Life & Work with Collin (CT) Taylor of Beachwood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Collin (CT) Taylor

Hi Collin (CT), we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I got started in strength training when I was 16 years old, lifting in my basement at home with my dad. My dad has always been a huge inspiration to me in my strength training journey. Even now at 82, we often talk about new method’s and modalities to use in the gym.

My athletic career took me to Indiana University, where I played football, from 2005-2009. I was then blessed with an opportunity to play professional football for 10 years, in the Arena Football League (AFL), which is what brought me to Cleveland in 2014.

In 2017, I began working at T3 Performance, a fitness facility located in Avon, OH. After a few years in my role as “off-sight training director,” I was given the opportunity to help open up our 2nd location in Beachwood, OH, where we currently are. We run performance training out of the new Drusinski Sports Medicine Institute, attached to University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center.

We specialize in performance training for athletes, youth to professional, as well as run group strength training classes for adults, and 1 on 1 personal training. I’ve learned so much in our first year being open, and continue to learn everyday as we expand our reach on the East Side of Cleveland.

We currently have 2 facilities, one in Avon, and one in Beachwood.

My goal in the strength and conditioning field has always been to inspire athletes of all ages, to reach their maximum athletic AND personal potential, through consistent and intentional hard work in the weight room. As well as to be able to set up coaches for a long and filling career in the field.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has absolutely not been a smooth road, and I’ve always learned more from the losses than the wins. In my college career, I had to overcome being a walk on, to eventually fight for a starting position and earn a full athletic scholarship. In my professional playing career, I was cut multiple times, and sat on the bench for 4 years, until I became a franchise record setting wide receiver (here in the Cleveland, for the Gladiators). In my professional training career, I worked my way up from an hourly skills coach, to a director role. Once we opened then new facility, I worked over 100 days straight before we MADE our first $1.

I continue to try to lose on a weekly basis, for the opportunity to learn and grow.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As mentioned, we specialize in performance training for athletes. We use a speed based training program, to help athletes progress in their own personal athletic pursuits. We blend what the athletes do on the court/field/pitch, with what they do in the weight room, to provide the best balance between their sport skill and their physical strength. Through this training, we’ve worked with many professional athletes at the highest level of their sport (NFL, Olympics, NBA, USA national teams) and this is what we’re known for…but this is not what I’m most proud of.

Just because a coach works with professional athletes, it doesn’t make them a “good coach.” Some coaches/facilities are blessed with high level athletes walking through their doors. Many athletes are able to perform well on the field, in spite of a poor training program. Our programming is great, our training is great, our facility is amazing. But what I truly believe sets up apart from other training facilities is the quality of human beings that we hire. We hold a high standard for all our coaches, and hire based on integrity, trustworthiness, communication skills, and THEN knowledge of the field. I am confident that athletes and adults who work with our staff will not only become more fit, more capable athletes, but they’ll also become better human beings.

My most proud moments as a coach, are seeing those self conscious, introverted, athletes come out of their shells. Seeing them walk into the gym with a smile, with their chest and eyes held high, and their confidence through the roof, gives me joy that is almost indescribable on paper. These are the moments that get me out of bed in the morning.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Anyone looking to get into the strength and conditioning field should be open minded and willing to learn. This is a field with constant and consistent growth, and with so much information coming out on (what feels like) a daily basis, coaches can not get too tied to a certain style or modality of training.

Early on, I wish I would’ve had somebody tell me to be myself, and continue to seek opportunities to grow. A lot of coaches get stuck in the “my way or the highway” mentality, and that is the quickest way for them to burn out, or become uninterested in the field. Coaches also LOVE to train the way that they were trained, and if their identity is wrapped up in training one specific way, they will be in for a rude awakening when they train a high level athlete who doesn’t believe in their system.

The best thing a young coach can do, is completely be themselves. Find their voice and their own style, and blend their training with that. I’m a resilient, passionate, charismatic, truth seeker..and living my life as that person, has gotten me further in my career than any book or training modality every could have.

Pricing:

• Athlete Group Training – $15-$35/session
• Adult Group Training – $10-$20/session
• 1 on 1 training – $40-$80/session
• Youth Training – $8-$20/session

Contact Info:

• Website: https://t3athlete.com/beachwood-ahuja
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/t3performancebeachwood
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/t3performanceahuja
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/cutoffsandcoffeepodcast