Interview With Dylan Gautreaux
Personal Trainer/Gym of the Month - February 2010
Interviewed by: Angela Courduff
WP: Dylan Gautreaux grew up in Baton Rouge, LA, and played baseball until the age of 20. He has been in and out of gyms his whole life. After he was injured his freshman year of college, he decided to devote his life to fitness. He earned his Exercise Science degree at UL Lafayette and then moved to Dallas, Texas to try to build a fitness career. Shortly after he moved, his parents and brother also moved out to join in the journey.
And now, within a year, Dylan has built a very successful CrossFit Gym with nearly 300 members!
“There is no redundancy and clients are always seeing results. It never ends, whether it is better times, fat loss, muscle gain, heavier lifts, etc.”
WP: Dylan, your story is so inspirational and we're so thrilled about your success as a Personal Trainer, as well as, a business owner. How did you break into the fitness industry?
DG: Thank you, Anglea. I moved to Dallas, Texas 8 years ago specifically to get into the fitness industry. I wanted to help people change their lives by learning how to get in shape. I took tons of Certifications including ACE, APEX, and numerous NASM Certifications. I became very interested in corrective exercise and neurological training. I learned after seven years in the “Globo Gym” industry that it’s not about the people in your gym, it’s about the money. In the summer of 2008 while on a family vacation trip to Coronado Island, I was asked to participate in a CrossFit workout of the day (WOD) with my cousin. I immediately fell in love with the concept. Three weeks later, I quit my GM position at a local “Globo Gym” and began my CrossFit journey.
WP: How inspirational! Tell me about CrossFit training!
DG: CrossFit training is constantly varied, functional training at a high intensity performed across a broad modal and time domain. We train people to be better at everything including the 10 fitness domains: 1). Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, 2). Stamina; 3). Strength; 4). Flexibility; 5). Power; 6). Speed; 7). Agility; 8). Balance; 9). Coordination; and 10). Accuracy.
Most workouts will be under 20 minutes at a high intensity. However, we have longer duration workouts and max lifts as well. It is a very unique training method that anyone can perform from the age of 3 years old up to seniors.
WP: That is quite a vast range. What made you want to open up your own CrossFit training studio?
DG: I love the concept of CrossFit. There is no redundancy and clients are always seeing results. It never ends, whether it is better times, fat loss, muscle gain, heavier lifts, etc. It’s all about helping people perform at an optimal level in all aspects of life due to the broad training spectrum.
WP: You’ve only been open for a year, but you now have nearly 300 members! To what do you attribute your success?
DG: We have a very unique team. My father is very diligent at networking. I am personally always trying to find new avenues to get our name out there. We try the best we can to take care of our members. We like to take on all of their challenges and “fight the war” with them. But, I think the most important thing of all is that we love what we do and we love our members. That in itself sells for us.
WP: Whatever your recipe is, it is working! A possible reason for your success could be that it’s a close-knit family business. Who else is involved in your company?
DG: My wife and I own the business. She does all the books and financials. I’m in the gym every day and networking when we’re closed. My father and brother also run the business with me.
WP: Do you have interest in other health and fitness ventures?
DG: I have an interest in CrossFit and everywhere CrossFit goes. I plan on helping other people open their own CrossFit locations and being involved with the CrossFit movement in any way I can.
WP: What do you feel has been your stepping stone to get where you are today?
DG: My strong family values. I was taught at a very young age how important family is. That shows in what we do and how we take care of our members. I also attribute a lot of our success in our constant adaptability whether it is research on human movement or changing our business plan.
WP: What is a typical day for you?
DG: I wake up right after my wife leaves at 7:45 am and take care of our 2 year old daughter, Kyla, for about an hour. Then, when my mom gets to the house to stay with Kyla, I get to eat breakfast and head off to work. I get there at 9:30 am, check e-mails, print out the daily WOD’s, and then I teach our 10:00 am Unlimited CrossFit class. I meet with my dad at 11:00 am or train a client (depending on the day). At 12:00 pm, I work out for 30 minutes to an hour. Then, I go home to see my little girl and eat lunch. Next, I network until 4:00 pm. I teach a Sports Class at 4:00 pm, a CrossFit Games Class at 5:00 pm, and an Unlimited Class at 6:00 pm, and at 7:00 pm I wrap it up and talk to clients before heading home around 7:30 pm. At home, I spend time with my wife and daughter until about 9:00 pm. I then finish up some work or watch a few shows with my wife and am in bed by 11:00 or 12:00 pm.
WP: You really have each day planned out. And, I think you teach more classes than I do! With all you have going on in your life, how do you create balance?
DG: Great question! With this being our first year in business it’s very hard, but I try my best to plan time with my family and my workouts. Some days we miss, but we are reaping the benefits of working so hard. I always create time for church on Sundays and my daily worship. My journey with Christ has allowed us all to be where we are.
WP: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? How about your CrossFit Studio?
DG: I would like to be running at least four CrossFit locations and mentoring several new business owners in their ventures. I have had the luxury of helping a few local CrossFit owners open their facilities already and I really enjoy it. I plan on being able to dedicate more time to that in the future.
WP: That sounds very realistic considering how far you’ve come in just one year. What do you consider to be most important in life?
DG: First and foremost, God. Through him, I have come a long way in my life. It has not been easy, but we’re getting there. Second, would be my family. As I said earlier, I learned at a very young age how important my family is and that is why they are in business with me. Third, would be my extended family, my clients, friends, and business. I have been blessed to have a few friends that have been with me for a while. I also try as hard as I can to treat our clients the same as my close friends.
WP: We recommend everyone when you are in the Dallas, Texas area or live in Dallas, Texas to stop by and see Dylan and try CrossFit out! To learn more about them, you can go to crossfitfxtx.com or email them at info@crossfittfxx.com. Go try it out for free! They don’t have sales people. They don’t bug people with phone calls. We ask people to try CrossFit for a week. If you like it, great! If not, you may go on your way and never hear from them again. Anybody can do CrossFit, but CrossFit is not for everybody. So, contact them and try it out! It just might change your life. Thanks Dylan! It has been a pleasure interviewing you! I wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors with CrossFit!
DG: Thank you! Come see us!
