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The Underground — Strength & Conditioning Coaching

Getting stronger isn't your problem.
Turning strength into performance is.

Structured strength & conditioning coaching for CrossFit Athletes who want to become more competitive — without sacrificing conditioning, movement quality, or their identity as an athlete.

The Problem

Most competitive CrossFit athletes don't need more training.

They're already training hard.

They're already serious.

They're already doing more than most people around them.

And they're still stuck.

They're strong in the gym, but that strength doesn't always show up in workouts.

They can hit big numbers fresh, but not when they're tired.

They follow programs, but never feel fully confident those programs fit the season, their weaknesses, or their actual life.

Why Nothing Has Worked Yet

Why most approaches fail

01

Generic online programming

It might be good. It might even be very good. But it isn't built around you. It doesn't know your schedule, your injury history, your stress, your recovery, your comp calendar, or what is actually limiting your performance.

02

Random strength cycles

A squat cycle here. A pulling cycle there. A tough conditioning block thrown on top. Most athletes don't need more random hard work. They need structure.

03

Coach-hopping

One coach says volume. Another says intensity. Another says technique. Another says more engine. So athletes keep changing direction before anything has time to work.

The problem usually isn't effort. It's decision-making. What most athletes are missing is not motivation. It's structure, context, and coaching.

The Underground Method

Build strength that transfers.

At The Underground, the goal is not to make you good at training. The goal is to make you better in competition.

We build absolute strength.

Because in CrossFit, strength still matters. A bigger base gives you more potential.

But absolute strength on its own is not enough.

We build usable strength.

Strength you can repeat. Strength you can express under fatigue. Strength that shows up in workouts, not just in a fresh 1RM.

That's the difference between training numbers and competitive performance.

The Coaching Tiers

Three levels. One standard.

Every tier runs on the same principle: serious programming, real coaching, no pretending. The difference is how close the coaching gets.

Starter
$150 / month
Structure + direction

For athletes who need structure, direction, and accountability.

You follow The Underground's competitive CrossFit program. This is not individual programming. But it is also not a generic PDF subscription.

Your training data, results, strengths, weaknesses, limitations, and performance trends feed into our athlete profiling system. That system helps shape an evolving athlete avatar, which influences how we coach and make programming decisions for the group.

If you sign up for a competition, your training can be adjusted around the timing and demands of that event where appropriate.

Training follows the CrossFit season and can accommodate single- or double-session training days depending on your schedule.

  • Competitive season-based program, single or double sessions
  • Athlete profiling system tracking your data and trends
  • Competition-timing adjustments where appropriate
  • Direction, structure and accountability
Standard
$200 / month
More support, more feedback

For athletes who want more support, more feedback, and more consistent coaching contact.

You still follow the core program, but with added contact points to help you stay on track and make better decisions through the training process.

This tier is ideal for athletes who don't yet need full individual programming, but do want more guidance than a standard group model gives them.

  • Everything in Starter
  • More frequent check-ins and feedback
  • Ongoing training review and decision support
  • Competition preparation adjustments
Elite
$250 / month
Closest 1:1 relationship

For athletes who want the highest level of involvement in The Underground system.

This is for the athlete who wants the closest 1:1 coaching relationship inside the system: more contact, more detail, more oversight, and more specific decision-making around their training.

Elite is best suited to athletes who are serious about progressing through the sport and want a much higher level of coaching involvement than standard group programming offers.

  • Everything in Standard
  • Highest level of coach contact and oversight
  • More individualised decision-making around your training
  • Priority for competition preparation

Onboarding

What happens after you apply

01

Initial consultation

We talk through where you are right now. Training history, current performance, schedule, goals, injuries, limitations, competition plans — the full picture.

02

Athlete intake

You complete a detailed intake so I understand how you're built as an athlete and what kind of coaching support you actually need.

03

Testing week

Before you start, we establish a baseline. That gives us a clearer picture of your current level and helps guide better decisions from day one.

04

Start of the next training block

Once onboarding is complete, you begin with the group at the start of the next block.

Coach Barrias

Who I Am

Trust, not a résumé.

I've been coaching since I left high school. In 2013 I opened my first CrossFit affiliate, then more after it. CrossFit HQ recognized me for 10 years of service to the community.

I competed twice at CrossFit Regionals and once at Semifinals in the Masters division. Along the way I deliberately studied strength, conditioning and performance outside the CrossFit ecosystem — learning from coaches and systems that have produced world-class results — then brought those principles back in.

I'm 37, a husband and a father. I still coach, train seriously, compete, and continue hitting PRs. I live the methodology I teach.

2013
First affiliate
10 yrs
HQ-recognized
Regionals
Semifinals

Proof

What athletes say.

Athlete testimonial

"Testimonial coming soon — this slot is reserved for a real athlete result and quote."

Iris zhouIFBB PRO
Athlete testimonial

"Testimonial coming soon — this slot is reserved for a real athlete result and quote."

Athlete nameSEMI FINALS ATHLETE
Athlete testimonial

"Testimonial coming soon — this slot is reserved for a real athlete result and quote."

rurik lucenaSEMI FINALS ATHLETE

Pricing

Choose your level of coaching.

Starter
$150
per month
Structure + direction
  • Season-based competitive program
  • Single or double session days
  • Athlete profiling system
  • Competition-timing adjustments
Apply for Starter
Elite
$250
per month
Closest 1:1 relationship
  • Everything in Standard
  • Highest contact and oversight
  • Individualised decision-making
  • Priority competition prep
BOOK A CALL

Not sure which tier fits? Apply anyway — the consultation is where we work out the right level together.

The 30-day guarantee

If after the first 30 days you don't believe the coaching is right for you, you can leave and you'll be refunded.

No awkward conversation. No hard feelings. If it's not right, you shouldn't be locked into it.

Applies to the first 30 days of a new coaching relationship.

FAQ

Answered plainly.

Q.Do I need to be elite to join?

No. Most of the athletes this is for are not elite yet. They're serious, consistent, and want to become substantially better. This is for Open- and Quarterfinal-level athletes who want real direction, not just more workouts.

Q.Is this individual programming?

Starter and Standard are not fully individual programming. Elite offers a higher level of individual attention. The difference between the tiers is the level of coaching contact and individualisation.

Q.What if I already follow a program?

Then you already know the issue isn't finding workouts. It's whether the work fits your season, your weaknesses, your schedule, and your actual goals. That's where coaching matters.

Q.Can I do this with a full-time job?

Yes. The training can work around single- or double-session days depending on your schedule.

Q.What happens if I compete?

Then your training can be adjusted around the timing and demands of that competition where appropriate. Competition is part of the point.

Q.Do I actually get access to a coach?

Yes. That's the point. Not a bot, not a form letter — a coach.

Q.What if I'm injured?

Then we work around it intelligently. The goal is to keep you progressing where possible instead of letting one issue derail everything.

Q.How does onboarding work?

Consultation, intake, testing week, then you start at the beginning of the next training block.

Q.Why not just buy a cheaper program?

Because cheaper programs are easy to find. Good coaching isn't. If all you want is workouts, there are endless options. If you want direction, feedback, and better decision-making, that's different.

Q.What if I don't like it?

If the first 30 days aren't right, you can leave and you'll be refunded.

You can find workouts anywhere. What's harder to find is structure, direction, and coaching that actually helps you progress.

If you're ready to train
with more purpose,
apply now.

Starter $150 · Standard $200 · Elite $250 — per month

Apply for coaching