I’m coach Brandt. I’ve been working in the fitness industry since 2010!


In 2010 I was certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a Personal Trainer and worked at Malibu Fitness in New Holland, P.A. I worked for Malibu, while finishing my Associates Degree at Harrisburg Area Community College for Exercise Science. During that time I also played, two seasons in the American Lacrosse League.

For the 2009, 2010, 2011 season I served as the Garden Spot High Schools Boys Assistant Lacrosse Coach.
In 2012 I changed my direction of service and joined the Reading Police Academy where I went on to serve as a Patrol Office with the Lebanon City Police Department until I resigned to return to my passion in 2016.

In 2015 I received my CrossFit Level One Certification and began coaching at CrossFit Ephrata. In 2016 I received my Level Two Crossfit Certification and began coaching full time at CrossFit Ephrata.
I hold current certifications in: Crossfit Level Two Certification, CrossFit Weightlifting, CrossFit Gymnastics, CrossFit Aerobic Capacity, Crossfit Anatomy, Crossfit Scaling, Crossfit Spot the Flaw and Crossfit Judging. MWOD Mobility and Movement Specialist.

Brandt has qualified for several Crossfit sanctioned events. In 2019 Brandt qualified a team for the Granite Games, in 2020 he qualified a team for Wodapalooza and The Mid Atlantic Crossfit Championship. Brandt is certified in gut biology, metabolism, hormones and nutritional coaching by M2 Performance Nutrition.

Brandt also specialize in Sports Performance and one on one individual Lacrosse skill development.

Brandt is also employed by Cocalico High School since 2020 as the High School Boys Assistant Lacrosse Coach . He is also a USA Lacrosse Gold level coach.

Wife to David Barker and homeschooling mom of five young humans, I’ve got to keep learning, growing and changing so that my children are inspired to become life-long learners.

Sports and fitness have always been a part of my life. Having grown up with 5 brothers and 5 sisters, we were always challenging each other in volleyball, basketball and hockey. Competitive is a word we’re quite familiar with!

I joined ESC in 2019, first as a three-days-a-week member, but quickly switched to full-time because it seemed that I was always missing the best workouts. The constantly varied, high intensity programming is always driving me to improve. The rower and Cleans are two of my favorite exercises. I’m chasing virtuosity: ‘doing the common uncommonly well’ inside the gym and in daily life. I took the CFL1 training in 2022 and value the opportunity it has provided me to improve myself while at the same time doing what I love most: encouraging others in becoming better humans.

Health is so much more than fitness and nutrition. Health starts in how one thinks. How we view ourselves, others and the world in general. A favorite quote of mine is: “We see things not as they are, but as we are.”

Education- High school calvary christian academy. Three years at Temple University Business Marketing. L1 certification, and M2 performance Nutrition coach certification and Gut and microbiome Health Cert. 

Fitness has been a part of my life since i was a child. Sports of all sorts through high school, my most played was field hockey. Ive always been into fitness as a young adult and mom i always trained on my own, mostly plyometrics and HIIT style workouts. My favorite however is weight training! I have seen the most results from pushing my body and intensity under heavy weight training. I feel the best I have ever felt! 

I am self employed. My husband and I own several businesses including a home care agency, insurance agency, and nutrition and wellness business. I am also crossfit coach which i love because i love people and serving others. I personal train and coach strength and agility at my children's school. 

My favorite exercise is Leg Day! Am I allowed to choose that?!  But seriously Romanian deadlifts are one of my favorite movements. Also burpees they are fun 😆

Health to me is wellness in your mind and your body. Mindset, Nutrition and Fitness should be working in unison for optimal growth. I look at the body as a whole. Health is taking care of yourself everyday. Making choices that move you closer to where you want to be. Discipline is what gets you there. Showing up for yourself because you know it matters, that you matter. Im leaving a legacy for my family when i focus on my health, and honestly, I'm a better version of myself when I'm healthy and whole.  

Favorite dinosaur- Brontosaurus. They are herbivores and were known for being gentle giants! I like to think my internal need for loving plants and people allow me to call this dinosaur my kin lol 

Beca Zimmerman

Owner / Coach

CFL1

I became a mother at 19 years old and raising my two girls has been my job and my joy ever since.

In 2014 I decided to go to Cosmetology School and I completed it but decided not to pursue it as a career, choosing to focus on family and our home life instead.

I started Fitness in 2015 with almost no background in sports or fitness. I truly had to start from the bottom and work my way up with both strength and skills- and I’m still working my way up with both!

I received my CrossFit Level 1 coaching certificate in 2019. I am also certified in gut biology by M2 Performance Nutrition. I honestly never thought I’d become a coach. I thought it was really amazing and liked the idea but didn’t think I had what it took. It wasn’t until I was given the love and support of the members of Ephrata Strength and Conditioning that I really felt I could serve my community by coaching.

What I personally love about Fitness is, of course, the community. That’s what truly sets it apart from any other gym model. We come in and push ourselves as a team, we make incredible new friends, we truly build a whole new family. I also love the functionality of it. Anyone can walk in and receive the same stimulus of the workout as everyone else through scaling to their ability.

I’m just so honored have the opportunity to coach at Ephrata Strength and Conditioning; not to be served, but to serve others.

Prior to my ‘fitness’ days, I was an elementary classroom teacher for almost 7 years. In 2014 I decided to resign from teaching to focus on raising both of my boys. Shorty after, I began my fitness journey. In doing so, I realized I wanted a future in helping others along their personal fitness journey.

I pursued this passion by obtaining my Level 1 CrossFit certification. I have been a part-time coach since the fall of 2017. I am also certified in gut biology by M2 Performance Nutrition.

Health and fitness has not always been a priority of mine. Although I dabbled in sports when I was younger, I did not play sports in college. Honestly, I didn’t have much of an athletic background. In 2012, I took my first group exercise class. It was military based circuit training.

I was introduced to Fitness in 2015. I signed up for my first CrossFit Open that year! I really didn't know what Fitness was, I just signed up because that's what all my friends were doing. Coming to understand what Fitness was and what it represented, gave me a whole new motivation for working out. I also spent two years focusing on Olympic lifting with Garage Strength. They helped me build my foundations for barbell work. I still use cues I’ve learned from them in my own lifting, as well as while coaching. In 2017 I joined CrossFit Ephrata and began putting more focus on my training. This is also where I received my first coaching experiences! I had the opportunity to co-coach with Brandt. I am honored to call Ephrata Strength and Conditioning my second home! I have gotten to know Brandt and Beca very well over the past few years and look up to both of them as friends, coaches and leaders.

I was initially drawn to Fitness for the community! I have continued to come back each day for the 'family-like' atmosphere. There is something special about pushing yourself through grueling workouts with someone else by your side. I’ve ended up building special bonds with fellow Fitness members by allowing myself to let my guard down, and making myself vulnerable to getting better. I also love that a mix of varying ability levels can attend the same CrossFit class, receive a personally tailored workout, and all leave knowing they got a great workout!

My passion is to help others find the best version of themselves! As a full time classroom teacher, my goal was to inspire and motive children to become active and productive citizens. I feel honored to be given the opportunity to pursue those same goals with ESC’s youth!

I graduated from a local high school, Cocalico. Then earned a bachelors degree in elementary education and special education. I am currently working toward earning my masters degree in educational psychology with a specialization in neuropsychology.

I currently posses a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer certification and in addition to that, I have completed the following CrossFit courses: Anatomy, Lesson Planning, Scaling, and Spot the

I have been doing Fitness for about 3 years now. It has almost been 2 full years doing Fitness after finishing my athletic career playing football in college.

I enjoy Fitness because it is constantly different and there is always some skill or domain to improve.

I also love the group of friends I have gained over the years that enjoy chasing improvement daily too. It’s always better to fitness together!

Outside the walls of Ephrata Strength & Conditioning, I am a middle school teacher at Cocalico Middle School and an assistant coach for the Cocalico High School football team.

Certifications: CrossFit Dumbbell and CrossFit Programming

1. Certifications:

• Crossfit L1 certified

• Former competitive gymnast/gymnastics coach

• Regional track athlete

• Black belt in Isshinryu Karate

• State/Nationally ranked powerlifter

2. How long have you been doing Fitness?

I started fitness after I had my son. I’ve been in the game for 7-8 years but truly only feel like I found my niche two years ago. Like most women I started fitness to lose weight, but over time my opinion of women’s health/appearance has changed drastically.

3. Extra curriculars besides Fitness?

If I’m not at the gym, you can find me devouring tacos with my son, Camdyn. Spoiling my pup. Nerding out on books 🤓. Nourishing my plant babies. Hiking. Kayaking. Soaking up the sun. And traveling as much as possible whenever work allows.

4. What do you love about Fitness?

So many things come to mind. If you know me, you know my love for barbells run deep. Something about slingin’ barbells sets my soul on fire. But on the opposite spectrum, I love everything handstand. I could do gymnastics every day and never get sick of it. Mostly I just love that crossfit has changed peoples perception about women. Strong women are celebrated here and that’s a community I can get behind.

In 2015 I signed up for my first Spartan Race, the 4-mile Sprint. Through that, I realized that I can accomplish whatever it is that I set my mind to. Thus began my fitness journey.

As I continued to compete in various OCRs, I quickly recognized the fact that in order to compete on the next level, I must focus on strength and endurance training. After a quick google search and without even knowing what Fitness was, I signed up for my first Fitness class in 2016. I was hooked.

The camaraderie and positive atmosphere both from coaches and fellow athletes is what I most appreciate about the Fitness community; the workouts also, as they cover the entire spectrum of cardio and strength.

I am passionate about becoming the best version of one’s self, and inspiring others to do likewise. I obtained my L1 coaching certification in 2020 and am currently taking various other Fitness courses to improve my effectiveness as a coach.

Outside the gym I am dad to 5 fine kids and husband to an incredible woman. I am part-owner at Martin’s Powder Coating and live on an Old-McDonald farm where there’s never a dull moment. My next goal is to complete the 30-mile Spartan Ultra.

History of Education and Certifications:

• Bachelor of science in Public Relations

• Minor in Health and Physical Education

• Crossfit Lvl 1 Trainer

How long have you been doing fitness?

• I’ve been doing Fitness for 1 1/2 years

What do you do for a profession?

• Realtor for Berkshire Hathaway Homesale Realty

• Assistant football coach for Lebanon Valley College

What is your favorite exercise?

• My favorite exercise would have to be snatches because of how technical it is to complete the lift.

Favorite Dinosaur?

• My favorite dinosaur is the Spinosaurus because it is just a more dangerous version of the T-Rex
  

A little about yourself and Crossfit.

I have loved being married since in 2007 and fathering our 4 children(1 girl and 3 boys). Our family gets the privilege of serving full-time with YWAM(Youth With A Mission) locally in our hometown of Ephrata, PA. We have traveled A LOT and have gotten to experience a lot of life outside of Lancaster.

I was first introduced to CrossFit in 2020 but didn’t jump in fully until 2022 when I found a desire to coach and help others excel in their health and fitness. I stopped playing sports and wanted to find something that would challenge and grow me at the same time. My desire is to continue to grow in my knowledge and understanding of how to coach others well which starts with a hunger to learn. I love seeing others accomplish and push themselves past their own limits.

History of education and certifications:

CF-L1

Certificate from Crossfits Anatomy Course

Working on Certificate towards Coaching Fundamentals

I graduated with a certificate from Ecola Bible College(Canon Beach, OR) and went through a couple schools in YWAM to jump in with a team to pioneer a base in Lancaster.

How long have you been doing fitness?

Fitness has been involved in my everyday life whether I was working construction, lawn care, modular homes or sports. I played a lot of soccer and basketball growing which were my main sports but anything that was a sport I LOVED. Ranging from softball leagues to competitive dodgeball leagues. Ive had the privilege of being an assistant coach for High school soccer, youth sports and a youth soccer team in Ethiopia while serving there.

What is health to you?

Health is mind, body and soul. Balance is relative because we are all created uniquely with different needs and strengths. Health is a journey and changes over seasons which I’ve learned as my wife went through and survived cancer. Make good choices with the food we eat. Be active, walk or play sports or hike. Get creative! Take care of your soul, understand we are created beings by a creator. No one is a mistake and there is life found in the one who created us. Laugh. Find joy in the small things. Be humble and be a learner!

What is your favorite exercise?

I love work outs that push my ability to accomplish more than my mind can handle and believe in myself to do. The reward is the discipline to do hard things that don’t come “easy”. When hard things do come in life, I know I can endure and persevere through them.

Favorite Dinosaur…Is Santa Claus real?

History of Education and Certifications.
CrossFit L1 - 2017
CrossFit Adaptive Training Specialty Course - 2018
ATA Adaptive & Inclusive Trainer - 2020
CrossFit L2 - 2022

How long have you been doing fitness and what type of fitness do you have expertise in? I have been active all my life - playing organized sports all the way through college. I found CrossFit in 2013 and have been hooked ever since.  I have coached CrossFit for almost 7 years so I have experience in all aspects but I feel that barbell and dumbbell work is where I have the most expertise.  I also have coached Adaptive CrossFit for physically and mentally disabled athletes for 5 years and have a wealth of knowledge on adapting, modifying and scaling workouts from that.

What do you do for a profession? I’m a numbers and data person - my actual job is Director of Analytics for Penske Truck Leasing.  This is why I am so quick with barbell math. 

What is your favorite exercise? Anything with a heavy barbell. Probably a hang clean if I had to pick one specific exercise.

What is health in one paragraph? Health to me is living a lifestyle of fitness and nutrition along with taking care of your mental well being that will provide longevity of life and allow you to remain active, healthy, and vital as you age.  

Favorite Dinosaur? Ankylosaurus - people think they are cute but you don’t want to get on their bad side or they will mess you up. 

History of Education and Certifications:

    I graduated from Garden Spot High School. Had a career as a technician for a medical research facility. Currently have my L1 certification and looking forward to continuing my education.

 How Long Have You Been Doing Fitness:

    I have enjoyed fitness my whole life. I wanted to play every sport out there. I played short stop and catcher on my softball team in school and outside hitter for the volleyball team. I've enjoyed various 5k/10k races but have discovered a love for CrossFit and weight lifting in 2021 and play in a competitive woman's volleyball league.

What Do You Do for a Profession:

    I'm a professional mom to 5 kids

What Is Your Favorite Exercise: 

    Weightlifting.  Deadlifts.

What is Health to You:

     Health to me is a never ending combination of physical, mental, and spiritual intentionality of growth. 

     Having a strong, capable body provides life giving energy that helps me continue to grow and develope into the person God wants me to be.

Favorite Dinosaur: 

    Tyrannasour Rex- Known as the ultimate carnivore, very lethal, intelligent, the predator was the most badass dinosaur ever in history.

History of Education and Certifications:

• Graduated from Iowa Mennonite High School.

• Completed my CrossFit Level 1 Trainer       Certification

• Continuing my education with a CrossFit Anatomy Course.

How Long Have You Been Doing Fitness:

Inspired by my older brother I started running in the 8th grade on our back country roads in Iowa. That led to running Track and Cross Country in High School. I loved Cross Country.

I ran up until I had my first baby then transitioned to doing a variety of workout videos at home (Tae Bo, Insanity, P90X). Eventually I got bored with the repetition of those and transitioned to taking a variety of classes the Ephrata Rec Center. This led to some connections where I was given the chance to try CrossFit in February 2015. I walked in the first day and absolutely LOVED it! I have never looked back.

What Do You Do for a Profession:

Crossfit Coach, Personal Trainer, and Homemaker.

What Is Your Favorite Exercise:

I’d have to say burpees are my overall favorite exercise with barbell thrusters as a close second....thus making the CrossFit OPEN 14.5 my all time favorite workout:

21-18-15-12-9-6-3 Reps, For Time

Thrusters (95/65 lb) 

Bar Facing Burpees

What is Health to You:

Health is wealth. To be able to be active, and perform everyday tasks with mobility and strength, and to position one’s self to avoid sickness and disease is priceless. Being healthy also helps to promote a positive mental outlook.

Favorite Dinosaur:

The Procompsognathus because they are a small but mighty Dinosaur (Source: Coach Sara :))

History of Education and Certifications:

I graduated from Garden Spot High School in 2011, after graduation I pursued a Certification from ISSA. I've held many certifications ranging from personal training, to nutrition, as well as My CF level 1.

How Long Have You Been Doing Fitness:

As a junior and senior in high school (2009-2011), I actively participated in track and field. My "niche" was throwing, and for that reason we were in the weight room a lot. This is primarily where my passion for strength was born. Once I graduated, I started attending at the local YMCA ,and eventually pursued getting certified and actively working as a personal trainer. I finally found crossfit in 2015 and after the very first session I was hooked. It's been a huge part of my life since then.

What Do You Do for a Profession:

I have the privilege of staying home and homeschooling my children, and working with clients from a variety of walks with life in and out of the gym. 

What Is Your Favorite Exercise: 

One of my favorite things about crossfitting is the incredibly wide variety of exercises that I've been introduced to over the years. There is always room to improve, change, vary, and level up. Also I really love the olympic lifting side of crossfit. Give me heavy weights any day!

What is Health to You:

Health to me is how someone manages things like training, nutrition, mobility, and recovery. It's not one sided and it's not one size fits all. I have learned through the years that if you want to be the best you can be, you absolutely have to focus on multiple life facets, instead of just laser focusing on training specifically. I've learned that the hard way, and would encourage anyone to think of health as a broad concept capable of touching, ... and improving, multiple areas of life.

Favorite Dinosaur: 

I know one dinosaur. T-rex. So.. I guess that makes him my favorite! Ha!