Bret was so thorough in his responses that we have decided to leave them as is!! Here are Bret’s responses to our Athlete Shout-Out questions verbatim:
1. What is your background? I.e. where you grew up, where you went to school, current occupation, family, currently living
I grew up in rural Oklahoma and graduated from Carney High School. Carney is a tiny town with ~650 population, when I graduated in 2000 the class had a whopping 18 students. After college I worked in Precision Ag for almost a decade before going into IT sales for ICE Technologies headquartered in Pella. I am married and have three blonde headed boys ages 7,6, and 3 that you may see at the gym from time to time. In May we moved to Clive just a block north of Eason Elementary after living for 4 years in Winterset. Our new house is the perfect distance to Krave Waukee at just over a mile right down the Clive Greenbelt Trail. Although the bike ride or run back to the house after the workout can be tough, especially on leg day!
2. What is your athletic and training experience? I.e. Sports you have played, exercising that you have done, favorite type of exercise, rec leagues/races
In my little town where the only sports where baseball and basketball we didn’t have many options. Baseball was the big one, and since we did not have football due to not enough students to play, there was a fall and spring season of baseball and winter was reserved for basketball. Baseball was my sport but I did play basketball as well. We had no real strength training in school so when I started going to the gym it was all new to me, but I loved it and have kept it up for the most part over the years. During college I was an All-American 12 oz curler, a pursuit I still enjoy from time to time. I really enjoy strength training and group exercise which works out great as a team member at Krave. In the last few years I have done a few obstacle course races and had a great time doing them. I plan on using the training we do at Krave to do a few more of them. I tend to enjoy the “curling” event after the races as well, anyone is welcome to join me!
3. What are some of the changes you have experienced since joining Krave Gym? I.e physical/athletic changes, mental/emotional changes, friends you have made, attitude changes
I worked out for many years by myself going to the gym and pushing weights, and not really having competition other than myself. That gets boring. One of the things I really love about Krave is that open competition is encourage, tastefully of course. This has changed the way I work out. This friendly competition pushes me to be better at each and every session. The well planned seasons have been awesome as well. Since they change up the look of the gym and the exercises I don’t have to worry about getting bored. Another big perk is not having to concern myself with creating an exercise plan. This has saved a ton of time and uncertainty for me, just show up and listen, it doesn’t get easier than that. It is so much better to walk into Krave and see smiling faces and a clean, dynamic atmosphere than to walk into a drab cinder block room with a few machines, a bench and a mirror. The more time I spend at Krave the more the gym community is apparent, and its great to be a part of that.
4. What do you recommend about Krave Gym?
Krave does a wonderful job of creating an atmosphere that is welcoming and competitive, which I think can be tricky. I never felt intimidated to get going even as a new member with novice training skills. I’ve gotta give a shout out to the coaches these guys and gals run a tight shop and are always eager to help out. I’ve dealt with a few injuries this year and I can always rely on them to come up with innovative moves to keep me in the gym and hopefully soon, off the injured list. I am also a huge fan of giving back to the community and Krave puts that at the forefront through charity and awareness events. My favorite thing though is the season championships, if you haven’t been to one you gotta go!
