Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas Downs Jr..
Hi Thomas, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m Thomas Downs Jr., though most people know me as TD.
As a former college football player, my passion for fitness grew into something much bigger than athletics. Training for football and baseball taught me how to adapt my workouts to perform at my best, but after football was over, the gym became more than a place to train. It became my sanctuary, a space where I could step away from life’s challenges, reset my mind, and continue choosing the best version of myself every day. The dopamine high after a good hard workout is unmatched!
My degree in Psychology and Sociology has allowed me to combine my understanding of mental wellness with fitness and nutrition, helping clients achieve more than physical results. My goal is to empower people to improve their quality of life by strengthening their mind, body, and daily habits.
Entrepreneurship has always been part of who I am. In high school, I sold candy and breakfast sandwiches, taught myself how to cut hair, built a barbering business, and often worked multiple jobs at once. While those ventures taught me valuable lessons, I eventually realized I wanted to build something that wasn’t just about making money. I wanted to make a lasting impact.
On New Year’s eve 2024, I sat down and finalized my business plan. I invested in my personal training & nutrition certification and started building what would eventually become TDFIT Training.
My vision was to create a business that focused on the whole person. That’s where the TDFIT philosophy was born: Mind. Soul. Body.
Mind represents mental wellness and developing a resilient mindset & building healthy habits. Body focuses on physical fitness and proper nutrition (how you fuel your body). Most importantly, Soul reflects spiritual health and living with purpose. As a follower of Christ, my faith is the foundation of everything I do and the driving force behind how I serve others.
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the people who believed in me. I’m grateful to F45, the first gym that gave me an opportunity to coach, and to my incredible wife, whose unwavering support and guidance helped turn my vision into a business.
Today, TDFIT Training provides both in person and online personal training, habit coaching and nutrition coaching, helping people transform more than their physiques. My mission is to help every client build a healthier, stronger life by investing in their Mind, Soul, and Body.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting a business is never easy, especially when you’re building something that serves a specific niche while also trying to reach a broader audience. The fitness industry presents its own unique challenges because, like many industries, you’re asking people to make an investment in themselves. One of the biggest challenges is helping people shift their mindset. We show up every day and clock in for our jobs, our families, and everyone else, but often forget to clock in for ourselves. Investing in your health isn’t a luxury, it’s one of the most valuable commitments you can make. When life gets busy or finances become tight, fitness is often the first thing people sacrifice, when in reality, taking care of yourself is what allows you to show up at your best for everything and everyone else.
When I first launched TDFIT Training, everything was completely online. While I loved the flexibility, I struggled to find a gym where I could also train clients in person. That changed when I connected with Allen and found an incredible home at Grind Fitness. Having access to a great facility made it much easier to provide the experience I wanted for my clients.
From there, the focus became meeting people where they are. Some thrive with the flexibility and accountability of online coaching, while others need the energy, community, and hands on support that comes with in person training. Building a business that successfully integrates both hasn’t been easy, but it’s been one of the most rewarding parts of the journey. Every challenge has pushed me to become a better coach, a better business owner, and ultimately better equipped to help people transform their lives.
We’ve been impressed with TDFIT Training, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
TDFIT Training is a health and wellness brand built around one simple belief: you deserve to choose yourself. A lot of the time we are all just surviving what life throws as us instead of thriving in the life God has given us.
I specialize in helping people who know they want to make a change but don’t know where to start, struggle to create a plan, or feel like they’ve tried everything without seeing the progress they want. Whether it’s someone who is tired of going to the gym just to say they went, constantly saying they “don’t have time,” or struggling to stay consistent, TDFIT helps turn intention into action.
I live by the motto, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” That’s why my approach goes beyond simply giving clients workouts. We create a plan, build sustainable habits, and develop the discipline and accountability needed to make fitness a part of your lifestyle. I believe you should clock in for yourself just as much as you clock in for work.
What sets TDFIT Training apart is our focus on the whole person: Mind, Soul, and Body. Fitness isn’t just about how you look. It’s about how you think, how you feel, how you fuel yourself, and how you show up for your life. My goal is to help clients stop telling themselves what they can’t do and start building the confidence to see what they are capable of.
That same philosophy extends to the next generation. TDFIT also provides youth fitness and wellness education, helping young people understand that health, fitness, nutrition, and entrepreneurship can be accessible to them. I teach youth classes focused on building a business, making fitness accessible regardless of what resources you have, training athletes, and understanding nutrition. I want young people to see fitness as more than just working out. It can be a tool for confidence, discipline, leadership, and creating a healthier future. I also want them to understand that their ideas, passions, and skills can become opportunities.
TDFIT also specializes in HYROX and hybrid training, an area that has become a new major passion of mine. I’ve coached others preparing for HYROX competitions and am now competing myself. I like to describe HYROX training like preparing for a test. You don’t just show up on test day and hope you do well. You study, practice, identify your weaknesses, and develop a strategy. HYROX is no different. We train not only to become stronger hybrid athletes, but to understand the competition, develop race strategy, improve transitions, manage our energy, and ultimately perform well on race day.
What I’m most proud of about TDFIT is that it isn’t just a personal training business. It’s a brand built around intentional living and choosing yourself. Through personal training, online coaching, nutrition coaching, and HYROX-focused training, TDFIT helps people take ownership of their health and create a lifestyle they can actually sustain.
What are your plans for the future?
The long term vision for TDFIT Training is to grow beyond personal training or just another gym and become a wellness hub that brings fitness, nutrition, mental health, and community together under one roof. I believe God has given me a purpose to impact people’s lives, and I want to build a space that allows me to put that purpose into action.
The future TDFIT facility would offer personal and group training, HYROX and hybrid training, a café with healthy meals, smoothies, and coffee, therapy and mental health counseling, mindfulness and meditation workshops, youth and family wellness programs, and community events focused on wellness education and personal growth. The goal is to create a place where people can train, eat well, prioritize their mental health, learn, and connect without having to go to multiple places to meet their wellness needs.
In the short term, I’m focused on building the foundation for that vision by expanding TDFIT’s online and in person personal training, nutrition coaching, and HYROX and hybrid training. I’m also focused on growing my client base, strengthening the brand, developing strategic partnerships, and creating sustainable revenue streams.
The ultimate goal is to turn TDFIT into a physical wellness facility. I’m actively looking for investors and strategic partners who believe in the mission and can help provide the resources, expertise, and connections needed to bring the vision to life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Tdfittraining.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tdfit.training?igsh=bTIwandrY242Y3pv
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556335103698
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@tdfit.training?si=EnWFyritAdkozPeB
