Extreme commitment

Some day, twins Falon and Rylee Mueller are going to be awfully proud of their dad, Kurt.
That’s because the owner of Blue Springs Fitness (1300 North Seven Highway, 228-4080) made a commitment to honor his daughters, and he enjoyed the type of satisfaction that comes from a job well done.
“I hear every excuse in the world when people come to the gym, or don’t come to the gym, about being busy with their job or their family and I understand all that,” Mueller said.
“But I wanted to prove something to myself and my family. I wanted to show how a man with new twins, who runs his own business, could commit to something and succeed,” said Mueller, who recently placed third in the lightweight division of the Missouri State Bodybuilding Championship in Springfield, Mo.
“Everyone said I was nuts, and maybe I was,” Mueller said, as he glanced at photos of his daughters that hold a place of honor on the desk in his Blue Springs Fitness office. “But I think I proved that someone, whose life is not perfectly in line, who works a daily job and has family responsibilities, can stick to a commitment and make it work.”
When Mueller made the commitment, he dove head first into an exercise/workout routine that would make your head spin:
n Two and a half hours of cardio a day
n One to one and a half hours in the weight room
n Twenty to thirty minutes posing
“Because I own this business, my wife Nikki (who, along with Kurt, owns Studio 7, located within Blue Springs Fitness) knew what to expect,” Mueller said, “and believe me, we had our moments. There were a couple of times I almost threw in the towel. Sure, she suffered and because of that, I suffered, but when I went through my weakest moments she was there for me.
“She told me, ‘This is tough, but I will not let you quit.’”
She spent extra time with the twins, helped run both businesses and took care of their home life over a grueling 12-week period where Mueller spent more time in the gym than he did at home.
“Bodybuilding is an extremely selfish sport,” said Mueller, a 1996 graduate of Blue Springs South High School who was a “fat kid,” who discovered the joy of physical fitness and nutrition in his early 20s. “When you’re training, especially for a competition, it’s all me, me, me.
“It has to be, because you are going to the extreme to be the best you can possibly be. There are headaches with the gym or the salon and you have to deal with it. Although Nikki did a lot more of that than I did while I was in training.
“There were the twins – and I didn’t want to miss any time with them. And I know they have no idea what I was doing, but in a way I was doing this for them. I want them to be proud of dad someday – when they’re old enough to realize what a commitment means, and how important it is to keep that commitment.”
Following the rigorous 12-week session, Mueller headed to Springfield.
“I picked the Missouri State Bodybuilding Championship because I’d gone to it since I was 16 or 17,” said Mueller, 30. “It was different going as a competitor than it ever was going as a spectator.”
When asked about his performance, a scowl appeared on his face.
“I took third, “ he said. “And I wasn’t happy. I take a lot of pride in my conditioning and a judge, who didn’t take part in the competition, told someone, ‘There was a guy from Blue Springs who was the best conditioned athlete in any class.’
“I took a lot of satisfaction from that, even though I thought I was better than third place. But that’s the thing about bodybuilding – you never really know what the judges are looking for.”
When asked if he would do it again, he grinned.
“You bet,” he said. “I might not have finished as high as I wanted to, but I can take a lot of personal satisfaction from competing, and proving that you can do just about anything you put your mind to.”