Former Blizzard player finds community with bodybuilding

GREEN BAY – Dayshawn Taylor’s journey in Green Bay first began with his time as a player for the Green Bay Blizzard football team.

Though he was born in Michigan, Taylor attended high school in Georgia and college at South Carolina State University before returning to the Midwest in 2019 as a linebacker for the Green Bay Blizzard.

“I played the season right before COVID-19. I played that full season, and then right after COVID is when I started my fitness business.”

Taylor opened Taylor Made Training Fitness Studio in Pulaski, Wis., five years ago when he began his bodybuilding journey.

“I knew the owner of the Green Bay Blizzard and after I stopped playing, I actually became his personal trainer. After that, I just built my brand around that because he was already well-known in the area. He gave me some ideas to make a bigger impact. I also got tired of hurting people and I wanted to help people,” said Taylor.

Though he has lived in many different states, Taylor said that Wisconsin really made an impact on him and influenced his decision to stay here after his career with the Blizzard was over.

“When I came to Green Bay to play for the Blizzard, the reason I stayed here is because it was such a good area. The area I grew up in down in Georgia, it just isn’t the best and I really liked Green Bay and the surrounding areas,” said Taylor.

When he opened his fitness studio, Taylor said he did it with the goal in mind of helping people to achieve their fitness goals while balancing life and work.
“My business is for busy professionals and athletes. I basically help people build a body and mind that supports the life that they want. A lot of people that are busy don’t have the time, so they give a lot of their energy to their jobs, but they don’t have that much energy left to give to their families or themselves and I want to reverse that so they can give to their work performance and at home. Because I played football, I want to help athletes so they can potentially go to college,” said Taylor.

After his football career came to an end and his passion for fitness endured, Taylor said that he fell into bodybuilding when he was looking for something that would give him the same competitive drive as athletics.

“I actually needed something to keep me motivated. Being a football player, you have something to give you that drive. After football, I kinda lost it and I needed something to keep me in shape and keep my mind working. Then I found bodybuilding and I’ve done it since then,” said Taylor.

Taylor has received several awards in his time competing as a bodybuilder including, taking second place in the HWT division at the 2020 Sugar Maple Classic — his first ever bodybuilding show.

He is also the 2021 HWT winner of the NGA Green Bay Hardbodies Natural Championships, he won his NGA Pro card at the 2022 competition, and competed in 2023 NGA Universe Championship in Florida received third place in the nation for the HWT Pro Bodybuilding class.

Taylor also won the Pro Bodybuilding class in 2024 and the “Men’s Abs Award”.
Even though bodybuilding is purely judged on your physical appearance, according to Taylor, the hardest part of the whole process is actually the mental side of things.

“The biggest thing with bodybuilding is the mindset. It will get hard. It will be tough, but that is what makes the journey that much more rewarding at the end of the journey. The biggest thing that I disliked about the bodybuilding and fitness journey was actually getting in shape. But after I’d win or get my reward, I realized I love that part because it makes you so much better in all areas, not just physically, but mentally as well,” said Taylor.

“It’s a great community and I’ve noticed that a lot of people that get into bodybuilding also take that same focus and improve in other areas of their lives. I feel like it’s a great way to see how you compete against other people. It’s not about other people, it’s really about your own journey, but it’s being able to see, okay, I’ve been dieting for eight to twelve weeks, what can I actually see that I’ve done compared to other people doing the same thing,” said Taylor.

Though he has competed for several years, Taylor said this year he is stepping away from the stage as a competitor and his role this year will be as an expeditor backstage and as a trophy presenter.

“I think it’s going to be cool to be a part of the show in the aspect where I am able to help the competitors because I remember certain times when I had my challenges the day of the show, and having someone at the back of the stage that already knows how the show is rolling and how it’s supposed to go gives people the help they need to succeed. I like being able to assist them with any challenges they may have. It gives me that fuel of being a football player turned into a coach. I was the person on the stage being able to compete at a high level and now I’m able to help support the guys going out there and doing it now,” said Taylor.

As a competitor of five years and personal trainer, Taylor said that he has some words of advice to anyone interested in competing or stepping into the body building scene.

“I would say just start. We are our biggest critics. We put these big fears in our own heads and when we get it done, we realize that it wasn’t that bad at all. The biggest thing is just make the decision and realize that you will have fears along the way, but that means that you’re doing something worthwhile. If you didn’t have those emotions, that means that you really didn’t care,” said Taylor.

The sixth annual NGA Pro/Am Natural Green Bay Hardbodies Body Building and Figure Championships will take place on May 2, at the historic Meyer Theatre in downtown Green Bay.

Pre-judging is at 11 a.m. and the finals take place at 3 p.m.

Tickets are available at the door. Anyone interested can find more information at gbhardbodies.com.