Montgomery County, MD
The humn. team
Coaches who believe strength should last a lifetime.
4.9 from 61 Google reviews
Coaching is more than leading
workouts.
It’s helping people develop the capacity to handle
their lives with strength and resilience.
Our coaches believe that:
• Strength is foundational to long-term health
• Intelligent programming matters more than
intensity
• Recovery is essential to progress
• Coaching should adapt to the individual
Every member is coached, not managed.
Revcover faster.
Josh Singer
Gym Owner & Head Coach
Josh grew up right here in
Gaithersburg and went to high
school in Rockville, so he knows
firsthand what local professionals
are up against when it comes to
staying fit and healthy for the long
haul.
Nick Drago
Programming & Floor Coach
Nick comes to us from Miami,
Florida, where he spent most of his childhood playing organized sports, especially basketball and soccer. He discovered functional
fitness while still in high school — starting his first job as a CrossFit Kids coach — and has been passionate about helping people
move well ever since.
Erica Cowley
Programming & Floor Coach
Erica brings warmth, structure, and a deep commitment to helping people become their best selves both inside and
outside the gym. A DMV native with a decade of experience in property management and team
leadership, Erica knows how to create systems that work and communities that thrive.
Rocky Ro
Floor Coach
Rocky believes in the power
of connection and growth.
With a background in coaching swimming and snowboarding for all ages, he’s spent years helping
people move better, feel safer
in their bodies, and build real
confidence.
The humn. story.
The Evolution from Garage Gym to OPEX gym to humn.
It all started in a garage.
I had plans to open a brand new gym around March or
April of 2020 but when COVID hit, everything changed.
I was lucky enough at that point to be able to use my
parents two-car garage.
Picture for a moment, on one side we had equipment deliveries stacked up to the ceiling and on the other side we had a bench, a few bands, an exercise mat, bike and a few weights.
Bare bones, but it was enough to make it work.
During the spring and summer I worked 1-1 with clients who were comfortable doing so.
And as the summer months turned into fall and winter, I even bought a heater to keep the garage warm for our sessions.
As my clients grew from 10 to 20 it became clear we
needed a larger, non-garage space.
Around January 1st, 2021 we finally moved into the gym at 15920 Luanne Drive. That gym was OPEX Shady Grove.
And the model was working with clients in groups of 6 or less.
The workouts were going well. People were making
progress.
I could feel that something was missing.
I had run into this issue years earlier when I managed a local CrossFit gym.
Then I was running large group classes with 15 to 20
people at a time.
It was loud and people were working hard and having a time and to be fair people were getting results, at least in the beginning.
Over time problems started to come up. People were getting injured from much high-intensity work without enough recovery time.
People did not really understand how to manage their
nutrition or lifestyle.
People thought, "I worked out hard so I can eat whatever I want."
Eventually results stopped improving.
Honestly, I got burned out managing what I still call "the circus" of 20 people running around in a large group class.
That experience led me to start the OPEX gym in the first place.
We had small groups, more 1-1 coaching and individualized programs for every person.
Every person had their plan based on their body, their
goals and their ongoing progress.
It was nearly identical to 1-1 training, just in a small group setting.
And it worked.
People got stronger.
People were more consistent and progress lasted longer.
But even that wasn’t the full answer.
Because focusing on fitness still was not enough.
Without looking at the 23 hours of the day results
eventually slowed or stopped improving altogether.
Maybe you’re even reading this and thinking, "I don’t
need help with that other stuff, my nutrition is fine. Just give me the workout plan."
I‘ve had hundreds, if not thousands, of conversations with prospective clients and every time there are what I call "hidden gaps" for nearly everyone.
Things like sleep, stress, hydration, nutrition and recovery.
So we started addressing those things with our clients more consistently.
Every client still went through a fitness assessment but we also added something we call a "day in the life."
We walk through your day from when you wake up to
when you go to bed and identify a few key habits to focus on right away.
Sometimes that means looking at portions of protein, carbs and fats.
Often, it’s simpler things like getting more movement during the day, sleeping consistently, managing stress
better and actually recovering effectively.
We also have monthly coaching sessions 1-1 with all of our clients to review progress, talk through what challenges have come up and discuss how best to approach the next
month.
That provides the structure and accountability most
people are missing.
At some point, the fitness industry went off the deep end.
Everything became about more: more intensity, more
reps, more sets, more weight. More crazy fad-diets.
In a lot of cases that is exactly what people don’t need.
People need structure.
They need consistency.
And they need to take care of the other 23 hours of the day that they’re
not in the gym.
That’s how we think about real health.
The OPEX gym I built was what it needed to be at the
time.
We had customized fitness, personalized lifestyle support
and real coaching.
But after about five years, it was time to take the next
step.
In 2026 we expanded into the space next door.
Twice the gym space, updated equipment and a better overall environment.
On the other side we had a completely new entry
area, office, shower room, sauna, recovery suite and
acupuncture treatment space.
It felt like the evolution of everything we had been
building.
That’s when humn. was created.
Why "humn." as the name?
Because the entire point of what we're doing here is to
return to what being a human is supposed to feel like.
We believe humans are meant to be capable, not fragile, not constantly tired and burned out, not operating at half
capacity.
To be fully human is to be strong, resilient and capable.
That is not meant to be a lofty goal. We hold it as the
baseline minimum standard we strive for with all of our clients.
And that’s where resistance, recovery, renewal and rhythm come in.
The four pillars we believe are necessary for a full
expression of being human.
You can read more about those here.
Looking back, there’s no way I could have pictured humn. five years ago without going through everything that led
here.
From here, the vision is clear.
We are here to help as many people as possible live a healthy, fully expressed version of their life.
If you’ve made it this far this probably resonates.
If it does, the next step is simple.
Start a conversation by clicking the button below.
We’ll talk through where you're now, what you need
support with, and whether this is the right fit to help you move forward.
Most coaches put you through a workout. Our coaches guide
you through life.
