The origin of Semper Porro Training
Jordan Itaya: Head Coach/Owner Semper Porro Training
Semper Porro started as a blog. I had recently been hit by a car while out riding my bike and had broken my neck. That accident effectively ended my dream of becoming a pro cyclist, which I had been working towards for thirteen years. In the ensuing months after my accident, I was despondent and directionless. Recognizing I needed to do something to move in a positive direction, I decided to start writing. My plan was to work through the emotional (and physical) pain by putting my thoughts into words.
Step one was finding a name for my blog. I wanted to name it something about overcoming and resiliency in the face of difficulty, but all the obvious names were taken. So, not knowing what else to try, I looked up “Always Forward” in Latin. Lo and behold, Semper Porro was available. And thus, the name was born.
After several months writing, I realized I wanted to continue pursuing my dream of competing at the highest level. So, I started coaching. From the very first, my guiding philosophy was to improve every day. Things were rocky at first, but I was amazed at how clear everything seemed. Suddenly, I could see everything I had struggled with as an athlete. All it took was a shift in perspective.
As I’ve continued moving forward, I’ve refined my process. Much of the underlying training philosophy I employ today is the same as when I first started coaching, but I have a more nuanced perspective of what works and why. Developing an athlete to their highest potential is a complicated process and to do it right, it takes time to build all the different pieces and put them together.
Jordan Itaya
Founder & Coach
“What started as a way of helping myself move forward has evolved into a coaching/teaching platform designed to help others move forward. Semper Porro is the embodiment of my personal philosophy – always improve, never quit.”
Semper Porro Today
At Semper Porro, the focus is on developing good process. Once developed, a good process will carry an athlete towards their goals and successful outcomes can be replicated over and over. Guided by the principle of always moving forward, we are constantly refining things, studying, tweaking, changing things completely when necessary, and doing everything we can to improve.
While Semper Porro evolved from cycling, the philosophy can be applied to other sports, and many other areas of life, as well. We have helped people overcome chronic injuries, train for Marathons, return to competitive Soccer, prepare for Tough Mudder, and everything in between. Our mission is to help people live better.