Chase Voorhees
I first joined Bowling Green Powerhouse in August of 2018. I was still recovering from a severe back injury and could barely do any kind of lifting. Stephen Burba started a strength program for me prior to entering Strongman for recovery and Nikki Stock was simultaneously providing massage therapy. I entered the Strongman program in March 2019 and in less than 6 months I took second in my first ever Strongman Competition out of over 30 competitors in my weight class. Strongman is pure energy and testosterone. There's nothing but excitement for one another even if the guy you're yelling for is the guy you're trying to beat. It’s a different world than any other sport. I've never seen anything like it and couldn’t be happier with my programming and results.
Brooke Vinson
I started training with Stephen after my second child was born. I got sick of feeling like a frumpy mom blob and decided to do something about it. Within a year of training with Stephen, along with a healthy diet, I feel like me again. Sometimes I fall off the wagon with my diet, but Stephen always gets me back on track. Not only am I getting closer to reaching my weight loss goals, but I am also significantly stronger and more flexible. The best part, though, is that I have my confidence back. Thank you, Stephen, for making me a hot mom!
Keith "The Big Dog" Toensing
I first started training in powerlifting on my own, with "help" from the internet and online coaching from elite powerlifters. During this time I weighed in at 360 ballpark with a 58" waist and a 4 XL shirt. My current maxes the day I met Burba were a 475 squat, 325 bench, and 505 deadlift. I had issues hitting depth on my squats and was not able to trust the people in my previous gym to spot me and KNOW what a competition depth should be. I was nowhere near strong enough, or healthy enough for my weight class. My diet, though it was clean, was not as good as it should of been. I met Burba at a powerlifting meet, and I agreed to come check out Powerhouse gym and train with him for a bit. Honesty, it has been the best decision I have ever made. Within the first few weeks of training with Burba, he noticed many imbalances in my body that I never noticed from lifting alone or sending coaches videos online. He dialed back on the weights and started hammering out my weaknesses. At first, I will admit, I was upset because I didn't understand how lifting less weight would help. I was wondering if this gym was "legit". Then I woke up and felt like I was hit by a truck. I was more sore than I had been in a long time. I knew this was because I was activating muscles I have not been using. Burba dialed in my diet and showed me that I was not eating enough, and where it was lacking, and that was part of the issue. Again, at first I was wondering how eating more would help me at my size, but he proved himself before so I placed more trust in him. I am glad I did! Once we worked out my imbalances, and got my diet dialed in correctly, my numbers sky rocketed and the weight fell off. I currently weigh 330lbs, with a 48" waist and can wear a 2XL shirt. On my last meet I totaled 1505 with a 547 squat, 374 bench, and just nearly missed locking out a 600 pound deadlift (and that had only been my first time ever trying to pull it from the floor). I now hold 8 Federation State Records, and 4 Federation World Records. The most amazing thing about my growth is, IT ALL HAPPENED WITHIN 4 MONTHS OF TRAINING WITH HIM!!! Most importantly, besides my progress Burba has helped me with, has been his attitude. He is not only very knowledgeable, but understanding, supportive, and motivating. He really understands that each person is different, and can adapt to it to help that person. He also is very supportive of his lifters. After my first week with him, and still to this day after meets or very hard training days, I would get a text asking "How are you feeling?" or "Great work tonight". Burba has always been there for me anytime I have had a question about training or dieting. I could not be where I am today, and making the progress I am now without his guidance. I learned that you can only go so far with the internet, and that just because an elite lifter is strong it does not mean they can coach. A true coach is a different breed of man. If you’re serious about your sport or growth, come check it out and find out for yourself. What do you have to lose besides what you could potentially be?
