NASHVILLE, Tenn. — When Dylan Jenkins was named Best Cycle Instructor in Nashville Fit Magazine, she became reminded that if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.
“It’s awesome,” Jenkins said. “To be recognized for that is just very cool and very impactful. It’s just such a blessing to be able to do what I love every single day.”
For Jenkins, movement was always part of her DNA. But cycling — specifically rhythmic cycling — became her niche.
Read on to find out how it all got started.
Although Jenkins is originally from Georgia, Tennessee has long felt like home.
Her father, a former NFL player for the LA Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, and Tennessee Titans, settled in Nashville after his professional football career ended.
Jenkins later attended the University of Tennessee and double majored in retail and consumer sciences as well as entrepreneurship with a minor in business.
At UT, Jenkins initially pursued a path in healthcare before realizing her calling was rooted in becoming a business owner.
“After the first year, I was like, ‘I just don’t think this is for me,” she said. “I kind of always thought if I’m good at math, I’m good at science, I should go into the medical field, and it just really wasn’t a passion for me.”
After watching her own family members enter the entrepreneur experience, Jenkins saw at a young age how important and motivating it can be to follow in the same footsteps.
“I’ve always just had an interest in consumers, business and entrepreneurship with my dad also being an entrepreneur,” Jenkins said. “Once I got into college and started following the nursing program, I was like, I’m just not feeling called to do this.”
That education now shows up daily in how she runs Crew Training Club, the Nashville-based rhythmic cycling and strength studio she co-owns.
While in Knoxville, Jenkins trained and taught alongside fellow Crew instructor Steven, a connection that would later carry into Nashville’s fitness scene.
“We were in the same training group, so we started at the same time,” she said. “And then I moved to Nashville in 2022 and literally a couple months before I moved, he was like, ‘We’re moving to Nashville.’ So it’s been really cool.”
Her Crew tribe was then in the making.
Crew was born from a feeling Jenkins couldn’t shake, that something was missing in Nashville’s boutique fitness scene.
“I really wanted it to feel intentional,” she said. “The last thing I wanted was a fitness space to feel transactional. I didn’t want it to feel like, ‘You remember, you give us money, this is a transaction and you’re out the doors.’”
Instead, Jenkins envisioned a studio centered on belonging and friendship.
“I wanted people to feel like no matter what they looked like, what they had on, where they came from, who they love or what they believe in that they have a place to come to,” she said. “And become a place where fitness that feels good mentally, not just physically.”
Crew’s programming reflects that mindset. All classes — cycle, strength, and sculpt — are built around rhythmic movement, the practice of syncing bodies to music and to each other.
“We move to the beat of the music,” Jenkins explained. “I think that rhythmic movement is just so unique and so special because it really allows you to be a part of a team.”
That sense of unity is intentional.
“When you have everyone moving together, you realize you’re not alone,” she said.
In a city flooded with boutique gyms and cycling studios, Jenkins believes Crew stands apart because of how deeply it values people, from members to staff.
“You can be the best part of someone’s day,” she said. “We really try to honor that.”
That mindset extends beyond instructors.
Jenkins credits the studio’s success to her team’s mission to make everyone feel special, especially still being fairly new to the Nashville area.
“I’m not going to have all the answers. I’m a very young business owner, I’m 25,” she said. “So just trusting them with being a part of the business as well, that also helps our connection as a team.”
Music is at the heart of the Crew experience, and Jenkins curates it carefully.
“I love a heavy beat drop,” she said. “I am throwing on pretty much any rap, hip hop, R&B song you’ll find on my playlist.”
She builds playlists close to class time to match the energy of the day and says Crew Training Club takes pride in how they curate their class sounds’.
“I really want it to feel truly authentic to the vibe of the day,” she said. “I always want to ask myself ‘How do I want my rider to feel when they leave the room?’”
For first-timers, Jenkins sets high expectations early.
“It is like a party on a bike,” she said. “You feel like you’re in a club.”
And perfection is not required.
“You’re probably not going to understand what I’m saying. You’re probably not going to get the choreography. That’s not the point,” she said. “The point is just to move your body and have fun.”
This mindset lives within the four walls of Crew everyday. Because of this, Middle Tennessee took notice and also awarded the studio Nashville Fit’s Best Cycling Studio in the area.
“You should leave a class feeling accomplished, empowered, grounded.”
Outside of the studio, Jenkins and her fiancé, Landon, are just as intentional about how they approach wellness in their everyday lives, viewing health as something built through consistent, shared habits rather than strict routines.
As a bodybuilder and wellness fanatic himself, Landon and Dylan both spend their time off still making fitness a priority.
“My fiancé is a health connoisseur,” Jenkins laughed. “We are big on getting sunlight as much as possible.” Mornings often start with getting outside, and much of their time together revolves around movement that feels natural and restorative rather than structured. “Most of the time it’s walking,” she said. “We are big on getting sunlight as much as possible,” she said. “We love walking Shelby Park, Shelby Bottoms and Metro City Greenways all the time.
For the couple, wellness is just as much about nourishment as it is movement. Jenkins emphasized that their approach to food is rooted in how it makes them feel rather than numbers or restrictions. “We don’t get too wrapped up on the calorie count or anything like that, but how food makes us feel.”
Farmers markets are a regular part of their routine, including both the Franklin Farmers Market and the Nashville Farmers Market, offering a slower, more intentional way to connect with food and the community.
At the same time, they fully embrace Nashville’s food scene and view shared meals as a form of connection. “We are huge foodies,” Jenkins said. “Every single time a restaurant opens in Nashville, we have to add it to our list.” Their tastes span cuisines, with favorites including sushi, Greek food, and Asian dishes, noting several go-to spots they return to while still making room to explore what’s new.
Underlying all of it is a shared commitment to presence. Whether walking outdoors or sitting down for a meal, Jenkins said they make a conscious effort to stay connected. “When we are together, we are not on our phones and just spending intentional time together.”
That philosophy — prioritizing balance, presence, and connection — mirrors the same values Jenkins brings into her work at Crew, reinforcing her belief that wellness is not confined to a studio, but woven into daily life.
Though Crew is still young, Jenkins is already thinking about how she can make Crew a household name.
“Our goal is always to expand,” she said. “Deepening community partnerships, expanding programming, and trying to figure out ways to bring the Crew experience to others outside the studio.”
Ultimately, her mission remains rooted in impact.
“I are very thankful to impact the city in any way that I can, small or big,” Jenkins said. “And just encouraging people to step out of their comfort zone is such a blessing.
In a fitness landscape often driven by numbers and aesthetics, Dylan Jenkins is proving that connection may be the strongest muscle of all.
To get connected and hop on the bike yourself, follow Jenkins on Instagram and visit Crew Training Club’s website.
Congrats to her and her Crew Training Club team on this big honor. To many more years to come!
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