Ellis Talton

Tell us a little background about yourself! What does your life outside of the gym look like?

I was born and raised in Selma, Alabama and graduated from Sewanee, a small liberal arts college in Tennessee. I played football in highschool as a 145 pound noseguard and was part of two state championship teams. I was quick off the line, and was able to use my speed to get past the big guys up front. (Once, I wasn’t fast enough and a 250 pound guard pancaked me, snapping my ankle clean through. Still pops a bit to this day but doesn’t keep me off the sleds!). I played tennis as well since I was a kid, and decided to walk-on in college and loved being part of a team. I’m not playing a lot of organized football these days, but I still play tennis competitively and rely on the amazing team at Prevail to help me be stronger and faster on court. I also play golf, badly.

My twenties were spent working as an energy journalist in the Middle East and Central Africa, and after a few brief stops in New York and LA I found myself in Santa Barbara, CA. I have been in this amazing town since 2019 and usually find myself in the mountains, discovering winemakers in the Central Coast, and playing a lot of tennis.

What impact has training at Prevail made in your life?

 Prevail brings everything I love into one place. The feeling of being part of a team, learning techniques and movements to get stronger (shoutout to toe elevated split squats), and setting personal goals and having the support to achieve them. It brings me balance and enhances everything I do outside of the gym.

What are you most proud of achieving since training at Prevail?

The first few weeks of toe elevated split squats were brutal. Soul crushing. But, after several weeks and with lots of encouragement from Kyle, I not only was able to get to half my body weight, I actually started to enjoy them! Going through that little mental and physical transformation was a proud and encouraging moment. I also re-learned how to use my core and tuck my hips properly, which seems like a small accomplishment but it has had an impact in every movement in and out of the gym. That was a huge aha moment!

What is your favorite exercise/movement?

One of my main goals at Prevail is to improve my speed and agility, so we’ve worked on block starts and dashes a lot. Once, we broke out the electronic sprint timer and I loved working on sprints because it allows you to use the strength you’ve built, but also requires great technique. The movements that help me learn how to get faster have been fantastic. Peter promised me a sprint timer for Christmas next year; it’s actually my favorite piece of equipment at the gym.

Do you have any words of encouragement or tips for somebody new to exercise (or restarting)?

Be consistent, and make being at the gym a priority. And not every session has to be a 10/10! Don’t be too hard on yourself if some days you feel like you can only bring 65% effort. The results will compound.

Any additional comments you would like to share?

I just want to thank everyone at Prevail for creating such a great environment to grow and learn, and in particular a huge thank you to Kyle Cherry for his coaching and encouragement. Looking forward to great things in 2023!