CrossFit Amped coach and athlete Joe Silvestri is thoroughly dedicated to the world of physical fitness.

Silvestri, a 29-year-old who moved to the Pacific Northwest from New York a little under two years ago, is currently ranked No. 4 in the Northwest region and 75th in the nation in the CrossFit games. Silvestri is eagerly anticipating competing in the Reebok CrossFit Games West Regionals from June 2-4 at the Portland Expo Center in Portland, Oregon. The top five placers at regionals advance to the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games from Aug 1-6 in Madison, Wisconsin.

“The goal there is to do as good as I can. The top five (placers) go on to the games, so that is always something that is kind of in the back of your mind that is something that would be really cool, but I don’t set that as an immediate goal. My immediate actual goal is to be in the top 10 at regionals. If I’m in the top 10 on Sunday, anything can happen,” Silvestri said.

Silvestri said he’s doing everything in his power in order to succeed at regionals.

“I started working with a nutritionist this year. It used to be when I made it to regionals for the first time in 2013, I was still going to school and still had a job. I would pop in for my workout an hour per day. As time has gone on, it has become more of a huge commitment,” Silvestri said. “It just kind of becomes routine. I do the same things these people in classes do, which is working out for about an hour. I do the same thing, but I do it two to three times per day.”

While Silvestri is one of the top CrossFit athletes in the region, he enjoys coaching the sport even more.

Silvestri said he coaches about 30 classes per week, which results in him guiding close to 300 athletes on a weekly basis.

“I honestly prefer coaching over competing. Competing is stressful. Coaching is really rewarding on a bigger level than competing is. The personal relationships are amazing. CrossFit is unlike any other gym in the world. We’re not dealing with thousands of members, we are dealing with hundreds of members. Not everyone is here to be the best CrossFit athlete in the world. They are mothers, fathers, doctors, lawyers and people from all walks of life who are just looking to stay in shape,” Silvestri said.

“They put a certain amount of trust and faith in you to help get them what they need and provide them with the right level of coaching and guidance.”

CrossFit Amped owner Robert Sax said Silvestri is adept at providing athletes with an opportunity to reach their respective fitness goals.

“Joe is a great coach. His presence from an athlete perspective, but also from a coaching perspective, is phenomenal. He relates to our members really well. They see him compete and perform at the level that he does and it shows them that hard work pays off,” Sax said of Silvestri.

“He is really good at separating how to be a competitive athlete and also how to cater to a wide variety of people of all athletic and ability levels. That is really hard to find, so to be able to have a coach who can do that really well rounds who we are at CrossFit Amped. He embodies just the kind of service we like to provide.”

Sax believes the culture of the CrossFit world is unique and differs greatly from just a regular run-of-the-mill gymnasium facility.

“Part of what CrossFit gyms all over the world pride themselves on is our ability to foster relationships. We’re not the kind of gym where you just clock in and out and do your workout and that is all you get out of it,” Sax said.

“Here we strive to provide a much greater service and have intimate relationships with our members. We have the ability to take the time to meet our members and learn what makes them tick and learn about their goals.”

CrossFit Amped is located at 399 114th Avenue NE, Bellevue.