Meet Tom Legath of TL Performance

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Legath.

Hi Tom, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started training people in 2006 part time at LA Fitness. I was looking to change careers because I wanted to be outside more often and I wanted to do something that would help people. In 2007 I was hired fulll-time at Equinox in Pasadena where I became a Tier 3 trainer and Master Instructor. Equinox takes a large chunk of the rate clients pay and they demand a lot of extra work for the trainer so I was interested to find a way to have more say over the whole process. I also had some philosophical disagreements with how to train clients. Equinox was very trend driven and cared mostly about getting more session purchases rather than doing what’s best for the client and that was not my value. I left Equinox to train privately and did that for a little more than a year before teaming up with 2 friends of mine to open a gym in Pasadena in 2011. Our gym started to grow and it was exciting, but after a couple years I was again questioning whether the way personal trainers are taught to train is really helping people. Many clients of my own and those I saw of other trainers didn’t really change. They established routines but I didn’t notice much beyond that. At that time in my own training I was starting to experience injuries. I had been focused heavy weight training for years and followed a lot of trends like kettlebells, farmers walks, sleds, etc and my body was paying the price. I was only 30 and I didn’t believe I should be hurting at that age. I wanted to find out why and what to do. I also experienced a death in the family that led me to question whether I was living up to my potential in life. This perfect storm of questions about my direction professionally and personally led to opportunity. Ian King was going to be in town for a seminar in Santa Monica. Ian founded King Sports International and has changed training around the world more than anyone else. I was always impacted most when he taught. Both by his methods, his knowledge, and the type of person he was. I went to the seminar and it was there that I decided to enroll in the KSI coach education program. I began to study the KSI Way and change my own approach with myself and with my clients. It drastically changed how I felt physically. Stretching the way Ian does and the amount he does helped me become pain free. 10 years later, I am on the cusp of graduating from the KSI program as a changed man and a changed coach. I don’t train the way everyone else does, no one in KSI does, and that has allowed me to help people more than I ever could as a personal trainer.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been a road with many ups and downs. When I began studying the KSI Way with Ian King I had business partners who were not studying or interested in studying the KSI Way. This became a conflict between us and I eventually sold my portion of the gym. It was a good decision for me because it freed me up to fully immerse into the KSI Way, but I had never dealt with a business break-up or friendship break-up like that. It created some personal challenges related to how I viewed myself and other people. Financially things had changed because I had just bought my house and was living in a new area of the city. The pandemic came just a few years later and it was like starting all over again. I spent and continue to spend a lot of my time on personal development. I follow Jim Rohn’s teaching, work harder on yourself than you do your job. I also learned new skills and new hobbies. It didn’t seem like a good thing when it happened but the person i’ve become has been the reward.

As you know, we’re big fans of TL Performance. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I am a physical preparation coach. My business is as a service provider. I have my own company, TL Performance, and I am a coach with King Sports International. I help people with challenges related to their training for sport, for life, with their body, and anything else that may be limiting them in their pursuit of fulfilling their potential. I’m proud to empower people to solve problems and give each person an opportunity to be the best they can be. I want people to know there are options outside of the mainstream approach to training. If they are looking for solutions they are not sure where to go I might be the one to help them find the answer.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My advice for anyone starting out is to examine why they are getting into this profession. I think it’s important you genuinely want to put others needs first and not your own. I also think it’s important to dedicate yourself to lifelong learning, personal growth, and to remember that clients put a lot of trust in you so take it seriously. Take a long term approach to a client and I think the most important thing is to do no harm. Even if it means the client doesn’t like you for it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tlperformancela.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coach.tomlegath
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TLPerformanceLA