Troy Dog
Outlier Athlete Development (originally Evan Nystrom Lifestyle and Performance) was rebranded in November of 2022 and strength and conditioning coach Evan Nystrom has put together a great roster of athletes together for the 2023 season. Derek Kelley, Bubba Pauli, Chase Marquier, Freddie Noren, and Aj Catanzaro have all hired Coach Evan to help with their programs. Nystrom actually has a background in motocross and with his knowledge of nutrition, strength, conditioning, and wellness he’s all in on creating an empire with his rebranded business.
Evan Nystrom has a background in motocross dating back to when he was four years old and began riding. Nystrom always had big ambitions to race the big races like Loretta Lynn’s and Mammoth, but never had the chance too. He played all kinds of sports growing up as well. He eventually went on to be a track and field athlete at Central Washington University where he got his degree in Exercise Science.
Nystrom said that he always knew that he wanted to coach, so when he graduated college he became a personal trainer. A profession that he did for five years until the pandemic started.
“When Covid hit, I’m like something has to change because all of the gyms closed down, so I was like I’m just going to start coaching on my own terms,” Nystrom said.
With the pandemic putting a hold on his line of work, he turned to motocross and started hitting up local pros in the Washougal, Washington area and putting together some programs. One of those riders he met was Derek Kelley and the two started working together.
Around the same time this was going on, Nystrom was applying to universities to work with their sport’s teams. He was already a certified strength and conditioning specialist that was more than qualified for the job, but he decided that he didn’t want to. He said that the more he learned about how the industry works he thought, “Hey, I could make it as a coach in this industry!”
The breakthrough performance from Kelley last season was a huge success story for everyone involved. If you ask either Kelley or Nystrom about it, both of them give one another so much credit for what they accomplished together last season. Kelley finished 13th in both the 250SX West Region and 250MX and was a nice surprise to the top ten multiple times on an AEO Powersports KTM.
For 2023, Nystrom is stocked up on talent with Kelley, Pauli, Marquier, Noren, and Catanzaro. These are his five elites this year. Nystrom does the strength training programs for all of these riders and now does the on bike training programs for Kelley and Pauli as well.
“I’m able to take my science background and apply it to the on-the-bike training as well, which has been really cool, Nystrom said.
If that isn’t enough on his plate, he’s also worked out a collaboration with Catanzaro’s “The Moto Academy” to be the official strength trainer of that program. So, if you become a member of AJ Cat’s training, then your strength coach will officially be Coach Evan. He said that there is a master class inside the app that all members can go and watch to learn about different techniques while exercising and more great content is coming your way.
So, how does Coach Evan run so many rider’s programs while at home in Washington? For one, he leases out a gym to do one on one training for his local riders, but he also designs programs for his elites through a training app.
“It’s user friendly and it’s as close to working with me in person, without me actually being there in person,” Nystrom said. “That’s been a useful tool to broaden my reach and not just me solely in my local town. “
When Nystrom takes on an athlete he first has them fill out a questionnaire to look at the rider’s previous training history. The next step is a phone call and really pinpointing how he can help the rider grow from where they have been.
“Really what it comes down to in writing programs is to understand where a person is currently at in their fitness, where they want to go, and knowing their experience in training,” Nystrom said.
Nystrom said that the riders have been fully trusting in his program. He said that he makes sure he is very thorough in talking the athletes through each part of the program and explaining why it’s important to do what he’s telling them to do. The only real pushback that he’s had lately is weather related.
“The most recent pushback I’ve had lately is guys not wanting to go on their bike rides because it’s too cold,” Nystrom said.
If that’s the only issue this program is having then we’ll go ahead and say that Outlier is in for another year of growth. If you’d like more information about training with Coach Evan or have a training question you can DM and follow him @outlierathlete on Instagram.
Main image: Jessica Reed
