Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Durant.
Tyler, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
After graduating from college with my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University, I was still searching for my passion and what I really wanted to do with my life. I moved to Europe, where I was an Au Pair and tour guide for a travel company. When I moved back home to Massachusetts, I felt trapped and knew it was time for me to make a change.
I packed a suitcase, booked a one-way flight to San Diego and have been living here for the past two and a half years. I worked in the restaurant industry and had a full-time business position before I decided that I was unhappy with the work I was doing. I had always been very passionate about fitness. Growing up, I was a three-sport athlete and worked out regularly throughout college and in my day to day life. I met the owner of Self Made Training Facility in Mission Bay and made it my goal to make personal training my occupation since I love fitness and helping people realize their full potential by pushing them in the gym to attain a body they feel good in and be proud of. I’ve been a trainer at Self Made now for the past seven months and am loving it!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been anything but a smooth road getting to this point, but I have embraced the challenges that have been thrown my way and continue to learn from my mistakes and listen to those around me who have been through similar struggles. Moving from the east coast to California was a complete start over for me. I had never been to the west coast; therefore, did not know a single person. Moving, trying to learn a new city, find a job, a car, make friends and figure out a long term living situation at the same time is a stressful task you really have to prepare yourself for and be able to roll with the punches.
Jumping from working for a corporation where a lot of your day to day tasks are already laid out for you, you know when your paycheck is coming, and what hours you are working to being self-employed and suddenly having to figure everything out for yourself can be a big shock. The sense of freedom is great, but at the same time, time management becomes that much more important because its all on your shoulders now to put in the work and be successful.
The first month and a half, I didn’t get a single client. It’s no secret that San Diego is one of the hubs of personal training. The weather is great year-round and there is no shortage of trainers to choose from. Being new to the industry, one of the biggest challenges has been, separating myself from more experienced trainers and “competing” against all of the options out there. I’ve learned so much and still have a long way to go, but I am a lot more confident since I started training and know-how to get people results. I love my clients and am constantly motivated every day by how hard all of them work. It truly is the most satisfying feeling when someone comes to you in disbelief at how much progress they have made!
Please tell us more about your work. What do you do? What do you specialize in? What sets you apart from competition?
I am a personal trainer at a private facility called Self Made in Mission Bay. The really cool aspect of this facility is that the only way people have access to it is by working with a trainer. There’s not a mob of people rushing in fighting over equipment when work gets out. I specialize in bodybuilding, weight training, mobility work, and utilizing the combination of nutrition and lifting to help people lose weight and gain muscle.
What sets me apart from others is that everyone talks the talks, but I walk the walk. I practice what I preach and am always putting myself through uncomfortable and new tasks so that I can learn and pass that knowledge off to my clients. This past November, I competed in my first Men’s Physique bodybuilding competition and came in 1st place. I followed that up by running in my first 10K Spartan Race. I’m now taking this month changing my nutrition habits to live the vegan lifestyle. I’m a very competitive person, and once I hear my clients’ goals, that also becomes my goal and I want to do everything in my power to help them achieve it.
Self Made is a very inspiring place to work filled with amazing trainers and dedicated athletes and I am just proud to be surrounded by that atmosphere every day and is what keeps people coming back and training here. The culture we have created here is what I am most proud of for sure!
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is setting a goal for yourself, however big or small and then taking the necessary steps to accomplish what you set out to do without giving up. I think it’s important for everyone to be setting both short term and long term goals for themselves to track their progress and feel that sense of validation as you are hitting those realistic short term goals along the way. As an example, Anna’s goal is to lose 25 pounds. That is a great goal. You want to be as specific as possible when creating your goals. She has a specific number in mind rather than just saying I want to lose weight.
Where a lot of people lose motivation, is they have these big picture goals that are going to take months, and when the progress is coming so slow, it feels like a failure and they give up. I would advise Anna to write that down as a long term goal and then break it down into smaller achievable short term goals. For instance, she sets a four-week goal to lose four pounds. Now, once Anna finishes her first month and sees that she has lost at least those 4 pounds, there is that excitement and motivational factor that keeps pushing her forward towards that longer-term benchmark she set for herself.
I also believe that failure can turn into success. As long as you do not give up and are putting your all into something that is a win in my book, things just doesn’t always work out or you may fall a little short. Let’s say John is applying for a job. He does all the research on the company, adjusts his resume, mock interviews, shows up and doesn’t end up with the job. While this may seem like a failure, John showed up and can now evaluate what he could have done better and take that newfound knowledge with him he otherwise would have never gotten had he not put himself out there.
Pricing:
Due to the Coronavirus, Self Made Training Facility is currently closed. My primary concern is keeping my clients safe and once we are given the okay to open back up again I will resume in person training. If you are looking for at home training plans, please email me or DM on my social media for pricing information for my online training programs. If you are interested in one on one training, email me and I will add you to my call list for once we open back up.
- Private 1 on 1 Training (60 minutes)- 1 session ($90), 8 sessions ($640), 12 sessions ($840)
- Private Training (30 minutes)- 1 session ($45), 8 sessions ($320), 12 sessions ($420)
- Online Training- $300/Month
- Group Training (2-5 participants)- Drop In session ($40), 8 total sessions (2x per week)- $250/Mo
Contact Info:
- Address: 4030 Sports Arena Blvd, San Diego, CA 92110
- Website: https://selfmadetrainingfacility.com/locations/mission-bay/
- Phone: 508-954-7755
- Email: tdtrains1@gmail.com
- Instagram: @tdtrains
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