From Yoga to Powerlifting: Tyler Argento on Strength, Coaching, and Building an Online Business

From yoga to powerlifting Tyler Argento on strength coaching and building an online business.

Hi, I'm Beverly Simpson, former fitness manager turned online personal training business owner. And this podcast is where smart fitness professionals, including trainers and clinicians, discover how to increase client performance and movement, package and position their products and services and get out of their own way so that they can increase their revenue to live a life that they love without sleazy sales. Welcome to the PT Profit Podcast.

Welcome back to the PT Profit Podcast. My name is Chris and I am giving you your intro for this very special episode. In this episode of the PT Profit Podcast, Beverly is sitting down with coach Tyler Argento, a former yoga practitioner turned powerlifter, to dive into the evolution of strength coaching and business. Tyler shares her journey from in person coaching to scaling an online business, breaking down the biggest challenges of balancing both worlds. And as a side note, I believe today, March 13th is her birthday. So if you're tuning in on the day of the release, go wish her happy birthday. This episode goes into Tyler's athletic background in field hockey, basketball and figure skating, where Tyler developed a deep appreciation for strength training, which eventually led her to powerlifting. She opens up about overcoming a major ACL injury, the mental and physical resilience needed for competitive lifting, and how these experiences shape her coaching philosophy. Be sure to leave us a five star rating. Wherever you listen to podcasts, take a screenshot. Tag B Simpson Fitness. Thanks for tuning in and we will roll that episode.

Hi, Lara, welcome to the show. How are you today?

Good. Thank you so much, Beverly, for having me.

Oh, I'm super excited to dive in. It's going to be a great conversation, so let's go ahead and just get into it. Sound good?

Sounds great. Okay, cool.

So as a former yoga yogi, but you're still practicing yoga. I know. And you're moving into powerlifting and you're full time in person and really driving the online business side of things. What would you say have been the hardest transitions from going from in person to. To adding the online component?

That is a really great question. I think the hardest thing for me in this time has just been finding the balance between the two. And balance is such a funny word because we're always balancing things, especially in this industry. But I think the. The hardest thing has just been creating space and time for the online space. So I have to be very, very intentional. And time management is a huge thing. So I think that's probably the biggest thing.

So cool. All right, so tell us what brought you to the online Space. Why did you decide you wanted to go from in person to online?

Well, online there's a lot of opportunity and you can reach more people, which I, of course, I love that. I train minimum 20 to 24 sessions a week in person. So the only way I realized that I was going to be able to first of all survive and be able to scale my business was to start dabbling into the online space. And a lot of people are doing it. And I have a lot of my peers and co workers and friends that are in the space that have been encouraging me to push my business online and to. To get into that because they see, they know and they see how much I've been doing in person. So it's been really interesting and it's been really fun and I'm really obsessed with it, to be quite honest. But that, yeah, there's so much opportunity online to reach more people and help more people.

So. True. How did you get into the coaching space?

So I've been an athlete my whole life. I've played field hockey, I played basketball. I was a competitive figure skater. Tore my ACL meniscus my senior year of college, which got me into yoga. And it made me realize how important strength training is so you can just stay healthy and strong. So I knew growing up I always wanted to be in sport. And as I got older, I realized how much I love just being in that atmosphere. So my degree is in exercise science, so I was able to do my internship with the basketball on the baseball team. And I just really, I was around athletics and I loved being around the marketing side. And I was like, ooh, coaching. Like this could, I could really, this could be something. I really like people. I love to be around people. I love helping people. So. And I'm. I'm passionate about coaching and fitness in general. So probably like halfway through college I was like, I think I. There's something here and to backtrack a little bit. When I was figure skating, I started that when I was about 12 years old and then I left and then I came back to it. But I did a little bit of group coaching with the younger people and it just gave me a taste of coaching and how much I loved it. So just going from there, I. It kind of just evolved into this whole thing, which has been such a blessing. I love it. So.

I love it. So now let me ask you, did that ACL tear, was that one of like a. One of those things in your journey that changed the trajectory of your career trajectory?

I know, right? Such A hard word.

Yeah.

Say that word five times fast. Absolutely. I thought my life ended. I literally thought my life ended. It was my senior year of college. It was the second weekend, and I didn't. It being so stupid. Just what happened?

So tell us. So what were.

So.

Wait, so in college, you were exercise. You were there, and with an exercise major, were you also playing college sports?

Were you, like, almost going pro? Okay, no, I wish. I wanted to do. I thought I wanted to do sport. I really wanted just the college experience. I wanted to meet people. I wanted to dabble in literally everything. I did some equestrian while I was in college. I tried everything. I played intermural field hockey just to get back into my stuff. And then I did some skating randomly when I could find a rank because I was in the middle of nowhere in Virginia. But tearing my ACL and meniscus and going through that process, the physical therapy, right out of college, literally. I graduated college and I got surgery three days later. So just going through that. That was also another, like, eye opener of, like, I want to help people. I don't know if I want to be a physical therapist. I definitely, like, didn't want to go to, like, PT school. I knew that. But I love sports, so, yes, 100%. It was a huge catalyst to helping people and also just making me more passionate at, like, solving the problem with people. Like, not the problem with people, but, like, solving their problem. Like, why are you coming to see me? What is the issue? Like, we need to address this, and I personally know and can empathize with that. So that's the passion, that's the mission, and it has made me a much stronger trainer and especially with my communication with clients and empathy. So what happened?

How'd you get.

That's right. So I'm a little embarrassed. Long story short, I was in a sorority, and there's this. I was very involved in another fraternity, and there's this thing where, like, basically we would just collab a lot. My sorority and the mixer. Like, exactly. So we were having our mixer, and I was so excited that, like, all my favorite people are in the same room. I was standing on a bar. I wasn't being dirty. Nothing like that. I really always wanted to make sure I say that, but I was standing on the bar. Song came on. I love to dance. I took a step backwards. My knee literally hit the edge of the bar. My. It's a great story. My leg literally was flexed. I landed on my back. It was horrible. I remember everything. And my friend just picked me up, and I fell right back down, and I was like, oh, my gosh. I've never experienced anything like this before. This is so scary. So the next morning, I couldn't even walk, and I went to the doctor and got an mri, and also, I was in exercise science, so I had some of my professors kind of give me, like, a screening, and they're like, yeah, it's looking like a torn acl. I'm an sds, and I thought my life was over. And truly, it just. It made me realize, like, you can come back from injury stronger. So much stronger.

How did it feel?

I. It hurt. It hurt really bad.

Did it feel like a muscle spasm or like, on muscle.

It feels like your leg is disconnected. It is the craziest feeling. And, like, the acl, so it's like that internal motion. So you would be walking, and all of a sudden, like, your knee would buckle. You would go upstairs, your knee would buckle, and then the meniscus would tear even more. So I literally have zero medial meniscus, which is why the weights are so important for me. But. And everyone. But it's not fun, and I still deal with it. I just stay strong so I can live a good, quality life. Yeah, it's just not fun.

Okay, let's.

Okay.

And so you're like, go get mri. Listen, here's why I'm asking.

Okay.

I'm gonna tell you. I'm gonna. You know, let's do some tea dishing. Okay. So some tea. I'll do some tea for you. Okay. Yesterday, it was. It's a similar story because I wasn't sitting on a bar, but I swear to you, I was bent over to tie my shoe in a rotated position, and, like, this side of my back has, like, completely seized. Like, it just went into a complete muscle spasm and had.

Didn't release.

Like, it was so bad. Like, the pain has been so excruciating that I went to the ER last night.

Oh, my gosh.

Yeah. Yeah, this is yesterday.

Oh, my gosh. Okay. Sure.

Yeah. So I went to the ER yesterday. So. Spoiler alert, my fellow listener. If you're listening to this, then we'll see what's gonna happen. But the doctor was like, you need a CAT scan. And I was like, cat scan, not mri. And he's like, yeah, because of the. It's in my upper back. It's not my lower back. It's my upper back. So he's like, I want to make sure you don't have kidney stones. And I was like, no, it's not kidney stones. My muscle has seized and is not releasing. It feels like a contraction without, like, just like.

Yeah, those. Of course, you know, for those listening. Yeah.

Was so bad anyway, so that's why I'm asking and like, oh, my gosh. Maybe I've torn something.

No.

Tied my to.

No. I hope you didn't tear anything. Hopefully it's just like what you said is just locked up and you need a little tlc as we all do. Oh, my gosh.

It's so true. Right? You know, it's interesting. So I'm curious. So now you're in powerlifting, Because I do want to, like, let's talk about that. Like, when you go from an injury that. That is like, scary. How do you take on such a, you know, high risk sports, for lack of a better word. I mean, it. It's, you know, you're under a lot of weight, there's a lot of. There's a lot of risk that can happen. So how do you go from. How do you. How do you build that type of resilience and really move through that type of fear?

Yeah, that's a great question. Well, first of all, powerlifting, anyone can do it. And I like to say that because anyone literally can do it. I. It's definitely been an evolution. I, like I said, I started lifting weights consistently probably 10 years ago. My first job was slow motion strength training. So it was actually a really great introductory into getting into strength training machines, Nautilus machines, 10 seconds out, 10 seconds in, just failing under three minutes. Just full tension under the muscle. So just like understanding that and just getting strong and powerlifting. My. My best friend really inspired me to get into powerlifting, but this was probably after like seven or eight years of consistent lifting. And I did fall off every now and then. So you don't need to be perfect to get into it. But yeah, I wanted to. I mean, 20, 23, I did a whole year of 75 hard. And one of the things that I told myself was, yeah, I did the whole program. I actually failed the last two weeks because I started a powerlifting meet. And I was like, I'm done with this. I'm checking out.

But you did the whole thing. What was. I mean, I know, side story. Welcome to my life. Okay.

It's.

My people are used to my podcast. They're like, oh, what tangent is she gonna.

I'm the same way.

No, but okay, what was that like? Okay, 75 is just like so simple. I'm putting simple in quotes, but it's like 2 a days. And so. So, yeah, tell me what you learned.

Not process.

Why did you do it?

I did it. I remember I was sitting with my co workers at a New Year's brunch that we were doing, and we all went around and set a goal. And my goal was to build mental resilience. New year, New year. I know, Seriously. And I really do take that stuff seriously. But I. For myself, but, like, I was like, I want to build mental resilience. And I knew 75 hard. A lot of people around me were doing it, and I was like, you know what? Let's do it. Let's just try. What's the worst that can happen? That helped me build the discipline and the resilience, that I knew that I could show up and do hard things. Five, you know, every single day for that amount of time. And you got little breaks. You can't drink things like that. Like, it. I mean, it was a total lifestyle change. I don't drink that often, but, I mean, I still enjoy some drinks. So, I mean, it was just a totally different lifestyle. So it helped me build the mental resilience to know that I could do something hard and that by the end of that year, I was prepping for my first powerlifting meet. Granted, one of my best friends, she's now my coach, was into powerlifting, and it totally inspired me. But I guess I just kind of saw her do it, and I was like, I can do this. And then having someone who's so supportive remind you that you can do the hard things. I mean, we're coaches. Like, that's the name of the game. So having that constant reminder and validation that you can do it doesn't need to look perfect. You don't need to do it. Like, you don't need to be the best today. Just keep showing up and chipping away a little bit every single time. Just like you did with 75 hard built the resilience. I built the confidence. I knew I could do hard things. And then I just took those skills and transferred it into something a little bit harder. And the way I look at powerlifting was I was building a lot of strength. And I was like, why? Like, let's do something with this. Like, let's get strong for a purpose besides my health. And that's just kind of how it all unraveled. I hope I answered your question, but that's just kind of how it all unraveled. And it's been. It's. It, like, can make me emotional sometimes. It's literally changed my life.

Powerlifting.

Yeah. Okay.

So I do wanna. I do wanna transition into that. Because I am curious when, you know, you had set the goal for 75 hard to build mental resilience. And then you mentioned at the end that you didn't complete it because you transitioned into powerlifting. So at the time that you made that transition, did you feel that you had completed the goal? Did you feel like you abandoned the goal? Like, what was that transition?

It's really hard for me to quit, so stuff like that. So I actually. I took it as a challenge to listen to myself on when I should start and quit something. I felt so good about how I did the whole program of the fact that I even made it through four parts of it throughout the whole year. I did it. I did every single thing right. Because if you mess up one thing, you fail the program. And like, of course, sometimes people will do that and they'll continue the program. And, like, no hate on that, but I did it perfectly. So the challenge at the end of the year was, can I drop my ego and can I. Can I quit this program that I know I've gotten everything that I need out of this and I'm transitioning this fuel, this motivation, this discipline into the next chapter of my life. And it transferred, like, beautifully. It was spot on. Amazing.

So how long. How long were. When did you. When did you transition? Like, how many days did you.

The program. 75. Hard. Did ev. I quit two weeks early. So I quit mid December. And I got on Instagram and I said, I did the whole thing. It was crazy. And I got on Instagram and I told everyone and I said, I know I'm failing the program because I'm quitting, but this is a failure that I'm looking as a win. Because this is hard for me to do. To step back from something when I know it's the next, like, the next thing is arrived. And that's just the way. That's just the way it unraveled. And practicing, like, not having that attachment and like, not beating yourself up for quitting something early, I mean, I. I nailed it. I gave myself a pat on the back and I put that energy into the next thing. That's like, I said, literally something that's changed my life. So good.

So powerful, you know? You know, because I. I feel like, right. It's nuanced. And I always talk about flexible discipline. This is how, like, flexible commitment, right? And because I have this email that I write every quarter, I send it out every Quarter. And it was like, I quit. And sometimes it's a good thing. Like, there are lots of things, like, I want my children to quit. Like, you're in a bad relationship. I want you to quit it. You, like, are, you know, in a horrible relationship with food. I want you to quit it. Like, there are lots of really important things to quit, but we have it instilled, especially as an athlete, that, like, we don't quit. We push through pain. Like, it's more important to me that you are. That you are integrity with your word. But then know when to change your mind and be okay.

Absolutely. Especially as a coach, I think it's really good to lead by example with that because your clients are watching every move you make, whether you.

Okay, so you said powerlifting changed your life, that you could cry about it. So what are some of the components of powerlifting that you feel like? Like, how did that happen for you?

What's causing you to say, I changed everything about my life and for the better? I also. This is kind of unique. A lot of powerlifters don't do this, but I basically, I've been in a cut the entire time. I powerlifted the first powerlifting meet. I bulked 15 pounds. And I've never been. Like, my jeans, I'm just not a tiny frame. I'm five two. But I'm. I'm. I'm a strong girl. Like, I got the legs, I got the. The shoulders. So I've been in a cut, which has just, like, really taught me that. I don't want to say, like, I can do anything, but it's just given me the resilience that I can show up and do the hard things. And when. When I feel like there's a failure or I fail a lift, and I understand, like, why. And, you know, maybe I'm not fueling as much. And things that these things are supposed to happen at this point, and it's almost like you're reaching your edge. That's how you get better. But sometimes we can look at that as, like, a failure, and it's like, no, we're pushing the edge. We're hitting failure to find our potential so that we can now find a new benchmark to build from there. So being in this cut, lifting these heavy weight, showing up to these dang workouts, exhausted sometimes, and just knowing I have to do it, I mean, that will change you as a person, and that will transfer into every single bucket of your life. Your relationships, your romantic relationships, your friends, your business, like, every single Thing, it's just made me a better person. And it's funny, I was going through some of my old posts the other day and I came across this one post about my, my cut and just kind of a little bit of transformation. I reread my caption and I, I mean it just gave me goosebumps because I was like, it's so cool that something like this can really like just be so life altering for someone. And I, I hope that I can give that gift or guide someone through that process because it's, it's so special to go through that and realize like you can do anything. And especially coming from someone like me. I have a story. I was overweight and lost a lot of weight growing up and was bullied for it, but was always good at sports, but never looked like I was good at sports and top scorer on this team, point guard on this team. Like, it just, it just gave me the confidence to keep going. Even though it's not about the aesthetics, just really life changing because it gives, it reminds you of your internal strength.

So I'm curious, you know, this is a hot topic. You mentioned that you felt like you were always into athletic. You never. But you looked like that, you looked like you did. So I'm curious if that has translated at all into your coaching. And what I mean by that is, as a former district fitness manager, I will share that the number one fear that I would hear from trainers was I'm, I'm scared because I don't look the part and I would be like, look the part compared to what? And I think that, you know, for the, you know, for the better, worse right there, it's. The duality exists, whether you love it or hate it. But social media has really sensationalized what a body actually really looks like in real life because even coaches and trainers are, are photoshopping their photos and, or, or posing in ways that make their realistic body not look realistic. And so it's transformed the way people view human bodies. So I'm curious for you and as someone has gone through this experience from start to finish, being bullied, going through, you know, being athletic, what has that environment been like for you as you transition to the online space?

It was hard. It was really hard. Especially working at a lot of gyms and prestigious gyms and being around other trainers who were bodybuilders and you know, looked apart. And sometimes, you know, my manager would give them clients just because of the way they looked. Didn't matter what their skill set was or how seasoned of a trainer. They were. It doesn't matter how I was performing or what my numbers were. So that was actually really, really hard. Especially, especially me because I've, I've just had a business for 10 years with the same clients almost. So it was really tough. And you know, again, it doesn't come down to aesthetics, but everyone, if you look good, you feel good and healthy feels good. So whatever that version for everyone is, I think everyone deserves to feel that. But it's just for me. And I try to, I try to coach my clients through this and just anyone that I'm in on my online space, love yourself through every season of it. You're allowed to love yourself in this moment and want more. And that's okay. And that's something I've really had to work on. Like, I'm allowed to love myself at this weight in this position and at this point in my career in my fitness journey. And I'm allowed to want more and I'm allowed to keep working towards more. But it was just that practice of positive self talk. Even if I got down, I mean, let it out, like speak it, let it out and let's get up and keep going. And I think powerlifting also really taught me that too, because you can be a strong badass. Sorry if I cussed. Like, you can be strong and it's, it doesn't matter what you look like. It's like the quality of your life is so much more important. So, you know, the stronger you get, the more you evolve, you can start to really focus on what actually matters. And those aesthetics are bonuses at this point. And healthy feels good. So true.

So I'm also curious, you know, for now that you're really into powerlifting, are you still doing yoga and how have you used powerlifting in your coaching? Do your clients power lift? Are you only teaching power lifters or how have you, how are you using that skill into incorporating it into your coach?

I definitely still do yoga. It's. I always, I always joke and say, like, the yoga side of the business is she hides a little bit, but no, she's still there. Restorative yoga is truly what my. Where my passion lies with yoga. I love all facets of yoga, but I love restorative. And it's been a really nice marriage between like strength training slash powerlifting with the restorative yoga to kind of combine the two, which my company is called Power Flow. So strength and mobility is essentially what that comes down to. I still practice yoga. I do it myself once a week. I have a few yoga sessions I teach throughout the week, like three. And I tie that in a lot through my mobility practice. Maybe I'm not teaching yoga, but I bring my clients through a very tailored 15 minute warmup with mobility muscle activation, which is kind of like the flow part to get you prepped for the strength part. I coach a lot of different types of clients. Jen Pop, My oldest client's 84. I've trained her for 10 years and my youngest is 16. She goes, she comes back and forth, but just through school and stuff. But yeah, no, I definitely apply all of that with my, my clients. Doesn't matter what age or what stage they're in. And I am starting to coach some powerlifting. I have a few online clients that have reached out to me and they want to do powerlifting meets. So I've been taking them through like some strength training and then we're getting, you know, we're just instilling those lifestyle changes and you know, that mindset and then, you know, pushing a little bit harder, dialing it in, going into more of like a strength program, which is powerlifting and. But essentially everyone's lifting pretty heavy. I mean, my, my 84 year old is deadlifting like a 70 pound dead dumbbell for like 12 reps. So, you know, we're just keep progressive overload. Yeah, yeah. Shout out Wendy and Billie.

Yeah, Wendy and Billy. I'm here for it. That's awesome. That's so cool. Okay, so you, I want to talk about the cut because you said you've been doing the cut the whole time. So how long have you been doing this and what is your thought process behind that? And when are you going to move away from the cut and why are you cutting? You know, just give me.

No, I love it. So I've been cutting for like the past year or you know, I've been trying to lose weight my whole life. I'm just gonna say that. And then of course when I learned what macros were and like how to properly eat and fuel my body and not starve myself and lift heavy weights, it's funny how it kind of all just works. But. So I've been cutting intentionally since 2024. The beginning of the year. No, I'm sorry, I would say 2023 through 75 hard. I probably lost like 10 pounds that year doing that program, but I gained it all right back. And then I got into powerlifting and my coach was like, I don't want you to think about nutrition for four months. I want you to Eat your food. I want you to build muscle. I want you to not think about this. I gained 15 pounds. That was really difficult for me mentally, but I learned from it, so it was. It was a good experience. I killed my competition. I hit some PRs, and then from there, I was like, I'm ready to cut some weight. I want to lose weight. I just want to feel better. And also, I'm five two, so I was like 180 when I started the kite. I'm currently like 165. I competed at 164. No. Yeah.

Great. Now there's weight classes, right? You have to be in a weight class for powerlifting.

So that's how I was looking at it. I was looking at it like, okay, I'm gonna cut this amount of weight to get into the next weight class. So I did that. I got in there. It was great. It took me about nine months to lose 17 pounds and then gained a little bit back over the holidays, and I just lost my holiday weight again because, you know, you have to live your life. You can't cut consistently like that. It's just not.

That was what I was gonna ask you. Like, do you take. Did you take cut breaks? Are you in maintenance? How long.

How long are your cuts? So cut for about. We cut from April to, I would say, October. And then we increased my calories, and I magically dropped six more pounds, which it doesn't. I mean, it doesn't surprise me. The reverse diet. So added some more food in, lost the last six pounds, got into the weight class, competed at that weight class, felt really good in maintenance, and then I didn't think about food or training. Over the holidays, I still showed up to my training, but I wasn't, like, so disciplined because I. I truly just needed a break. And then I hit the ground running mid January again. It's like mid February. So I'm going to be cutting for another. We'll probably cut, like another nine months. I'm going to lose another 20ish pounds. We'll go back into maintenance, and I would like to stay there and compete in that. And that is just. It's not even, like, a number on the scale. It's just. I personally feel like I will just feel the best version of myself at that weight with my height. And it's gonna be a really interesting process because I already know that I'm gonna want more when I get there. So I'm gonna. It's gonna be interesting to kind of coach myself through that and lean into, like, Building muscle and just appreciating, you know, where I am at that point in the journey. And because you can. We can always do a little bit too much. And I wanna make sure that, you know, I'm doing this the right way. I wanna be healthy. Like, that's this. But it's fun and it gives me a goal and it keeps me on track. And, yeah, it's really fun.

So when you're in maintenance, how long are you in maintenance?

It's. It's been different each time, but I would say I was in maintenance for like, two, two and a half, three. No, October to, like, January. Yeah, like three or four ish months, which was like a perfect. Okay. So.

Yeah. So when you were in the maintenance phase, one, were you keeping track? Two, did you notice performance in your lifts change? And three, even though you were in mi. In maintenance, did you feel like your body can't change?

Yes. The first question. What was the first question? I'm sorry.

The first question was, did you track in maintenance? Like, were you keeping track? You did track.

I'm not gonna lie. The last two weeks of the year, like the holidays, I did not track. I just ate. I just lived my life.

Okay, so you did track and maintenance. And then number three, did you know what was the performance in your lifts? Did you notice the difference? A difference in.

Oh, yeah, yeah, felt good. So I leaned into that. I was just like, let's push weights. Like, let's take advantage of this time. And that's the all. Also, the other thing is understanding, like, how you'll feel through that. You can kind of, like, get through your training a little bit better because, you know, you have fuel, you're feeling good. And, like, right now, I'm cutting and, like, weights are feeling a little bit heavier, and I'm like, I know why. So I don't need to beat myself up. It's just, to me, it's a waste of time and I don't have. I don't. It's. It's just not effective. So. But that takes practice to get there. So I don't mean to sound heartless or, like, harsh, but it just, It. It's so lovely to understand the season you're in because then you can kind of give yourself a break or lean into that. But, yeah, the performance was great. When I was eating more.

Did you notice your body composition change? Meaning, though, even though you were at maintenance, did you feel like you had the energy to start built like you were building muscle as a seasoned lifter?

Yes, definitely. And I could feel my body composition changing when I put my belt on. My. Yeah, which is fine. It's just. I just didn't feel as comfortable. That's really, that's. That's the. That's what I kept telling my coach. I just don't feel good. I don't feel good. It wasn't even what I was looking at. It was like, I just don't like this feeling. So. Yeah, yeah, totally, totally, totally.

So now you're going. Now you're in a cut.

Back in the cut.

You're back in the cut. And have you noticed any, like a dip in your energy, a dip in your performance? Like, what is the weight class that. What's the weight class you're wanting to compete at?

67.5 kg, which is 145 and under. I think it's like 1, 145, something like that. But I want to get down to like 143. I wanna be at the top of the weight loss because it's an advantage, of course, so just progress right below it. But I've noticed a little bit in my energy. My sleep could be better. So I know there's other factors that could be their stress and running a business, you know, tending to clients and just being. You get it? Yeah. Doing all the things, but they, it fulfills me. So it's good stuff. But yeah, I've definitely not. Not yet. I'm not hitting a wall, but I'm. I have a feeling it's going to come soon and I'll communicate with my coach and we'll make some adjustments there. And it's kind of funny, I'm in a cut and I've been sitting at the same weight. So I'm actually wondering if we need to increase my calories to kind of get that weight to go back down again. Because my body's. You know, it's crazy how foods, protein food, all the things, carbs, like, it's crazy. You don't need to starve yourself to lose weight. It's quite nearly the opposite.

So now you know, what's, what are some of the me. What is some of the mental load and mental work and practice that you've had to consistently do considering, considering your background. And you said, I've been trying to lose weight my whole life, like that. The mental load of that I can't even imagine. So what are some of the work that you have had to do from the mental side to really, you know, keep like, have a good relationship with your food and Body.

It's really tough. And I. I went through a lot of, like, imposter syndrome in the beginning of my career because I could. I was like, why can I help people and I can't help myself? It was the weirdest thing, and I knew what I was doing, but I. I've been trying to lose weight my whole life. I don't know what it was. But it's crazy because as soon as I started building muscle, as soon as I really understood how food works, that's when everything started falling off. And I felt good. I had energy, my sleep was better, my mood was better, Anxiety decreased. Like, I'm. I'm like a ball of anxiety, so. Or used to be. Yeah. So, I'm sorry, what was the second part of that question?

Well, what was the mental load like? I. This is me. Sorry. I'm like, here's 700,000 questions. Good luck answering them all. Um, I love it.

I love your energy.

Let me just ask you 17 things. Okay, so what I was saying is, you know, what are some of the. The best practices that you have had to do and work through in order to manage that type of mental load with the relationship to food and your body as a coach and as a performance athlete?

So even though I'm a coach, having a coach helps so much because you can coach your clients all the way to the end of the game. And, you know, it's really helpful to have a second opinion looking at you, telling you what to do, because they're either going to validate you what you're already thinking, or they're. They're just going to check you. And that's. That has been a huge game changer. I thank my coach all the time for everything that she tells me and does, and just like, coaches me through and. And then. And then truly, it makes me a better coach because it. I'd gone through it, and I can help my clients with that. But the mental load of that was really hard. It was really, really hard. And I think what really helped me was talking about it and sharing my experience with people and watching how my journey was evolving. And it just gave me hope. And when you have hope, you can keep going and you show up for yourself and you keep getting results, and you want to keep getting results, so you keep showing up, and then you realize, like, you've built discipline and. And grit, and, you know, you're motivated to show up. And the dis. When you're not motivated, the discipline kicks in. So that mental shift is everything, and it takes A long time. So when I have some client. Clients going through a cut right now, and, you know, they can get really hard on themselves, and I tell them, like, this is just a piece of the puzzle. Like, we're just getting through a piece of it. We're getting through this. We learn from this, and we evolve from it. So that mental part is really tough because, I mean, you're. I. I don't know the correct saying, but I feel like your mind's going to give out before your body. Like, you can tell yourself, I can't do this. And then you're like, okay, I'm not gonna do it. Or you can just be like, this sucks, and I'm gonna get through it, and I can do it. Let's like, let's do it. Let's just keep working towards it. And then it magically happens after you've worked for it. So the mental grit comes from showing up for yourself, and you build confidence. You're not just giving confidence. You. You work for that, and it sticks with you.

I'm laughing because. I'm laughing because, listen, my husband. Last night, like, I was literally like, I can't walk down the stairs. I couldn't get into the car. Like, I was, like, in excruciating pain, Right? But my husband was like, you've had kids. This is gonna hurt, but you can do hard things. And I was, like.

Reminded of that.

Like, that's.

That's like a coaching moment. It was just from your husband, you know, you. You love him and respect his opinion. I would imagine so, like, that. It's like, oh, okay. You're right. Thank you. Oh.

I mean, if he wasn't there, I would have. There was no way I was going. But it ended up being okay because, you know, his car has those, like, hot. Like, his seats are hot. And I was like, oh, it's better. I better now.

Still love my seat warmer. Oh, yeah.

Where are you in the world? Where are you?

In Newport Beach, California. But, yes, I still use the seat warmer.

No, that's okay. It gets cold there.

Cold. It's 50 degrees.

That's cold. Listen, my parents are in Florida and they're having. They have. You know, it's like 58 degrees in some spots, and they're freezing over there. I'm like, I know.

Wait. We're not used to.

It's cold.

And I'm from Virginia. Well, I'm from here, but I grew up in Virginia, where there's literally, like, five inches of snow right now. And I'm like, I lost my coat a long time ago. I've been back in California for a little over 10 years. Like. No, no, no.

Same. But you're down south. Are you okay?

Yes, yes. I'm luckily okay. Yes. I do know a lot of people that were affected by all this tragedies happening. But it, we're getting through it. We're getting through it. Lots of prayers getting through it.

Okay, so when's the next meet?

The next meet will be in November. I'm not sure exactly. Probably like mid November. I'll start prep in August.

Okay, so you're not prepping right now.

You're just in the middle and I'm painting and so I still train. Okay.

Five days a week program look like that's different from a meal prep or from a meat prep.

Okay. So meat prep can be anywhere between like 10, 14 weeks. Just depends on the athlete and what your coach thinks that you want to do. Mine have typically been about 12 week preps. So the training, basically I'm showing up five times a week. I'm still training. The thing about powerlifting is you're not always maxing out. You max out on your meat days and like once every few blocks, like there's a really is a safe sport. It. You just have to do it the right way and people get hurt because they do too much. Your body's not prepared for the load. So you, it's progress, aggressive overload. Just like a regular strength training program. Like I know my friend's mom is 65 and she competes in powerlifting meets. It's just the weights are a little bit different than you know, some of the, the guys or the female squatting like 300 pounds. But yeah. So what was that? That part of the question to get him.

So, so what's the difference between meat prep? I keep calling it meat prep, but it's meat prep versus like just your regular. Your training is when you're just trying to build the progressive overload and get strong.

And, and like meat prep is very similar, but there's just a strategy to when you're doing things. And I would say what is really a little bit different. I'm still learning a lot about powerlifting, especially in like my own body. But like the last two weeks are different than like a typical training because you're like you have taper or peak week, taper week. So you're not doing a lot of stuff right before you go max out and me day. Typically you're feeling really good. Like you've primed your body for that moment. Whereas, like, right now I'm just, I'm kind of just going through not the motions, but like, I'm going through my program. I'm going and just doing like my regular workout, hitting my compound movements and doing the supportive exercise or accessory exercises to, to enhance those compound movements. But I mean, essentially it's the same stuff. When you're not in meat prep, it's a good time to like, work on imbalances, you know, things that are kind of maybe coming up. And like, my hip is kind of bothering me right now. And of course it's because I, like, didn't work out as much over the holidays. It's quite literally the opposite of what everyone thinks. But like, so right now I'm just taking time to like, rebuild some strength in my squats and just doing a little extra rehab on the, on the hip and just a little bit less pressure. And it's just more like showing up to go work out. But, you know, you have a goal in mind, which keeps me disciplined and motivated. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Okay, so I, I kind of asked you this, but I do want to circle back. Like, if you're working out five days a week, where, where do you do the yoga? Where does yoga come into your life?

I like to go to a restorative yoga class, and it's about an hour and a half in the last 12ish minutes is meditation. I also do yoga with my clients when I teach them. So it's. And it's all restorative. My, my clients are all about the restorative as well. So. And yoga is a yoga practice. Like, I try to live it in my daily life. So breathing before I go into the gym, I'm not perfect, but this is a goal that I've been doing for the past few years. I take three really big deep breaths in before I go into the gym to train my clients in the morning. Because I'm up at like 4am every day. So I go in center myself. That's. That's yoga. Like, I checked into yoga and I think that's, that's part of not having unrealistic goals and still being able to show up and complete the task. Like, things don't need to be like this extravagant thing. So I feel like, I feel good about saying that to you. Like, I'm breathing, I'm meditating. It can also be like the journaling, which I journal almost daily. I've been getting back on my journaling practice, but yeah, no, yoga is really, really Special. But she sits.

Sits.

She sits back a little bit more. Not in a bad way. She just. She's a little bit back here. But I would like to do more of it. I'm still working on that. I. Yeah.

Last question, because I do want to be mindful of your time. What is your. Your, you know, are. Are your clients. I did ask you this. I just want to remember. Are your clients powerlifting?

I have one who is considering a powerlifting meet, so I'm training her right now online. She just hit a 180 bench. So. Yeah. Where you're, like, getting into the two.

But you're using the. But you're using the principles. You're just not necessarily prepping them for.

And that's the. That's the coolest thing about powerlifting is, like, you. It's such a great sport because you're getting strong and you're getting strong at your potential. And as we know, being strong is like, the best thing you can be able to do for yourself for your whole life. I tell my clients all the time, building muscle is your 401k. You better start now. Like, the more muscle you have right now, the more successful you're going to be throughout your life. And when I say successful, I mean health wise. Yes, it's an investment in your health, but also that carries over into everything. And I know that because I've lived it and I've gone through it and. Yeah. So staying strong. I mean, mentally, physically. Yeah.

So good. Okay. So thank you so much for pouring into me and to. To my listeners. If those of you who are tuning in want to connect and go deeper with you, where are some of the best, best places that I can send out?

You can find me on Instagram at Tyler Argento fit or my company is power flow.fitness on Instagram. Wow.

Love it. I love it. What a great name. It's perfect.

Thank you so.

All right. Thank you, Tyler. I appreciate you.

Beverly, so nice to meet you.

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