About Us

cody & jaimee labernik

We are the lifting Laberniks! Two local Bemidji kids who grew up here, fell in love in high school, and have been married since 2018! Our fitness journeys did not start together…. But somehow, we ended up here!

Let’s dive in with Cody, Cody really started getting into fitness and lifting heavily at the NDSU Wallman Wellness Center in college. He fell in love with the community and strength he felt from his fellow classmates while the all you can eat dining center brought him those beginner gains one only dreams about- he was hooked. Learning how to lift weights and eat well brought Cody a lot of confidence and joy and this love turned into a passion that he wanted to share with others. Cody began his personal training business in college and has continued to educate and transform his clients lives for the past 6 years. He is ISSA certified.

Over the last 6 years Cody has also competed twice in the NPC Upper Midwest Body Building Competition in the Men’s Physique Division. He has learned how to manipulate his training and eating between bulking, cutting, and maintenance phases to grow and enhance his physique. His goal is to one day win his division in competition.

Now on to Jaimee, Jaimee’s fitness journey also began in college where she found she needed to continue to move her body after high school to look and feel the way she wanted! She fell in love with Zumba and became a certified Zumba Instructor in 2014. Her mindset towards fitness was always working out ton burn the most calories possible and then eating as little as possible to be the “smallest” version of herself. This unfortunately led to a cycle of insecurities and confusion as to why she never really felt confident in her skin and all of the endless cardio and minuscule calories didn’t seem to add up. It was exhausting.

So, in 2018 (after Cody and Jaimee got married!) Jaimee finally gave in and let her new hubby write a complete nutrition and workout regimen for her for 6 whole months. Cardio was cut, lifting began, and calories went wayyyyy up. And it worked. As much as she hates to admit it, her husband was right, and her life was forever changed.

Since then, we have found a lot of joy in lifting together and continually pushing each other to be the best we can be.

sean & ryan Hegarty

Ryan was raised in Princeton, MN. There she played volleyball, hockey and softball as a 3-sport athlete. She attended Concordia College Moorhead and played hockey there for 2 years. While trying to figure out what “she wanted to be when she grew up,” Ryan transferred to Concordia St. Paul to participate in their kinesiology program. After graduating from CSP, she moved to NC and then on to AZ. She worked at Summit Fitness in Sierra Vista, AZ for 5 years. Ryan did personal training as well as being an adjunct professor at Cochise Community College teaching fitness at the on-campus gym.

Sean was born and raised in the small town of Hornell, New York. After high school, he
joined the United States Army. Sean served with honor and dedication for over thirteen years, with overseas tours in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Korea. It was the military where Sean found his passion for fitness. The gym was a healthy escape, a place where he could ensure his physical and mental health were at their finest, to best serve him professionally and personally. Little did he know it would lead him to his life’s ultimate passion, his wife Ryan.

You guessed it, Sean and his beautiful wife Ryan met at a gym in southern Arizona. Sean and Ryan married in June 2015
in Tucson, AZ.

Sean and Ryan would ultimately make the big move north to Minnesota in August of 2015. Sean spent several years at Northwestern Minnesota Juvenile Center in several positions before parting ways with the organization as the Secure Detention Unit Supervisor in late 2019. Sean’s strong desire to serve his community and work with children lead him to become a Child Protection Social Worker. Sean plans to continue his service as a child protection worker while also being an owner of the new adventure, Paul’s Muscle Mecca. Ryan began working at Evergreen Youth and family Services shortly after the move to Minnesota. After 6 years working at Evergreen, Ryan took a position on the Student Support Team at Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig school.

Sean is a graduate of Columbia Southern University with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and a Master of Science Criminal Justice Administration. Ryan is a graduate of Concordia University St. Paul with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science. Ryan has held a personal training certification, NCSF (National Council on Strength and Fitness,) and TRX.