Goins now a pro bodybuilder, full-time personal trainer

Burke County native Tyler Goins played basketball in his younger days, but eventually decided that his lack of height would probably limit his future on the hardwood.

A 2010 Patton High School graduate, Goins was born in Morganton and currently lives in Valdese, and these days he stands in at 5-foot-6. He started wrestling when he was 10 years old, remaining a grappler for about seven or eight years before shifting his focus to other pursuits.

Having gotten more serious about working out as a senior at Patton, Goins’ next endeavor saw him enter the world of bodybuilding. He took part in some competitions in his late teens, acknowledging that bodybuilding was “kind of like an outlet” for him.

Goins compares wrestling to bodybuilding in the sense that “you have control of your actions and the things that you do.” Additionally, whether an individual is on the wrestling mat or the bodybuilding stage, “you’re responsible for your mess-ups or your positive things.”

In 2012, Goins switched to powerlifting, competing in four different weight classes – 148, 165, 181, and 198 pounds – over a 10-year span. His best lifts in competition were 745 pounds in the squat, 617 pounds in the deadlift, and 425 pounds in the bench press.

Nevertheless, due to “the aches and pains of powerlifting,” Goins decided to quit the sport and return to bodybuilding in January 2023. But he likely never could have imagined how much success he would have in the months that followed.

In April 2023, Goins was the overall winner in men’s bodybuilding during the National Physique Committee (NPC) Southern Tournament of Champions in Manning, S.C. He also finished first among middleweight competitors and among those who participated in Class A of the Classic Physique division.

Later that month, Goins added a runner-up finish in middleweight during the NPC Charlotte Cup. However, the best was yet to come, as he also took part in the NPC Junior USA Bodybuilding Championships in May 2023 in Charleston, S.C., where he came in first in middleweight and second in Class A of Classic Physique to earn his International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation pro card.

“It meant a lot to me,” said Goins, who pointed out that “turning pro was never actually the goal” and that he was instead just looking “to improve, build his physique, and be competitive on a pro stage one day.”

“I had only done bodybuilding for like four and a half months last year, and I think that kind of bothered some people to an extent,” he added of earning his pro card so rapidly. “But I had already built a foundation from years of training and powerlifting, so all I had to do was lose some fat. I had a little bit of fat on me, so I was just kind of hiding the physique a little bit since I was powerlifting for so long, but it worked out really well.”

Goins hasn’t competed again since earning his pro card because of some health issues, admitting that “I don’t know what the sport will hold for me in the future.” However, he has been staying plenty busy as a full-time personal trainer at Original Workout in Hickory and as the co-owner of Underdog Coaching alongside his wife, Heather.

“That started last year right after I turned pro,” said Goins of Underdog Coaching. “My wife was actually my coach, and I’m pretty basic, very simple, I just do what works. I didn’t have to hire a special coach that has a lot of street cred or anything like that because my wife knew what she was doing. She was a nutritionist, she’s a licensed massage therapist, so everything that you really need I had in my spouse. She really helped me a lot, and she’s helped a lot of people in Burke, Catawba, and Caldwell counties.”

Goins also stated that “whatever somebody wants to do, we’re there to help them,” whether that involves adopting a healthier lifestyle or training for competitions such as bodybuilding or powerlifting. 

“The most important thing that you can invest in is your health,” said Goins. “And I think without good health you don’t live very well, so you’re not able to enjoy things in life. … So if you can help somebody you definitely want to do that, that’s what it’s about, just helping people and helping them reach their goals.”