CTS originated 20 years ago with the simple idea that all athletes deserve great coaching. At the time, the endurance coaching industry was in its infancy, and CTS Founder Chris Carmichael became a driving force in the professionalization of personal coaching. In the years that followed, the company grew as athletes across the spectrum of endurance sports sought the experience and expertise of a growing number of CTS Coaches. As of the beginning of 2020, CTS Coaches have worked directly with more than 25,000 athletes and influenced hundreds of thousands more through best-selling books, video workouts, magazine columns, and media appearances. On the path to reaching our 20th Anniversary, we reached a number of important milestones and helped shape the endurance coaching industry.

The biggest lesson from our first 20 years is that the human-to-human relationship is the core element for success in coaching. CTS started during the heyday of the original Dot.com era. We developed one of the first online coaching tools and were among the first companies in coaching to sell a subscription service online. We even (briefly) tried online training plans that self-adjusted with an early version of artificial intelligence. CTS Coaches led the development of modern methods of analyzing training data and creating evidence-based protocols to adjust athlete programs. Time and again we learned that innovation and technology were crucial to continue leading the coaching industry, but that the human-to-human relationship between coach and athlete was the key element for success.

CTS in 2020 is committed to improving the lives and performance of individual athletes we directly work with through coaching, camps, and events; and influencing the worldwide community of athletes with freely available multimedia content on training, nutrition, recovery, and a wide range of performance-oriented subjects.

Reaching the milestone of 20 years in business is rare, and a testament to the value athletes place on the services and products we deliver. Regardless of any exposure or marketing wizardry, a business only thrives in the long run when the product delivers. CTS will continue providing industry-leading coaching, camp, and event services, in pursuit of our larger vision to change lives and ultimately the world, through the power of movement, healthy habits, knowledge, and inspiration.

The world needs more movement. Even as the pace of modern life accelerates, the time people spend moving their bodies is decreasing. Schools are eliminating physical education classes and cancelling after-school sports programs. Youth sports are becoming pay-to-play for-profit programs that leave millions of children and teenagers sitting on the sidelines. The car-first priorities of local and national governments makes it harder for adults to be active – and safe – in urban and suburban environments. Corporate-first workplace policies lead to longer hours, unpredictable work hours, and reduced or more expensive benefits. Soaring healthcare premiums keep people from seeing doctors to treat illnesses and injuries that prevent them from staying or becoming more active. 

We believe in the power of movement to change lives. Through our work with athletes and business and government leaders, we share this belief and create the proof these influential leaders can feel, see, and experience. When you change one life it has cascading effects through the lives touched by that person. It is difficult for people who lack movement in their lives to place a high priority on the accessibility and opportunity for movement in the lives of those around them. When exercise and healthy habits, supported by knowledge and inspiration, lead to positive changes in a person’s life, it is difficult for them not to make movement a high priority for those they care about.