Jay Mendoza

Jay has been a professional in the health, fitness, strength & conditioning and Olympic weightlifting realm for nearly a decade and a half, with his earliest coaching experiences coming from his days as a CrossFit Level 1 trainer in Southern California. It was in this time frame that Jay was heavily involved in the competitive aspect of CrossFit and served as a team member for an affiliate team that competed in the now-defunct Southern California Regionals.

Over time, Jay’s interests and expertise shifted to prioritizing strength through resistance training and barbell-based strength training with a large emphasis on Olympic-style weightlifting. He began actively coaching and competing in the sport of weightlifting and achieved national-level qualification in 2015 as a competitor in the 77kg weight category. Since then, he has coached a significant number of weightlifting athletes to the national level as well as masters-aged athletes to the international level.

Jay has significant experience in Olympic weightlifting, barbell-based strength training, strength & conditioning, and hypertrophy-focused bodybuilding-style training as the primary vehicle for helping people and athletes achieve high levels of performance and get healthier and fitter. He has worked with a broad spectrum of athlete populations; from your everyday general fitness enthusiasts to highly experienced national-level weightlifters and prides himself in his ability to coach through a lens of empathy, inclusivity, and trauma-sensitivity.

When he isn’t pouring his heart and soul into helping others refine their Olympic weightlifting skills, he can be found studying in order to complete his Master of Public Health degree, attending various live music events, spending time outdoors, and generally enjoying the many amazing things the city of Portland has to offer with his incredibly cute corgi/Aussie shepherd mix named Vader.