Slayton was the first trainer hired at our club. In the last two years, he has seen us morph from a tennis club into a full-service tennis and fitness center.
Here, Slayton talks about his background, the evolution of our club, and how a fitness floor-phobic tennis player might make the bold first step into a new workout routine.
What types of sports did you participate in while growing up?
I was a very active kid. You could always find me on my bike riding somewhere. I was involved in baseball, basketball, wrestling, football, soccer, track, and dance until middle school. From middle school on, I was involved in football, wrestling, baseball, powerlifting and track.
I was a state qualifier in wrestling and received 4th place at state in powerlifting. I went on to play football in college for a semester until injuries took me out. I powerlifted on my own, competing in many events and qualifying for collegiate nationals. I also have competed in mountain bike races.
When did you get the desire to go into personal training?
I knew I always wanted to be a coach and teacher. After tearing my ACL and breaking my wrist in sports, I had the chance to work with some great physical therapists, which led me to pursue a degree in Pre-Physical Therapy. I changed my degree to Health Promotion once I went to Emporia State University. Personal training never even crossed my mind until one day I was working out in the gym and the recreation director at ESU came up to me and ask me about my experience with coaching and what my major was. I started personal training soon after that and this led me to where I am today.
As our first personal trainer, how has the fitness floor changed in the last two years?
The fitness center has changed a lot. We have a lot of new equipment and are still getting more. This is the ideal place to be a personal trainer with the floor plan we have. Our equipment is spread out so that you could train in about any corner and never get in the way of anyone. We also have the nice functional room where we can work more with small apparatus, like the TRX bands, ladders, and small hurdles.
What is your personal fitness target for this year?
That’s a great question. I am always telling people to set goals but I rarely set goals for myself. I really enjoy exercise and I like to try new things all the time. I enjoy staying fit and healthy and that’s my goal. I would like to stay injury-free so that I can continue to coach and educate people as well as take care of myself and do the things I love.
What would you say to someone like me who is afraid of going on the fitness floor?
You do not have to be an athlete to be fit, and you do not have to do everything the person next to you is doing.
Be smart about what you are doing. Learn why you are doing or not doing something before you start a program that you read in a magazine or online. Keep your workout simple so that you will enjoy it and continue to do it. Work on form and fundamentals before you work on any other goals.
Thanks, Slayton.
Do you have a question you would like to ask Slayton?
