Juan Carlos Santana, MEd, CSCS

Fitness maverick, founder of the Institute of Human Performance (IHP) , dynamic speaker, sought-after consultant, prolific author. . . for over 30 years Juan Carlos “JC” Santana has been raising the bar in the fitness industry.  

Santana has been referred to as “the country’s leading practitioner of functional fitness” and personally trained and developed specific programs for all professional sports, youth fitness, fitness for the mature populations, and accelerated rehabilitation.    His advanced understanding of bio-mechanics and conditioning have made him the go-to guy for those interested in reaching their optimal performance levels, from individuals, to professional sports teams, to fortune 500 companies.  His consulting clients and endorsement hail from the full spectrum of government agencies, educational institutions, college and professional sports teams, equipment manufactures, and fitness facilities. These include:

Federal Bureau of Investigation, Quantico, VA; U.S. Armed Forces, Corry Station, Sarasota, FL; Boca Raton Police Department; Broward Country (FL) Sheriff’s Department; University of Miami; Florida Atlantic University; University of British Columbia; Columbia University, United States Tennis Association; Cincinnati Bengals; New England Patriots; Boston Red Sox; New York Yankees; Miami Marlins; New York Rangers; New York Islanders; Professional Golf Association; Perform Better, Northeast Seminars, Free Motion Fitness, Lifeline, Heart Rate, Interactive Metronome, Gold’s Gyms, Town Sports International, 24-hour Fitness, The YMCA, and many more.

As an inspiring and motivational speaker, Santana has been a featured speaker at over 300 major conferences in the fitness industry.  This prolific speaking tour and publishing endeavors have made Santana one of the top continuing education providers for fitness professionals.  He has authored over 60 DVDs and books in areas of fitness and performance enhancement.  

Santana is currently the Founder and Director of IHP, his state-of-the-art training facility in Boca Raton, Florida.  IHP has been recognized by several awards as one of the top training facilities in the world, and the country’s best “core-training” facility.   Founded in 2000,  IHP provides an unparalleled training environment for elite athletes including World Class Tennis Champions, NFL and MLB players, World Champion Brazilian Jujitsu and mixed Martial Arts Fighters, numerous NCAA Division I teams, and hundreds of nationally ranked teen hopefuls from a broad cross-section of sports disciplines.  Within this exciting training environment, weekend warriors, soccer moms, NSCAR dads, and their children also call IHP their training facility.   Santana has been part of the strength and conditioning program for several Florida Atlantic University Sports teams over the last 10 years.  He is currently responsible for the men’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, track and field, women’s volleyball, and the men’s and women’s swimming strength and conditioning programs.  

Santana is a member and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the NSCA, and a member and a certified Health Fitness Instructor with the ACSM.  He is also a certified Senior Coach and Club Coach Course Instructor with the USA Weightlifting Team, and a Level I coach with the USA Track and Field Association.  

Santana currently serves on the NSCA Board of Directors, and is Sport Specific Conditioning Editor for the NSCA Journal. His previous professional responsibilities have included serving as the Vice President of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), Chairman of the NSCA Sport Specific Conference, a member of the NSCA Conference Committee, and the NSCA Florida State Director. As a college professor, he has taught Sports Training Systems and Strength Training at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and is currently involved in several ongoing research projects with FAU and the University of Waterloo in Canada.  

A graduate of Florida Atlantic University with Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Exercise Science, JC is involved in several ongoing research studies with several universities and on his Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology.