by Julia Perez (@alextoussaint25)
At age 24, Alex Toussaint’s fitness career is just getting started, but you wouldn’t know it from his loyal clientele that consistently packs the room at Peloton’s Chelsea location in NYC. Whether it’s a 6am weekday ride, or his signature hip-hop class after work, Alex’s followers are ready to ride and take direction to get the most of each 45 minute class. From military school, to a three year residence at Flywheel Sports, Alex now leads the pack as one of Peloton’s top instructors.
Going beyond the bike, we got to the CORE of what makes Alex a standout influencer in the wellness community. We loved learning about his family values, daily life mottos, and hearing more about how he crafts the playlists that get an entire room full of spinners upping the RPMs to their fullest potential.
On starring in his own movie…
“I’m more of like a hero kind of person. I like to look after people, make sure everyone is at a good point in life and always happy even down to the workouts. If you fall down, I’m here to pick you back up. “
Basic life principles to live by…
“One day I was on the bike teaching and this line just came out: “look good, feel good, do better!” It hit me and I was like – these are basic life principles. If you feel good, you’re going to look good. If you look good, you’re going to feel good. That’s going to propel you to do better, naturally. Clients have taken it down and are using it, not just in fitness but in their everyday life and it’s given them a positive outlook.”
How military school influences his training style…
“I was in military school from 7th to 10th grade. It was a foundation to mature me faster. At the time I was like wow, this is terrible. But now going through everyday life experiences, it’s funny because I relate everything back to military school. I thank my parents a lot. They gave me a lot of structure. It’s the same thing I apply to my classes at Peloton – structure, order, discipline. Being motivational is important but structure and discipline first. I’m there to get the business done.”
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On NBA and the influence of Dwayne Wade…
“Growing up, of course I wanted to be an NBA player! I soon realized how many people live in that world and how good you have to be. I always use ball as my outlet, to get away from something or get into my own zone. It always takes me to a positive place in life. I look up to Dwayne Wade from from a fashion sense and a business sense – he’s about his business and he’s very structured. He’s a very family oriented person and that’s the best thing you can ask for in a man. He motivates me to be better, do everything to your full potential. He’s the one person I’ve always gravitated towards since I was a younger kid.”
Why Mom is #1….
“My mom is one of those strong, hardworking women. She is quiet and lets her work speak for herself, putting the work in and grinding. I don’t mean to quote Kanye on this but it’s exactly like his song Hey Mama – “My mama told me go to school, get your doctorate….but still supported me when I did the opposite” This is exactly what she did! My mom holds a PHD so she’s always wanted me to get my doctorate, but I didn’t do that – and she supported me to my fullest potential anyway. She’s my favorite person in the world.”
Crafting the perfect Peloton playlist…
“First thing, variety of music is so important. You can lose a class in 2 minutes and take 10 minutes to get them back. My mentor always told me this! Each song, each beat has a purpose. If you play song 1 in song 7’s spot, it can be a totally different class than if you play song 7 in song 1’s spot. It’s all about your placement.”
Keeping the vibe authentic…
“If I don’t relate to the song, I don’t play it because I won’t be motivating in class. I can’t false motivate anybody, you have to be authentic. The music I play is the same music I listen to in my house or my car and the headphones in the gym. I also make sure to have a mix, I want everyone to feel welcome, you never want anyone to feel left out. I make my playlists as close to class time as possible. My classes reflect the mood that I am in. Im all about positive energy and positive moods but sometimes you’re not in the best mood and you still have to relay the motivation to the people. That’s where you’ll hear me go with a little more Yeezus Kanye instead of a Graduation Kanye. Everyday is a different vibe!”
On technology’s pull to bring the fitness community together…
“I love my job at Peloton, the first thing I love about Peloton has to be the people. From top to bottom, my co-workers are amazing here. The second reason Peloton stands out is the technology. Being able to teach a class with 60 people in the studio and then hundreds and thousands of riders live and on demand is outrageous. Riders are able to take my class at any time of the day at their house or at the gym – technology is just taking over and I’m glad I can be a part of it. I’m teaching and connecting with these riders on the leaderboard through a screen and then I go on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, – then they come into the studio for the first time and it’s like I’ve already met the person because we’ve been interacting for a couple months now. Technology is bringing the fitness community together.”
100% Blessed to the CORE…
“I’m going to start saying this! Blessed to the core! The lifestyle and education I have been brought up with is a blessing, not everyone has that; at at the same time, I put in all the effort to get where I am, so it’s 0% lucky. I actually hate the word lucky. Nothing just falls into your lap, you have to put in the work to get to a place to succeed. 0% Lucky, 100% Blessed.”
Book a class with Alex at Peloton’s Chelsea location in NYC here.
Keep up with him on Instagram.