Michael and Raquel grew up in downtown Hamilton (born and raised) and attended Cathedral High School in the downtown urban core. Their hearts are tied to their neighbourhood, and they have always wanted to be a part of its potential and growth. The core is where they have settled and where they raise their sons. Giving back to the community is at the heart of their business philosophy. The core is known for its grit, hustle, perseverance, as the couple acknowledges as “it’s in your bones.” There is a physical toughness about downtown that brings out the desire to survive that Raquel and Michael liken to a boxing ring; the charged atmosphere challenges you to go toe-to-toe with your competitor—you against you. This part of the city is the very foundation that Cornell Performance Academy is built on and continues to builds on.

Cornell Performance Academy opened its doors in 2013 in Hamilton, Ontario, with a dream to host a facility that would empower a community with similar interests and goals through high-performance athletic training.

Almost a decade of sweat, tears and a little blood has passed. CPA is now a 10,000 square foot facility in downtown Hamilton, located on Cannon St. E, with hand-picked, curated equipment for peak physical performance. We offer physiotherapy, personal training, athletic development, memberships, nutritional coaching and more. We are proud of our past and the paths we have walked with our clients. We stand behind our work ethic and track record and continue to learn, grow, and teach.

It is not surprising that the film “Rocky” was, and still is, an inspiration to the gym. The dream was to build a ‘rocky’ style gym, and the belief that the best training happened not in the glitz and glamour but the clamor of a busy downtown metropolis. Transformation begins in the ashes like the Phoenix rising in power with the energy of fire. The gym reflects this symbolism by the training style further inspired by the artwork on the walls. CPA is about empowerment, not fads or the latest gimmick; the goals are tangible, beginning with the fundamentals. We wanted our new location to match our drive, heart, and passion for inspiring clients to get out of their comfort and dig deeply into that drive to succeed for their personal goals.

CPA is all about diversity, ages and stages, ability, ethnicity, gender, and orientation, to work for one goal, and to rise while raising one another. Cornell Performance’s mission is to build the athlete within each person that walks through its doors.

Every person matters. Every goal will have its path. Every person will be encouraged to take charge of their health and well-being.

The CPA Coaching team will continue to focus on every single one of our clients to provide them with the courage to achieve their goals and be the best they can be. Cornell Performance Academy is a community in the heart of the city.