The fitness industry is broken.
Well, maybe “broken” is too strong of a word. There’s obviously a lot of coaches out there doing great things. And, to be fair: more people than ever are now participating in gym activities compared to when I was first started out in this industry, which was way back in 2002.
You know, when Alias was the #1 show on television and smart phones didn’t exist.
So we’re doing something right as an industry.
I think a better term to use here is “re-frame.” The fitness industry is in dire need of a re-frame. A re-frame where current (and potentially new) fitness professionals learn to understand that long-term success in this industry isn’t tethered to the facade of social media or the 1 in a million chance you’ll go viral. It can happen of course. But the likelihood it’s going to happen to you is about as likely as me growing the hair back on the top of my head.
Without sounding like a grumpy, old man telling you to get off his lawn…
Everyone Wants to Call Themselves an Expert Without Building Any Expertise
I think what gets lost in today’s “hey everyone, look at me!” environment is the fact that YOU NEED TO BE A GOOD (dare I say, COMPETENT) COACH FIRST in order to have any real chance to succeed in this industry. And that’s an amalgamation of knowing the x’s and o’s of program design, physiology, anatomy, and having dipped your toes in both the anecdotal and Pubmed circles when it comes to the latest health and fitness trends.
A competent coach understands there’s value in both sides of the fence. Furthermore, a competent coach isn’t afraid to say “it depends” when asked their opinion on most things.
There’s also the “soft” skills of coaching. I.e., people skills.
A competent coach doesn’t deal in absolutes (no Siths over here!). A competent coach rarely, if ever, uses the terms “everyone,” “never,” or “always” to explain anything.
- “Everyone needs to deadlift with a conventional stance.” Nope!
- “Never eat a carb after 6 pm.” Hahaha, yeah right.
- “You always need to cater the program to the goal(s), injury history, and ability level of the client.” Um, yeah, that’s a good example of when using an absolute makes sense.
My hope is that this 2.0 version of my popular Coaching Competency 1-day workshop will help bring the masses back to the middle and help “reset” everyone’s mindset. That, yes, social media and all the romanticism involved in that world is a piece of the pie – it behooves everyone to “play the game.” However, it’s not a significant piece of the pie as far as long-term success in this industry is concerned.
Starting early next year I’ll be offering a new workshop for fitness professionals who are looking for REAL advice on building a successful career in fitness.
What this workshop will NOT cover:
- How to build a social media following
- Kipping pull-ups
What this workshop WILL cover:
- What it REALLY takes to build a career in this industry (me free-styling on lessons learned from over 20+ years as a coach: from commercial gym trainer to “B-list fitness celebrity to bonafide gym owner (<— which is something I originally NEVER wanted to touch with a ten-foot pole).
- How to build rapport (and increase motivation) with clients.
- How to simplify your assessments and programming to keep clients consistent. How I program for beginners compared to intermediate & advanced lifters.
- Learn that it’s not necessarily about “how to gain new clients,” but rather “how to keep the ones you already have.”
- Financial literacy for fitness entrepreneurs (stuff I never learned when I first started out).
- And probably some deadlifts (because we are talking about me here).
Coaching Competency 2.0 2026 Schedule
London, UK – Saturday, February 28, 2026
Where: Train Yard Wapping
Cost: £188 (Early Bird rate until January 28th) – HERE
West Hartford CT – Sunday, April 12, 2026
Where: The Lift Effect
Cost: $199 (Early Bird) – HERE
* CEUs will be available for this event via the NSCA
** Hugs and Predator handshakes optional
