Jason Khalipa

Jason Khalipa is on the shortlist of all-time great CrossFit competitors and Rogue athletes, but he’s made just as big an impact as a business owner, philanthropist, and philosopher of fitness.

A native of San Jose, California, Khalipa first took up CrossFit during his days at Santa Clara University, long before there was a box in every town. Soon, he became one of the first stars and pioneers of the sport, winning the second CrossFit Games in 2008 to earn the title of “Fittest Man on Earth.” While other names from those early competitions gradually faded, Jason remained a major force at the Games year after year, collecting six Top 10 finishes in total—including 2nd overall in 2013 and 3rd in 2014–along with five Regional titles and a first place finish in the 2015 CrossFit Open.

More recently, the 36 year-old has become a staple of the Legends Division at the Rogue Invitational, including a dominant victory at the inaugural event in 2019.

Off the field, Khalipa has continued to build a devoted following as a CrossFit coach, gym owner, author, and podcast host. NCFIT, which he founded in 2008, includes four locations in California and many more partner facilities across the country and across the pond. Since 2016, Jason and his wife Ashley have also worked tirelessly to raise awareness and funds for families affected by pediatric cancer; inspired by their own daughter Ava’s fight with leukemia.

Describing his “AMRAP Mentality” in his 2018 book As Many Reps as Possible, Jason wrote, “When you are able to focus on what is in your control—and push away the things you can’t change—you can turn almost any situation around. This is especially powerful during times of strife. Once you relinquish the worries associated with all the ‘noise,’ you reclaim power over your life.”