60-day strength + athleticism programs built to turn gym work into real arena performance.
Written by a collegiate roper, powerlifter, and sports science intern who's still in the work, every day.
DM me "BUILD" and I'll map out your next 60 days.
The Problem
Most guys are chasing pumps when they should be chasing performance. The result: months of work, no real progress, no answer when you ask "why isn't this transferring?"
Stitching together workouts from Instagram. No periodization. No progression. No way to know if you're actually getting better.
You hit numbers in the gym, but they don't show up in the arena, on the mat, or on the field. Strong on paper. Slow when it counts.
Nobody's checking your numbers. Nobody's watching your form. Nobody's adjusting when last week was off. You're guessing, alone.
In The Work
Every weekend, every week, I'm in the arena and under the bar. I coach what I'm still doing.
Rodeo · Tie-Down
In the arena, doing the work.
Powerlifting · Competing
Heavy days. Real numbers.
Rodeo · Arena
Run after run. Season long.
Photos · Hirschman Photos · Powerlifting United
Discipline · Built Daily
"The bar doesn't lie.
It either goes up or it doesn't."
Jake Szuk
The Method
One system. Four pillars. Built to make you measurably stronger and measurably more athletic in 60 days.
Every block is anchored in the big four: squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press. Working weights are calculated from your 1RMs, not pulled from a template. Real load, real percentages, bar speed that actually transfers.
Every session ends with sport-tailored finishers: jumps, sprints, carries, rotational work, neck and grip density. The qualities your event actually rewards get trained every week, not as an afterthought.
60 days. Three phases. Foundation, then Development, then Peak. Loads, sets, and reps shift on a tested schedule. You'll know exactly what to put on the bar every session, every week.
Every program ships with a custom Excel tracker. Your working weights pre-loaded, daily log, retest dashboard. Coaching clients get daily check-ins, weekly programming written for last week's data, and direct text access. Nobody's guessing. Nobody's alone.
Performance · Earned, Not Claimed
"I'm not asking you to do anything I haven't done myself."
Jake Szuk
Work With Me
Coaching is the real work. The programs are the doorway in.
Tier 01 · The Real Work
Custom programming written every Sunday for your numbers. Form review on every main lift. Direct text access between sessions. A coach who knows your training history, your weak link, and what you hit yesterday.
First 5 founding clients only · Then $197 · Then $297
DM me "BUILD" and I'll map out your next 60 days.
What You Actually Get
Or Run It Solo
Tier 02 · Off-the-Shelf
For Rodeo Athletes
one-time
The 60-day rodeo strength program. Three phases, every workout written, printable training log, sport-specific finishers, built for any male event.
Direct delivery · PDF + Excel tracker · Same day
Tier 03 · Built For You
Any Sport · Any Niche
one-time
Same engine as Arena, built around YOUR 1RMs, YOUR sport, YOUR macros. 24-hour build. Founding price · increases to $97 soon.
Send the intake · 24-hour build · PDF + Excel
JAKE SZUK
Founder · Iron Sharp Strength
Why Iron Sharp
How to get strong. How to like what you see in the mirror. How to become the greatest version of yourself.
I was the scrawny kid. Got overlooked. The last one picked in sports. Looked in the mirror and didn't like what I saw. When I began lifting weights, it gave me hope that I could become stronger, faster, look better, and feel better. I loved the time I spent in the gym because I got out exactly every ounce of effort I put in, and more.
Seven years in, weightlifting has changed my life. I wanted to be greater. So I became greater. Stronger body. Stronger mind. I gained confidence I didn't have. Discipline that bled into every other corner of my life: rodeo, school, faith, the way I show up for the people around me, and so much more.
I'm 21. A Kinesiology student at Kansas State, working toward my CSCS. A sports science intern with the K-State Football team. A college rodeo athlete in tie-down and team roping. A competitive powerlifter. Six-plus years in the arena, seven-plus years in the gym, along with the experience and teachings of many coaches and trainers along the way.
I built Iron Sharp Strength because I want to share the passion, growth, and opportunities that fitness offers. I've also watched too many athletes leave performance on the table, including myself. Calf ropers missing flanks or failing to step out of the stirrup and run down the rope fast enough. People struggling to hit their weight goals because they aren't sticking to their diet or training routine. Talented men who train but without purpose, or without knowing what they should actually be doing.
Most rodeo athletes either don't take the gym seriously, or they train minimally and wonder why it doesn't show up in the arena. That's the gap. I built this program to close it. The goal is to perform stronger, faster, more explosive, and more consistent when it counts. The physique is earned along the way. Train with discipline, structure, and intensity, and your body ends up looking like it. That's the standard.
I'm looking for the men who have the same dedication I have. The ones tired of feeling lesser. The ones tired of the man in the mirror not looking the way they want him to. The ones willing to put in the late nights, the early mornings, the stressful days, the failed attempts, and stay consistent through all of it. The ones who know they'll reap what they sow.
I'm 21. Still in the arena every season. 6 a.m. practices. Two-a-days. Putting in the work. Still in the gym every week regardless of time, stress, and exhaustion. I'm building this brand by still doing the work on myself, because I think that's the only way it should be done.
If this speaks to you, reach out. Let's build you into the man you want to become.
Jake Szuk
Discipline · Purpose · Brotherhood
This work is about being ready when it matters. For the run, for the rope, for the family, for the call. The training is the prayer that you'll be enough on the day you're tested.
Strength used right is service. The barbell is just a tool.
The work is the point.
Iron Sharpens Iron · Proverbs 27:17
Final Word
You don't need another program. You need a system that knows your sport, your numbers, and your weak link. That's what I build.
DM me "BUILD" and I'll map out your next 60 days.