Re-Think Your 2020 Fitness Goals with Team Training instead of Fad Fitness.

Let’s Talk Progress:

Not going to lie to anyone I’ve had a lot of personal struggle this year, but I endured and continue to endure through what keeps coming my way. I’ve had some setbacks but part of progress is failing and then becoming stronger. One of the ways I was able to navigate them was maintaining a healthy lifestyle through a fitness program from Krave Gym. Krave gym isn’t like those other boot camp, booty shaping, fat burning, 6 week challenge or your money back type of programs. Their training sessions cycle through 6 seasons of different programming to focus on different aspects of fitness. So let’s get you up to speed with the progress I’ve had in the past year.

Here are some fun numbers: I started nutrition with Dan Hupke at Krave Gym end of July last summer. After one year of meticulously tracking every workout and meal, everything that I put into my body it came out to this:

July 31 2018: Weight: 189 lbs. Muscle: 40% Body Fat: 17.4%

Jan. 12 2019: Weight: 168.2 lbs. Muscle: 44.5% Body Fat: 10.9%

July 31 2018

Jan. 12 2019:

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I chose to work on building mass.

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I gained around 6 pounds of lean mass in a year.

I joined Krave Gym in October of 2017 and despite having my skin removal surgery that put me on the sideline for about 6 months until I was fully recovered, since then I’ve added 2 inches to my forearms, biceps, chest and calves. I’ve added 6 inches around my legs.

In the graphs below you can see, not all of my weigh-ins were perfect there were times where I let my nutrition slip, got sick or when I was adjusting my macros over the course of the year. The best part of keeping track of everything is you can see what resulted in the numbers you had that week. If my body comp changed I knew exactly what happened and why it happened and I had no one but myself to hold accountable. The spike right there at the end of the graph? Puerto Rican restaurant and I went over on my fat. Yup I know the exact reason!

If you have never done nutrition or personal training with one of the Krave Gym coaches I urge you to do so, it’s an eye opening experience and you’ll learn more about how your body handles nutrition than you ever have before.

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A Little Back Story About Me

You’re probably thinking, this is great and all but I don’t think I can do it or why should we listen to you who the heck is this guy? Well this was me in January 2014. I had already lost weight from starting with my doctor when I started my weightloss journey and joined my first gym. I started at 415 pounds, my first weigh in I was already down to 367lbs. The picture on the right was me before I started at krave gym. At roughly 180 lbs. Trust me I’ve tried all the diets, all the fad workouts, and sure it may work for some people or it may make you develop even unhealthier habits than overeating. Since joining Krave Gym and working with Dan I have learned more about nutrition and physical health in the last year than I ever have in the total of 6 years of my weightloss journey. So hopefully what I say carries some weight.

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What Being An Athlete means to me:

Krave Gym’s Team training is different than any other gym in town. They really push people to find their inner athlete or reconnect to the athlete they once were. You may be thinking well I’m not an athlete or that looks too intense for me, or I’m too old for that. Bullshit. Stop that thinking and trust me when I say this, if I can do it, you can do it. If the men and women well into their retirement can show up at 6am or 5:30pm and inspire you to push yourself harder during your workout…well you can do it too. I’ll level with you though. 

First, I was never very good at physical sports in high school.

I did however take a passion for marching band that I carried into my college time at ISU. If you think marching band isn’t athletic well you can go ahead and try holding a 20+ lbs instrument for an entire day, marching an 8 to 5…in cut time…while high stepping…all while pushing enough air through your instrument to make the people in the nosebleed section hear your melody above the roar of the crowd at a football stadium. Yeah it’s killer and probably why I still have big calves. That doesn’t mean I haven’t always wanted to be the “typical” athlete. For the most part I felt like I sidelined myself for a good portion of my life.

The community and the atmosphere of Krave Gym helped awaken apart of me I thought never possible or attainable. I mean I’ve always been pretty competitive, especially on my decked out overpowered paladin wielding top tier gear that could snuff out someone in 2 seconds, but being on a team within the gym is different than raiding a dungeon with 20 of your friends online for epic loot.

TL;DR: So what does being a Krave Athlete mean to me? 

People showing up that don’t just stand beside you but encourage you to make yourself stronger, coaches and staff that push you to your limits forcing you outside of comfort zones so that you grow and crush all the blocks you’ve placed in front of you to achieve your goals. That you are not alone, you are part of a community, a TEAM, that is growing WITH you. That, is what Krave Gym has taught me about being an athlete. #teamkravegym

On Current Goals

While working towards my weightloss goals and achieving them, I had to continually develop new ones to achieve. After losing all my weight they started simple like lets do a pull up to lets try a 5k obstacle course to always pushing myself to be greater, do the things I never thought I could do in any aspect of my life. I want to be able to do all that crazy shit you see people doing on the internet because I had convinced myself that I would never be able to do them. So while my goal is still to be able, Krave Gym’s programming has pushed me to set new ones. I’ve found a place where I can train and grow but also a team of people that want the same thing. 

So this Live to Lift™ season I had left my goals blank but that didn’t mean I had none. Currently my largest passive goal is to be able to lift my body weight when I decided to change my life. 415 pounds. Deadlift: 435 lbs. Squat: 405 lbs. Bench: 225lbs. I’ve got work to do on those and with the next race season coming around and me changing focus on agility, speed, and endurance I’ll most likely keep working on that passively through the year. 

I look forward to the Make-A-Move™ season starting in January due to the fact that I noticed a huge increase to my performance during my obstacle course races when that season overlapped with them. My footing was more sound, my responsiveness was quicker, my body was lighter and leaner. My goal is to run an elite wave this year and push my time to the fastest I’ve ever ran and I know if I stick with the training and do what my teammates and the staff tell me, I’ll be able.

On The Team & Community

By now I’m sure you get that fact that the team atmosphere is supportive, encouraging, but also inclusive. When I gained my weight I became a shut in and didn’t really feel accepted, mostly felt judged every time I walked down a crowded hall, elevator, or movie theatre. Being part of the LGBTQ community also weighed heavy on me and trying to navigate my way into a gym where I felt accepted has been a large personal struggle. So I’ve always been introverted.

I’ve been a part of other gyms that say they’re a community and don’t get me wrong you spend a year sweating next to the same people you’re likely to develop some friendships but Krave really was the first gym I’ve been a part of that I’ve felt like a part of a team. They not only encourage that mentality within the gym but actively participate in events that strengthen our local community. The Owners and the staff are always trying to grow with the needs of their athletes. It has been a long time since I’ve been a part of a more positive group of people who are passionate, caring and kind – but at the sametime will call you out, get on your ass if you’re slacking off during a workout, or lift you up when they see that you are down – as I am now.

Shout Outs:

I do have to give a shout out to Bobbi Renkel. She has been a true friend and teammate ever since I met her. Her energy and drive constantly remind me to keep going and to keep pushing. She has been on her own transformative journey and continues to grow along side me. Bobbi is truly amazing and constantly inspiring me with her attitude and drive. Her and I found a new passion together while at Krave Gym something I think neither of us really thought either of us would really fall into, obstacle races and just running in general. Though these are still fairly new to us we’re lucky to have athletes that train with us who are passionate about these things. Ashlee Downs and Brian White have given us a wealth of advice and continually answer our rookie questions and inspire us both to push ourselves even further.

Thank you to them and all the athletes who come together for those events with us and share in the triumph as we cross the finish line. As always, we welcome all who want to try the races to join us throughout the season.

Final Message

I’m going to end with my 2013 vs 2019 comparison pic. 415lbs down to 165 and back up to 195 today. My journey is far from over and my goals always being renewed once they are achieved. So take this moment right now, before 2020 starts and tell yourself; You can do this, You are able, You are not alone, You are an athlete. Come join my team and let’s crush 2020 together.

Get started here. Don’t worry it’s free to try and you’ll love the training session.