Phil Mancini

Coaching is my passion in life. I love coaching and helping people achieve new milestones. It’s truly awesome! Growing up, I was consistently exposed to athletics and the idea of improving and striving for more always stuck with me. My dad introduced me to weightlifting and I geared most of my training toward the mainstream bodybuilding standard. I will admit, “Pumping Iron” is still one of my favorite movies. I started working in the mainstream fitness industry almost 20 years ago and started my coaching career at the same time. Wow, that is a long time!

In 1995 I left the fitness industry and joined the San Jose Police Department (SJPD) My initial goal was to become a PT and Defensive Tactics instructor. You’ll soon realize that I’m very goal oriented. My second goal was to earn a position on the Mobile Emergency Response Group and Equipment (MERGE) team. MERGE is a fancy name for SWAT (SJPD likes to be unique). I attained my first goal and became a PT instructor at the South Bay Regional Training Consortium at Evergreen Valley College in 1997. I also became a Defensive Tactics instructor for the SJPD in 1999. I was slowly checking off my list of challenges.

In 1999, I tested for and just missed an opportunity to join the MERGE team. I trained harder and earned my position in 2000. It was during my time in MERGE that I first met Coach Greg Glassman, the creator and founder of CrossFit. It was the summer of 2003 and “Coach” was calling over to the MERGE office trying to get the team to visit CrossFit HQ for workouts. I had never heard of CrossFit so I bent the ear of a friend who had intimate knowledge of the program and started visiting the website. My first impression was, in a word, intimidating! It took me a month or so but I finally mustered up the courage and drove over the hill for my first Workout of the Day (WOD). I couldn’t convince any of the other MERGE officers to join me.

Day 1 was a simple Tabata squat run combination that I handled well and didn’t finish last. My MERGE ego was still intact and my confidence was high. Day 2, “Angie.” After 100 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 squats, my MERGE ego was severely damaged (I finished second to last) and I couldn’t completely straighten my arms for over a week. How could a basic skill workout be so effective and expose so many physical fitness flaws? I was HOOKED!

Coach was patient and generous with his time and I slowly became more proficient as I spent more time at HQ. I learned everything I could from Coach, earned my Level 1 and Level 2 certifications and started training my fellow MERGE team members in the CrossFit methodology. I completely immersed myself in the CrossFit lifestyle by doing the WODs and changing my eating habits. My physical performance was a definite reflection on my new habits and I routinely competed in the California Police and Fire Games.

I got married in 2003, completed my tour in MERGE in 2004, had 2 kids in 2004 and 2005 (well, my wife had them but I helped), changed departments in 2005, and moved twice within 30 months. A lot of change in a short time but CrossFit remained my only mainstay. Now at a new police department (Roseville) I was able to expose a new group of officers to CrossFit. I met John Planow (my CFG partner) in 2008 and it was time to share our passion for CrossFit with a larger community.

I genuinely believe that it’s a privilege to work with people who are committed to improving their physical fitness and overall quality of life. Improving fitness opens doors to so many other exciting facets in life that you can’t find any other way. It’s one of those rare opportunities and I love that I get to be part of that every single day.