Iron Man USA — August 2017

28 AUGUST 2017 | ironmanmagazine.com

COVER STORY

STAR STATS

HEIGHT: 6’1

WEIGHT: 215 pounds

AGE: 37

LIVES: Sioux Falls, SD

PROFESSION:

Wellness Director of POET,

Owner of Fokken Strong

Training, Sponsored

Athlete, IFBB Pro

SPONSORS:

Dymatize, Team Body-

building.com Athlete, Icon

Meals, Smart Shake, P28

Foods, Fitmark Bags

WEBSITE:

http://www.BrandanFokken.com

FACEBOOK:

http://www.facebook.com/Bran-

danFokkenFitness

INSTAGRAM:

@brandanfokken

YOUTUBE:

http://www.youtube.com/user/

brandanfokken

TWITTER:

@brandanfokken

IRON MAN: How important was fi t-
ness for you growing up?
Brandan Fokken: I came from a really
tough background. I moved around a
lot, we didn’t have any money, etc. So
for me, fi tness was a way to belong,
to fi t in and to make friends. Along
with that, due to my upbringing, from
an early age I equated muscles to not
being hurt, which was attractive to
me because I was put through a lot.
I looked up to Superman, Arnold and
Hulk Hogan. They were all big and
strong and in my mind couldn’t be hurt.
So I wanted to be just like them.

IM: Tell us about your journey into
bodybuilding competitions.
BF: I started weight training at the age
of 14. I was tall and skinny and not
strong whatsoever. Over the years I
slowly improved and, by my 20s, I was
really pushing big weights and physi-
cally was about as muscular as I could
get. I, however, knew very little about
diet and or competing. At the age of
30 a friend of mine who was a coach
and longtime competitor talked me into
doing my fi rst show. I didn’t have a clue
what I was doing, but took the things
he told me and implemented it into my
plan. I ended up competing and loved it
and have been hooked on the lifestyle
ever since.

IM: How important is giving back to
the community for you?
BF: It’s huge and a big part of who I am.
I say that positivity and good karma
are cousins. The more positive you are,
the more good karma comes back into
your life. I believe that if you are able to
help, you should. So, between working
with many charities, speaking at school
or corporations, bringing awareness
to various institutions, mentoring and
always looking for different ways to give
back, I feel that I am paying back from
an industry that has given me so much.
As I mentioned, I didn’t grow up with
much and now that I am where I am at
in my life, I want to help others do good
in our community, fi nd their own “great-