How does Aaron Jones prepare for the grind of the NFL season? He trains back home in El Paso
EL PASO, Texas -- El Paso's Aaron Jones' work on the field in 2019 vaulted him to the top of the NFL. But off the field, the work starts in his hometown with two local trainers.
At Top View Fitness in northeast El Paso, Aaron and his brother Alvin train each offseason with El Paso natives Roberto Godinez and Jospeh Iglesias, who train not only the Jones's but pros in all sports.
"NFL players, MLB, MLS, NBA...just really come in their offseason or in season for some recovery work," says Godinez, who has been doing personal training for about four years now. "And we try to get them ready for the challenges that would come that week."
Top View also trains the top college and prep Athletes here in El Paso, ranging from UTEP to NMSU to Eastlake to Parkland. For Godinez and Iglesiais, two former local standouts themselves, they love nothing more than seeing them succeed.
"Do something not just to give back, but to also contribute to people's success," cites Godinez. "And open doors for kids that are high school athletes to be able to play in college and of course eventually make it to the pro level. That's always motivated me."
Top View's customized workout for Jones is highlighted by speed and agility drills, balance and stability drills, and also core strength to prepapre him for the grind of the NFL season.
Godinez and Iglesias, both Chapin High School graduates, closely study the athletes when they take the field in order to best design the most efficient training.
"We figure out what they need to work on and get in communication with them with what they feel like they need to improve on," says Godinez on training professionals. "We make sure to try and catch as many games as we can and see what you see on the field while they're playing."
Currently, Top View Fitness is preparing college athletes for the next next level through weekly "Pro Day" workouts.
College football players from all over the region, like Arizona Wildcats and Andress High School alum Tristan Cooper, chose to train with Top View because of the competition they provide.
"It makes everything a lot easier, a lot more fun," says Cooper, who played in 47 games at safety for Arizona over four years. "Being able to grind with these dudes and seeing the pain they go through and understanding that's that I feel too. So just keep pushing."
Cooper also says that the guys at Top View really try to help with national exposure for the local athletes.
"They care about you so much. They're trying to get you out there, they're trying their hardest. They don't care about the money."
The long term goal for Top View? Bring the national buzz to the local scene.
"We want to make El Paso the top destination for athletes to come train," says Godinez. "Not just local athletes, of course we love our local athletes. But overall make El Paso a top destination to train."
And it's not just athletes that train with Top View, anyone can come see what they are all about.
"We wanna make it affordable for people in El Paso. We care about about the people of El Paso," adds Iglesias, who also specializes in injury prevention. "Just how Aaron and Alvin do, it's the same way that we are."
"Never be too timid, you know? If pro athletes are training here, you should be too."
To see Godinez and Iglesias put ABC-7's Nate Ryan through the same workout as Aaron Jones, watch the full video at the top of this article.
Top View Fitness is located at 6410 Airport Road in El Paso.
