Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Trevino.
Hi Michael, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I got into fitness when I was five years old. I can literally, vividly remember to this day… I was peaking over the rails to try and watch my mom workout in small local gym, that was mainly all guys, but I would watch her go lift all these weights being one of the only females around and her just being so strong out there… that sparked me to this day it’s where I got my passion for fitness. I grew up playing soccer predominately. All year around, competitively until about 15 years old. Truth be told, I quit soccer when I was pissed about not making JV haha. About 1 year previously to this however, I found great refuge in the gym. As I began to be disciplined in the gym I also learned to fight some inner demons of mine, like bullying and self image through my failures and success in lifting. From that day on I’ve committed myself into learning fitness and health.
Fast forward. I graduate high school, hired two different trainers and coaches, went and left Texas State University (not graduated) only to discover all I really wanted to do in life was spread as good into this world as I could through Personal Training and helping transform and coach life. I earned certifications in NASM an NSCA while living back home in Houston. I went on to thrive in Buda, TX, when I moved to be with my now wife back in 2014 to south Austin. I worked at an AnytimeFitness in Buda, TX.
That’s truly where I learned how to “sell” personal training from an amazing mentor, Andy (who is still one of my close friends). I eventually started to feel lost in life. I continued to train at anytime fitness while also going to school in Round Rock taking night classes to be an EMT. Shortly after graduating EMT school I quit my training job and committed myself to the fire academy in Jan 2019. I felt at the time I was burning out of training and needed something different mentally and physically. After a few clinical and ride outs, I immediately fell in love with the mentality, integrity, and grit associated with the fire fighting community.
Once I graduated from the fire academy later in 2019, I actually got offered a job in Kyle, TX at a much, much bigger local gym than my last one I worked at in Buda. I figured why not, I can make some cash until I get a gig in Kyle for fire fighting. At that time we had wanted to move to Kyle from south Austin. I took the training job and fell right back in love with training. I had so much more everything at my disposal in this new playground of mine I get to call a gym and my second home. As I was torn for the next year between continuing training, as I hit new personal and gym records for personal training sales; I helped the manager implement training packages an pricing as he happened to be my old manager from Buda, Andy! It was like old times. As I flourished, Covid swept through my fitness community and changed a lot of things in 2020. For a few months our gym closed down. I did what I could for all my clients including holding outdoor bootcamps in our parking lot for free, three times a week. Our gym owners and management did an amazing job continuing to get us paid. We found labor in helping remodel the gym and deep clean.”
During this time my now wife, Kimberly was still able to work at her veterinary office. I however began to wonder what I was going to do as fire departments began to freeze hiring. When one day I hear about a smoothie place. I love smoothies so naturally I go see what they have to offer. When I get there I notice off to the side of the smoothie bar, a small room with a small sign that says for rent… so naturally, I bring it up in conversation and poke around questioning if they had anyone in mind and about how much they were thinking. It probably wasn’t more than three months later that I went and got council through legal zoom and got my business setup with an LLC. I began moving alllll the equipment I had kept an bought over the years and started training clients who I’ve got to follow me over from my Kyle gym. From then it was really off the races. Word of mouth began spreading faster than I could keep up.
Eventually the smoothie place, Kyle Nutrition, and I had to switch lease holders as they began to come into financial problems. I, then got access to more or almost all of the square footage left in the building. I also then had the access to buy new and more equipment to then fill up the space. Fast forward another year or so, Kyle nutrition had to find a new home. My business picked up even more steam since. Frontline comes from my love and appreciation for our fallen heroes: our military, veterans, first responders. I want to help them in anyway I can. I’ve had a lot of people in my life be apart of the military. I want to give help either financially, or maybe help resolve ptsd issues through having a great community and facility. If I ever do become a larger member based gym, it will be my goal to organize the local fire, police and ems departments around the area at a really good affordable price for membership an training and honoring free day passes to first responders or military/veterans who are just coming through town.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Besides Covid. My smoothie company I first partnered with was an absolute wreck. Within the first year the smoothie business partners had a huge disagreement and one backed out. After that I feel the one that stayed never really shook it off. She was always late. Was very inconsistent on when she was opened being there. And I hate saying this but she would constantly keep her new born there with a few of her other kids… then she eventually had another new born which means the 1 year old was all over the place.
One of my challenges or tribulations I would say would be the smoothie company I first partnered with. My private training studio that had easy traffic for smoothie customers and room for my clients to workout, soon turned into a chaotic children’s daycare at times. It began to be slightly unprofessional for me and my clients, let alone new potential clients I had that have never been there. I would have to say this taught me to better at communication and to be more of a “boss” / “responsible gym owner”. I should have spoken up and actually done something about it long before other people started to notice it was problem. Thankfully, the smoothie shop and I parted ways.
As you know, we’re big fans of Frontline Training LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I run a private, 1 on 1 personal training gym. Meaning there’s no wondering members taking your machines or looking at you. It’s completely like student, teacher environment. I’m mega proud, as mentioned in previous question, that we honor veterans, military and first responders with discounts for their training packages and their family members. We hold free bootcamps for the community and surrounding communities on Saturday mornings (usually 2x month). We offer lifestyle coaching, workout programming, nutrition guidance, strength and condition training and weight loss.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I’m on social media.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Frontline.training.llc
- Facebook: Frontline Training LLC
