Exercise transforms more than just your body — it renews your mind and strengthens your spirit. Now, one groundbreaking Catholic company unites this powerful connection in a way that's changing lives across the globe.
Chase Crouse, Co-Founder and Fitness Director of Hypuro Fit, has created the world's first Catholic fitness and nutrition coaching program built on Pope St. John Paul II's theology of self-gift.
“We aren't your normal fitness company,” Crouse said. “We are a team of authentic disciples who are striving to build a healthier Church. Whether you're a beginner or an exercise enthusiast, we believe that placing your health in line with Pope St. John Paul II's call of self gift will make all the difference in the world.”
The divine inspiration
While working for the Archdiocese of New York and moonlighting as a personal trainer to support his growing family, Crouse discovered his passion for helping others achieve physical wellness.
But something was missing in the secular gym environment. He saw so many ways that faith and fitness intertwined, and wanted to share those spiritual opportunities with his clients. He couldn't help wishing he could combine the two.
One sentence made it all click for Crouse.
St. John Paul II wrote in his Theology of the Body, “Self-mastery is indispensable in order for man to be able to ‘give himself.’”
These words captured his worldview, “The Hermeneutic of Gift,” meaning that man can only find himself through a sincere gift of self.
Crouse found this self-mastery in the discipline of exercise. St. John Paul II’s words inspired him to start a fitness company with a totally different mission. He said, “We believe that Pope St. John Paul II's message of self mastery for self-gift is one that needs to be put into concrete action.”
The best prep for any vocation
Crouse found that exercise helps people master their bodies in order to be able to fully give of themselves, in any vocation to which God calls them. He made it his mission at Hypuro Fit to help other Catholics along the journey to self-gift.
The company's unique name reflects its spiritual foundation. “‘Hypuro’ is a bit of a made-up Greek word,” Crouse said. “It comes from hypomonē, meaning steadfastness or endurance, and pyr, meaning fire. Together, Hypuro means 'I endure the fire,' based on the biblical concept that God purges us as gold tested in fire.”
This vision of fitness as conquering self sets apart Hypuro Fit:
We don't agree with the "why" behind most secular approaches to fitness. Their reason centers around the belief that there is no heaven, so you need to maximize your years and quality of life while you're alive. We strive for self-mastery for self-gift, not to extend our life—the Lord will take us home whenever He sees fit—but to serve our vocation to the best of our abilities. It's not about us and what we can get out of this life. It's about Jesus, and how he is calling us to serve those around us.
Building a healthier Church, one disciple at a time
After nearly a decade balancing ministry work while building Hypuro Fit, Crouse now leads the company full-time with a team serving clients worldwide — about a third of whom are priests.
He’s seen countless examples of how a healthier lifestyle makes everything better:
My favorite thing to see as a coach isn't the weight loss or the strength gain. It is actually seeing my clients' quality of life improve and hearing stories from them about how they have more energy to serve those God has placed in their lives. The weight loss and muscle gain is more of a fruit!
For newcomers to fitness, Crouse offers practical wisdom:
Don't feel the need to go from 0 to 10 in a month. Start with something you enjoy, or at least don't hate. Go for a hike, pickleball, a day in the gym, or a post-dinner family time rosary walk. You don't need to be a puddle of sweat on the ground, questioning your life choices, to get a good workout in. Start by going from 1 to 2.
But perhaps the best advice is to join Hypuro Fit, which offers programs for people in every walk of life. Each program comes with a video library with educational content on how to integrate faith and fitness and gives access to a coach for questions. There are special programs, such as a postpartum course for moms, and one-on-one coaching is available. And all priests and religious get access for free.
In an age of indulgence and instant gratification, Hypuro Fit invites Catholics to embrace fitness as a form of modern asceticism. This perspective is a revolutionary approach for Catholics, allowing exercise to strengthen mind and spirit as well as body. Being healthy isn't just about appearance, but about “being conformed to the image of the Son of God — to be able to give and serve to the best of your abilities.”
Ready to revolutionize your approach to fitness? Discover how Hypuro Fit can strengthen your body for the service of God at hypurofit.org today.
.jpg){kind=link}