Whether testing his limits or promoting inclusivity, fitness coach Tyler Saunders isn’t the sort to concede defeat. This is how he maintains his drive
09 EQUAL PLAY
Men’s Health: You’re a PT-inresidence at Gymshark’s London store, a regular on the UK fitness comp scene and you have a semi-pro basketball background. Has sport always been a big part of your life?
Tyler Saunders: Not always. I enjoyed PE at school, but I couldn’t always keep up. Football is the big sport in England, [but] due to my impaired mobility, I was often in goal, which was soul-destroying as a kid. I was included in the school basketball team, too, but again, I wasn’t able to keep up with the flow of the game.
I also wore a prosthetic leg until I was about 23. [Saunders was born with his right leg missing from the hip.] I had a partner at the time who asked me, ‘Why do you wear the leg if it causes you so much discomfort?’ I’d always worn it to fit in and look like everyone else. After that, I took to using crutches because it was more comfortable.
MH: How did things change when you discovered wheelchair basketball?
TS: It was my first proper introduction to sport. I didn’t pursue it initially because of my studies. But I got back into the sport in my late twenties.
MH: You earned a spot on the GB Paralympic development squad – that must’ve been fairly demanding.
TS: It increased the amount of activity I was doing tenfold. Being around individuals at the top of their game rubbed off on me.
I went to Germany to play semi-pro. I was living the athlete’s life: just training and playing. That’s when I really started to see changes in my fitness and body composition. My nutritional habits improved, I started tracking my food intake and I got more clued up.
MH: What prompted your transition into personal training?
TS: I decided to qualify as a PT when I got back. Prior to Germany I was working part-time in an administrative role. My eating habits were horrendous. I thought, ‘I can’t go back to doing an office job and not fuelling my body properly, not moving enough.’ I went into my first job immediately after qualifying.
MH: You clearly enjoy pushing yourself. You’ve tackled events such as Hyrox, Spartan Races and the National Fitness Games, not to mention Ninja Warrior. What sparked your love of competing?
TS: National Fitness Games was the first one. I got the opportunity to compete in a team of four as an ambassador for [sports nutrition brand] MaxiNutrition. It was hard, but it was fun. After that event, I thought, ‘Okay… I liked pushing myself, I didn’t die.’ I caught the event bug.
MH: Have you come across any challenges when competing alongside athletes without physical impairments at big team events?
