Our Story
Craig Hoffman was sitting in the parking lot of Harris Teeter when he received a DM that simply said “call me.” The sender was Chris Gorres, world-renowned trainer and sports performance coach. Craig had followed Chris on Instagram after seeing that he trained the likes of NFL Pro Bowler Lorenzo Alexander and US Women’s National Team stars Ali Krieger and Crystal Dunn. Gorres had heard Hoffman on the radio, knew he was a trainer as well and wanted to talk about an idea he had. A phone call later, they decided to meet at a coffee shop in Ashburn, VA to talk business.
That first discussion in 2017 led to the creation of The Train With The Best Podcast, originally hosted by Hoffman, Gorres and Alexander. After a summer of success getting off the ground, Alexander returned to his day job with the Buffalo Bills, and Hoffman and Gorres continued talking to some of the best and brightest in the fitness industry.
The duo has now produced over 200 episodes, released numerous pieces of web content, and are a go to resource for fitness professionals of all levels for smart conversations that move the industry forward.
The Team
Chris Gorres
Co-founder
Chief Education Officer
Director of Training
As a former high school and collegiate athlete, Chris has always had a passion for fitness. After playing college football at Cornell University, he decided to pursue a career as a personal trainer. He acquired certifications with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and continues to learn from the greatest minds in fitness, making him one of the best and brightest in the field of performance coaching. He has worked with athletes at all different levels and sports, specializing in speed, power, strength, injury prevention, functional training, and rehabilitation.
Some of his notable clients include Lorenzo Alexander, Ryan Kerrigan, Oguchi Onyewu, Ali Krieger, Ashlyn Harris, Bill Hamid and Brandon Guyer. Chris is committed to demonstrating his expertise and delivering his vast knowledge to his clients to bring out the best in them.
Craig Hoffman
Co-founder, ceo
director of media
Craig Hoffman’s career in fitness was born out of necessity. He was out of a job and out of money. He’d moved to Washington, DC in the summer of 2015 to cover the Washington’s NFL team, only to see his radio station restructure and eliminate his position.
Running low on funds, his mother suggested following another passion - fitness. She had run operations at a gym in Greenville, SC when Craig was growing up and he essentially grew up there. One conversation with the fitness director at his gym later, he was on his way to a second career that would change his life.
He trained clients of all kinds as an Explosive Performance Coach and elite trainer at OneLife Fitness in Reston, VA before moving to his current full-time training home at The PHYT Collective in Washington, DC. Craig also collaborates with Gorres at Onyx’s Winter Performance camp and other special projects.
Hoffman continued his media career as well and would go on to be the Washington beat reporter for 106.7 The Fan. and now hosts “The Hoffman Show” daily on The Team 980 for Audacy in DC as well as subbing occasionally on some of Audacy’s national programming. He’s also worked for ESPN Radio in Dallas and the Washington Spirit.
Rachel Hoffman
CMO, director of marketing/strategy
Rachel Hoffman is a strategic marketing and communications professional adept at developing and implementing marketing and communications tactics to achieve individual and company objectives. She has experience working with large global professional service organizations, political non-profits and NGOs, as well as experience in academic research and education.
Rachel is also a Senior Master Coach at [solidcore], where she has developed a passionate following of clients, maintains a reputation for developing an inclusive community, and has contributed to the mentorship of new coaches. Her clients in class have ranged from weekend warriors and pilates novices to professional athletes and former first ladies.
In the fall of 2020, she received a DM from Craig about a charity fitness event she was organizing. Some messages, an introductory date and a few weeks later they were a DC fitness love story. They were married in August of 2022.
Eventually upon meeting Chris at a Vertimax training, she became the driving force behind TWTB’s expansion and manages strategy and branding for the team.