Hey,
I’m Laurie
wife, dog mom, coach, lifter, runner, athlete
I’ve spent the past 18+ years helping people train smarter, eat better, and live bigger — all while learning to balance my own evolution in and out of the gym.
about me
From Laurie Christine King (LCK)→ to Laurie Christine Tongate (LCT): New Name, Same Mission.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ve seen my journey — from CrossFit Regional athlete and 1:1 nutrition coach and founder of Paragon Training Methods, to stepping into new adventures in endurance sports and beyond.
My background? A bachelor’s degree in nutrition, thousands of coaching hours, and a lifelong obsession with understanding how training, nutrition, and lifestyle work together.
This site is my digital home — a place to share what I’m learning, creating, and training for next.
My mission? Help you feel strong, confident, and capable — inside and outside the gym.
Fitness shouldn’t shrink your life or it take it over — it should make life better & help you live bigger.
My approach blends science-based training, sane nutrition, and a whole lot of real talk. You won’t find extremes here, just practical advice from someone who’s lived it all over the years — the wins, the failures, the setbacks, and the messy middle.
Because strength isn’t just about how much you lift — it’s about how you show up.
The Coach & Creator
From the Screen to Real Change
Making science-based fitness simple, sustainable, & human.
What began as client check-ins and training spreadsheets has evolved into a mission to make fitness feel fun, approachable, and empowering. Through workouts and educational posts and videos, I help people understand the “why” behind their workouts — blending evidence-based methods with a sense of humor, empathy, and real-life balance.
The Athlete in Progress
Lifter. Marathoner. smashing limits.
Always chasing better — endurance one season, strength the next.
I’ve never been defined by a single sport. Whether I’m training for a marathon, pushing weight in the gym and hitting lift PR's, or exploring what’s next, movement is how I learn, grow, and stay connected. We get a daily chance to define what “fit” looks like — and it’s never one-size-fits-all.
From the CrossFit Regional floor to ultramarathons, from spreadsheets of client macros to YouTube cameras — every phase has added a layer to who I am today.
A few milestones that shaped the journey.
2008-2016:
coaching foundations
Got my bachelor's degree in food, nutrition, dietetics from Illinois State. Took tons of nutrition certification courses and began working 1:1 with nutrition clients. Coached group fitness classes and worked for CrossFit Gymnastics Seminar Staff. Competed at CrossFit Regionals and became Director or Operations for a large nutrition coaching company.
Focus: Knowledge and Experience
2017-2022: changing the health/fitness game
Expanded online through Instagram and Youtube by sharing tons of free educational guidance and tips regarding all things food, fitness, and healthy lifestyle. In 2018, Bryan Boorstein and I founded Paragon Training Methods - an online fitness community built on evidence-based workout programming and helping others be strong, confident, and well-fed.
Focus: Content & Community
2023-2025:
Pushing New Limits
After years of bodybuilding and strength training, I transitioned to also competing in endurance sports. Competed in Hyrox and ran multiple half marathons, a full marathon, and a 50-mile ultramarathon (BPN Survive the Night). Each training block and race brought new lessons in mindset, adaptability, and what it means to stay strong and push my limits.
Focus: Endurance & Resilience
2026-present:
Living my best life
Continuing to blend strength, endurance, and storytelling while living my best life as a wife, dog mom, athlete, and coach. The goal? Keep inspiring others to push their limits and chase curiosity, growth, and connection through every chapter of life.
Focus: Evolution & Balance
The way you eat & exercise can provide freedom & peace of mind.
And you don't have to spend life at war with your body.
Not everyone has (or wants to) spend money working 1:1 with a nutrition coach, but there shouldn't be a financial barrier to women feeling great and being comfortable in their skin.
Whether you want to gain muscle, improve your athletic performance, lose body fat, or improve your health - my detailed nutrition ebook can help you get there.
