Alpha Project – Powered by CrossFit San Mateo

I started CSFM 6 months ago and I never thought I could feel this strong, confident, or athletic. Everyone around me is incredibly inspiring. There is a broad mix of people: former athletes, triathlon champions, and people like me who went to the gym now and then, but barely knew what they were doing. But no matter where anyone came from, everyone encourages one another to push forward just the same.
The coaches are patient, incredibly informed, and care about your success. No matter where you are in your life, CFSM will instill you with the courage to ask more from yourself.

If you’re looking for an honest workout designed with results in mind, you will not be disappointed by checking out Alpha Project, formerly CFSM. Don’t let the name fool you, Alpha Project isn’t referring to mindless weightlifting apes grunting and hurting themselves as they intimidate everyone else. In fact, there are some classes you’ll find the women leading the charge! Rather this is a gym built by professionals who know, love and live fitness knowing everyone comes with different goals, needs and desires. No pressure, total acceptance and no judgement. You’ll find yourself encouraged, challenged and maybe addicted. If it’s time to shake things up, come and check this spot out.

Alpha Project /​CFSM is my third box and I chose them after dropping in on a couple in the area. I have been a member for over a year now, and I’m a regular at the 7am MWF class where the WODs are challenging and the camaraderie is great. If I a morning I love that I can just drop in on 8am Saturday to catch up and/​or hit the open gym after that. The community is awesome (really the core and foundation of what makes a great box), the box hosts regular community events where I can bring the wife and kids and everyone gets a work out (though may be a family partner work out) as well as hang out and socialize with fellow members. They’ve also had extra fun extras like a 5k run, and yoga classes at the yoga project next door. The trainers/​Brendon, Dallas, Deana, and Omar who I have worked with are knowledgeable, and happy to help diagnose your movement issues and provide helpful tips. Omar has stepped in to fill Brendon’s shoes for 7am and he’s doing a great job. With the support of the box I have been progressing towards my goals and am fitter than ever.

I started CFSM a year ago and it has changed my life. After years of chronic back pain (herniated discs) from an injury sustained from a car accident, I am pain free and stronger than I’ve been in 10 years thanks to the support of owners/​coaches Brendon and Dallas. They helped me to modify exercises in the beginning and as I got stronger, pushed me when I thought I couldn’t do more. They are both encouraging and compassionate about their students wellness. They provide amazing fundamentals to ensure their students are safe And getting the best out of their workouts.
From the time you walk in the door, you can feel the energy, support and family like environment. This is because of the coaches set those values and their students in turn reap the benefits. I am so grateful and every week look forward to going to class and can’t imagine my life without it. All I can say is take a chance with CFSM and you will not be let down.

I have been a member at CFSM for over three years. I would recommend it to anyone. This is the place for everyone. Younger, older, a competitive athlete or someone who has yet to devote time and energy to fitness… it doesn’t matter. I have visited dozens of crossfit gyms all over, and CFSM stands out to me as one of the best. Why? The community and the coaches. Dallas, Brendon and the entire coaching staff take the time to get to know each individual athlete. Their technical coaching is excellent, but more importantly, they are wonderful people and they really care.
This is a welcoming community where your workout buddies become friends. At all levels, we push each other to get better. These themes sound simple, but this is not the average crossfit experience. There is something special about this little box at the San Mateo Caltrain station. I highly recommend coming to check it out, whether you are a skeptic exploring crossfit for the first time or you are looking for a new box.

I joined the gym about a year ago to get some strength conditioning. I was planning on running a marathon and needed to take off a minute a mile to complete in time. 6 months later I completed the marathon having taken off about a minute and a half per mile. I am in no way a fast runner so this was awesome.
I now go to cross fit regularly there because the coaches are so encouraging and really focus on form. They definitely pay attention to your personal goals and help you achieve them.
I also can say the other members are totally supportive making the time I work out very fun and enjoyable.

I dropped in to CrossFit San Mateo for a noon class before my flight back to Denver. The other athletes in class were really friendly and engaging. Everyone introduced themselves to me and there was a lot of friendly conversation. I think that’s awesome because it’s always a little scary walking into a new gym for the first time.
The facility is clean and perfectly equipped. All the gear is organized and the attention to detail that has gone into the lay out is impressive. This place has everything you need.
The coaching and programming is spot on. I really enjoyed the warm up which was comprehensive and effective. My heart rate got pumping and my body got loosened up.
I can tell these guys are expert programmers and coaches. We did an alternating strength piece of front squats and bar dips. Then we did alternating 500m rows. Finally we finished with a 6 minute metabolic conditioning piece of squat cleans and push ups. It’s simplicity and difficulty is pure genius and passion.
I would not hesitate to put my health and fitness needs into the hands of CrossFit San Mateo. This is a first class facility all the way.

I am no professional athlete, not even close. I came in kind of doughy and remain slightly less doughy, which I consider an accomplishment. Coach Brenden provides time and specialized direction based on the needs of my partner and myself, both very different in our athleticism.
Coach Brenden focuses on technique and form far above speed and strength. He comments about my accomplishments and pushes me with positive feedback. Brenden yells over my shoulder to pull harder, push stronger and run faster just like I was one of the big boys in the room who actually does.
I am not the athlete who performs pull-​ups or runs the fastest or completes the most burpies but coach Brenden makes sure that each and every one I do complete is at the best form for my body, current level of athleticism and acknowledges me like I am the next Olympic champion.

Looking for a CrossFit Box that is supportive, fun, friendly and competitive all in one? Want Coaches that will push you, help you grow and support your goals? This is your place! The coaches, Brendon and Dallas, are phenomenal. They push you when needed and help you meet your fitness goals, whatever they may be. The programming is fantastic as it is purposeful and thoughtful. Unlike other boxes with seemingly erratic programming, the programming here makes sense. It feels good and it makes you a stronger athlete.
I have been working with Dallas for over two years and never, ever thought I could do most of the things I now can do. I am a dancer and practice CrossFit to be a stronger dancer and overall athlete. The programming here has enabled me to do so and I have never, ever been injured. I drive all the way from SF to go to this Box, which speaks to the high caliber of programming, coaching and members at this Box.
Whatever your fitness goals may be, CrossFit San Mateo can help you reach them and the coaches are invested in your success. The members also will cheer you on every step of the way, so you are not in it alone. All in all, as I approach 41, I have never been a stronger dancer and overall athlete.

I have been working out at this gym for 3 years. There had already been plenty of positive review of the Crossfit classes. By doing just the classes I was able to maintain a relatively lean figure with body fat of low teens, while my benchmarks continue to improve.
Sometime during summer of last year, I decided to get into competitive ski racing with my son during the upcoming ski season. While I felt like I had a good base of fitness, I wanted to better prepare for a long 60+ day ski season with race training. I reached out to coach Brendon Mahoney for help in designing a custom program. He evaluated my strength and weaknesses at the time, analyzed the specific motions and muscle groups relevant to ski racing, and designed a custom program to prepare me for the upcoming season.
I am now 5 months into the custom program, and 1.5 months into the ski season. The real world tangible results were nothing short of amazing. First, according to dunk tank, I gained 2lb of muscle while losing close to 10lb of fat, which dropped my body fat percentage to single digits. Second, I gained core strength and flexibility that allow me to get into ski inclination angles that I couldn’t do in the past. Third, the focused training of skiing muscle groups gave me new strength and fast reflexes that I didn’t have before for slalom and moguls. Fourth, the endurance training allow me to maintain race intensity for longer periods of time. I had been skiing for 20 years and I had never felt this good before.
Coach Brendon knows what he is doing. I continue to improve and I can’t wait to see where this will go a couple months from now.

I’ve been a member of CrossFit San Mateo for two years now after moving to the area from Chicago. My experience with Crossfit has been really positive — all due to the philosophy of the owners and coaches at the boxes I’ve belonged to. If you’re thinking about starting CrossFit, you want a box with coaches that know you, your abilities, your challenges, your goals and support you accordingly. That’s how you grow, develop and avoid injury. I am a 38 year old female and I’ve never been stronger or felt better and I have bigger goals for this year and my coaches know what they are. I learn something new in each class that helps me to improve. The coaches are great. You’re basically getting personal training in a group environment.
I think the results are one reason that CrossFitters love CrossFit and the other reason is the community. The people in my class have become friends. We hold each other accountable and enjoy each other’s company. So you get really personalized coaching and a group of peers that make the class enjoyable. That all leads to showing up and doing the work and having a lot of fun.

When I was still a member of this box a couple of years ago, I was injured and couldn’t attend for about a couple of months. After this healing period, I called Brendon and left a message about wanting to start back up again. Then I called again a few days later. Then again the following week. No response for any of those times did I receive. I guess they must be overflowing with members and did not need anymore during that time. That must be it. I’m now with a different Crossfit box with an owner/​head coach who personally responds to its members ALL the time no matter what.

Rates were raised for the kid’s classes to $ 125 a month without adding any classes or improving the program. Though they offer only two classes a week, it was still worth it to me as Melissa was highly trained and held many Crossfit certifications, and she handled my son so professionally.
I was concerned when classes were cancelled, which happened regularly for varying reasons. When I asked if there would be makeup classes or a refund, I received no response. But my son still enjoyed the class so much that I kept his membership.
I received an email from Melissa stating that she’d been terminated. No reason was given. I received no notification from the gym itself about this, or whether the program would continue. When we showed up for class today as scheduled, both buildings were locked up. I called the owner and left a message, but he has not yet responded.
I sent an email canceling my son’s membership. This is horribly unprofessional.

As a college student I always get asked something along the lines of «Why do you do crossfit?» and «Wouldn’t you rather get an extra hour of sleep before classes?» by my fellow peers, and every time an overwhelming sense of happiness and excitement rushes across my face as I begin to answer them.
I came to Crossfit San Mateo a little over a year ago after having received Coach Melissa’s card from a cashier at Whole Foods. At this point I was an avid gym go-​er at the Equinox. I took all the classes they offered that had the words «toned», «tight» or «blast» somewhere in the tittle. It was the same routine every class, every week, every time. In the beginning I felt like I was getting a great work out and I felt good. Towards the end I began to feel that my body recognized all the movements and wasn’t feeling «the burn». My gym routine became mundane and discouraging.
I was scared to call for a free trial at Crossfit San Mateo, because I had no idea what «Crossfit» even was. I’d seen it on Pinterest before, but that just intimated me even more. Never the less, I made the call and met Melissa. The first thing that drew me in and still keeps me going, was Coach Melissa’s positive attitude. It was obvious from her passion that this sport was life changing, and that’s exactly what it did.
Crossfit San Mateo changed my attitude about myself, about nutrition and about fitness in general. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I wake up hungry to find out what’s on the board for the workouts that day because every class consists of a different workout and also a new lesson to learn.
A class follows a tempo that goes something like: Quick individual warm up (rowing, rolling out, jumping rope) which usually happens 5 mins before the class starts, Group warm up, Strength (which goes in cycles: 8 weeks of squats, 6 weeks deadlifts, etc) the coaches map this out a head of time in order to insure we are hitting all the correct movements before we move on to a more advanced move, and finally the WOD (work out of the day) which can vary from anything to a AMRAP (as many reps as possible) within 5 minutes, to a 18 minute EMOM (every minute on the minute).
San Mateo Crossfit is a big part of my life now, and it just sort of happened that way. When you are surrounded with a good support system like the coaches at Crossfit San Mateo and other CFSM members you want to do better. You want to improve on your mile run, you want to be able to do a handstand, and you want to make sure you’re getting the right nutrients throughout the day to ensure you preform your best.
Don’t be surprised if you start talking about Crossfit to your other friends and co-​workers, because you will love it that much.

I started CrossFit here for the first time, and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Having been a distance runner for the last 5 years or so (½ marathons periodically, and running 3 – 4 days a week regularly) I thought I was in shape… apparently I wasn’t. I absolutely love going to class every week, I have great relationships with the people I work out with, and I think the world of my coaches, Melissa and Walter.
–FOUNDATIONS:
I started my foundations classes with Coach Manny and quickly learned that I was going to be testing my body in ways I hadn’t ever done before. He worked closely with me for 10 sessions to help me understand the core philosophies of CrossFit and of this gym as well. The improvements Manny and I made on my baseline performance levels were incredible… and encouraging. They made me want to come back and keep going, and I did.
— COACHES:
Since March of this year I have been coming to Coach Melissa’s class three days a week. I truly can’t say enough good things about Melissa, the environment she creates and the results she helps us attain. We have a phenomenal group of people in our T-​TH 6:00AM class — these are people that care about one another in and out of the gym, all of which is a product of Melissa’s leadership. She provides us with personalized, hands-​on coaching in every class. Beyond that, she always gives me workouts to do from the road when I’m traveling for work, which I do with some frequency. I’ve been lucky enough to join a number of Coach Walter’s classes as well, and the level of care I get doesn’t drop off a bit. Its pretty great to have both of these guys on your team.
–NUTRITION
Melissa is knowledgable body chemistry as it relates to food, and has been a huge help for me in this regard. She has had me log my food for a week, critiqued the good and bad and helped provide me with some guidelines on what foods will help me perform best as an athlete.
If you are considering joining a CrossFit gym you should join this one, it is awesome.

5-​Stars across the board — the reviews don’t lie.
I looked at 3 cross-​fit gyms before settling on this box. I had cross-​fit experience and was looking to join a community of like minded people /​athletes. That’s what you get here — a very solid space w/​good equipment. Educated /​motivated trainers who genuinely care about your well being and progress + a group of motivated members who are equally motivated and supportive.
Regardless of where you’re at health /​fitness wise — this is the place for you — we are in no particular order… men, women, kids — athletes, professionals, and military personnel. In all — we’re a family that love to workout and compete against one another.
There are certain intangibles that make something great. Some are easier to define than others. Simply put — this place has it.

Super friendly staff and a great atmosphere await you here. I’m constantly travelling, and have been to several other boxes around Canada and the US. The positive experience I had last night make me glad I signed up for their 10-​class punchcard (good for a year!)
Can’t wait to go back tonight!

What can I say about San Mateo Crossfit that hasn’t been said already. I’ve been going to SMCF for almost a year now. Crossfit has changed my life. Before crossfit I was over weight and sitting on my ass. Since I’ve joined I’ve lost 35lbs and total of 11% of body fat.
I can’t say enough about all the coaches here. They are knowledgeable, dedicated, and caring. I was Injured from playing sports and the coaches modify my work outs allowing me to continue my training and also helped me to recover from my injuries. I truly knew that my coaches were looking out for me when they wouldn’t let me do some of the work out knowing that it would further prolonging my injuries.
Don’t be intimidated by the athletes, one thing I really love about SMCF are the people. The people here welcomes everyone, regardless of your ability. Everyone here works at their own pace, and everyone here supports each other. There’s so much positive energy at the gym, it’s such a great feeling. I’ve never met more dedicated athletes in my life that inspires everyday.
Brendan (coach/​owner) really emphasize the embodiment of «community» and it’s truly is. I’ve met so much wonderful people here that I can honestly say that they’ll be my friends for life.
If you’re serious about bettering yourself and have the will to work hard. Than you can do Crossfit. We’re really fortunate to have such great coaches here at SMCF. I just love coming here!

Some people go out drinking on Friday nights. Me, I go through 40 minutes of intense workouts. In the past year that I have been a member of this gym, few minor social life points were not the only things that I lost.
Ive also dropped 35 pounds, reduced my body fat percentage to 16, got off high blood pressure medication, increased my stamina and energy levels tremendously. Naturally, my wife loves the physical changes that I went through, and you know what they say: happy wife means happy life ;)
I also became a part of a very friendly community of local professionals that are dedicated to improving and maintaining their health, all brought together by our coach Brendon Mahoney. Watching my x-​fit comrades break their strength and fitness records under guidance and encouragement of our coaches never ceases to amaze me.

I have been coming to coming to Crossfit San Mateo for at least a year now and really it has become part of my life. Before Crossfit I was doing the regular gym thing (different muscle groups each day, a little running) but once I made the shift, this took my fitness to the next level.
Brendan (and team) will focus on setting new goals for yourself (not just strength) but other areas of fitness that I did not consider before (mobility, speed, diet, agility, etc…) making yourself a new athlete.
I don’t drink the Crossfit Kool-​Aid all the way (I eat Palo-​ish, have cheat days, it’s not all I talk about) but it has really made me re-​think on what I put in my body and fitness goals that at one time were not achievable.
Don’t be intimidated by the by the gym either. There are more advanced athletes, but Crossfit San Mateo really welcomes all ranges of fitness. Some people can’t do one pull-​up, some can do hundred… all are welcome.
The most important part of CrossFit San Mateo is that is really embodies what a «community» is. BBQs, potlucks, grabbing a drink or 10, after a workout, or during a workout really makes «Team Win» a community, not a gym.