As Kevin Durant once said, “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” This statement remains true for two performance training gyms in the Cedar Rapids area as student athletes are constantly looking to improve their craft. Zach Koch established CR Performance in the fall of 2017 in hopes to help athletes benefit from getting stronger, faster and more explosive. CR Performance Training is an athletic training facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that works with middle school, high school and collegiate athletes in small group formats to focus more attention on what an athlete needs to improve their performance. “Whether it is strength training, speed, agility or explosiveness we work on it all to make a well-rounded developed athlete,” Koch said. Koch, a Kennedy High School graduate, was involved in sports until his senior year of high school. After graduation, Koch enlisted in the United States Marine Corps where he continued to play sports for base and unit teams while serving. After returning from the Marine Corps, Koch found a need in the Cedar Rapids area and responded. “When I moved back home to Cedar Rapids, I started training adult clients. I realized that there was not a local place working with athletes. I then built this program on a much smaller scale and started working with high school athletes,” Koch said. Senior Alexis Beier attends CR Performance on a weekly basis in order to prepare for her upcoming school and club basketball seasons. “Training at CR Performance Training has helped me build so much more confidence in my abilities. I went into it wanting to feel stronger, but overtime I started to see results not only in my strength but also in my abilities on the court. Zach pushes and encourages each of us to get better each day, while still being cognizant of our abilities,” Beier said. Although being able to see athletes succeed at what they have worked hard for in their sport is rewarding for Koch, he values the success outside of their respected sport just as much. “Seeing athletes succeed outside of the sport is just as good as when they are on the field court or track. The young men and women are more than just athletes, sometimes coaches forget that. They are more than a jersey number, or a member of a team,”Koch said. Hard Drive Elite is another performance facility in Cedar Rapids. With a staff of nearly six former collegiate athletes, Hard Drive Elite hosts some of the area’s top athletes. Hard Drive Elite strives to create a different kind of workout, unlike big gyms, such as Lifetime Fitness and Planet Fitness, who continue to offer one size fits all solutions. Junior Sierra Durin trains with other athletes and coaches in hopes to improve her craft. “My favorite thing about H.D is the trainers. They have helped me to become better by training me with the best technique and amazing equipment, they continually push me to be a better and stronger athlete,” Durin said. Both facilities strive to make the Cedar Rapids and surrounding areas athletes better on and off the pitch.Cedar Rapids Performance Training can be found at crperformancetraining.com and Hard Drive Elite can be found at harddriveelite.com.