Kate Bargman
Owner
Kate and The Gym go waaaaay back – starting with an internship with Armand back in January of 2010. She’s trained and competed in a little bit of everything…CrossFit, Olympic lifting, and bodybuilding – you just won’t catch her training for any marathons. Fast forward to today where Kate handles all of the behind the scenes here at The Gym and keeps this place running smooth. We would be lost without her! • Favorite movement: Snatches, handstand walks, or overhead squats • Go-to post-workout snack: usually whatever I’m eating for lunch, or greek yogurt and berries • What she’s doing outside of The Gym: playing outside with the kids, spending time at the lake with family, or organizing something 🤓 • Co-worker she would choose to do a partner WOD with: Megan is my go-to! But I also really enjoy SWIMMING with Armand 😂 • Future Goals: Continue growing and building The Gym. Support our coaching staff to dream bigger and reach their own goals. • Best advice for beginners: This isn’t my best advice…it’s ALL my advice. Enjoy it! Be consistent. Don’t be so hard on yourself. This is a lifelong journey. You won’t be great when you start, and there will be plenty of times that you’ll feel as if no progress is being made. Somewhere along the way your priorities might change (new job, kids, injury, etc) and fitness for you might look different in some seasons of life. Forget the all or nothing mentality. Just show up ✌🏻
Travis Hansen
Owner
The master of one-liners. If you know, you know. Trav is our head XL Coach and maintenance man here at The Gym. He’s responsible for developing countless kids into powerhouse athletes. If anything needs fixed, Trav is the guy to fix it. The only coach to have not one, but TWO t-shirts with his face on it! • Favorite movement: the cool down • Go-to post-workout snack: protein bar and an apple • What he’s doing outside of The Gym: Riding his motorcycle and hanging out with friends • Co-worker he would choose to do a partner WOD with: It depends on the workout, but probably Kate • Future Goals: To continue to develop as a leader and a role model so our staff can develop into leaders and role models for our members • Best advice for beginners: Be patient and don’t get discouraged quickly. Trust the process!
Megan Timmins
Owner
Meg comes from the volleyball world, previously playing D1 volleyball at the University of Iowa. She is still heavily involved in playing in recreation leagues and coaching volleyball with the highly successful Six Pack league. Meg is our head CrossFit coach, runs our @kilokwikiesworkouts program, and manages our internship program. Meg has a strong passion for health and fitness and is a true example of “don’t talk about it, be about it!” • Favorite movement: power cleans or muscle-ups • Go-to post-workout snack: cottage cheese and fruit • What she’s doing outside of The Gym: coaching volleyball or walking the dogs • Co-worker she would choose to do a partner WOD with: Kate • Future Goals: Continue to grow the gym and create a better atmosphere for the members and keep my family active and healthy. • Best advice for beginners: Nobody is going to judge you! The coaches are the primary ones concerned with your performance, and that’s only to help you get better!
Armand McCormick
Owner
If you’ve ever come to The Gym and asked yourself, “Who programs this sh*t?” – you can thank this guy. He’s also the one who started it all waaay back in the day after being introduced to it by his buddy Brian Chontosh. This was long before CrossFit became commonly known. Armand said he loved everything about the grit and performance aspect of it. Soon after, he met Jared Bargman who had also recently found CrossFit, and together they said…”f*ck it, let’s start a gym.” The rest is history! • Favorite movement: Ring muscle-ups or handstand walks • Go-to post-workout snack: 15 years ago…hot pockets. Now I tend to eat whatever I can find that is minimal fats, high carbs, and protein. I’m not picky about my food. • What he’s doing outside of The Gym: anything fun and active. Water sports, playing ball with the dudes, golf, handy work. Looking for more opportunities. • Co-worker he would choose to do a partner WOD with: I love doing workouts with Sarah. But, partner running with Kate is a super fabulous experience! • Future Goals: Build more. A lot more. Encourage my kids to understand that playing hard is fun but you can’t play hard if you don’t work harder. I want to help provide them and anyone I work with an opportunity to achieve way more than they can dream. • Best advice for beginners: Shut up and learn. Be humble about your own abilities, and understand you have a long time to improve. But give an honest effort every day.
Sarah McCormick
Owner
The OG. The only one that can put up with Armand’s crazy. Sarah was a Division 1 track athlete at UNI and found her love of CrossFit in 2009. After struggling with nutrition throughout college, she wanted to use her experience to help other people, and from there she founded our nutrition program! Sarah has helped numerous people change their lives for the better by educating and empowering them to make health and nutrition a priority. She also wins the award for most fashionable and best dressed out of all of us! • Favorite movement: Burpees! • Go-to post-workout snack: After a workout it’s an Arbonne protein shake. In general: egg whites and avocado toast. • What she’s doing outside of The Gym: whatever the kids want to do! • Co-worker she would choose to do a partner WOD with: Armand. • Future Goals: Expand business either with this gym or the Hammerhead Gyms in Florida. • Best advice for beginners: Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Zildjian Seehase
Coach
Z is the first face you’ll see when joining The Gym! She’ll take you through your initial No Sweat Intro, talk through your goals with you, and help you come up with a plan to help you reach them. You might also know her as our nutrition wizard! She has helped countless people learn to balance their health and lifestyle and transform their lives with nutrition. Z is a goal setter and a go-getter and the perfect coach to have in her position! We are super thankful to have her as part of our team! • Favorite movement: toes to bar • Go-to post-workout snack: apple and Ascent protein shake • What she’s doing outside of The Gym: hanging out with family outside (husband, son, and 3 dogs) • Co-worker she would choose to do a partner WOD with: Bri because we’ve done them together before • Future Goals: Continue to grow and expand our nutrition programs! • Best advice for beginners: You don’t have to be in shape to start! Be consistent with it, you won’t see progress in only a few weeks.
Isaac Barrett
Coach
Isaac was first introduced to The Gym back in High School when he went through our XL Sports Program. He’s been coaching for us for just over a year – and has been doing CrossFit just as long. He’s been an awesome addition to our staff from having an XL background and jumped right into getting to know the CrossFit side of coaching. Recently he completed an Olympic strength program, qualified, and competed at the USA Weightlifting Nationals in Las Vegas 🏋🏼 • Favorite movement: Cleans • Go-to post-workout snack: protein shake • Co-worker he would choose to do a partner WOD with: Trav – because he’d go the same pace 😂 • What he’s doing outside of The Gym: playing golf, playing cards, or coaching football 🏈 • Future goals: run his own gym one day • Best advice for beginners: Continue to show up! 👊🏻
Jacob Clark
Coach
The Gym’s very own powerlifting guru. Jake has been in the sport of powerlifting since 2015, competing and now coaching athletes at a national level. He realized he wanted to start coaching after he lost a lot of weight and wanted to help others do the same and live a better, healthier, more active life. He’s also recently started his own company, Iron Gorilla Equipment Sales LLC! • Favorite movement: narrow grip incline bench press • Go-to post-workout snack: whey protein and cereal bars • What he’s doing outside of The Gym: reading, playing guitar, and playing video games • Co-worker he would choose to do a partner WOD with: Travis. He’s a good combo of funny but can also put some work in. • Future Goals: Bench 500 lbs and build a successful company. • Best advice for beginners: Get out of your own way and just start. Rip off the bandaid and stop overthinking it.
Bri Netty
Coach
Bri is one of our CrossFit Kids coaches (they LOVE her), and the manager over at UPFit. You’ll also see her leading a few CrossFit classes here at The Gym each week. She graduated from the University of Northern Iowa this summer with a degree in Physical Education and Strength and Conditioning💜🐱 We love the enthusiasm and drive that Bri brings to our team and can’t wait to see where that takes her in life. • Favorite movement: Cleans • Go-to post-workout snack: FitAid and a barbell protein bar • What she’s doing outside of The Gym: Playing with her two kittens or spending time with family • Future Goals: Own a gym and have a family • Best advice for beginners: Find a buddy. Friends make fitness FUN🤩👭
Anna Forsyth
Coach
Anna started with us first as an intern, and we loved her so much we hired her on staff as a coach and admin assistant! She played collegiate soccer at UNI and earned her BA in Exercise Science in May. You might also catch her pouring your favorite cup of coffee at @sidecarcoffee. Anna brings a great energy to The Gym and we’re lucky to have her! • Favorite movement: kipping handstand push-ups • Go-to post-workout snack: apple + peanut butter • What she’s doing outside of The Gym: I love to read, sit outside, and drink coffee! • Co-worker she would choose to do a partner WOD with: Bri • Future Goals: Become a full time coach at the gym, begin personal training clients, and become involved in coaching soccer • Best advice for beginners: Don’t cherry pick workouts. Show up everyday even if it’s stuff you’re not good at! Only way to get better is to work on it!
Augustus Linke
Coach
Gus is one of our part-time coaches that you’ll usually catch here in the mornings. When he’s not coaching or working out, he’s taking classes at UNI or helping with his friend’s screen-printing business. He’s super passionate about fitness and loves the competitive aspect of CrossFit as a sport. We love the intensity he brings to our competitor program and look forward to seeing what he does in the future!
• Favorite movement: front squat
• Go-to post-workout snack: protein shake
• What he’s doing outside of The Gym: spending time with my wife, Grace
• Co-worker he would choose to do a partner WOD with: Isaac
• Future Goals: Get a gym dog and make it to the CrossFit Games
• Best advice for beginners: Don’t forget that exercise is just a third of the work (diet and recovery).
Megan Lechtenberg
Coach
Megan brings a unique perspective to our coaching team. Her journey into the fitness industry began after a successful career in education, where she honed her skills working with kids. Life led her in a different direction, and we’re so grateful it did! Megan now excels in coaching CrossFit and FUSION classes for adults, while also spearheading our CrossFit Kids program. Her knack for connecting with children and exceptional organizational skills make her an invaluable addition to our team, helping members of all ages discover fitness freedom and consistency.
Eric Banworth
Eric leads a handful of CrossFit classes at The Gym each week. Our members rave about his coaching skills, and he has a natural talent for building strong connections with everyone. Eric’s willingness to help out and his inclusive coaching style make him a valuable asset to our team. His dedication to our gym community is evident, and we’re thrilled to have him as part of our coaching staff.
• Fun Fact About Yourself: I have had to use the oxygen mask on an airplane.