About GZS

Built in Twin Falls.
Built to last.

Ground Zero Strength was founded in 2021 with a simple idea: Twin Falls deserved a real strength gym. One built around the barbell, run by a coach who actually knows his craft, designed for people who want to train seriously for the long haul.


Five years in, that idea hasn't changed. The Pacific Northwest's only Starting Strength affiliate gym.

SSC
Starting Strength Coach
M.S.
Sports Performance
2021
GZS Founded
SS
Affiliate — Pacific Northwest
The Coaches

Who you'll work with.

Sam Krapf, Starting Strength Coach and owner of Ground Zero Strength
Starting Strength Coach M.S. Sports Performance BJJ Blue Belt Backcountry Hunter
Head Coach, SSC — Owner

Sam Krapf

Sam is a Starting Strength Coach and the owner of Ground Zero Strength. A former collegiate baseball coach and athlete, he went full-time into strength coaching in 2021 and opened GZS to bring serious barbell coaching to Twin Falls.


He holds a Bachelor's in Biology and a Master's in Sports Performance. He coaches lifters from complete beginners to competitive powerlifters, specializing in scaling the barbell lifts for any age, ability, or limitation.


Outside the gym he competes in jiu-jitsu, hunts elk and mule deer in the Idaho backcountry, and trains through his own Scheuermann's kyphosis — which informs his approach to every client with structural limitations.

Nicole Sharp, Physical Therapist and Strength Coach at Ground Zero Strength
Licensed PT Strength Coach Movement Analysis Injury Rehab
Physical Therapist — Treat & Train

Nicole Sharp

Nicole is a licensed physical therapist and strength coach specializing in the Treat & Train model — combining PT assessment and treatment with barbell-based strength programming for clients with limitations, injuries, and movement issues.


Her approach is built for the people the standard model ignores: those who've been told not to lift, who've been working around problems for years, or who need someone who understands both rehab and the barbell.


learn about treat & train
The Philosophy

Systematic. Progressive. Honest.

GZS is built on the Starting Strength method — the most effective and scalable barbell training system developed. But it's not dogma. Sam uses it as a foundation and adapts it to the individual.


The goal is always the same: get you stronger, keep you healthy, and build a training practice you can sustain for decades. Not a 12-week program. Not a transformation challenge. A practice you keep forever.

What that looks like

01

The Barbell First

Squat, press, deadlift, bench. The foundation never changes.

02

Progressive Overload

More weight on the bar, week after week. That's the mechanism.

03

Adapted to You

Every body is different. The method scales — the program is yours.

04

Long Term

Not a challenge. Not a phase. A practice you carry for life.

2023
Starting Strength Affiliate
2–3×
Avg. Strength Increase
500+
Clients Served
2021
Founded

Come see what we're building.

Start with a free consultation — no obligation, no pressure.

Get in Touch