About Me
My name is Joe Krauss and here’s my story.
My fitness journey began freshman year of high school lifting with the football team. I learned at the age of 14 how to lift with proper form and all the principles and techniques that go with weight training. Freshman year max out day, I deadlifted 315 lbs and tore off several layers of skin on my hand getting that weight up. Fun fact: real lifters have calluses form on their hands to protect the skin from ripping off as it did. As with all freshmen on any football team, I got a decent amount of hazing from the upperclassman. This builds character.
I actually learned from day one that possessing the ability to lift heavy weights not only makes one stronger and more physically imposing, it also earns you respect. Think about it. If you walk into the gym and see a guy who’s totally jacked, you’re not going to start a fight with that person. Matter of fact, 9 times out of 10, people will envy that person. Because they put in the work…and it shows!
Football is an extremely physical sport, and just like any sport, becoming stronger will drastically increase performance! I realized this and I made the weight room my second home. Fast forward to junior year and I had the highest squat max on the team at 500 lbs. I might be an outlier because I’ve always liked lifting since I first started at 14. I liked the physiological changes it created in my body. I liked how through hard work, determination and grit, it allowed me to best my opponents on the field, whether in practice or a game. While I was one of the top two strongest guys on the team, I was overweight and my stamina was awful. It was hard to lose weight as a lineman because any time I’d lose a few pounds, my lineman coaches would ask why and tell me they need me big! Well, there’s a fine line between healthy big and unhealthy big. Throughout high school, I weighed 275 lbs. and what I had in strength, I lacked in speed and conditioning. I was indubitably a brute, but the amount of bodyfat I carried made it hard for me to be as effective as possible on the field and it wasn’t great for my health and happiness off the field.
The year after I graduated high school, I really took things up a notch! I continued to lift 3-5 days a week and I started playing basketball for my cardio. By the time that year ended, I had lost 90 lbs. and had completely transformed my body. The confidence this work ethic and subsequent transformation has given me has changed my life! I’ve been working out pretty much every day ever since and found my passion helping other reach their fitness goals. My unique approach to training my clients and the people skills I’ve developed over the years have resulted in many satisfied clients who live much healthier lives.
I attribute my success in this industry to the fact that I have a genuine passion for training and for helping others! Some of the texts, calls and in-person statements I’ve received from my clients about how I have changed their lives, given them their confidence back, staved off diabetes and are just happier and more functionally sound is the reason I am proud to be a personal trainer. I’m just so very happy that I have found something that I’m extremely passionate about and I will continue to service my clients for as long as I live!
