous. With a deep knowledge of exercise science—particularly strength and conditioning—his goal is to boost your confidence and help you become self-reliant. 

“Not everybody wants to be an athlete, but everybody wants to be athletic,” he says. “So, I’m not training you to be an athlete, but I will train you to build muscle, speed, flexibility.”

Outside the Box, Josh loves backpacking, Celine Dion, reading historical fiction, playing (and watching) football, and spending slow Sundays with his girlfriend and new dog, Theo. Get to know him below, and follow all his adventures at @joshualeeclay.

How’d you get into fitness?

I grew up playing sports—track and field, BMX, football, basketball, soccer, rugby. I tried to play hockey, but my parents said I’d have to give up baseball and that was a no. That was kind of my passion. My parents weren’t athletic, but my dad raced cars. I’m from Race City, USA, so I grew up in the pits, I grew up racing. 

In college, I played football and rugby but realized I wasn’t going to play at the next level. So that was my entry into fitness. I got a bachelor’s degree in exercise science with a concentration in strength and conditioning. Fun fact: I was a WBFF pro fitness model at that time, too—and I earned a pro card in bodybuilding. 

After college, I moved to Los Angeles and ended up becoming a master instructor at Equinox, teaching biomechanics and program design. I then decided to switch gears and try my hand at coaching mostly athletes, so I went to UCLA, where I was an intern for UCLA Olympic Sports. That morphed into going into different gyms and teaching their trainers—I loved the educational side of things. I’ve worked with athletes at the Division I level, high performers, and also just regular people trying to work out. 

As a trainer, what’s your teaching style? 

Coach meets high-energy group fitness trainer. I’m a chameleon. I’m going to cater my communication style according to the context. I’m not going to speak above you. I’m going to come down to your level. I think being empathetic is one of my superpowers. 

Ftness philosophy?

My goal is to give you the education you need to do it on your own—and the level of experience that makes you not want to. I think that hard work for hard work’s sake is just work. I want you to come in here and train hard, but I want you to leave the workout feeling like you could do more. I’m not going to leave you in a body bag because my focus is longevity. 

My philosophy is: train as hard as you need to, not as hard as you can. Occasionally, as hard as you need to will be as hard as you can. But for the most part, it’s knowing when to go as hard as you can and when to draw it back and meet your body where it’s at. A good training plan is all about stress management. It’s not just the stress in the workout, it’s also all the stress outside of it, considering what you’re doing for the other 23 and a half hours of the day. We have to look at everything through a practical lens and understand what’s possible. 

What are your Strength classes like?

Strength will be lower impact. We’re focused on getting stronger, so it’s going to be based on some slower movements and, for the most part, lower volume: lower sets, lower reps, heavier loading. 

We’re very much going to be using strength training to improve flexibility. I like to remind people that strength training is just a loaded stretching technique. So if you don’t like stretching—and you don’t have the time but you’re super overwhelmed with trying to stretch, build muscle, and get stronger—go for the Strength class. We’re going to be knocking out all those birds with one stone.

What about your Power workouts?

I’m determined to get everybody to do Power classes because I strongly believe that everybody should be able to move relatively fast. These classes will include faster movements with higher impact. They’re going to be shorter and higher intensity—we’re going to be jumping more. 

But since the intensity is higher, we’ll make sure the volume is lower. So we will be resting, too. The purpose of the Power classes is not going to be to crush you, it’s to make sure you can maintain a high level of intensity and output. I don’t want you huffing and puffing.

As a trainer, what advice do you have for those trying to get stronger?

The best workout program is the one that exposes you to different stimuli throughout the year. If you do too much of a good thing, it can become a bad thing. So if you’re often moving slow and heavy in your Strength classes, make sure to also take the Power classes. That will mitigate stress and work towards your longevity. 

Strength training is great for improving connective tissue strength. But I also want to expose you to something different, where you may have to absorb the ground. Power classes are your anti-aging classes—because the first thing to go as we age is speed and power. They’ll also help improve that connective tissue strength—like tendons and ligaments. I want you do be able to do the things you want to do without pain or discomfort.

I also want to change the narrative that universally, people don’t need to stretch. No, you don’t need to. But there are times when it might be useful. And if you feel better when you do it, that’s a form of recovery.

How do you want people to feel leaving your classes? 

I want them to feel like they could do more, but they might not want to. Like they got a good workout and got as much as they needed. They’re not so crushed that they can’t go on with their day. They’re a little more energetic, a little more lively, a little less stiff. They feel good—ignited. 

Fitness mantra?

Optimal isn’t optimal if it isn’t practical.

Now onto some life questions!

Go to coffee or tea order?

Black coffee.

Go to workout snack?

Cherry juice.

Instant mood booster?

“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

Favorite PUMP-UP SONG?

Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.”

Any Special Hobbies?

Backpacking, pickup basketball, and flag football.

Favorite backpacking trip you’ve done?

I did a three-day one in Colombia, in the jungles, which I loved. I also did my first multi-pitch Alpine climb back in 2019 in Washington. I really love how it challenges me; it’s one of those things where it lets me know—to a degree—I can still do this.

Favorite sport to play versus to watch?

My favorite sport to play is football, and my favorite sport to watch is football.

Next spot on your travel wish list?

My girlfriend and I are going to backpack to Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon in May. It’s 25-26 miles. I’m lucky in that my girlfriend is very athletic. None of my best friends want to go on a hike with me, because they know what a hike is to me, and it’s probably a minimum of 8-10 miles in a day. (laughs)

What are you watching right now?

Masters of the Air and Suits.

What does your day off look like?

My girlfriend and I will do a Sunday, and it’s probably my favorite day. We wake up and get bagels—bacon, egg, and cheese—then grab a cinnamon roll from another coffee shop. We’ll take hot honey cream cheese and spread it on the bagels. Then, we’ll drink coffee and hang out with our dog, Theo, who we’ve had for seven months. Just walking around, maybe going to some shops, drinking coffee, reading in the mornings, and not doing a damn thing.

Favorite book you’ve read recently?

Tides of War by Steven Pressfield.

ARE YOU A HISTORY BUFF?

Yes. I read the stuff they tell you to read in college. I need a takeaway from it, and I read with a highlighter.

A random fun fact?

I can sprint 20 miles an hour at 34 years old.

One workout for the rest of your life?

If I could do nothing else for the rest of my life, I would sprint and jump. Lower body, always. I hate training my upper body. Now, I’m doing gymnastics training because I need to find a way to enjoy it again.

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