TEAM
ARMANDO CRUZ III, MSPT
OWNER, PERFORMANCE PHYSICAL THERAPIST
Armando Cruz doesn’t just talk about transformation, he lives it.
He’s a Performance Physical Therapist, Best-Selling Author, Speaker, Ultra-Marathoner, and the go-to expert for high performers who want to eliminate pain, reclaim their body, and live fully on purpose.
His work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Lifestyle, CBS, and UPN.
He’s also the host of Against the Herd. A podcast dedicated to how top performers optimize their health, energy, and results by doing the opposite of the mainstream.
As Co-Founder of Cruz Country Fitness & Physical Therapy with his wife Christian, Armando helps men and women break free from chronic pain, not with cookie-cutter solutions, but with a comprehensive, holistic system that gets results when nothing else has.
Whether it’s through their signature Suffering to Unstoppable System, Back Armor System, Shoulder Armor System, or Knee Armor System, Armando equips his clients to break free from the prison of pain, restore freedom of movement, and have more energy daily.
But he’s more than a clinician, he’s a connoisseur of life.
Born and raised in Miami, Armando holds degrees in Exercise and Sports Science and Physical Therapy from Florida International University, with a focus on orthopedic overuse injuries.
Since 2001, he’s trained elite athletes and mentored the mentors, earning the title “trainer to the trainers.” He’s taught continuing ed for Equinox, advised private practice PTs, and spoken on stages to help fitness and therapy professionals grow with integrity and excellence.
Armando has run 50+ miles through alligator-infested swamps, climbed mountains, surfed hurricanes, and lived out of his car, not just for the thrill, but to test his limits and live
deliberately.
But his greatest adventure?
Being a devoted husband to Christian for 17 years, and a father to their three amazing kids: Armando, Amelie, and Aiden.
Whether he’s treating clients, training professionals, or building forts with his kids, Armando leads with one mission: to bring light where there is darkness, act with love, and leave a legacy that matters.
CHRISTIAN CRUZ MS, EP-C
OWNER, CHRONIC PAIN EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGIST
Christian Cruz is living proof that pain doesn’t have to be permanent and that your greatest struggle can lead to your life’s mission.
In her early 20’s, Christian had chronic knee pain for 2 years. Over time, the physical pain turned into mental pain and ultimately into soul pain because she, a competitive cross-country and track runner, had to stop running. She tried various pain-relief methods and nothing worked. As an Exercise Physiologist, she decided to focus her entire career on understanding and eliminating chronic pain.
Christian has been pain-free now for over 12 years, she runs regularly and works with clients to help them be not only pain-free, but unstoppable too!
Now, with over 20 years of experience working with clients, Christian Cruz, MS, EP-C is a chronic pain exercise physiologist and is the creator of From Suffering to Unstoppable: The system to understand, eliminate and prevent chronic pain.
From Suffering to Unstoppable is a unique and comprehensive system that helps chronic pain sufferers interrupt their pain patterns and achieve a higher level of healing, functionality and living. Her system specializes in helping clients reprogram sensory and neural pathways, release tightness, realign posture, reactivate muscles and re-educate movement mechanics. She takes clients who are currently experiencing pain and works to reduce or eliminate it and creates a customized program to reach their goals of muscle toning, increased strength, flexibility, balance, power, movement efficiency and improved overall health and fitness. Christian’s holistic, comprehensive and natural approach of treating the whole person leads to faster and longer lasting results. She loves to coach and mentor her clients to inspire them to higher living.
Christian and her husband co-created Cruz Country Fitness and Physical Therapy’s Group Experience, a group health and fitness training program that merges principles and practices of physical therapy, exercise physiology and personal training into the only group program of its kind. The Group Experience focuses on safety, support, collaboration and pain-free results. She also co-created with her husband the Cleanse and Renewal Program.
Christian holds aMaster of Science in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology with a concentration in Clinical Exercise Physiology from the University of Florida. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Exercise Physiology and completed double minors in Chemistry andPsychology from the University of Miami. She is a Certified Exercise Physiologist through theAmerican College of Sports Medicine and has specialty certifications in Active Isolated Stretching, Myofascial Release, Soft Tissue Release, and Pre- and Post- Natal Corrective Exercise. She is a Running Coach, a Body Map Coach and a Mind Map Coach. She is also an expert among experts: as a Master Instructor at Equinox Fitness, she trained and taught other personal trainers. She was even voted Teaching Assistant of The Year at The University of Florida for her methodology in weight training, conditioning and jogging. Christian also worked with high-risk cardiac rehab patients to strengthen their hearts at the Baptist Health Cardiac & Vascular Institute.
Christian inspires and teaches audiences about the root causes of chronic pain and the often simple solutions that can alleviate it. She speaks at hospitals, rehab facilities, universities, fitness studios, health conferences, and anywhere people who are interested in health and fitness gather. In addition, Christian hosts educational events at Cruz Country Fitness & Physical Therapy several times a year.
Christian has been married to Armando for over 17 years and together they have 3 children.