As an All-American athlete, Brant Luehman, owner of 3:12 Fitness, knows a thing or two about sports. And as a personal trainer and coach, he knows how to motivate others to get the job done.
Luehman’s love of health and fitness showed up early. There were sports in elementary, junior high and high school in his hometown of Amery, Wis., and track and football at Hamline University, where he earned a degree in psychology. He became a keen observer of his coaches, who taught him the technical aspects of sports, but also showed him the importance of having heart and digging deep.
That heart is what would propel him to become an All-American athlete in 2009 and 2010, after Luehman and three of his Hamline track teammates began competing in the 4 by 4 relay race. “We started to realize we were doing pretty well,” he says. “So every practice and every meet we focused on being the best we could be.”
They did well at conference. They qualified for nationals but got bumped out. Until, that is, they competed at a last-chance meet and made their way back in. And then they advanced to the finals. In preparation for the event, they pushed each other to do better. And during that final relay race, when the starting gun went off, they were ready. “We all ran the best race we had ever run,” says Luehman. Their time? 3:12.66.
In 2009, they came in fourth, which put them in All-American status. “That is what really developed who I am,” Luehman says. “In the beginning, we never thought we could do go to nationals, much less place. But once we realized what we wanted to accomplish, and we realized our potential to get it, we worked for it. And we did it.”
Pinpoint a specific goal and develop a plan to help you get there.His path was set and he knew he wanted to replicate that feeling for others. After college, Luehman got a job at a small hospital-affiliated fitness center in Amery, where he worked with a wide range of people; from the folks who took the morning water-aerobics class to employee-filled classes to those in the Silver Sneakers class. He was (and still is) coaching boys’ track and field at Simley High School.
Luehman worked as a personal trainer for a big-box gym, but knew the one-size-fits-all approach wasn’t for him. “I wanted more control,” he says. “And I wanted it to be more personal.” So, as the universe often provides when you’re on the right path, a perfect opportunity came his way. A gym owner was looking to move and wanted to sell the equipment and have someone take over the lease, which is what Luehman did.
He opened 3:12 Fitness in April 2013 and moved to his current location in June 2014, where he offers personal training, a few classes, and puts his “train to live” motto into action for others. “For us, it was to be great on the track. For others, it might be building strength to keep up with grandkids,” says Luehman. “I work with a guy who goes to Hawaii every year and he loves it, so we work on the muscles to make him a better surfer,” he adds. “My job is to help other people find what they want to do, to accomplish, and help them reach those goals.”
Tips on Getting Fit
->Find a buddy.
->Learn proper form and technique.
->Get plenty of sleep.
->Seek out dieticians, chiropractors, massage therapists and other practitioners who can help treat the whole body.
