Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Krupa.
Hi Kyle, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I moved here from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 2011 to attend graduate school at University of Miami, earning my Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree in 2014. I always worked in gyms throughout my time in physical therapy school, implementing what I was learning on a daily basis. As an intern, I was coaching the 5am and 6am group sessions, then go to class. At night, I would teach at UM as an Adjunct Professor in the Sports Coaching Certification Program. Over those three years, I built my network in Miami meeting athletes, Coaches, Agents, and eventually professional athletes. My first job as a licensed Physical Therapist and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist provided the opportunity for me to work internationally as a Physio for the US Olympic Sailing Team and the networking grew from there. I started my first company in 2016, specializing in rehabilitation and training of primarily NFL and MLB athletes. In the first 7 years, we had the privilege to treat and develop over 150 NFL athletes.
In 2023, KRU PT + Performance Lab was launched, designed to provide sports medicine–based physical therapy and performance training, specializing in injury treatment, prevention, and fitness-as-medicine program design. That same year, we were contacted by the US Department of Justice for various Human Performance Optimization (HPO) installations including injury prevention techniques, physical training for FBI SWAT team selection, and heat casualty prevention within their Counterterrorism Fly Team and Hostage Rescue Teams (HRT) rapid-response Special Mission Units (SMUs). Under the KRU Lab brand, we have treated and trained over 3,000 individuals from average fitness enthusiast, to college and pro athletes, to Tier 1 military operators.
Outside of patient treatment, I provide management consulting for Physical Therapists and Physicians transitioning their practice from insurance-based contracts to self-pay and hybrid models. I also speak for the American Physical Therapy Association Private Practice Section on topics such as change leadership, strategic marketing in the self-pay sector, and scaling up through employee motivation.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s never a smooth road, and there were plenty of course corrections along the way. I would say some of the biggest struggles I dealt with professionally were learning how to manage my expectations for company growth, employee satisfaction, and optimizing patient outcomes. No business plan is perfect, there will always be a challenge to face or a system to optimize. The only thing that matters is how quickly and effectively you’re able to pivot from the original strategy to continue living out the company’s vision and mission.
Probably like any other business owner, I’ve gone through the trail-and-error of building a high-performance team, developing systems, and staying up to date with the nuanced rules and regulations of the industry. Outside of that, building KRU Lab and serving my community has been a blessing and could not be done without my family and team’s passion and commitment.
As you know, we’re big fans of KRU PT + Performance Lab. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
KRU PT + Performance Lab delivers sports medicine, rehabilitation techniques, and performance training that was previously only available to professional athletes in a team’s training room. Our licensed physical therapists embody “athlete-in-mind approach” to health and wellness. Unlike insurance-based clinic models that focus on session length and visit counts, we prioritize in-clinic results, return-to-sport benchmarks, and measurable outcomes delivered in the most efficient way possible. We locations in Coral Gables, Downtown Miami, Coconut Grove, and Deerfield Beach.
Every session is driven by intent— with each treatment contributing directly to overcome injury and optimize performance. Services include comprehensive 50-point orthopedic examination, dry needling, Class IV Laser, LightBack mobilization, Neufit pulsed direct current stimulation, corrective exercise, post-op ACL return-to-sport force plate testing, and remote programming for both injury rehabilitation protocols and strength and conditioning. Our immediate team consists of licensed Doctors of Physical Therapy, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists, and Certified Athletic Trainers. Our extended concierge network includes orthopedic surgeons, functional medicine, stem cell providers, pain management, and registered dietitians, all published and world-renowned in their respective fields.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up I took a special interest in entrepreneurship and being a forever student. My father was a carpenter that taught me what it meant to earn and provide, the many sacrifices that come with owning your own business. My mother earned a Master’s degree while I was in elementary school, and she would take me to the library with her while she was studying so I was always reading and learning while I was waiting for her to finish. My brother taught me to never be a victim of your circumstances. He survived leukemia as a child, hospitalized for an entire year, but never told anyone or used it as an excuse not to do something. Years later he won a PA State Championship for Track & Field in the men’s 4x400m.
I played football high school and college, learning some of my greatest lessons in teamwork and self-sacrifice during those years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kruperformance.com
- Instagram: @kruperformancelab
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564401848513&mibextid=LQQJ4d
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/kru-pt-performance-lab-llc/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kruperformancelab
Image Credits
Images by Renato Macassi (furyphotography)
