The Athlete Spotlight: Meet Chayse Byrd

CW // eating disorders. Please note, this blog contains information you may find triggering.

With a TikTok filled with hilariously funny videos, fitness tips and workout routines, we couldn’t wait to sit down and chat with our incredible AYBL Athlete.

Talking about what makes her content so successful and why working out is far less glamorous than everyone thinks, we caught up with none other than Chayse Byrd.

With almost 1 million TikTok followers and nearly 47 million likes, this girl is certainly no stranger to sharing the ups and downs of her fitness journey. And it’s not just her down-to-earth personality that we love, it’s that she’s not afraid to push boundaries and show what working out really looks like - and in Chayse’s case, it’s a lot of sweating.

See what she had to say when we caught up with her below.

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME OUT TO JOIN US! WHAT ARE THREE OF YOUR FAVOURITE OR MOST MEMORABLE VIDEOS THAT YOU’VE CREATED?

I wouldn’t say there’s just one video, it’s the series of videos that I do. I do these ‘Sweat Test’ videos, called ‘Piss Pant Reviews’. They’re so weird, but people love them and I love creating them. It’s just such an interesting way to review activewear, so that would be my top favourite series that I do.

Back in October, I also did this Pull Up Series. I couldn’t do a pull up or I thought I could do a pull up and someone told me my pull up form was incorrect, so I was like ‘you know what, let me work on it.’ So, I took it into my own hands and made it into a series which ended up doing really well. So, I would say my Pull Up Series is my second favourite.

For my third favourite, it would probably be the video I posted back in February about me opening up about my eating disorder. That created a huge community and from that, I saw how many women were also struggling with the same thing in silence, which really opened my eyes and broke my heart, but also, it was a turning point in my life. 

@chaysembyrd Don’t be scared to try new things in the gym!! (Wearing @beaybl ) #gymtips #tryingnewthings #calisthenics ♬ Plastic Beach (feat. Mick Jones and Paul Simonon) - Gorillaz

USE THREE WORDS TO DESCRIBE YOUR TIKTOK ACCOUNT.

Honest, relatable and transparent.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING AN AYBL ATHLETE?

I absolutely love getting emails from Chloe [my AYBL Sponsorship Manager], as well as the relationships I’ve built with the rest of the Sponsorship Team and the communication I get from them. 

It honestly is the people behind the scenes who bring the brand to life that makes it so good. 

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT AYBL AS A BRAND?

For me, it’s the way AYBL handles its social media. You’re very in touch with what’s going on across social media. If you look at other brands, they’re often delayed or a little bit behind in terms of reacting to trends or influencer marketing.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE AYBL COLLECTION OR SET AND WHY?

It has to be either the Balance V2 Collection or Evolve Animal Seamless Collection. They’re both my favourite. 

I love the Evolve Animal Seamless sets for running because they don't slide down and they’re very compressive. While the Balance V2 sets are very stretchy and I can do a lot in them, so whether I’m running or lifting, it’s good for absolutely everything. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES YOUR CONTENT SO SUCCESSFUL AND RELATABLE?

I think it’s just the fact that I don’t hold back on what I’m saying and I don’t sugar coat anything, I give people the reality of the fitness industry and that’s what people want to hear. I think they’re sick of being, not so much ‘lied’ to, but not being given the whole truth. That’s literally why I do what I do and why I think people follow me. 

WHAT SORT OF CONTENT DO YOU ENJOY MAKING THE MOST AND WHY?

The Sweat Tests. They’re very simple to make because all I do is record a ‘before shot’, do my normal workout because I get sweaty as it is, and then record an ‘after shot’ and people are like ‘wow, this is what I needed!’ and I’m like ‘okay, I’ll keep doing this’. 

@chaysembyrd YOOO 8/10 ON THE PISS PANT SCALE!!! LINK FOR THIS IS IN MY BIO!!! @AYBL #clothingreview #cardio #sweat ♬ Bach Concerto in a Minor for Violin - Classical Music

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO PEOPLE WHO MAY NEED A CONFIDENCE OR MOTIVATION BOOST DURING THEIR WORKOUTS?

I think if you’re searching for a motivational boost, chances are you’re probably not doing something you enjoy. If you’re doing something you actually like, you won’t need motivation, you’ll just want to do it. I think it’s trying to find a workout or a style of activity that you genuinely enjoy and then you won’t need to find motivation because you’ll wake up and you’ll want to do it. So, I think it comes down to learning what works best for you. 

READ MORE: 6 Ways To Maintain Your Fitness Motivation.

WE LOVE SEEING THAT YOU WORKOUT FOR YOU AND NO ONE ELSE! HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS FITNESS HAS INFLUENCED YOUR FOLLOWING?

I’m going to be very honest - I don’t think I have a ‘positive attitude’ towards working out. I really don’t think I do and I think that’s why people follow me because I give them both the pros and cons of lifting. 

For the longest time, the cons of lifting and working out, for me, outweighed the pros and that’s how I ended up with an eating disorder and horrible body image and, again, I make that very clear on my social media. 

It all comes down to the relatability factor and the fact that I talk about subjects that most people don’t. I think how I approach certain topics and more sensitive subjects is how I’ve been able to influence people and have an impact on their perception of fitness.

WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT THAT WOMEN ARE ENCOURAGED TO TAKE CHARGE OF THEIR FITNESS ON THEIR OWN TERMS?

It’s not possible for someone to workout in the same way as someone else does because everyone is built differently. What works for one person may not work for you, so you have to think about what works best for you in order to see any form of progress and results. All you’re doing when you’re working out for someone else or because you want to look like someone else is setting yourself up for failure. You have to workout for yourself if you want to achieve your own goals. 

Not a lot of women and men realise that working out works differently for everyone and it’s not all about what you see on social media. People see these workouts that these influencers are putting out, claiming ‘this is how I lost this much weight’ and the people watching think ‘I’m going to do this because it’s obviously going to work for me’. However, the reality is, your metabolism is different, your genetics are different, your weight, your build, your height - everything about you is different. 

We truly couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Everybody is different and we’re all different for a reason. So, if a workout isn’t working for you, don’t sweat it! There are plenty of other options available out there for you to fall in love with, like yoga and dance. Read our blog on The 8 Best Alternative Workouts To The Gym for more.

Want to explore more from our Athlete Spotlight series? Discover our blog with Gracie Collis here.