Trainer Dylan Knight works with Mary Johnson, a postpartum mother, on core sculpting and toning.
BY ALISON BURMEISTER
When Dylan Knight was attending grade school at Marquez Elementary and taking martial arts lessons with Gerry Blanck in 1996, the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recognized the very first nationally accredited certificate for personal trainers.
Although personal training has been around since the ancient Greeks prepared for first Olympic games in 776 B.C., the idea of becoming a personal trainer as a career path is a relatively new one.
Fast forward 26 years and the industry has exploded, and now includes Knight, a certified personal trainer and the owner of “Fitness From Within Personal Training.”
“I’ve always had a passion for fitness,” said Knight, as he stands in his immaculate studio space nestled in the Highlands of Pacific Palisades.
Born and raised in the Pacific Palisades Highlands, Knight knew when he graduated from Malibu High in 2010 that he wanted to become a personal trainer.
“When I was 14 years old, my mom got me a membership at the Bay Club,” Knight said and notes that he and his mom would go together to work out. “My dad was a personal trainer in his early years and made his living manufacturing fitness equipment.”
Knight opened his gym at the start of Covid, and said business really took off during the pandemic.
With so many gyms closing over the last two and half years, including The Bay Club, people were seeking a more personal, one- on-one approach to achieve their fitness goals.
Dylan Knight works with Dr. Kian Karimi.
“The old business model for traditional gyms is changing at a very fast pace and it’s interesting to see where this is all heading for the fitness industry.” Knight said. “Currently the industry is becoming much more digital than ever before. It’s allowing people to have access to wide variety of new resources like virtual-classes, fitness-tracking apps, YouTube fitness tutorials, and things like Instagram reels.”
Knight said people still want the personal touch.
At “Fitness From Within Personal Training,” he offers a “personalized luxury experience” complete with a customized individual fitness program on templates that Knight creates himself.
During each session, the trainer tracks a client’s fitness levels and goals. He attributes much of his knowledge and success to his experiences working in other gyms.
According to Knight, “what makes a great personal trainer is someone who has both expert knowledge as well as multiple years of professional experience in the industry.”
Knight achieved Level II certification at Equinox gym in Westwood and has an “Assisted Stretching Certification” from The Stretch Lab on Montana. He also specializes in “Corrective Fitness,” which focuses on functional moves much like post physical therapy rehab.
Knight says his ideal client is anyone who is willing to show up and “do the work.”
His goal is to help people “enhance their quality of life.” Ironically, he has a stationary bike in the corner of his gym that he refers to as the “death bike.”
“I end most of my client sessions with at least four minutes on it for a final burst of cardio,” he said, explaining the bike not only works out the legs but arms, too.
“I typically train a lot of business executives, surgeons and lawyers,” he said. “I also train a lot of newly postpartum moms, which is definitely something I enjoy doing.
“There’s a new level of awareness developing among people wanting to improve their fitness and longevity.” Knight says. “Better training methods are developing due to more consistent research on proper exercise science and improved training principles.
“People are leaning more into proper recovery methods, which leads people to training smarter and also helps prevent injuries,” he said.
To register or find out more, visit: https://www.yourfitnessfromwithin.com/
Dylan Knight in his gym in the Palisades Highlands.