It’s been 15 months since I’ve put on an in-person workshop.
** Cue the trumpets **
I have confirmed that I will be coming to England this September to do not one, but TWO separate workshops.
I’ll be doing my 1-day Coaching Competency Workshop at Gudlift Gym in Manchester on Sunday, 9/12.
The following weekend (9/18) I will be in London alongside Luke Worthington to put on our 2-day Strategic Strength Workshop.
It feels extraordinary to finally be putting events INTO my calendar rather than taking them off. I”ll have more details about the two workshops in the coming weeks, including links to register.
In the meantime: Consider this your “save the date” notice…🙌
SIDE NOTE: I’ve tossed Charleston, SC out there, as well as Philadelphia, PA (the latter would likely be a Strong Body Strong Mind Workshop with my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis).
I’m hoping I can pull them off, but am also open to other options as well – Milwaukee, Memphis, Mordor, whatever.
If you’re interested in possibly hosting me for a day or two (or know of a gym who’d be a good fit), please reach out and let’s chat.
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
I dislike tethering clients to a number. I.e., strength “standards” (you should be able to squat 1.5x bw, etc).
It sets ppl up to the comparison game, which is rarely helpful. Instead, champion progress, ANY progress.
I did a podcast a few weeks ago titled Deadlifts, Dogs & Dad Jokes. It was everything you’d expect from a podcast with that particular title.
Fucking baller.
Toward the end of the episode, one of the hosts (a new dad) asked me fitness advice for other new dads. Admittedly, I was an abject failure in coming up with anything inspirational or sage to say.
And then I recalled I actually wrote something on the topic. If you’re a new dad or know of someone who is, and you/they are in a fitness rut…
What’s the optimal number of days per week to train? What’s the optimal set and rep scheme to perform? What about optimal exercises to include and in what order?
People get so caught up in optimal that they’re often paralyzed to start. Optimal is often equated with “perfect” and that’s a lot of pressure to put on oneself.
If I had to define optimal it would look like this:
3×52
Get to the gym and do something – anything – 3 days per week, 52 weeks out of the year. It could be your standard 3x per week full-body strength program, three days per week of yoga, group classes, CrossFit, or, I don’t know, Krav Maga naked arm wrestling ring gymnastics.
It doesn’t really matter.
What matters is being and staying consistent.
Shut up and do that.
2. Results Require Recovery
I always tell my athletes that they’re only going to be as strong, fast, and unstoppable as how well they allow themselves to recover.
Recovery and recovery strategies is all the rage nowadays.
Rightfully so: recovery is important.
However, I’ve never seen a more blatant game of oneupmanship of late than people discussing what they do to recover.
The latest fad is people paying money – and a lot of it, mind you – to stand in a cryo-chamber for a few minutes and, literally, freeze.
Cool. <— hahaha, get it? I’m being sarcastic & ironic at the same time.
As far as it’s efficacy, I’ll just drop THIS here and let you talk amongst yourselves.
You might be able to convince me this would be a viable option for Bulgarian or Russian weight lifters who train 3-4 times per day six days per week.
But even that’s a stretch.
Yet, you have guys who’ve squatted 225 lbs once bragging about utilizing cryotherapy.2
“Gotta recover. #YOLO.”
I have a better idea:
Go to bed.
Eat ample calories to support your goals.
Get a massage.
Meditate.
Get laid.
Pick your nose.
Any of those would be a far better option that freezing your balls off.
3. Easy Training is Good Training
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:
“Lifting weights isn’t supposed to tickle.”
There has to be a degree of uncomfortableness if you want to see results in the gym.
However, it doesn’t have to be every…single…workout.
Working hard and training with purpose/intent is one thing. (Good).
Not being able to feel the left side of your face is another. (Bad).
A talk I have often with my own clients is the idea of 80% workouts. It’s a concept I stole from strength coach, Paul Carter.
Someone may walk in one day and say something to the effect of:
“Tony, I feel like my last workout was too easy.”
My typical response is something to the effect of:
Of course there’s always the chance I was a bit too conservative with loading or the mode of exercise. If that’s the case I’ll adjust accordingly.
Most of the time, though, I’ll reiterate it’s okay to have “easy” workouts.
Easy training is good training.
10% of the time you’ll feel like a rockstar and these are the days the weights fly up.
10% of the time you’ll feel like a bag of dicks and weight you normally crush feels heavy.
80% of the time are your “easy” workouts.
80% workouts are the ones where you show up, do the work, don’t miss reps, and then go the eff home and Netflix and chill (emphasis on chill).
Those are the workouts that matter most.
Refer to Point #1.
4. Miscellaneous Tidbits & Tomfoolery
– Train alongside other strong, albeit supportive people. Find an environment, even if it’s just once per week, where you can be amongst your people; your tribe. It’ll make all the difference in the world.
– If your gym doesn’t allow chalk, you’re a member of the wrong gym.
– More Tiesto…;o)
– Stop wasting your money on detox diets or organic Acai berries fertilized using the shit from a Centaur’s rectum. If you’re not accounting for or cognizant of total calories per day (as it relates to your goals) it’s pointless.
– Drink more water (best detox diet their is).
– Walking is a undervalued and underutilized form of exercise.
– I’m sure I could pontificate longer and muster up some more gems, but 1) I’m hungry 2) I need to go relieve the nanny and 3) I want to hear what YOU have to say.
Truth be told: It’s a rare occurrence that I start working with someone and (s)he can perform it well. It’s a staple exercise with myriad benefits in both rehab and traditional strength training to target the core musculature – particularly the obliques.
Too, it’s also no coincidence, thanks to Dr. Stuart McGill, it’s considered one of the “Big 3” with regards to spinal health and working around and managing low-back pain.
When done correctly, the side plank can be a very challenging and worthwhile exercise to include in most programs.
Check out THIS article for particulars on common mistakes and how to progress the side plank.
Check out THIS article for other plank variations you should consider.
I find the side plank to be the exercise of choice for lazy trainers. It’s the sort of exercise a shitty trainer will prescribe for their client when there’s 5-10 minutes left in a session and the trainer just wants to run out the clock.
“Okay Hank, we’re going to finish with Side Planks today. Three minute holds per side. Blindfolded. While reciting the Elvish alphabet backwards. Go!”
And then, of course, Hank loses all the perceived benefits of the exercise because his technique has been compromised after 15 seconds.
“Come on Hank, 2 more minutes, keep reciting, Ampa, Anto, Hwesta…”
To be clear: I think everyone should take the time to master the side plank. It’s an important drill. It’s just that after a certain point there’s a rate of diminishing returns.
Personally, if someone can perform it perfectly for a minute per side I’d rather go a head and make the exercise more challenging than force someone to go for longer periods of time.
More to the point, can I just go a head and say it?
The Side Plank is just a boring exercise.
I’d rather spend the same amount of time scooping up my cat’s fur vomit.
To that end, here are two exercises that mirror all the benefits of the Side Plank but don’t make you want to commit seppuku when you actually do them.
1. Chaos March
Take a kettebell and wrap a band around one end. Grab onto the other end and hold it to your side as if you were holding a suitcase.
While maintaining a completely upright posture (no leaning!) march in place and try to keep the kettlebell “quiet.”
Also: In case it wasn’t obvious by lurking at my bookcase in the background: My kid loves puzzles.
It’s been more than a year since I’ve done any in-person workshops, and now that vaccinations have started to improve things I’m thinking about venturing out again soon.
I’ve already begun talks with possibly doing TWO workshops in England this Fall, but I am also itching to travel around the States too.
I’ve tossed Charleston, SC out there, as well as Philadelphia, PA (the latter would likely be a Strong Body Strong Mind Workshop with my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis).
I’m hoping I can pull them off, but am also open to other options as well – Milwaukee, Memphis, Mordor, whatever.
If you’re interested in possibly hosting me for a day or two (or know of a gym who’d be a good fit), please reach out and let’s chat.
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
I almost exclusively have all my clients use the trap (hex) bar to perform their deadlifts.
It’s more user friendly and all I really care about is that they’re able to lift some appreciable weight in a safe(r) manner.
Prioritizing competency over ego is a game changer for many.
It’s okay to have a life outside of strength & conditioning.
Just as well, it’s okay to infuse your love of Star Wars, bo staffs, and/or Prancercising into your day-to-day interactions with your clients and athletes.
Just my two cents, but being authentic is just as powerful of a marketing tool as the most powerful SEO algorithm devised by Skynet.
Demarco does a nice job summarizing the same theme in this article.
I’ve had what can only be described as a tsunami of requests to appear on various podcasts in recents weeks. I don’t mind it though:
1️⃣ It’s a welcome stroke to my ego to be in demand. KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!!!
2️⃣ How could I possibly say no to a show titled Deadlifts, Dogs, & Dad Jokes?
…how baller of a name for a podcast is that?
The only way it would speak more toward my love language is if they replaced “dogs” with “Dagny” (my cat’s name) and also added & Gruyere Cheese at the end.4
This was a neat experience as podcasts go because while everyone involved is a fitness professional to some capacity, we spent very little time on traditional fitness talking points
There was no talk about deadlift set-up, I think we purposely avoided the fact I have a cat (haha), and, well, you’ll have to wait till the end to hear my dad joke.
In the meantime I think you’ll enjoy the refreshing chat amongst dudes talking family, how the pandemic has affected our respective businesses, as well as an EPIC rapid fire question palooza at the end.
Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Virginia based personal trainer, Detric Smith. In case the title doesn’t give it away, there’a a bevy of sage advice below geared toward fitness professionals on common things that can (not always) derail career advancement.
HINT: Not listed: Male pattern baldness and big biceps…;o)
This is a great read and I hope it helps any personal trainers out there reading.
Welcome to an industry where trainers with an overnight certification or with a few shirtless posts on Instagram can take clients and money away from you. Even if it’s unfair, there’s not much you can do about it except rise above the trainers who only care about one thing.
Those who lack the dedication, knowledge and true passion for personal training will likely fall by the wayside while you’ll be still putting in the work to make a good living. But some of you have the potential to be great and need a little direction in becoming a career trainer.
A career trainer must do their job with a purpose of changing lives because this allows you to stay in the game. You must be able to put aside all the distractions, long hours, and temporary setbacks.
No one would blame you for falling for one of these 8 traps because easy money is almost always enticing. However, if you want a lifelong career as a personal trainer, read on to learn how to avoid these 8 potential career pitfalls.
Trap #1: Getting Promoted Too Soon
Is it too good to be true to become a gym manager or personal training supervisor within your first year of employment? Financially, it might be the best option for you.
But are you really prepared?
Getting promoted before you’ve had a chance to learn from your mistakes and mentors may derail your career. Because if you aspire to make fitness a profitable career you need to spend years on the floor, interacting with clients and perfecting the art of coaching.
This doesn’t mean turning down a promotion if you’re doing great things. But if you do get promoted, continue to train people, and do the smallest of jobs. The best business owners understand their customers by investing their time into what matters, which are listening, coaching and problem solving.
Trap #2: Confusing IG and FB Likes With Success
No one’s arguing Instagram and Facebook are outstanding marketing tools. But they’re just tools and not a means to make a sustainable income. You don’t own or control the platforms and have no control if you’re kicked off or not.
If that happens, then what?
Even if you have enough likes to make money off IG and FB, it could be taken away from you in a heartbeat.
For career trainers, judging your success by social media likes is a huge trap. Instead, focus on turning those likes into real-life clients by getting their emails, interacting with them via DMs or your stories and trying to help solve their problem.
Trap #3: Neglecting Continuing Education
Graduation and getting a certification doesn’t mean you know everything because you’re a newbie.
This industry is constantly changing, and your market is constantly changing also. The people I trained ten years ago are different than the ones I train now. Physiology is important, but no one cares about the Krebs cycle. They only care about losing their love handles.
You know, in case you’re ever short on dinner conversation
Don’t know what’s left to learn?
Study business management, psychology, finance, the art of coaching… anything.
Hell, dive into the history of welding if you want to. Learning new things keeps you excited, challenges your brain, and helps you become a more creative and compassionate coach.
Trap #4: Unrealistic Income Expectations
Remember, you want to be a career trainer, not a part-time trainer. No one gets an undergrad or certification and instantly becomes a “trainer to the stars”, pulling in millions a year. It took Ben Bruno many years of training under Mike Boyle before he trained the likes of Justin Timberlake and Chelsea Handler.
You’re going to invest lots of time, effort, and probably your own money into your business for a long time before you’re turning any real profit. You’ll likely be working 12+ hour days, with a lot of hours early in the morning and late in the evening.
And you may need a second job to make ends meet.
If you’re not prepared for this, you have been warned. However, if you love what you do and embrace the grind, you will be rewarded. You’ll be able to work for yourself and create your own hours. Plus, you will be making real money but only if you prove your worth first.
Trap # 5: Targeting The “Wrong” Market
Some newbie trainers want to train athletes and people who look like them. 20-somethings who are already in relatively good shape and have tons of options, and quite frankly don’t really need you. The reality is you need to be training everyone who walks in the door until you figure out who you like to train.
These are typically general population clients between the ages of 30-70 who have the time and disposable income money to pay for your services. Make yourself different by being better than the other trainers who ignore them.
Then educate these clients about how you can make a huge difference in their lives.
Trap #6: Sacrificing the Truth For Quick Cash
Sure, you might get someone in for one or two sessions through a flashy ad making promises you cannot keep. But is this long-term strategy for success or a great way to shoot yourself in the foot?
Making a sale is about finding a problem you can solve and then solving it.
Understand and listen to the story they’re telling themselves because it’s possible they aren’t fully aware of their own problems.
Dig deep, create a connection, and try to find their why.
Once you‘ve connected with them, answer their objections, and show them you’re invested in them. When you get this right, the money won’t be a factor, and they’ll stay with you long-term.
Take the time to intern, get a good mentor and gather as much experience as you can.
Know when you don’t know, and don’t be a fraud. Honestly, telling someone “I don’t know, but I’ll find out for you or connect you to someone who does” puts you in a position of trust.
People make buying decisions, especially with their health, based on trust. Even if you lose a client today, you’ll gain five down the road by earning trust while expanding your expertise in the meantime.
After gaining invaluable experience, study business, and build your product. This is your career, after all, not some side gig. Learn from the best about how to grow your personal training business.
Trap #8: Following The Crowd
Everyone is doing it, so I should too.
Didn’t your mom tackle this issue with the “if your friends jumped off a bridge…” question?
I know you think that’s where the money is but it’s a trap. The money might be there short-term, but the long-term is a different matter. Unless you originated something, studied it for decades, and you’re a top name on a topic, you won’t stand out from the crowd.
Instead, go in the opposite direction. Do what no one else is doing because I’ll guarantee you there’s a market somewhere that’s being ignored. Maybe it’s the over-50 crowd who want a safe, effective, team-oriented group training session where they get personal attention. And when you find them, go all in.
Wrapping Up
I’ve been a trainer for 20 years and I’ve seen excitement and trends come and go. You do not want to be a one trick pony in this industry if you’re interested in a long-term career. Invest time in yourself, your career, and in the right clientele, and you might just crush it.
About the Author
Detric Smith, CSCS, ACSM EP-C, PN-1 is the owner of Results Performance Training in Williamsburg, Virginia. He has over two decades of experience as a personal trainer and sports performance coach.
He develops personal trainers through his site DetricSmith.com, and serves as a mentor through various fitness organizations.
Luke Worthington and I developed our 6-week digital mentorship last Fall because 1) we felt between the two of us, we had a lot of expertise and insights regarding assessment, program design, coaching, brand building, and business that we could offer to other fitness professionals to help build & grow THEIR businesses, and 2) because there’s a fucking pandemic going on that’s prevented us from doing these sorts of things in person.
(Hopefully soon, though)
Nevertheless, we had a great experience the first go round with a stellar group of fitness pros and we’re excited to open it up again this Spring.
Full Disclosure: I have never played a full-round of golf in my life. So you can guess my surprise when I was invited onto Dr. McCullough’s podcast recently. Thankfully, he was more interested in hearing my thoughts on how to train rotational athletes than he was my thoughts on when to choose a 3-wood over a 4-wood.
ANSWER: 3-woods on Thursdays only.
In this episode I discuss why it’s okay to lean into asymmetries, some of my “entry points” to dealing with low back pain, and why there’s no such thing as a “golf specific” program.
Listen via iTunes HERE, Google HERE, and Spotify HERE.
You can now purchase CORE @ Home for whatever you want to pay.
In all I filmed 36 workouts during quarantine last year using nothing but bodyweight, bands, and kettlebells and/or dumbbells. With many people still reticent to head back to their regular gyms (not to mention the scarcity of gym equipment out there to purchase) I figured this would be a nice opportunity to help.
Whether you want to spend $1 or $99 (FYI: the latter enters you to win a 5×7 shirtless pic of me), the workouts are ready and available to start.
One of the best investments I have made in myself over the course of the past several years is hiring my own coach to write my training programs.
As I have said repeatedly:
“Coaches need coaches too.”
1. It helps me get out of my own head. The last person I want to write a program for is myself.
2. It forces me to work on my weaknesses and to have an un-biased approach to my training. I mean, I can’t deadlift and perform bicep curls 5x per week, right?
3. And maybe most important of all: It’s a form of continuing education for myself. I love learning new exercises and different ways & approaches to programming.
Us coaches tend to forget that we’re the minority.
We actually like exercising, straining, DOMS, rear foot elevated split squats.
Okay, maybe not split squats.
It’s important to remember that for many, liking exercise isn’t normal, and it behooves us as fitness professionals to meet our clients where THEY are…
…by encouraging more positivity and inclusiveness.
Well, It’s Not Top 3 Hair Conditioners For Bald Dudes
As I noted above, Alexandra and I have been working together for 5+ years and in that time we’ve routinely touched on the topic that our respective careers have many parallels:
We both work in a service industry.
We both work with a vast array of different personalities.
We both run our own small business and operate and “manage” our own brands.
We both work with clientele interested in looking goooooooood.
To that end, in this episode of Alexandra’s show she and I discuss my adverse reaction to being labeled a “fitness celebrity, my goal to help women find empowerment with a barbell in their hand(s), and a litany of other shenanigans.
Alexandra is the shit. I hope you check out this episode and all the others she has available as well.
How Macho Bull and the Word “Should” Can Hold Back Your Training
For the last six months, I’ve been trying to build my squat back up to my previous numbers prior to the pandemic. Not surprisingly, I got a little inside my head and decided I “should” add weight to the barbell every…single…week.
The result of this 100% made up “should” rule resulted in a steady escalation of a pesky back injury every six weeks.
Times were sucky.
Needlessly adhering to silly, arbitrary rules hurt me.
Why Is It Important to Manage Our Relationship With These Rules?
When our mental health becomes defined by our performance in the gym you risk everything blowing up and our head space becomes tethered to whether or not we have a bad session or two.
Good session (hit our numbers) = Everything is hunky dory. Don’t worry babe, I’ll make dinner and wash the dishes tonight.
So the solution is you need to get better forever, yes?
No!
We are all getting older. One day, our performance will decline.
If you are defined by your gym performance, you will eventually run into problems.
Having an awareness of the “should” rules will hopefully keep you on the side of positive unconditional regard most of the time and help you to avoid dips in mental health relating to your training.
Another benefit to understanding your relationship with these “should” rules is better decision-making in training.
If you make better decisions, your training will be less self-sabotaging.
It’s not the answer to all your training woes, but it might allow you to train longer without injury, to be able to do your rehab without much resentment, and/or get you to the gym a few more times a year.
In short, staying cognizant of these “should” rules will give you the ability to perform poorly in the gym, to be unhappy about it, but still be able to turn the page, chill out, and accept yourself as being okay.
“Should” Rules That Aren’t Actually Rules
I should….
1. Lift More Weight Every Week
Macho bullshit.
You can’t lift more every week. You’re not He-Man (or She-Ra).
Most of the time, you’ll lift the same weight or less.
If you train regularly with a solid plan, your numbers will go up eventually. If you try to force the numbers up every week then you’ll likely end up frustrated and hurt.
Note From TG: I couldn’t agree more. I often call this expectation management, and it’s something I have to consistently remind my clients of. Like I always say…easy training is good training.
2. Lift More in Competition Than in the Gym
Some people lift more in the gym than in competition, others don’t. You need to compete a few times before you decide you are going to go for a massive PR in competition.
3. I Shouldn’t Get Injured
You’re not Wolverine.
Injuries are part of this journey.
The idea you’ll never get injured is a misguided idea.
You should do everything in your power to have good recovery, and to limit the risk of injury as much as you can, but it isn’t always possible.
4. Deadlift More Than I Squat
Not necessarily.
Josh Greenfield, (a world-record squatter) has a much bigger squat than his deadlift.
My squat and deadlift are around the same, and that is the case for many athletes around the world.
The difference between the two is decided by many factors, most of which are out of your control. Build great technique in them both, program them correctly, go at each lift with the same attitude, and see how they progress.
5. Front Squat
Unless you are training for a particular sport using a particular movement, you don’t need to do that movement if it’s causing you problems.
After a few weeks of front squatting, my knees want to explode.
What does this mean?
It means I don’t front squat often in favour of safety bar squats, goblet squats, or leg presses.
Trying to include a movement in your plan because you “should” is misguided. Quit banging your head against a movement that is hurting you.
6. Low Bar Squat
“LOW BAR SQUAT OR NOTHING!”
-Low bar squat extremist.
If your low bar squat sucks, and you keep hurting yourself then stop low bar squatting.
Find a squat variation you DO get on with.
7. Sumo Deadlift
If sumo deadlifts ruin your hips then the chances are sumo deadlifts don’t work for you. Don’t worry, you will be able to find a deadlift variation optimal for you.
The same goes for any other deadlift variation people say you “should” do.
If it hurts you consistently and your form looks good, switch it up. Maybe rack pulls or block deadlifts work better for you. That’s ok.
8. Max Out EVERY SESSION
Yes, you should, if you want to: 1) get injured 2) make training so mentally exhausting that you’ll burn out in 4 seconds.
This is macho bullshit hampering your training.
To make maxing out effective, you have to pick your battles. When you are in a competition is a great time to max-out.
When it’s something you do because it’s a Tuesday (or something equally as random and there’s no planning involved) you’re setting yourself up for trouble.
I like having my clients max-out infrequently as it’s hard to recover from and it’s risky.
I’d much rather a lifter got stronger while keeping some effort in the tank for another day unless they are competing.
9. Take Pre-Workout Before Every Session
Pre-workout supplements, when used diligently can work effectively.
When used perpetually to fuel sessions, we often see issues with anxiety, motivation, and other issues because of the knock-on effects on recovery.
Too-much pre-workout makes people need to de-load more often and makes stupid decisions in training more likely.
My personal strategy is to have a black coffee or sugar-free energy drink before training rather than a specific pre-workout supplement.
10. Be Able to Train Hard All the Time
Life happens, we don’t sleep sometimes, we get injured, and we get ill.
Sometimes, you will train poorly, and the cold truth of it all is most sessions are going to be average.
Some sessions will be awful.
Sometimes bad sessions come out of the blue, other times it’s after doing something you wouldn’t usually do.
Often it’s due to things completely out of your control. Which means bad sessions are unavoidable.
You have to be able to cope with that if you are to succeed in making training a long-term habit.
11. Train “x” Amount of Times Per Week
Based on over a decade of working with people like you, can you guess what training frequency tends to work best for people?
6 times a week?
5 times?
The answer is 3-4 sessions of 30-90 minutes.
For most, trying to train more than this is wildly optimistic.
If your favourite athlete trains 18 times a week it doesn’t mean you should.
Typically when people with lives end up training hard more than four times per week they end up under-recovered and over-injured.
For most people, I’d encourage you to train 3-4 times per week with various non-gym walks/steady cardio sessions dispersed throughout the week, with a little bit of HIT training .
12. Train Through Injury or Illness
You can safely train around an injury with careful exercise selection, and the correct application of rehab work.
Expecting to push through a program without factoring in your injury is macho bullshit.
When injury strikes you have to adapt to the circumstances, not steamroll ahead without changing course. The course correction may only need to be small, but a change of course will be needed to accommodate an injury.
With illness, there are times when you have to train, especially with chronic illness.
But with cold, flu, coronavirus, or whatever other short-term illness you have you to rest 1) so you don’t spread it to others and 2) so you don’t end up more unwell.
Conclusion
Good training is built upon hundreds of good decisions. Trying to adhere to rules because you “should” derails those decisions and makes it more likely you will make bad decisions and mess up your training.
When you begin training, many of these bad decisions will crop up.
By avoiding these bad decisions and rules that aren’t rules, your training is likely to be more consistent, more productive, and less stressful.
This is a good thing.
About the Author
Chris Kershaw is a certified personal trainer located in Leeds, England.
Known as The Heavy Metal Strength Coach, Chris aims to show as many people as possible that consistently lifting weights and working with a coach “isn’t that bad.”
He works with clients to improve their lives via the medium of the barbell (and the occasional kettlebell.)
