You might have seen fitness expert Tramell Smith on A&E’s “Fit to Fat to Fit” and if you haven?t you should learn more about this fitness professional and owner of Total Nutrition & Training. On ?Fit to Fat to Fit,? 10 professional fitness trainers agree to intentionally gain weight and then show the process in which they get fit again.
This strength coach and certified sports nutritionist aims to make a name for himself in the fitness industry, which generates more than an estimated $75 billion annually.
Smith tells TNJ.com how he plans on making his mark.
TNJ.com: How did you first get into fitness?
Tramell Smith: I have been involved in some form of fitness all of my life.? I grew up an athlete in a very athletic family–I played basketball, football, and ran track in middle and high school.? I excelled in all sports especially track and field, and was awarded an athletic scholarship from the University of Illinois. I even ran professionally for two years.? While training as a pro I worked as a volunteer assistant track coach at Texas Tech University and that was my first real taste of what it was like to train and lift up other people with my knowledge.? It felt extremely natural for me to help others achieve their best.? After an injury led me to “hang up my spikes,” I transitioned to being a full time trainer and have been doing what I love ever since.
TNJ.com: Why did you decide to pursue it as a profession?
TS: Initially, I started training as a transition from being an athlete, but I fell in love when I had my first 100-pound weight loss client and saw the impact it had on her life.? Not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.? I knew then I had found my calling and made it my business to impact and change as many lives as possible.
TNJ.com: Fitness is highly competitive, what has been the key to your success?
TS: Results!!! I feel that 85 percent of the people who call themselves fitness experts, personal trainers, strength coaches, etc. are horrible and give us remaining 15 percent a bad rep.? I produce results and that is what stands out.? Plenty of times, I’ve seen a client who has been working with a trainer for six months, one year, or any extended period of time and the person still looks like it’s week one.? I produce results and that is what has made me successful.? I am constantly learning; I try and learn 1-2 new things each day with regard to health and fitness.
TNJ.com: How did the show ?Fit to Fat to Fit? come about?
TS: I train a handful of actors and actresses and they introduced the show to me.? I did not really want to be in the public eye but I did want more exposure so it started for me as a way to get more exposure for what it is I do.? The show had a working title of “Master Trainer” and I did not find out the premise of the whole show until my final casting interview.? I was unsure of gaining the weight but then decided that what better opportunity to show that what I do really works than to go onto the show and prove it.
TNJ.com: in terms of keeping fit, what would your tips be for professionals who travel a great deal?
TS: Plan out your meals.? With traveling comes a lot of eating out and on-the-go meals.? If you can make better decisions for your meals, you will be more likely to make other healthy decisions.? I like to tell my clients to eat meals consisting of good fats and protein for the first few meals and when entertaining or having business meals then you can incorporate your carbs.? This is called carb-back loading and is an effective way to not “spillover” on your carbs and gain fat.
TNJ.com: What?s next for you?
TS: My next steps are to build my online clientele.? On my website, totalnutritionandtraining .com, I provide custom meal and workout regimens for people who want to work with me but are not able to do one-on-one training sessions due to time and/or location.? I will continue to grow in my field and try to maximize the amount of lives I can affect for the better. I also would like to continue to grow as a “fitness personality,? continue to get bigger platforms to spread true health and fitness ideals and protocols that garner results.
