I can’t say enough about how much Joe Baker has impacted my life, not just as a coach but as a person who truly cares. When I first started training with him, I was in a tough season. I was postpartum, then was hit with a newly diagnosed autoimmune disease plus hormone imbalance, and I was trying to find my way back to feeling strong again. I expected a coach who would help me train, but what I got was so much more. Joe isn’t just about sets and reps. He’s about people. He didn’t just check in on my workouts. He checked in on me. On the hard days, it wasn’t, “Did you get your training in?” but instead, “How can I make your day better?” or “How can we pray for you?” That level of care is rare. He saw the whole picture, my health, my struggles, and my wins, and he made sure I never felt alone in the process. His ability to adapt training to my energy levels, his unwavering encouragement, and his faith-driven support made all the difference. I wasn’t just another client. I was someone he was genuinely rooting for. That’s the kind of coach Joe is. He wants you to succeed, not just in fitness but in life. If you’re looking for a coach who will push you, believe in you, and stand by you through every challenge, Joe Baker is that person. I’m beyond grateful for his guidance, his kindness, and his heart for the people he trains. Thank you, Joe, for everything. 

I couldn’t have made a better choice in signing up. The training program was event specific and got me more than ready to crush the event. Going in I felt strong, and leaving the event, although I hurt, I felt I could have kept going. And I got through with no injuries. I attribute this to the amazing training and recovery programs he created.

Love Joe Baker and the fitness service that he offers. I say fitness and not work out program because he truly takes a whole health approach. I’ve been working with him for almost three years and he meets you where you are and is adaptable to any type of goal you may have.

When I started this GORUCK journey a couple years back, I never thought it would take me to where I am now. I do believe that things happen for a reason, and being led to Joe Baker was a catalyst for my success in this world. He has the background, the personal experience, and the characteristics to help anyone succeed. I’ve completed several events, including 3 HTB’s and Selection with Joe in my corner. There’s a reason the Bakery community shows up, and that’s Joe.

Met Joe at a goruck tough event in February and realized I could have been more prepared for the event. Signed up for the 6 week savage program and simply loved the results from it. The workouts were simple but sucked (in a good way) and Joe was really helpful in any questions/issues I had going to move into the 6 week bulletproof program now.

Joe is the best coach out there, not to just train physically and mentally, but to develop yourself as a better person overall. His community is by far made up of the most awesome individuals I’ve ever met.

I joined the Bakery’s Recon HTB training group in July, about 4 months before the event. This was my first HTB and Joe’s programming was entirely on point. Having the base of his program, which went well beyond the training I was doing before joining the group, gave me confidence as the event was approaching. Beyond just the training program, being part of the Recon HTB group included being part of a video chat program with the other Bakery members preparing for the same event. Over the four months, through the shared training and videos, we became close, sharing not only things related to the event, but sharing our life experiences as well. We grew close virtually, but that bond was set when we met in person. We were a team within the bigger team at the event knowing we could count on each other both at the event and beyond. I signed up for a training program, but got so much more. The bonds developed with this group through the process both before and during the event has been something really special and I’m honored to call these people my friends. It is sometimes said that the deepest bonds develop through overcoming shared challenge. I can’t think of a more fitting statement for this group. As a result of this training group, this was the first event that I went to that I didn’t experience some nervous energy leading up to it, knowing that we had put in the work and that I had a team beside me that would support me just as I would support them. If you are considering training for a HTB, I highly recommend Joe’s program to not just survive, but to thrive.

Trust Joe. Trust the process. Discover a family of awesome people.

I have a friend who completed the Bragg Tough in 2023. While we were talking about his experience, he kept referencing this group of people who completed the HTB. How they worked as a team within the team. They seemed to be thriving throughout the events. He mentioned that they looked like they could do back-to-back HTBs. That was all I needed to hear.

I knew I needed a coach for something I had never done. Joe was awesome from day one. His platform is easy to interact with as are all the members of the Bakery. Joe has found something when it comes to GORUCK events. The training is relevant to all aspects of the events; mental and physical. The accountability of your training team provides an opportunity to bond with people you'll line up with at your event. This is a benefit that should not be overlooked or undervalued.

The training program had me physically and mentally ready. I completed the RECON Raider HTB. I had little muscle soreness after the events despite the events being the most challenging thing I've done to this point in my life. Joe's training more than prepared me for what we were going to experience. There's something else I can't emphasize enough. The community he builds made the event more special for all of us. I say with confidence that we bonded before the events and came together as a family during these events. The friendships I've formed are among the best I have ever had. These are the caliber of people you want to be around.

Truthfully, my original goal was to complete one Heavy in 2023. After working with the team I adopted a more aggressive goal: to earn my first set of GORUCK HTB bolts. I chose RECON Raider HTB. Working with Joe was the best decision I could have made. I'm eternally grateful to him and the JBF community.

My goal going forward is to stay HTB ready so I can support others in this community. I'll continue working with Joe and the outstanding community of people he is bringing together across the country.

Thank you, Joe. Thank you Recon HTB Family.

I’ve been Rucking and doing GORUCK events since 2016 and I first heard of Joe in 2021 after seeing many pipe hitters complete some astounding events that he helped train! Seeing these awesome people complete these very hard things inspired me and I set my sights on completing a Bragg Heavy, the king of all rucks!

I reached out to Joe and from our initial discussion he gained some insight into my previous history of events, general exercise and my overall current status. I told him that I wanted to complete a Heavy and Bragg was coming up in a couple of months. I was hesitant as I’ve seen how brutal Bragg can be, but Joe had some foresight that he knew I could not only complete the event but also crush it!

I started my training in November 2022 and had roughly 4 months till Bragg. Going through the initial physical assessment and building up Ruck and Sandbag weight over the few months, I knew I was not only physically able but mentally able to complete the Bragg Heavy.

Joe programmed daunting WODs, Deck of Cards, and Hell day among many others throughout the course of my training. He regularly checked in to see my progress, asked for feedback, and also made sure my food intake was correct. I really enjoyed the mix of the weekly workouts as well as the online Bragg polo group to help keep each other accountable.

Once at Bragg it was like a family reunion and Joe’s Bakery Peeps were like family! We not only worked well together but also made sure we were good throughout the event mentally and physically.

While I wasn’t able to obtain my bolts this time around, I plan on completing the Bragg HTB next year and know that I will be that much better with Joe’s training going into the event as well as any other event between now and then!

Two weeks ago I lined up for what I can only describe as THE hardest thing I have ever done in my life – both physically and mentally. What is the Bragg HTB? It is three GORUCK challenges back to back to back that took place in Fayetteville, NC March 17-19. It involved lots of physical training (PT), rucking and carrying heavy things. These challenges are team centered and lead by special forces cadre who test your limits, push you beyond them, and build the class into a team.

We started with 90 teammates on Friday at 6 pm for the Bragg Heavy which lasts at least 24 hours and is the ultimate team event. It is known in the GORUCK community as the “King of all Rucks”. With 2023 being the 10th anniversary of the event there was definitely electricity in the air when we started. This Heavy did not disappoint and had it all. Cold, rain, muddy rucks, log PT, a middle of the night Deck of Death session, jiu jitsu lessons, learning to field strip an AR-15 and other activities. Our team was whittled down to 75 people. Those 75 that saw daybreak on Saturday got to hear some great leadership advice during a welcomed first light break, rucking to a local chapter of the Special Forces Association where we performed a service project by clearing their land of cut trees and brush and hearing from our cadres about building strong communities. We rucked back for more shenanigans before ending the event on Saturday at 6 pm. Getting patched and having a beer to celebrate completing my first Heavy felt great but I only had 2-3 hours to get ready for the Tough. We lined up and started the Tough on Saturday at 10 pm and it was clear that this would not be an easier event. We had some PT smoke sessions, a 2-3 mile barefoot walk in the NC woods followed by more PT, passing around heavy medicine balls and a ruck into the woods carry heavy coupons like sandbags, sand jerry cans and medicine balls. Sleep deprivation was definitely a factor as I caught myself falling asleep standing up a few times during the night. The nonstop pace was slowed down when we were broken up into teams to figure out a Rubiks Cube and Bop It. We also got a chance to identify what our core values are thanks to Cadre Chuy and the book The One Thing. After a false ending to the Tough and some old fashioned Army PT test and work with more coupons we did end and rolled right into the Basic which included another heavy ruck in the woods with coupons, drawing crop circles with low crawls and tossing our coupons to get back to the start point. We ended the Basic and the HTB with patches, tacos, and beer! There were a total of 35 people who put in over 40 hours of work to earn four patches total – one for each event and one with three bolts signifying completing the HTB.

To do the hardest thing I’ve ever attempted involved months of training and changing my habits to be as ready as I could. I feel blessed to have trained with Joe Baker to help prepare me to earn my bolts. He provide tough workouts, great advice but most importantly positive encouragement leading up to and during the event. If you are thinking of training for any type of physical race or event, reach out to him. He makes dreams come true.

I was also fortunate to be part of a team of other people who trained with Joe for Bragg. We got to know each other during our training through a video app which allowed us to form a team within the team who pushed and supported each other during the HTB. I cannot wait to see what everyone accomplishes next.

I am thankful to have done this with two of my F3 brothers, Brock Gholston and Troy Michael, who also got their bolts at Bragg, their first events. Shared suffering during months of early morning training sessions formed bonds that carried us through the events when we had our dark moments during the weekend.

The cadre for this event (Cadre Dan, Cadre DS, Cadre Cleve and Cadre Chuy) poured their hearts and souls into us which resulted in an incredible experience for the GRTs who lined up. I learned a lot about myself at these events thanks to them holding the team to a standard and pushing us beyond what we thought we were capable of. Thank you for sharing your hard fought lessons and experiences with us and for building better Americans.

What is my why? My family (Cristina Long Paredes, Xavier (9) and Dominic (7)). I want them to see me do something that takes me outside of my comfort zone and know that its ok to do so. I want them to know that you can set a goal of doing something hard, put a plan together, be singular in your focus of following that plan and execute it successfully. My patches are a direct result of their love and support.

Bragg HTB is in the books. What’s next? Stay tuned…

I couldn’t have made a better choice in signing up. The training program was event specific and got me more than ready to crush the event. Going in I felt strong, and leaving the event, although I hurt, I felt I could have kept going. And I got through with no injuries. I attribute this to the amazing training and recovery programs he created.

I have wanted to participate in the Recon Raider GORUCK HTB events since 2020. Every year I said I will do it. I would start training and then I would lose my focus and/or not push myself as hard as was necessary to achieve my goal, and I knew it. This past April I made the decision to do it (again) but I took a different approach. I committed and I worked harder than I ever have for an endurance event. I started training with Joe Baker Fitness and met a bunch of strangers who were also on this journey to train for these events. These strangers quickly became my friends and through the months we became a solid and amazing team.

As a result of the solid and diverse training and the amazing team I worked with, I ended up COMPLETING all 3 events, earning myself the renowned Recon Raider HTB bolts! With my team by my side, we embraced the suck, we pushed ourselves and each other, we kept each other from going dark, and we had fun. The camaraderie was incredible, I couldn’t have had a better group to do these events with.

The training I received not only prepared me physically, but mentally as well. I was pushed beyond my limits during the events but I was prepared. Joe Baker Fitness helped me gain the strength, endurance and the mental fortitude needed to not only complete all 3 events, but to be an asset to the team. The training was attainable, scaled where necessary, but always challenging. Plus, it was fun! Week to week it was never the same and it kept building up as the time went on. Having the team to train with also helped me prepare since we spent time talking about the events, our gear and tactics for success.

Thank you to Joe and to all of my Recon Raider HTB Bakery friends for training with me all these months, helping me prepare, and holding me accountable. Our group has a truly unique bond which means so much to me.