I’ve never been to the Bay area and am pumped for this opportunity.
Yeah, yeah, I just Googled Mapped it and San Jose is 55 miles from San Francisco.
Close enough.
Either way I’m totally coming a day early so I can visit the Full House houses.
After that I’ll mozy on down to Palo Alto and try to make a cameo appearance at Stanford University to hang out with my boy Cory Schlesinger (<— Epic beard and an even epic(er) strength coach. You should follow him on Instagram HERE) and attempt to beat him in a game of H.O.R.S.E.
After my victory parade I’ll head to San Jose, either in a Nissan Sentra or a tank (whichever is a cheaper rental), to take part in what will inevitably be an amazing weekend hanging out with like-minded fitness professionals.
I’ll be presenting on the third and final day, first thing in the morning actually.1
My presentation will be: The Shoulder: From Assessment to Badass.
I.e., How to improve overhead mobility and shit. <— a working sub-title.
There are many outstanding presenters lined up for the RISE 2018 weekend including Molly Galbraith, Mark Fisher, Kellie Hart, Craig Ballantyne, and Pat Rigsby (to name a few).
If you’re a gym owner, studio owner, personal trainer, independent trainer, strength coach, or, I don’t know, a one-legged pirate, and you’re serious about taking your fitness business to the next level this is an event that can’t be passed up.
Early Bird Rate Is In Effect ——-> HERE. (same link as above, but marketing research suggests you’re 136% more likely to click this link2).
I’ve Got 5 TICKETS to Giveaway for FREE
As a presenter I’ve been given five tickets to give away.
“I……have…….the………power!”
[NOTE: One ticket has your name written all over it Matt Damon, Gal Gadot, Nolan Ryan, and/or He-Man.]
To that end, everyone who signs up within the next two weeks will be put into a raffle where I’ll randomly pick five names to win a FREE ticket to the event.
Dean Somerset and I are currently in the throes of drumming up new content for our staple workshop series.
We’ve presented this workshop all over the world – London, Vancouver, Oslo, Prague, Boston, LA, Hoth – and even turned it into a popular digital product HERE so everyone can enjoy it.
We’ve already nailed down dates in Slovenia, Houston, and LA this fall (2018) and are also in talks to bring it to Detroit, Philadelphia, Edmonton, Australia, and Singapore in 2019.
If you’re someone who’d like to host this event/participate in a tickle fight please reach out to either Dean or myself.
My wife and I will be in Bonn, Germany on Saturday, June 30 to put on our 1-day Strong Body-Strong Mind Workshop.
I’ll be speaking to assessment, coaching up common strength exercises (squats, deadlifts), and how to better “match” your programs to your client’s abilities and goals.
Lisa will be discussing how to better manage client expectations, motivation, and how to adopt better mindset strategies for success.
And then we’ll have a beer….;o)
Spots are limited and the Early Bird rate is coming to a close on 5/15, so act quickly if you want to take advantage!
For more details (including itinerary and registration) goHERE.
^^^ It’s so good we didn’t even feel the need to come up with a witty title for it.
After my workshop in Germany I head over to London to take part in a 2-day event (the weekend of July 7th) with my friend and colleague (and handsomest man alive) Luke Worthington.
We’ll be taking a deep dive into assessment, PRI, program design, and coaching up common strength movements such as squats, deadlifts, and shoulder friendly light saber tactics.
What’s more, the event will be taking place at the brand spankin new Third Space location in the city (HERE). This event is breaking the place in before it actually opens to the public.
If you’re a personal trainer, coach, or just someone who likes to nerd out on scapular upward rotation, Zones of Apposition, and/or how to deadlift a castle you won’t want to miss this.
A few spots are still available…..go HERE for more info.
4) Tully
My movie watching prowess has taken a steady nose dive in the past year for obvious reasons.
I miss it.
Excited to head to my snobby, local, independent theater tonight to go see this latest one from director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody.
As someone who also uses profanity in my prose – and who often receives backlash from people who live PG lives – I appreciated this piece by Erica Suter.
He has built and runs the most successful gym in Maine which generates over seven-figures and provides full health benefits and 401k’s for all his employees. In addition he also dabbles in real estate, writing, and does a ton of charity work.
I think it’s fantastic more and more women are seeing (and reaping) the benefits of traditional strength training. But much like we’d chastise dudes for always training their pecs or biceps, the same can be said for the bulk of women who feel training their glutes and only their glutes is the key to a desirable derriere.
Social Media Shenanigans
Twitter
I wish there was a way to bottle up patience & consistency. Those are the two “supplements” most people need the most of.
I’m still playing a little catch-up on my end from a weekend of Fitness Summit shenanigans in Kansas City.
I promise I’ll have some content ready to share tomorrow into the rest of the week (you miss me, right?), but in the meantime I’ve got an excellent guest post from Israeli Strength and Conditioning coach Menachem Brodie.
How the Endurance Athlete Can Appease a Shoulder That Hates Them
As a Strength & Conditioning coach who works extensively with cyclists & triathletes most folk first reaction is “WTF Mate?” or “I didn’t even know that was a thing!”
When asked to describe it to people, the best I can come up with is that I know pretty much EXACTLY how Scott Evil feels:
Not “Strength coach” enough for that crowd, and not quite “Cycling enough” for that crowd…
But there is a ton that we can learn about posture and shoulder health from our two wheeled, pedal pushing friends, as they spend hours in positions just a bit more extreme than you or I sitting on the couch watching TV on the weekends.
The difference is that while we ingest 2,000 calories in Buffalo Wild Wings and that awesome ranch dressing, they burn those calories climbing mountains.
While posture and shoulder health have a huge impact on our overall well-being and can have significant and far-reaching effects, those effects are not always felt before it’s too late in the game.
This is especially true for Road Cyclists, runners, and triathletes, as their sport, by design, requires the body to work for long periods of time, preferably as energy efficiently as possible.
When I first started coaching cyclists for performance & strength, I focused on the glutes and their huge impact on the pelvis, spine, and rib cage as they supply the base of power on the bike and support for the upper body.
But it quickly became apparent that while I was on the right track, there was something even more basic that limits cyclists performance: Their posture….It is completely jacked due to hours on the bike in a closed position, supporting around 30% their weight with their hands and arms. (If you’re a cyclist and feel that you’re subjectively supporting more than 30% of your weight with your arms, go see a bike fitter, after you get started with the exercises we learn today.)
And so, the journey down the rabbit hole began, except unlike Alice, I could answer the Cheshire Cat with a definitive answer to “Where do you want to go?”
Improved performance
Improved quality of life
Avoiding looking like a Time trial cyclist/ the hunchback of Notre Dame….when you’re walking around at age 60
Let’s Get Down to Basics
There are two diaphragms in the torso that we want to have aligned in order to allow our body to function properly, including managing internal pressure, allow for proper/optimal muscle function, improved breathing, improved rib mobility, and much, much more:
Thoracic Diaphragm – controls pressure between chest and abdomen, the muscle responsible for respiration in the body, and what most people think of then you mention “Your diaphragm”.
Pelvic Floor – Controls pressure between pelvis and abdomen.
Interestingly enough, while in the general population we may see issues mostly at two of these diaphragms (Pelvic Floor and Thoracic diaphragms), in cyclists we tend to see a bit more issues, in large part due to the extreme position in which these athletes must perform for their sport.
Add into this mix that cycling is pretty much the only sport we have where the feet rotate about a fixed axis, variability in terrain, road surface, winds, and rider movements on the bike, and we have the right ingredients for some major movement issues.
Bear in mind that EVERY sport develops/requires its fair share of movement “deficiencies” or “imbalances at joints” due to repetitive tasks and movements, and while this is a part of sport, we need to keep our “average” cyclist in balance – after all, they are competitive in cycling, but a pro at something else…
Cycling puts you into an extremely vulnerable spot posture wise, not to mention with drivers (of note, PLEASE give us three feet when passing, it’s F***ing scary to have a car whiz past you within inches of knocking you off the road… when they could have waited 5 more seconds and given space… not to mention it’s pretty much law in nearly all countries and states).
Unfortunately, many in the cycling and triathlon communities have come to simply accept some forms of injuries as a right of passage for cyclists who are out there riding hard year in and year out.
From frozen shoulders and lower back pain, to constant upper neck pain and loss of hip extension….and a number of other issues, the communities have come to determine that “it just happens due to playing our sport”.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
If we simply work on a few basic moves off the bike, we can have a significant positive impact on the riders performance and health, as well as YOUR performance and health from constantly flexing your spine to scroll through Instagram and Facebook throughout the day.
(Yeah, I saw you sit up a little straighter right there).
Opening the shoulder girdle, re-attaining proper scapular rhythm, and attaining better alignment of the Cervical, Thoracic, and Pelvic diaphragms are the goals we strive for and are not won in a few weeks, but rather over the course of a few months, and for more veteran riders, years.
It takes consistent work, done over a time period to see major gains and advances.
While it’s tough to argue which of these three diaphragms is “The most important to address” as it is based off of each individual athlete and what/if any issues they are having, we can say that due to our modern-day lifestyle, the shoulder girdle is a great place to start, as most cyclists will move to a compromised position at some point in longer/harder rides.
Not to mention that keeping the shoulder in good balance can relieve pressure on the brachial plexus, reduce the risk/ development of an overgrown coracoid process, as well as help alleviate some of the tension from the cervical extensors that are working so hard.
This allows accessory muscles of the thorax and neck to work as…. Accessory muscles, not stabilizers hanging on for dear life. As we get the shoulder joint sitting better, we can see the rib cage begin to gain proper movement, which leads to a better alignment of the Pelvic and Thoracic diaphragm, which allows the pelvic floor to relax and glutes and pelvic floor to activate in order to stabilize and move the body with more efficiency.
If we know that joint position dictates muscle function, then there are so many compensations happening in the sport of cycling, that many muscles wind up feeling like Tom Hanks in Castaway: They know what it’s like to be social and around others, but they begin to become detached from reality, and start doing other funny things.
Aside from helping to put you in the best position to maximize energy expenditure, keeping the shoulders healthy and moving well can help you be able to EAT while out on the bike as well!
The number of riders I’ve had the last ten years who had lost proper range of motion in their dominant shoulder, and were unable to eat on the bike due to loss of the range of motion thus not being able to reach into their back pockets, and “not trusting” their other hand to steer, is many.
While we often see hip issues in cyclists as well, we know that the hip and opposite shoulder work together in unison to allow us to move forward, and thus why starting at the shoulder along with breathing, can significantly improve a riders performance AND their quality of life.
Enough of the talk, let’s get into some solid action items that you can implement 3-5 days a week, in 15 minutes or less, to help you get back to great posture and able to express your true conditioning and strength, no matter what your sport.
Before jumping into the exercises, be sure to take 4-6 minutes to foam roll/ lax ball, especially:
Foam rolling the Lats
Foam rolling the chest
LAX ball/ ACUMobility the neck – all the cool kids are talking about the ACUMobility ball, and while I haven’t used it myself, it does look like a useful piece of equipment that will be regularly used, so yes, I’ll jump on the bandwagon.
Just don’t make the mistake that many endurance athletes do and spend too much time on the roller/lax ball. If you’re doing soft tissue mobility for longer than 10-12 minutes, you need to get a life/ take a hard look at your recovery/ lack of recovery between sessions.
It’s not how hard you can go in a session, it’s going hard enough that you can recover session to session, while keeping consistency in your trainings.
After the foam roller we’ll jump into breathing as shoulder joint position will also affect inhalation and exhalation, so we’re going to start here, with learning to breathe.
Learning to Breathe & Resetting the Diaphragm
All 4’s Quadruped Breathing – Resetting the Diaphragm
1 set of 5 deep breaths through the nose, out through the mouth. Hold each breath for 4 seconds
Crocodile Breathing – Filling the Cavity Evenly
1 set of 5 to 8 breaths
Next, we want to work on opening the shoulder, but in a way that allows us to tap into Thoracic Rotation. For some of you this may be a bit much, be sure to listen to your body, and breathe out and RELAX when you hit a tough spot.
Side Lying Windmill
Opening up lats, pecs, and T-spine to help the athlete function better.
One set of 8 each side
Finally, we work to fire up some muscles that may have been turned off, and/or “went on break.”
Wall Scap Slides
– Activating the Serratus anterior, Mid and lower Traps.
1 set of 8- make sure to keep your ribs from flaring, and your chin tucked.
Behind the Back Band Pull Aparts
– Activating the lower traps and rhomboids.
1 set of 8
Chin Nod, Progressing to Chin tuck Head lift
Helping activate the deep core, and fire up the muscles in your neck.
1 set of 8
Wrap Up
While these seem like a lot, you can and should be able to execute these exercises, in this order, 3-5 days a week, in 10-15 minutes. Remember, it’s not doing the exercises intensely or until fatigue that will help you see progress, it’s the CONSISTENCY that will.
About the Author
Menachem Brodie is a USA Cycling Certified Expert Level Coach, NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist, and Serotta Certified Bike Fitter with over 20 years in the Health & Fitness Industry. “Brodie” as he is known, has done over 15 presentations for USA Cycling on Strength Training for Cycling, and is the author of Training Peaks Universities “Strength Training for Cycling Success”Online course.
When he’s not geeking out reading Ex-phys books, riding his bike, or trying to lift heavy things, he’s probably sleeping….errr, “recovering”. If you see Brodie without a coffee in his hand, something is probably amiss and you should call 911 immediately, as he may be signaling you for help.
Dean Somerset and I are currently in the throes of drumming up new content for our staple workshop series.
We’ve presented this workshop all over the world – London, Vancouver, Oslo, Prague, Boston, LA, Hoth – and even turned it into a popular digital product HERE so everyone can enjoy it.
We’ve already nailed down dates in Slovenia, Houston, and LA this fall (2018) and are also in talks to bring it to Detroit, Philadelphia, Edmonton, Australia, and Singapore in 2019.
If you’re someone who’d like to host this event/participate in a tickle fight please reach out to either Dean or myself.
My wife and I will be in Bonn, Germany on Saturday, June 30 to put on our 1-day Strong Body-Strong Mind workshop.
I’ll be speaking to assessment, coaching up common strength exercises (squats, deadlifts), and how to better “match” your programs to your client’s abilities and goals.
Lisa will be discussing how to better manage client expectations, motivation, and how to adopt better mindset strategies for success.
And then we’ll have a beer….;o)
Spots are limited and the Early Bird rate is still in effect (but not for long).
For more details (including itinerary and registration) go HERE.
^^^ It’s so good we didn’t even feel the need to come up with a witty title for it.
After my workshop in Germany I head over to London to take part in a 2-day event (the weekend of July 7th) with my friend and colleague (and handsomest man alive) Luke Worthington.
This one is filling up fast…..go HERE for more info.
A year ago the guys over at Stronger By Science (Greg Nuckols, Eric Helms, and Mike Zourdos released their monthly research review MASS (Monthly Applications in Strength Sport) and it’s made the industry better.
I for one HATE reading research and much prefer to let other people who are much smarter than myself to break things down in more bite sized, manageable nuggets of information.
This is a meticulously curated monthly service. The MASS reviewers sift through 100+ journals per month to help you get smarter and to better sever your athletes/clients. If you’re a coach, physique or strength athlete, or just someone who likes to nerd out and talk about actin/myosin chains at the dinner table this will be right up your alley.
Today (4/27) through next week (5/3) is your chance to take advantage of some BIG markdowns on the service.
$21 monthly subscription (normally $29)
$209 yearly subscription (normally $299)
$699 lifetime subscription (normally $999)
If you’re still on the fence you can check out the goods HERE for a free sample issue.
Otherwise you can just trust that I have smart friends and excellent taste in the resources I recommend to people and go HERE.
Many of the programs and tactics used to target the 40+ lifter are garbage. As my friend John Rusin would say:
“Just because you are 40+ years old does NOT mean you need a training program specifically designed for “40+ Year Old Lifters” as sleazy fitness industry marketing 101 is attempting to force feed you. What you really need is a program that is custom fit to YOU and your BIOLOGICAL age and needs, not your chronological age.”
I found this article very relevant with a sound message. Check it out.
Per usual, Charles provides a bevy of sound and practical advice in this article.
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
I’m often amused when random strangers in grocery stores comment on the amount of eggs and red meat in my basket and serve as the “health” police when their’s is full of potato chips and Kit Kats and they’re clearly overweight.
Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Sydney, Australia based strength coach Meer Awny.
There’s a common theme in the fitness industry, especially amongst young and upcoming coaches/trainers, that in order to gain recognition or notoriety there’s some “deep state” secret algorithm that exists:
Social media follows + number of letters you can squeeze next to your name in your bio / (selfie to shirtless pic ratio) x (# of days you brag about either going to CrossFit or how you feel so UHmazing you feel going ketogenic5)
In fact, it’s pretty simple: get good at what you do, be consistent, and consider some of the strategies Meer points out below.
Is Age Just a Number? Is There a Way To Be Taken Seriously Before 30 In the Fitness Industry?
You’ve graduated with a piece of paper and want to work with athletes.
I mean of course they should work with you, you’re now one of the exclusive 15,000 fresh graduates who have inundated the industry and you…are…important.
But you quickly realise that’s not the case.
The title of “Sports Scientist” doesn’t hold career certainty and so you find yourself working on a gym floor, putting weights away and training general population clients. Now, there should be no shame in being able to apply good coaching principles to a wider audience.
But you also wanted to train the sports stars and get recognition.
With the advent and saturation of social media, it’s easy to feel pressured to have a voice and make a contribution to the field you’re so passionate about.
But often we fail to contextualise and ask how did the person I look up to get to where they are?
Instead of asking the harder questions and actually doing the work, the list of books to read gets larger, and the search for the perfect Instagram filter continues.
That’s not always the answer.
Eventually you come to realise the ‘big names’ in the industry aren’t the same age as you, have a lot more experience, and go out of their way to provide consistent, quality content for free and don’t complain about it.
You just want to be taken seriously despite the “Oh you’ve got plenty of time” diatribes every time you announce you’re a 24-year-old coach.
But what is experience?
We’re told that it’s learning through trial & error and that with more relative experience, through the years, you gain wisdom. And so you vision the day you’re a 35-year-old coach working with all the people you hoped you would from day one.
Age is wisdom, right?
Or is the value of the time spent more important then the time itself?
Here are some ways to add more value to the time you have rather than waiting for the clock to provide you with experience.
1. Volunteer
Get comfortable with this.
If you aren’t willing to give up your time, as precious as it may seem, then things aren’t going to bode well for you. It doesn’t necessarily mean an internship (we’ll get to that), but it does mean being genuine and selfless when it comes to learning and working with people.
This includes taking the time to talk and to have conversations with your athletes and clients.
Remember: To steal a well-known quote from strength & conditioning icon, Mike Boyle:
“Your athletes don’t care about how much you know until they know about how much you care”.
2. Internship/Mentorship
One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was “Find the person that is doing what you want to do and go and learn from that person.”
In 2017 I packed up for five weeks and flew across the world to Denver, Colorado (I’m an Aussie).
In those five weeks I grew new branches on my tree of networks (BTW – I didn’t know what a metaphor was until I was 17), made friends, and had the opportunity to learn from one of the best strength coaches in the field…Loren Landow.
Not to paint a smooth picture, the process in making this happen took time, patience and persistence.
Words can’t describe how much I learned and how indebted I feel for the opportunity. Also, internships allow an opportunity to “ooch,” or to test out and dip your toe into an area or field you’re not too experienced in.
You may feel like you want to work with athletes (or circus performers or pre & postpartum women)…but how do you really know?
An internship offers an opportunity to gain experience, but also a way to get a taste for whether or not you want to be in this field or work with a particular demographic.
3. Networks
The cliché will always stand:
“Who you know is more important than what you know.”
Reading all the books and knowing every muscle insertion and programming variable will not trump the friends you have in the industry.
Act on this by attending conferences, worthwhile seminars, and giving up your time to learn from people who can improve your attributes as a practitioner and more importantly, as a person.
Attendance alone is not enough.
You need to be active in introducing yourself (even if your bio isn’t ‘Hot’), taking emails/phone numbers, asking questions and then following up within two weeks post event.
Getting good at this will open opportunities, and also give you some credibility as a young coach.
4. Patience & Expectations
Setting realistic goals and expectations are important.
Don’t expect to work with world champions in the first year.
But don’t deny that you will eventually.
Put in the work, get good at what you do, be consistent, and it stands to reason people will seek you out.
5. Hobbies & Yourself
Being immersed in the ‘field’ is great.
Know the content and all the science.
But understand that this job involves communication with lots of different people; so being broad in your knowledge will help. Spend time away from reading sport related material, develop new hobbies, read outside of the common ‘self development’ section of the bookstore, and you’ll find a heightened ability to connect with people from all ages and sorts.
A strong mantra to apply daily is:
“How you do anything is how you do everything.”
Constantly show up and make it clear that you care about the people you work with. It shouldn’t be too hard; otherwise you might be in the wrong field. Gary Schofield did a great presentation and used the metaphor of “dogs and monstah’s” (He had a pretty cool Boston accent-almost as cool as Matt Damon”) to describe two types of people (10s mark).
The dog needs guidance, treats, and their hand to be held.
The monstah asks ‘What more can I do?’ and gets after it. Time is not irrelevant, and experiences will come with years of effort. That can’t be denied. What you can do is be a monstah and apply some of the mentioned principles to be taken seriously before 30.
About the Author
Meer Awny is a Strength & Conditioning coach & Personal Trainer from Sydney, Australia.
His work is primarily centred on working with combat sport athletes, ranging from amateur levels to national competition, as well as top #10 ranked athletes in the world; across a variety of martial arts.
Meer has travelled the world to better his development of the ‘fighter’ and himself as a coach, and has spent time with multiple UFC fighters and learnt from some of the best combat sport performance coaches in the field.
In his spare time Meer likes to attend coffee tastings, scuba dive, read, cook, travel and continually practice Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and boxing.
When most guys talk about their man-crushes they’re quick to gravitate towards movie stars like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson or professional athletes like Cam Newton.
I can’t say I disagree with those picks. Both are really good at what they do and both are really good looking.6
I have some fitness-industry man crushes too. Plenty of them, actually. One of my most current crushes belongs to Ryan DeBell of The Movement Fix.
He’s smart (earned a doctorate in Chiropractic).
He’s successful (has built several business, released several successful products/resources, and travels the world speaking to fitness professionals).
And he fucking crushes wearing a bowtie.
I mean, who can get away with that and not get punched in the face within 0.7 seconds?
Ryan. That’s who.
I’ve been a big fan of his work and the information he provides for awhile now and I HIGHLY recommend heading to his site to check it out.
Anyways, I’ve appeared on his show before and we’ve actually made several attempts to meet up in person the few times he’s been to Boston to present. Alas, it was always a case of bad timing and nothing ever transpired.
A few weeks ago, however, he reached and said he was going to be in town again and that we should hang out, get a lift in, and maybe record a live podcast.
I didn’t make it nearly as awkward as all of this probably makes it seem like it should have been.
After a quick bro-session at the gym we headed to a local Starbucks to record an episode of his podcast. We discussed what it’s like running a business, training gen pop clients, how to grow a blog and brand, and how I was able to juggle being a new Dad last year.
I had a blast recording it, and I hope you give it a listen.
In today’s day and age being a personal trainer runs somewhere in the spectrum of one of the most rewarding careers out there and a dumpster fire.
The latter comes into play often, especially when you work in a large commercial gym where you’re one of dozens of trainers vying for everyone’s attention (and wallets). It’s seemingly become harder to separate yourself from the masses, and when you compound that with the long hours and the massive trepidation from many trainers to understand the business side of the equation, it’s no wonder the burnout rate is so high.
In today’s excellent guest post Michael Anderson he explains why keeping the clients you do have may be the “x” factor.
This is sort of a weird post to write for me because I’m specifically speaking to the coaches and trainers that read Tony’s blog rather than the average Joe or Jane who just likes training and wants to be awesome.
It’s also weird because I don’t often talk about the business side of this industry…mainly because I’m a WAY better trainer than businessman.
Today’s lesson is one I learned probably 7-8 years ago and it should help anyone who heeds this advice make more money: retain your clients.
I don’t mean tie them up and keep them in the yoga studio, I mean make sure that once you get a client you’re keeping them for the long haul.
Many moons ago I was a personal trainer at a fairly upscale privately owned globo gym in Boston. Per the usual for a commercial gym like that they constantly pushed the trainers to sign new trainees up for sessions. The owners and manager went to great lengths to keep increasing new sign-ups. We offered two free sessions when you signed up for a year membership, several times a year we offered a special deal where you could buy three sessions for $99 and they started to give bonus incentives to trainers who signed up new clients for X amount of sessions.
The only problem was that this ultimately didn’t make anyone any money; neither the trainers nor the gym itself.
The two free sessions would work well if you had a really polished approach, but it took a long time to get comfortable with it. The sessions that we put on sale were a waste of time and effort; the “sales hunters” would wait until these were available and then buy a few of them with no intention of training beyond the length of those packages.
They’d do a few sessions and get some new ideas and then work out on their own until the sale became available again. As the trainer conducting these sessions, you were doomed to fail.
These people almost never wanted to continue as a regular client.
Providing a financial bonus to the trainers when you signed up a new client created a system where people were more interested in selling packages to get the extra money short-term than they were in building a solid long-term client base.
The result of this was that there were a lot of gym members who did a few sessions with trainers who were just trying to get paid vs enjoying quality sessions. Ultimately these people would now be harder to convince to use our training services again.
Why Long Term Is Better
As a personal trainer it is going to benefit you dramatically in the long term to have clients that come back to you month after month, year after year.
During my five year stint training at that gym, I had 8-10 clients who would train with me multiple times per week and that core group lasted for 2-5 years.
Most of these clients would purchase our largest package of sessions (52) which was sold as the “annual package” and resulted in the cheapest per session cost; my clients were going through 2-3 of them a year!
Out of about 35 available training hours per week, my schedule typically contained about 20-25 hours of long-term clients. The rest of my schedule was usually filled in with new members who were using their two free sessions. My conversion rate with these was pretty good, so my goal was to get them interested in training regularly and then I would pass them off to other trainers who had more availability or were just starting out.
I hate suggesting this, but its important thing to remember from time to time: your clients are your business and each one represents money to you.
In the grand scheme of things you will make more money having 3-5 people train 2-3 times a week each for multiple years than chasing new clients every month so you can get the bonus.
I’ve heard a general rule when it comes to business marketing that it takes 5-10 times as much money to obtain a new customer as it does to retain an old one. In the personal trainer world this means it takes you more time talking to people on the gym floor, more time emailing and cold calling and more time doing intro sessions that I’ve always found to be much more draining and intensive than someone you’ve been working with for a while.
If you’ve ever had a day where you do 3-4 first time sessions with someone then you know what I’m talking about. Now, I’m not suggesting you should be opposed to doing all of those office-work things, but I feel like many of you would agree with me that it’s more fun to be in the gym coaching than it is to be sitting at a computer send out the same annoying email over and over.
The other benefit is that when you work with someone for a long time and they really trust and appreciate you they will do the marketing for you.
These clients will tell other gym members and friends about how much they enjoy working with you. If you read Pete Dupuis’ blog (and you should) then you’d know that word of mouth advertising is the One Ring of fitness business advertising….it rules them all.
These referrals almost always produce a stronger client relationship than someone who just walks into the gym and says “yea I guess I’ll try a session with you”. If a person you’ve been working with for 18 months can produce one or two more people who will work with you for 18 months each, you’re doing really well.
But, How?
Unfortunately this is where I tell you that there is no secret formula to creating and retaining a good client base.
I think Tony’s blog in general is filled with great advice that will help you succeed in this regard; I know that it helped me tremendously back in the day when I was figuring this shit out (and still today). Other than that you just have to work hard and refine your technique.
It also really helps if people like you. No one likes working with a dick.
Make sure you take care of your current clients first.
Much like exercise, make sure you master the basics of good customer service first: be on time, don’t smell like hot ass, don’t let them see you pick a booger at the front desk, don’t complain about your personal problems during a session, don’t allow their time slot to get compromised because you’re a shitty scheduler, and ensure that you’re doing your part to help them meet their goals.
Personal training is both a soft science and an art form. You have to do what you know is right to help them achieve a goal, but you also have to relent a little on some stuff. If a client hates push-ups and you keep forcing push-ups on them, they will just say “F it” and not come back.
You’ve got to develop a broad enough range of methods and approaches that you can meet any client where they are and create an enjoyable training experience.
As a current small business owner, I’ve seen this scenario play out even more substantially than it did when I worked at a globo gym.
I don’t have the capital to spend on any advertising and showing up at high school sporting events to hand out business cards isn’t a great use of my time. It has become even more important that I focus on keeping the clients I have and slowly adding to my roster through word of mouth referrals.
While getting new clients in the door is important, I’d be a fool to not first take the best care of the people currently coming to train with me. Do right by those you train now and build on that slowly.
If you have any questions please feel free to reach out!
About the Author
Mike is a personal trainer and strength coach living in Cleveland with his fiance and adorable pit bull. He is the owner of Anderson Strength and Fitness, the strength coach for Healthy Green Athlete and is an all around badass dude. You can follow him on Instagram @AndersonStrengthFitness or shoot him an email at [email protected].
I had to take a break from The Fitness Summit last year for two reasons:
1. Eating way too many cookies.
2. But mostly because I succeeded in making a baby and my wife would have tossed me so much shade if I was all like “Hey Babe, going to KC for three days. Toodles.”
Well this year I’m back and excited to take part in a Fitness Summit first. Dean Somerset and I will be putting on a Pre-Conference day where we’ll spend a few hours test driving some new material as a follow-up to our Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint.
Tentatively titled The More Completer Hip & Shoulder Blueprint.
We’ll be taking deep dive into squat and deadlift technique: discussing ankle, foot, hip and upper extremity considerations in conjunction with regressions/progressions and programming. Whether you’re a coach or just someone who likes to lift heavy things you’ll undoubtedly learn something. And if not, cool, you still get to hang out with us for a few hours.
Registration is now open for returning and new attendees. Come experience one of the best fitness events of the year.
I’m excited to announce that both myself and my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, will be presenting at the inaugural Spurling Spring Seminar at Spurling Fitness in Kennebunk, ME in a few months.
If you live in New England and you’re a fitness professional you won’t want to miss it. Early bird special is currently in effect.
Having the ability to differentiate between what you think should be happening and what actually is happening is often what separates the good coaches from the excellent ones.
As a self-described Diet Coke fan I approve this message.
Thanks TC!
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General Rule: For optimal performance you want to “pin” shoulder blades together and down (think: bench press). For optimal health you want the shoulder blades to MOVE (think: push-ups). Protraction/reaching is kind of a big deal.
Straight sets, pyramid sets, drop sets, cluster sets…
…it can all be rather confusing to the newbie lifter, or even seasoned veteran. How many sets should you do? What exercises are the best fit? What about rest? Is it normal to not feel the right side of your face?
All are pertinent questions and with today’s guest post Dallas based personal trainer, Shane McLean, helps to clear the air.
When I first started lifting, I had no idea about all the different types of sets.
When I went to the gym, I would saunter over to the dumbbell rack and bust open my biceps with some curls.
And when I did curls, I did them it front of the mirror and the whole gym knew about it.
However, my biceps remained small and so did I.
That’s until I started learning about all the set schemes that exist in the iron universe. Like most boys when they started out lifting weights, I did the workouts from muscle magazines hoping that it would make me look like the guys on the cover.
That didn’t work out at all but, it was the first time I heard about pairing sets together, known as supersets. You mean you could pair exercises together, increase training efficiency and build muscle all at the same time?
My mind was blown.
This led me further down the rabbit hole of all the different set methods which in turn led me to be armed with a coffee cup, a clip board, a stopwatch and telling people what to do with a dumbbell while wearing comfortable pants.
Yes, that’s right I’m a Personal Trainer.
Now you can benefit from my 25 years in the iron game, with eight of those years writing programs for people that get results.
Read on and learn things.
NOTE: These are guidelines and there will be exceptions to the information presented here.
1) Straight Sets
What Are They? – Doing just the one exercise for one or multiple sets with rest in between sets
The Best Use For Straight Sets? – They’re often used for barbell exercises like deadlifts, squats, presses and rows. All your energy is focused on getting stronger with that one move.
Types of Exercises That Straight Sets Work Best For? – Compound barbell/dumbbell like those discussed above.
How Many of Sets Should You Do?– It depends on how many reps in each set. More reps mean less sets and less reps mean more sets. Another factor is load. The closer you are to your one rep max, you’ll do less reps more sets and vise versa.
For example- 3 sets – 3 reps 90% 1 rep max. Or 4 sets of 5 reps 83% 1 rep max.
How Much Rest Between Sets?– usually 2-3 minutes rest between sets.
2) Supersets
What Are They?– Is one set of an exercise is performed directly after a set of a different exercise with minimal rest in between them.
The Best Use For Supersets?– They’re ideal for building muscle, fat loss and for those who have a limited amount of time to train.
Types of Exercises Supersets Work Best For?– Really anything goes here. Barbell, dumbbells, kettlebell, bodyweight, resistance bands and machine exercises all work. You can use compound (exercising multiple muscles groups) or isolation (single muscle) exercises.
Different Types of Supersets
1. Compound supersets, when both exercises work a similar body part.
For example:
1A. Squat
1B. Lunge
2. Non-competing supersets, pairing a lower body exercise with an upper body exercise.
For example:
1A. Squat
1B. Dumbbell bench press
3. Isolation/compound supersets which you pair a single joint exercise with a compound movement or vise versa.
For example:
1A. Triceps extension variation
1B. Barbell bench press
How Many of Sets Should You Do? – Anywhere from 2- 5 sets (depending on how much time you have to train) and repetitions can range from anywhere between 6- 15 reps per set.
How Much Rest Between Supersets? – Limited rest between the exercises themselves and anywhere between 60-120 sec rest between supersets.
3) Tri-Sets
What Are They? – Doing 3 different exercises back to back to back.
The Best Use For Tri-Sets?– They are ideal for fat loss, muscle building and for people who want maximum training efficiency.
Types of Exercises Tri-Sets Work Best For?– Really anything goes here also. Barbell, dumbbells, kettlebell, bodyweight, resistance bands and machine exercises all work. Furthermore, having all the equipment close to you will cut down on transition time between exercises.
Different Types of Tri-Sets
You can use them to bring up a lagging body part.
For example, shoulders:
1A. Single arm shoulder press
1B. Lateral shoulder raises
1C. Reverse fly
Or mobility tri sets to help improve your movement.
For example, hip mobility exercise for the squat:
1A. Goblet squat
1B. Push up
1C. Half kneeling hip flexor stretch
Or when pushed for time you can combine strength and cardio exercises to get the best of both worlds.
For example:
1A. Leg exercise
1B. Upper body exercise
1C. Cardiovascular exercise 30- 60 seconds
How Many of Sets Should You Do? – Usually 3- 4 sets and anywhere between 6- 15 reps per exercise.
How Much Rest? – Limited rest between the exercises and 90-120 seconds rest after each tri-set.
4) Timed Sets
What Are They?– Doing an exercise for certain amount of time or completing the programmed reps in a certain amount of time.
The Best Use For Timed Sets?– They can be used for building muscle but they’re excellent for incinerating body fat.
Types of Exercises Timed Sets Work Best For?– Any piece of equipment that allows for an easy transition between exercises is a winner. For example, barbell, dumbbell, bodyweight, kettlebell and resistance bands.
Different Types of Timed Sets
Every minute on the minute sets where you complete a certain amount of reps and then rest the reminder of the minute before moving on to the next exercise.
For example:
1A. Goblet squat- 8 reps
1B. Row- 8 reps
1C. Goblet reverse lunge- 8 reps on each leg
1D. Chest press- 8 reps
1E. Biceps curls – 8 reps
Or you can scrape the reps and it’s just you versus the stopwatch where you try to do as many reps as possible in a pre-determined timeframe. For example, a full body circuit using bodyweight, barbells and dumbbells.
1B. Push variation- Incline push up, Push up or Dumbbell bench press.
1C. Single leg exercise- Reverse lunge, Forward lunge or Side lunge
1D. Pull variation- Rack pull, Dumbbell bent over row or Standing cable row.
1E. Core- Alternating side plank, Mountain climbers or Front plank.
How Many of Rounds Should You Do? – It depends how long you’ve got to train. Using the above examples, these circuits takes 5 min to complete so 3- 5 rounds would suffice.
How Much Rest?– You rest when you’re done.
5) Ladder Sets
What Are They? – One big superset when you compete the reps of both exercises in an ascending or descending order. For example, 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 or 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10.
Best Use For Ladder Sets – They’re great way to finish your training and to add volume to a body part that needs working on. Furthermore, they can be used for a stand-alone training when pushed for time.
Types of Exercises Ladder Sets Work Best For?– Bodyweight, kettlebells, medicine balls, battle ropes and dumbbells work great.
For example, the kettlebell swings/medicine ball slam combo:
Instructions:Do 20 reps each of the swings and the slams and go down by 2 each time you perform a round until you reach two reps for each exercise (for example 20-18-16-14….2). If you don’t have access to medicine balls, substitute in battle rope slams.
Battle Rope Slams
Med Ball Rotational Slam
https://youtube.com/watch?v=YHgXAFY4H1Q
How Many Rounds Should You Do?– Just one will do, if you’re doing it right.
How Much Rest? –Again, you’ll rest when you’re done.
6) Cluster Sets
What Are They?– Sets with a predetermined rest period between reps within the same set.
For example:
Load the barbell to 85-90% of your maximum, a weight you could normally lift 3 times.
Do one rep and rack the bar.
Rest 10 seconds.
Do another rep and rack the bar.
Rest for 10 seconds.
Do this 4-6 times total
Best Use For Cluster Sets– They’re best used for building strength but be warned, when using heavier weights with shorter rest periods while increasing volume can lead to fatigue.
For example, (4×2) x5 sets – is 5 total clusters of 4 mini sets of 2 reps with 10 seconds rest in between. That’s 40 reps at 85-90% of your 1 rep max.
Types of Exercises Cluster Sets Work Best For?– Barbell exercises like squats, presses and rows but can be used for chin-ups also.
How Many Sets Should You Do?– Anywhere from 3- 6 clusters.
How Much Rest Between Clusters? – 3 minutes or more between clusters because of their demanding nature.
7) Drop Sets
What Are Drop Sets? – Is a method where you perform an exercise and then reduce the weight (usually 15- 30% drop) and continue for more reps until you reach failure.
Best Use For Drop Sets– Ideally, it’s your last set of the day. This method is used to add muscle and volume to a body part. However, it’s not for the faint of heart because you will feel the burn.
Types of Exercises Drop Sets Work Best For – Barbell, dumbbell and machine exercises.
A Different Type of Drop Set
Rather than dropping the weight and lifting till failure, you can perform mechanical drop sets where you use the same weight the entire time. You start an exercise in a mechanically weaker position to one in which you’re in stronger position.
For example, the dumbbell bench press mechanical drop set:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=KfYNhAGAm0w
This is a truly sadistic method for building muscle, but it works. If you want more ideas, read this excellent article by John Romaniello.
How Many Drop Sets Should You Do? – Once per training and probably no more than twice per week.
How Much Rest? – If you’re doing it right, you’ll need a nap.
Wrapping Up
Wow, you got to the end and you’re probably hungry. Please go get some protein.
Now, you’re armed with the knowledge to take your training to the next level and to hulk smash your way through any plateaus. Happy lifting.
About the Author
Shane “The Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Texas. Shane believes in balancing exercise with life while putting the fun back into both.
I’ve had the honor of presenting at two previous iterations of the Motivate & Movement LAB (the brainchild of MFF’s Harold Gibbons) and it’s unequivocally one of the most unique events in the fitness industry.
Think: TED Talk, but with deadlifts and lots of f-bombs.
Anyways, the next LAB is this coming February, and will feature myself, Dan John, Pete Dupuis, my wife (Dr. Lisa Lewis), and several of the MFF coaching staff including Brian Patrick Murphy and Amanda Wheeler.
I had to take a break from The Fitness Summit last year for two reasons:
1. Eating way too many cookies.
2. But mostly because I succeeded in making a baby and my wife would have tossed me so much shade if I was all like “Hey Babe, going to KC for three days. Toodles.”
Well this year I’m back and excited to take part in a Fitness Summit first. Dean Somerset and I will be putting on a Pre-Conference day where we’ll spend a few hours test driving some new material as a follow-up to our Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint.
Tentatively titled The More Completer Hip & Shoulder Blueprint.
We’ll be taking deep dive into squat and deadlift technique: discussing ankle, foot, hip and upper extremity considerations in conjunction with regressions/progressions and programming. Whether you’re a coach or just someone who likes to lift heavy things you’ll undoubtedly learn something. And if not, cool, you still get to hang out with us for a few hours.
Registration is now open for returning and new attendees. Come experience one of the best fitness events of the year.
I’ll go a head and say it: I feel this is one of the single most important courses I have ever taken.
If you train women it behooves you to understand the intricacies surrounding this topic: pelvic floor dysfunction, prolapse, incontinence, etc.
Dr. Sarah Duvall covers everything from assessment/screening to corrective exercise (tons of attention to proper breathing mechanics) to training considerations immediately postpartum (1-4 weeks) onward to a year plus.
What’s more, what I truly dig about Sarah’s approach is that she advocates women to eventually “lift shit to fix shit” (my words, not hers). Sooooo, there’s that.
FYI: TODAY (1/26) is the last day to register for this go-round. However you can use the coupon code TONYG at checkout for an additional $50 off your purchase. You know, cause I’m awesome.
Is it supposed to happen? Does it get better? What can you do to lessen the amplitude?
Lance chimes in with some simple advice.
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DB presses hurt your shoulders? Maybe try a neutral grip. Squatting hurts your lower back? Maybe brace more or don’t squat so low (to a box). There I just fixed the issue without giving you 147 different “corrective exercises” to try.
Meer Awny is a Strength & Conditioning coach & Personal Trainer from Sydney, Australia.
