03/25/2026
Champions Fitness Expands to Lake Crystal
by Michelle van HeeVan Hee Media editor
Breau (Miller) Hulke is amazed at how her business, Champions Fitness, has grown. It began in 2017 with group workouts in the park back in her hometown of St. James. Hulke wanted to share her passion for fitness and help others who could use support and a community. From there, she began training female student athletes and was working from the garage at her home in Nicollet. However, the number of girls she was training grew and she began training women also. So, she expanded into a separate building in Nicollet. Now, for the past several years, the business keeps growing and she is to the point where she has added trainers and is opening a second location in downtown Lake Crystal.
What used to be Ace Hardware on Main Street is now being transformed into a second Champions Fitness location and Hulke is thrilled. If all goes according to plan, it should be ready in a couple of weeks. She has student athletes who are coming to her from all over Southern Minnesota - even as far as an hour away. She chose Lake Crystal for the expansion because she has current clients, as well as people who want to come train with her and her staff, asking for a closer locale. A lot of Champions Fitness adult clients are from Lake Crystal, and they have been encouraging her for years to expand. “This building opened up, and we went through a process of seeing if we could make it work,” Hulke said. It all fell into place and that helped her embrace the idea that she was ready for this expansion. “So, here we are,” Hulke said, “And we’re super excited to be able to help so many more athletes. We’ve had a lot of people reach out, and stop by the gym lately, and it’s been super fun meeting everyone.”
First off, this is not a 24/7 kind of gym. It is all scheduled classes with trained professionals. The personal training for athletes is just one side of the business. People want to know what Champions Fitness offers both youth and adults. Being a young athlete in particular comes with many challenges even if you are having success and growth. And that looks different for everyone, so that is where personalized support and customized programs are really helpful. And although the majority of clients are female, boys are welcome too.
Individualized training is important, especially when an athlete is struggling with an injury and other types of adversity. Hulke understands that it is not just about physical training, there’s the whole mental health side to sports and life also. She is starting to work with some mental health coaches who will offer another piece of the puzzle for helping the whole person. “I struggled with mental health my first year of college, and that’s why it went south,” Hulke shared. “To be able to have that coaching in our facility, knowing that kids - even some who you would never guess would struggle with mental health - need this, is so near and dear to my heart.” For her, it is great to get to know these athletes and learn what motivates and inspires each one to strive for their greatest potential. “And that’s my favorite thing about training kids, I get to know them on a different level, and I can be there for them,” Hulke said.
For the youth, they always tell the athletes to come 10 minutes early for a training session so they can get warmed up. Then they work for 20 to 25, minutes on speed, Plyometrics and footwork, and then for the next 40 minutes, the kids go into their own individualized workouts based on their sport and if they are in-season or out of season. Those are going to be different workouts.
Things they focus on include coordination, mobility, speed, strength, endurance, movements, and understanding their bodies.
They do some lifting, but not lifting heavy because most younger athletes do not need that. (For the littles classes. Our High school and college age do)
The adult classes will have sections and they are looking to have two to three classes per day for adults. Right away, Hulke will see how many people are interested in coming to the gym and base the number of classes and times on the interest levels. They are looking at morning, mid-morning and night classes daily for adults. Classes will focus on strength and endurance and also they want to offer Pilates classes. Another part of the business is an online community of about 200 women who tune in via Zoom every day for live workouts that are also recorded. Those happen at 5:30 a.m. Hulke and two other trainers - Lauren Hughes and Leslie Meshke - work together.
“We’re growing every day, we keep getting more and more trainers who are working with us, and who are looking to help elevate kids’ skills and get them to the next level. And helping adults with the goals they have also. And so it’s fun to work with people that are like-minded,” Hulke said. She knows there is a lot of pressure to succeed in life, sports and business. It takes work, dedication and sacrifice. But it is worthwhile. “You have to work for things; you’re not going to get it handed to you,” Hulke said. When you put in that time, effort, and that sweat equity, you get so much more than you may even have expected.
Hulke wants to model that not just for herself, and for her clients, but also her young daughter. Those lessons from the gym translate to success in all areas of life; basically, you get out of it what you put into it. And, you do not have to do it alone. Having a great team in sports - as well as life - is a huge key to success. And, Hulke, and the other Champions Fitness coaches will be there supporting their clients, and cheering so hard for the success that they have earned.
Hulke is so thankful to have such a good circle of people around her, including husband Ryan, and that is part of the secret to her success.
