May 1, 2017

Meet Tyler Lough of Lough Fitness in Hollywood

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Lough.

Tyler, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Like most kids in the Midwest, my childhood revolved around sports. In high school, I started working with a personal trainer in a small, dirty garage. That’s where I realized my love for fitness. From there forward it was never should I work out today rather what time am I working out today. I was really fortunate that I had a positive relationship with the gym and exercising at such a young age. I think for a lot of people they aren’t necessarily passionate about their craft instead it’s just so ingrained in them they don’t know any different. I think that’s the category I fall in. Fitness is so second nature to me that I couldn’t imagine my life without it.

After receiving my degree from Shawnee State University in Ohio, where I played basketball, I moved to New York City and began my career as a certified personal trainer. I immediately loved being around other people who were just as interested in fitness as myself. Starting out working at corporate gym was tough trying to manage creating programs for my clients as well as selling training packages. Not many people know that most trainers have to be sales people as well at chain gyms. Often you have sales goals for every month and it can be quite stressful to hit your numbers. But working at a well-run corporate gym gave me the blueprint for my own business.

In 2009, I moved to Los Angeles and had to build my training business back up from nothing. It took me a year or two to build up my business. Now, I currently have a training roster with over 20 active clients.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Training definitely has its ups and downs like most businesses. My biggest challenge has been time management. There was a time when I would train 10 to 12 hours a day with no breaks and only get five hours of sleep every night. Working out of two different gyms and traveling back-and-forth from client’s homes, I would often leave my house at 5 AM and get home at 10 o’clock at night. My business expanded to where I would train 50 to 60 hours a week at sometimes. I had to go to the hospital because I was so rundown from the lack of rest that I had a mono flare up that put me out of work for a couple of weeks. I’m much better now about not overworking myself after that incident.

Another obstacle in training is client retention and generating new business. I am a 100% referral business and rely on my reputation to grow. It used to stress when a couple of clients would stop training or move away. But you have to realize this is just the nature of the business. I can go months where my numbers are down 20 to 30% just from two or three people being out of town. Then other months, I’m having to turn away new clients. I feel very lucky to have clients that trust me with their friends and family and are best advertisement I could want.

Having patience with clients can also be a struggle. You can preach as much as you want about eating better or living a healthier lifestyle, but I can’t force it upon someone. They have to want it for themselves. Sometimes it can take months for it to click for a client. I can only do so much and in the 3 to 4 hours I see someone a week. If they are not willing to make changes in their day-to-day lives they won’t see the results. I’ve had clients didn’t lose a pound for the first three months and then lost 80 pounds in the next year.

So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Lough Fitness story. Tell us more about the business.
I pride myself in getting results for my clients as quickly as possible. This includes detailed nutrition programs and monitoring of their eating. As a trainer, you have to be versatile and be able to work with all ages, abilities, and needs. One person may need to gain 15 pounds of muscle for a role in a movie and another need to lose 50 pounds. No program should look exactly the same because everyone’s goals and fitness levels are different. I also specialize in working with actors to get them camera ready for roles. The studios will normally have strict time constraints on when they need the actor ready.

I want my clients to look forward to coming to the gym and spending an hour working out with me. I really value my clients time and want to make sure they are getting the most out of their sessions. Training is a very intimate relationship. My clients put a lot of trust in me that I’m doing what’s best for them. I think that’s what sets me apart from other trainers. I really invest myself into each person I work with and I think my clients know that. There aren’t many relationships like trainer and client. I get to spend an hour uninterrupted with no cell phone and or distractions.

As a company, I’m most proud of my reputation. My business wouldn’t be where it is today without it.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’ve been really lucky being in the right place at the right time. Some of my best clients, I have met at the grocery store or just being been out and about. I’ve also been lucky to meet and work with people in the entertainment industry. I never imagined training famous actors and helping them get prepared for a role.

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