Today we’d like to introduce you to Dylan Dessert.
Hi Dylan, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have always had an interest in fitness. What drew me in was the sense of empowerment that came with it. The knowledge that I was in full control of the outcome. Although achieving success may be more challenging than I was prepared for, knowing that the decision to succeed was mine and mine alone to make was incredibly powerful. I have always known that fitness would always be apart of my life, but I did not expect it to play such a central role.
I originally intended on pursuing a career in physical therapy. I figured that healing others through fitness was right up my alley. After four years of college and two internships I changed my mind. For me, the clinic was too restrictive. We could only provide care that directly improved the condition that physical therapy was prescribed for. Even though many patients were dealing with a myriad of issues that we could have helped with. We were limited by the diagnosis. I don’t view this time as a waste, in truth these experiences are what pushed me to start my coaching business. More so, my brief time in the clinic opened my eyes to the severity of these situations and what fitness could be. Before physical therapy, I viewed fitness like most people. It is something for athletes to do to win games. It is what one does to be happier with their appearance, and of course there’s some health benefits that doctors occasionally mention. Now I see fitness for what it is, essential care for the mind and body.
During this time I was also writing workout programs and helping some folks in the gym for free. I was the go-to fitness guy for many people I knew, and I honestly loved it. It gave me a chance to test ideas and apply everything I was learning. Of course, starting out I sucked haha. I understood the nuts and bolts of fitness, but not the people I was trying to help. Fortunately, I had to take some psychology classes as apart of the required curriculum for PT school. Which turned out to be some of the best classes for me. I started to realize that the only way to truly help someone is to first understand them, as such I started to see success. I started to see fitness do for others what it has done for me. I saw folks gain the same confidence and empowerment that I had gained when I first stepped into the weight room as a kid. Right around the time I realized that physical therapy was not for me, I was also helping about a dozen or so people in the gym. It finally hit me, I could just make a career out of coaching! Afterall, If I start my own business then I would be free of limitations.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been bit of a bumpy ride. While I have truly enjoyed working with my clients, actually learning how to run a business has been less enjoyable haha. I’m sure this is the case for most entrepreneurs. We start a business chasing passions and quickly realize that part of owning a business is knowing how to run one. When I first started to dive into things it was quite overwhelming. Figuring out how to register and structure my business along with learning how to properly do my record keeping for taxes were the first bumps in the road. That trend has, for the most, part continued on. Prior to starting this journey I had zero experience in business, let alone sales and marketing, so I’ve had to learn as I go. Tackling problems one at a time and slowly piecing together an idea of how to run a functional business. I am glad I dove right in, if I’m being frank, I doubt anything would have truly prepared me to take the leap into entrepreneurship.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The MDT in MDT Strength stands for multi-disciplinary training. I chose this name because one of the biggest problems that has plagued the fitness industry for decades is the over emphasis on training methods and modalities. Every method works, every modality has its place, but none are perfect. They are simply tools in the tool box. A hammer is great for driving a nail into a board, but not ideal for driving in a screw. Far to many people get swept up in the branding of training. Rather that be: body building, strength training, functional fitness, HIIT, ect.
We focus far to much on the hour or two in the gym, and not enough about the other 22-23 hours in the day. Let alone who we are as individuals. Our routines, lifestyles, struggles, and mental dispositions. MDT Strength aims to bridge the gap between exercise science and psychology. To create an all encompassing plan that ensures clients can succeed and maintain their success. From day to day behavioral change to crafting the best possible workout program for you. MDT Strength pulls from multiple disciplines to break every barrier standing between you and your goal.
What really sets MDT Strength apart is a commitment to education. My goal is to educate every client on why we’re doing what we’re doing. This is paramount to long term success. At the end of the day, each of my clients will eventually go their own way. As such, I focus on ensuring that they have the tools, knowledge, and skill sets necessary to continue being successful on their fitness journey.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The rise of AI is starting to enter the fitness industry in the form of programming apps. Basically, you can download an app and tell the app what kind of workout program you want. For example: you want to grow muscle and you can only make it to the gym 3 days a week. Then the AI creates a specialized program for you. They’re very basic at the moment and certainly need some more work, but they’re incredibly cheap.
I believe these AI apps will end up pushing most personal trainers out of the industry. The fitness industry has a very low barrier to entry. Many personal trainers and coaches just walk you through a workout they found on bodybuidling.com and count your reps. The next step up you have trainers and coaches who do take the time to write you an individualized program, but nothing more. AI will probably end up out competing the lower end services, but I think will make the higher end services more lucrative. Those who are just looking for a program to follow will get one for cheap. Those looking for more will get funneled to higher end services.
Far to often folks will purchase these lower end services and have a terrible experience. They’ll get stuck in an expensive contract and make zero progress. As such, they never pursue personal training or coaching ever again. Personally, I see these apps as a good thing. They will force those who give the profession a bad name out. Forcing those who wish to pursue a career in personal training and coaching to adhere to higher standards of service. For why pay a trainer hundreds of dollars a month when you can get the same results from a $10/month app.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mdt-strength.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mdt_strength/
