Coaches Spotlight: Joel Zayas

Agne Jakubauskaite • March 22, 2022
People working out in a gym. A man coaches another as he performs a push-up. Others use weights and equipment.

Meet coach Joel.

Joel is one of the owners and coaches here at R3VIVE. Aside from coaching classes, Joel is the marketing director and assists with developing nutrition programs for his clients. When he’s not at R3VIVE, Joel is usually developing websites as a senior web developer, reminiscing about his break dancing days, or enjoying a craft beer.  

Coach Joel lunging with kettlebells
Coach Joel with Delta

Q: How did you get started in fitness?

Through my previous years of break dancing and gymnastics. I wanted my fitness routine to match the fun and intensity of when I would dance and flip on spring floors!

Q: What made you want to open up a gym?

I wanted to bring a higher value of service to an already thriving and established community of fitness lovers. As I’ve lived in Boston my entire life, I felt opening a gym was the best way to serve my community by providing the service of health and wellness to all.

Q: How did you meet the other two owners?

We met at the old gym I managed, CrossFit on the Hill in Roxbury MA

Q: What is one thing you want the members to know about? 

That I am willing to go above and beyond for everyone who walks through our doors! I highly enjoy seeing people transform, not just physically, but mentally, building the confidence to perform at a high level over the course of time as a member at R3VIVE. Making sure everyone has that same experience is something I thrive for.

Q: What is the meaning behind the name R3vive?

The name coincides with a new beginning. Our old gym had a great community of members, coaches, and staff, but was severely underserved by ownership. I thought the word REVIVE was the best way for us to describe what we were doing for them and for the community of Roxbury / Nubian Square.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about R3vive?

Without a doubt, our members. Everyone has a special being/pretense which they bring. It’s what makes me work hard and want to continue to provide the best quality of service for them. Since we’ve opened, I’ve been able to meet passionate, like-minded people that I can now call my friends.

Q: How has owning a gym impacted you? (ex. fitness, interests, etc.)

There have been some ups and downs, as with every business, especially since going through a pandemic not too long after opening. It’s helped me realize that if you are passionate about something, you are willing to go the extra mile to see it thrive. It’s shown me how capable I am when I’m focused.

Q: What do you want people to think and feel when they talk about R3vive?

I want them to reflect the passion we have for them when they talk to others. I want everyone who walks through our doors to have a sense of belonging, considering us as their “home” gym. I want them to feel safe and respected. I want them to know that ownership and staff all deeply care for their health and well-being.

Q: What is your favorite movement? Least favorite?

My favorite movement would be squats (any form of squatting really). My least favorite movement. would be running.

Follow on coach Joel on IG: @r3vivefitness_joel

The post Coaches Spotlight: Joel Zayas appeared first on R3VIVE FITNESS.

Why Can't I Always Lift My Max?

By Derek Saffold • February 19, 2026
Strength expression is our ability to show or utilize the strength we have. We call it expression because in the world of lifting, CrossFit, functional fitness, or training, our ability to show that strength varies. Even though our potential strength is the same, we are not always able to fully express it the way we want. Whether that is hitting a max back squat, doing heavy thrusters in a CrossFit style workout, or hitting that heavy clean complex when olympic lifting, we will not always be able to hit our maxes, this is because of factors outside of just our strength itself.

Introducing EL3VATE

By Derek Saffold • January 27, 2026
Ever walk into the gym and not sure what to do? We put together a program to help eliminate that feeling and give you confidence and the accountability to reach your goals. Introducing EL3VATE where we want to EL3VATE your strength, habits, and mindset!

Apex Training Cycle

By Derek Saffold • December 26, 2025
Hey R3VIVE Athletes, The Apex training cycle, going from January 5th to April 3rd, is our next training cycle! This will be the firt training cycle of the new year! this is a chance to refocus and get in some good work to help you reach your goals! lets all work together to crush this training cycle! Functional Fitness: The Apex Cycle is designed to make your year-long strength work truly functional, focusing on controlled, powerful movements, complexes under fatigue, and mandated touch-and-go reps to prepare you for mixed-modal workouts. Our strength culminates in the classic CrossFit Total and the "R3VIVE Other Total," while conditioning features a wide variety of time domains, movement volume builds (like wall balls, toes-to-bar, and burpees), and regular Friday retests of past workouts to track your progress and ensure you perform your absolute best. Build: Designed to bring together all your training from the past year and prepare you for your strongest performance yet. Our strength work will focus on controlled, powerful movements, building you up to test your limits with both the classic CrossFit Total and the "R3VIVE Other Total," which challenges your skill and strength balance. Expect a well-rounded program including unilateral strength, skill work, and core stability, with dedicated days for deadlifts, squats, gymnastics, and varied accessory work to keep you healthy and constantly progressing. For conditioning, we're tailoring the work to challenge you in new ways, featuring a wide variety of time domains and movements, and a specific volume build on common movements like wall balls, toes-to-bar, and burpees. Instead of a standard test/retest, we'll be performing regular retests of past workouts on Fridays, allowing you to easily track your progress and see how far you've come. Our weekly template balances intensity—with short, fast metcons on Mondays—with recovery, incorporating lower impact endurance work on Thursdays, and a strategic taper toward the end of the week to set you up for success on Friday! Partner workouts will wrap up your week every Saturday, bringing the whole community together.
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