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From Rockford to Ferris State: The Ahern Brothers’ Story, In Their Own Words
Zak, Ryan, and Luke Ahern didn’t just train at PowerStrength — they grew up at PowerStrength.
Three Rockford High School standouts, three All-State performers, and now three Ferris State football players, all built one rep at a time in the same training program.
This fall, for the first time, all three brothers will be on the same roster. Here’s how they got there — in their own words, and their Dad’s.
THE START
Zak was the first one through the door, and it almost didn’t happen for him at all.
“I didn’t know what to expect. A lot of my friends came here. I was kind of late to the party,” Zak said. “But when I came in here, I noticed right away the atmosphere was different.”
Ryan and Luke didn’t need convincing. They’d already watched their older brother transform.
“I knew I was going to go,” Ryan said of following Zak in as a freshman.
Luke felt the same pull even earlier.
Their dad, Mike, watched the pattern repeat itself three times over.
“It was really getting Ryan, and then Luke after that, because they saw how good it was for Zak,” Mike said.
THE WORK
What set PowerStrength apart from anything the boys had done before wasn’t just the weights — it was the individual attention.
“The coaches coached and really applied themselves to you,” Zak said. “They made individual workouts for every person.”
Ryan noticed the same thing, especially compared to the other training options he had tried.
“When you’re here, there’s an individual coach that’s staying on you, making you work hard,” Mike explained. “Maybe your hamstrings are weaker, so they’d get a specific program that would help them catch up — little things you don’t get every place.”
Luke felt it from his very first sessions.
“You’re getting pushed a ton more here,” he said. “The environment, the people you’re working out with — they all have the same goal, which is to get better every day. Just stacking those days.”
THE TRANSFORMATION
The transformation shows up in the numbers.
Zak walked in at 160 pounds and gained 30 pounds of muscle in his first three months alone.
“I have the transformation pictures,” he said. “My coaches were like, ‘oh my God, what are you doing?'”
By the end of his senior year, he was up to 200 pounds — he goes into his Senior season at Ferris State at 230, a 70-pound transformation from the kid who first walked through the door.
Ryan’s strength jumped just as fast.
“I remember at first I put up like 135 by four. By the end of that first year, I hit 225 on bench,” he said.
Luke saw it too, but for him the biggest change wasn’t just strength — it was speed.
“I wasn’t fat and chubby, but I was definitely a bigger kid,” he said. “Just taking the food more seriously, weighing in every day, and then obviously putting in the work — I would say speed, I noticed a ton on the field.”
THE PROOF ON THE FIELD
For the Ahern family, the results from training at PowerStrength showed up almost immediately on Friday nights.
Zak was a standout quarterback who was a true dual threat for the Rams.
“He got bigger, he got faster, he got stronger,” Mike said. “And just like anything, if you’re faster and stronger, you have more confidence when you’re playing.”
Very few players start on both offense and defense at Rockford, which usually fields a Varsity team of more than 100 players.
Ryan started at both running back and linebacker on Varsity for 3 years.
“I don’t think Ryan plays varsity as a sophomore, starting two ways, if he doesn’t come here,” Mike said. “He was obviously a really good player, but coming here made him that much better.”
Ryan felt that edge himself, especially stepping onto the field with older, more experienced competition.
“I felt a lot more developed than some of the guys in my grade,” he said. “I just felt a lot more prepared for the physicality at that level.”
Luke played safety, starting for the Rams on Varsity for 3 years. He also played running back his last year.
“The confidence went through the roof,” he said.
WHAT MAKES POWERSTRENGTH DIFFERENT
All three brothers have tried training elsewhere — and all three point to the same thing when asked what sets PowerStrength apart.
“I think the difference is everyone here wants to be the best,” Zak said. “The way that everyone pushes each other in here is the main difference. Every competition we do, every lift, people are going to be in your ear telling you, just pushing you, just trying to get better and better.”
Ryan agreed the coaching style is what keeps him coming back.
“That’s how I want to be coached. I want to be pushed hard.”
Mike sees it as a mindset that gets built into every athlete who trains there.
“Everybody who comes here wants to be better,” he said. “If you’re around people who are working hard and everyone’s having a good time, and you’re seeing gains — that’s the cool thing. Everybody here is driven to get better. They work hard, and I think when you’re around people that are working hard, it makes you work harder.”
THE FAMILY INVESTMENT
Mike has now watched three sons come up through the same program, and he’s seen firsthand what that commitment requires — and what it gives back.
“It’s a commitment. You have to commit to it,” he said. “It’s not just the lifting part, it’s the environment that’s here. If you come here and you work hard, you’re going to get out of it what you put into it.”
For Mike, the payoff has been watching all three of his boys not just get bigger and faster, but grow into better competitors — and now, teammates.
“I’m shouting it from the rooftops, it’s awesome for my kids.”
BROTHERHOOD
Ask any of the three brothers what training together has meant, and the answer is the same: it’s personal.
“It’s more fun to work out with somebody you know,” Ryan said. “Working out by yourself is never fun. It’s always good when it’s with one of my brothers.”
Luke doesn’t take it for granted.
“I got to play with Ryan in high school, and I didn’t realize how special it was until it was gone,” he said. “So every day when we can come in here together, I just soak it all in — because you never know when it’s going to be your last time.”
This fall, for the first time, all three brothers will suit up together at Ferris State.
“I’ve never been so excited for football season, just to get to be with both of them,” Zak said. “It’s something really special. And I’m going to give them credit where credit is due — they did it. I hope that they’re both going to be better than me, and I know they have the potential to do that.”
Luke feels the same anticipation.
“I’m so pumped. I’ve never played with Zak before,” he said. “I think they’re going to have a little package deal when we all get on the field, which will be super sweet.”
ADVICE TO THE NEXT ATHLETE
Each brother had the same message for anyone considering PowerStrength: come ready to transform.
“Be prepared to work when you get here,” Ryan said. “There’s no messing around that goes on during the lift. But it’s a good commitment for sure.”
“It’s not just lifting, you can take all those aspects into actual life,” Luke said.
Asked to sum up what PowerStrength has meant to them, each brother answered in his own way.
“PowerStrength is a mentality. It’s family. It’s how you need to attack life in every way,” Zak said. “I definitely think it’s made me a better man, not just a better athlete.”
“It’s a stepping stone to being a better athlete,” Ryan said. “Getting around the right people, working out with good trainers, and sharing the same mindset.”
“PowerStrength is the best gym around,” Luke said.
WANT TO SEE BIG RESULTS?
3rd–12th grade athletes of all sports and ability levels can sign up at PowerStrength at any time throughout the year while spots remain. Choose the PowerStrength location most convenient for you — Alpine, Kentwood, Jenison, Plainfield, Holland, or Byron Center.
Visit powerstrengthpro.com/athlete/contact/ to learn more or click below to schedule your assessment and get started.